X52 full functionality!!

[Zimmerdylan]

For the last several years, I have wondered why this damn X52 was never fully functional. No pinky button, and the seemingly useless mouse switch and the corresponding button that had no purpose (in my mind anyway). The rotary wheel that's right next to your pointer as you grab the throttle on the HOTAS, and its center button also seemed pointless. None of this made much sense to me and whenever anyone (and there were a lot of anyone's over the years) would ask about the lack of functionality in any of these switches, no one seemed to ever come up with an answer that actually fixed the issue.

Well!!! Today I stumbled upon the solution to all of this and it will give your X52 a brand new life. I promise. I now set my X55 aside and have gone back to my X52 because I have 7 more buttons to choose from. I have to say.....I'm shaking with happiness at this discovery. It's like I got a better HOTAS and stick today. Now! Those of you who are already privy to this seemingly top secret solution. Please don't respond with the old “Yeah well.....Duh!” because if you did know it, then you should have shared it on all of the endless posts from countless frustrated noobs about it instead of holding your tongue. Now, I know it and will share it. Often!!!

 

 

To get functionality in all of the switches that have none, Follow these instructions:

 

 

 

1. 
   
2. Open “Profile Editor” >>> “Programming” >>>>>> Views (on the top left side)>>>>Grid View
   
3. You should see sets of columns with: Mode 1 , Mode 2 , Mode 3, Mode 1 + Pinky....etc. At the top right of each column you will see the X option to delete that column. Leave the far left column (Mode 1). Do not delete it! But....delete all of the other columns. These are all shift states, activated by the pinky switch. You don't need them.
   
4. I should add that you can go to the top of the column (Mode 1) and name it. Right under the Mode 1 window, there is an empty window where you can type any name or whatever. I do not think that it's really important but it was in the tutorial that I watched.
   
5. Go to your X52 and push the pinky switch. A box with “Pinky Switch” will appear in the column. It will turn blue when you hit the switch. Scroll your cursor to the box. In the upper right corner, put your cursor on the black arrow. Left click and a menu will down. It will read: Latched, Unprogrammed, Fall Back, Button.......etc. Set the Pinky switch to “Unprogrammed” and voila!!! You can now use the Pinky switch for whatever you like. It is completely programmable in DCS. Whatever other switches that you have that do not function in DCS, this works for all of them provided they are not broken and show up in the editor when you hit them. You have to be careful however because some of them are just a little tricky. The wheel switch on the throttle grip of the HOTAS right next to your pointer, (Wheel button R Mouse) , (Wheel Button Scroll up, Wheel Button Scroll Down) are pretty much 3 different buttons and can be programmed as such. So you can have the scroll down be a button, the scroll up another button, and the push in the middle, yet another. It's pretty friggin cool!! You can do this with any buttons that do not work. There is also more stuff in there that I did not fool with, only because I just was so happy that my buttons and switches all worked, that I didn't bother.
   
6. Make sure that when you are done, go to the save menu and save it as a profile. When you go to the profile editor, you can just open that profile and always have full functionality in your X52.
   

How cool is that!!??

Edited August 18, 2016 by Zimmerdylan

[Devrim]

I'm happy for you, and good for you. I can imagine your feelings, but I think I'll be the one of these guys that say "yeah well"... Sorry for that.

 

Because, that's why Saitek made SST Software. It's done for you to use functions on buttons and rotaries. So, I thought you would talking about really hidden a feature. :)

 

By the way, don't delete other "Mode"s. You can assign countless shortcuts in them too.

 

Have fun.

[Zimmerdylan]

I'm happy for you, and good for you. I can imagine your feelings, but I think I'll be the one of these guys that say "yeah well"... Sorry for that.

 

Because, that's why Saitek made SST Software. It's done for you to use functions on buttons and rotaries. So, I thought you would talking about really hidden a feature. :)

 

By the way, don't delete other "Mode"s. You can assign countless shortcuts in them too.

 

Have fun.

 

It is my experience and the experience of countless others that the Madcatz software is pretty counter intuitive, and setting up elaborate profiles with the editor is pretty much a waste of time. I understand that there are people who use it. I have no problems with that. One man's food is another man's poison. But I'll wager that a vast majority (myself included) have found no use for all of it's overly complex, unneeded and unwanted features. This has been the center of many, many debates about using Saitek products. If you go to their web site, it is the most common complaint they get and it's also a hot point for many of Saitek's customers. They simply don't use it. Even the reviews of the software are not very kind to it most of the time. It's always: Saitek! Great hardware, terrible software. And I completely agree with that sentiment. I have never used the Madcatz software fully. Only because it's so user unfriendly. The tutorial is a simple way to gain functionality in your X52 without having to fiddle with a profile editor that doesn't seem to like to be fiddled with. It is the best way to go about getting all of the features that many do not know how to access, without having to set up complex profiles. I, like many others, are happy just using the DCS settings. This tutorial will get you there if that's your fancy.

As per usual, this is my opinion. I can fully appreciate that you use the software and enjoy it, but most of us do not. I have been in countless conversations about it and about the software. So those who know and understand the post will certainly appreciate it.

Edited August 18, 2016 by Zimmerdylan