Im not smart help me program Throttle

[backstab]

Hello

 

I need to know how to turn that 5 position selector switch into a 5 modifier switch so I can (in the end) turn those 3 dials into 15 dials for various things. I just cant seem to make any sense of how to do this in the configurator. I did load the Throttle 5modes profile but when I map in DCS the selector can be in any position and the mapping still works even though I mapped it in position 1.

 

The idea is to have the 3 dials act as all volumes on position 1 and then all brightness on position 2 and so on.

 

Has anyone got this figured out?

 

Thanks

Edited September 17, 2018 by backstab

[backstab]

So based off their 5 mode example file that is included in the latest firmware I see that when they shift state those 8 B1 through B8 buttons they consume (of the 96 allowable logical buttons) 40. Or 32 extra buttons, the first 8 natural B1-8 buttons are already using their 8. So what I wanted was to be able to control most volumes, channel changing, and light settings in any particular plane (but the F18 is the one I am working with on this), basically most things in the DCS mapping screen that have a CCW/CW mapping. Not everything, but useful things.

 

So what this means is that those 3 E1-3 dials each consume 3 logical buttons, a press (Zaxis) and a ccw and a cw button. Because the first set always is given its natural button assignment E1-3 consumes 9 buttons before shift stating. If I use the 5 shift state I need to add 4 more sets of 9 or 36 logical buttons on top of the 9 already in use. What are we at now? 40 for the B1-8 and 45 for the E1-3 so 85. There aren't 85 extra logical buttons available. There was 96 to start with and prior to shift stating many of them were already used for all the other normal button presses.

 

We are going to need more logical buttons. I know nothing of the limitations pertaining to acquiring more logical buttons but Id say 250 would do it. This has little to do with memorizing all the buttons because a great many of them are just ccw or cw button presses based on turning a dial. With my X65F throttle I used a pinky 2 way button as a shift and alt modifier. This meant that I had 3 full sets of buttons on both the stick and the throttle. About 55 buttons times 3, 165. I used about 110 of them and was fairly happy but the radio channel and volume stuff was always a mouse click and in VR that's a drag.

 

At this time I am unable to find a way to even map shift,alt, or ctrl to any button so that I can expand the number of items I can control. So far all I see is that 5 position shift mode switch dial. Everything on the X65F that was shift stated was all HOTAS. I never had to remove my hands to do anything but radios it seemed. Now if I can't find a way to create a new shift modifier I will need to turn that dial to do it.

 

NOTE I missed the obvious here. Right in DCS there is a way to add modifiers. Very simple

 

The other bummer is the constant resetting of all mapping everytime you reload the Virpil configurator. Literally wiping clean the mapping in DCS forcing you to put it all back in. I have only been working on one plane but what if it cleans out 8 planes worth of mapping? It will be weeks and weeks before any pilot here has their shit nailed down as far as button setup goes. Everytime you make a change expect to have to remap the entire thing unless I am missing something important.

Edited January 8, 2019 by backstab

[backstab]

I see I am engaging in written masturbation so I'll continue.

 

The procedure for mapping dials and buttons. Plug in your throttle and start the configurator. Select your throttle that appears up in the top left window, select the firmware box, open firmware mode, then start upgrade. Once finished make sure you close the firmware upgrade mode by selecting the button. It doesn't seem to matter which device you select for the firmware upgrade process but I did both my T50 stick and my t50 throttle one after the other to be sure. Now that you have the latest firmware you can save that device profile and then load the very same device profile by just clicking on load device profile. The green sync button should exist now top left.

 

Make sure you select your throttle in the device list at the top left. Now select import profile at the bottom left. Choose from the list of profiles in the folder you downloaded that also contains the firmware. You can choose throttle or throttle 5modes. Do not send the throttle profile to the stick or the stick profile to the throttle. Sending the wrong profile to the wrong device can make one of your devices disappear from the list. You can make it reappear by sending the right profile to the right remaining device, if that happens.

 

Once you load the profile, the progress bar will finish and the device will drop offline and reconnect. You will hear the USB sounds to confirm this. Once the device is back and the Not sync yellow button exists top left you can then hit the load profile button and the green sync button will now exist.

 

It is important to calibrate axis next. You can access this from the axis button on the left. Do a calibration. Again save the device profile and then immediately load the same profile. Now you should have updated firmware, a throttle profile and a fresh calibration. My throttles during the calibration were opposite to each other. When I moved them together one little box moved high the other low. It made no difference in the end.

 

Note: When it comes to WHEN to calibrate in this process I chose to do it after the profile was both saved then loaded (green sync exists). I found it was better to save a profile, then load that same profile, then do a calibration, then save the profile again and then lastly reload the same profile. Also I noticed that many times after loading the profile and then saving that the software would shit the bed and lock me out with some error and I would just close the configurator, restart it, load device profile. Most times when the configurator locked me out it had at least saved the calibration I had just done so hitting the load device profile button was all I needed to do.

 

Congratulations you are now left with a super confusing but ready to program configurator.

Edited September 19, 2018 by backstab

[backstab]

Confirm that your calibration is good. Look on the axis tab, left, and see that throttles match and all makes sense. If not do a calibration and save it to profile and reload the profile. Get used to doing this reloading profile business.

 

Head to button tab and stare at this for 2 hours in complete disbelief. Cry and look over at your X65F throttles and marvel at how easy they were to program. Look back at configurator for another 2 hours.

 

The idea is this and I certainly do not know 20% of what is going on here, You press a physical button and it sends a logical button press. A logical button press is a phantom pretend button, a signal that you choose to send based on what physical button you choose to associate with it. That's right you can tell any physical button on your controller what to send.

 

In the case of our E1-3 dials z axis presses (buttons 52 53 54) and their turning axis (60 61 62 63 64 65) note that the turning axis on these 3 dials consumes 2 buttons each dial. A ccw and cw button press. See this by actually turning them and pressing them. If your buttons aren't the same as mine I don't think it matters. Also note that in the button tab, mode column you should see that these dials are set to Encoder. I'm sure someone will explain what that is. So what we want or at least what I want is to multiply these E1-3 as many times as I can to have 15 dials instead of just 3.

 

To do this we need to shift state those dials using the 5 position mode switch. Each mode will allow each dial to send a completely different "button press" to DCS so we can map to our delight all things dial worthy. If we did not shift state these E1-3 then they would only send 60 61 62 63 64 65 or 3 sets of cw and ccw. I cant be cool unless I can tweak the lighting on the left MFD during a 7G pull.

 

Let's take a look at the list of buttons in the columns. You press a physical button and you get some other phantom logical button press sent outbound. Someone set these at the factory, they aren't sequential and I don't care. What is important to note is that eventually the physical buttons run out at about 45 or so(I forget the number as I have mine all mapped) but the logical buttons continue to 96. Every time you double or triple or in my case quintuple up on button replication you consume those extra logical buttons. The original natural 9 button presses will always be there but when I set say E1 to do another set of 9 presses but on mode 2 then 9 more of those logicals get consumed. You thought 96 was a lot and now its less than half of what I think I need but that's just me griping.

 

Let's begin by looking at the shift column in the button tab. You may see some other buttons shifted (a number in the shift column beside a button) but not 60 61 62 63 64 65 or 52 53 54. Right now if you were to map E1-3 to something it would work no matter what position setting you put the mode selector in. We don't want that. We want a full set of dials for each mode 1-5. Double click physical button 52 (the z axis press of one of the E dials). Uncheck auto bind. Choose shift 1. Save it. (not save and next)

 

You have just forced the z axis press of that E dial to only operate on mode 1 of the 5 mode switch setting. It shouldn't work on 2,3,4,5. Note that you haven't yet consumed an extra logical button as you just used the same logical button (41 in my case and who cares). By now hopefully the light bulb is flickering. Continue with this process to turn all 9 associated button presses (in my case 60 61 62 63 64 65 and 52 53 54) into shift stated (locked to mode 1) buttons. There should be a 1 next to all 9 of these buttons. In the end unless you guys take exception, I don't care at all what logical button number I use. It just doesn't seem to matter.

 

Test the new shift stated buttons and dials. Assign them to DCS radio (comm UFC) press to pull the radio and dial to com 1 channel. See that on mode 1 they all work as expected and on mode 2,3,4,5 they are dead and do nothing at all. If this is the case then you have almost won the internet.

 

Notes: The dials (not the z press), when double clicked in the button tab physical button column, are set to encoder and have a 2 set in the timer. I do not know what these mean exactly but I left them there and I copied the timing over (2) but NOT the encoder setting.

 

It's time to set mode 2 of the 5 position mode switch. Now you will be consuming logical buttons. Go to the end of your phys button column and choose the first row that has a free logical button on the left side. For me it was about 46 or 48 I can't remember, who cares. Double click that open logic button. Autobind off, under physical button I set 52, under logic I happened to have say 48 (whatever the open logic button was who cares), mode normal and of course a 2 set in the shift window. See what we did there? It is still physical button 52 on the controller (z press of an E dial) we are playing with but it is not the same logical button sent to outbound. We need to send a unique new button press and we assigned whatever was your first open logic button in the list of 96.

 

Now continue to select the next open logic button and continue this process, saving along the way, until all 9 associated presses are set to 9 new unique logic buttons. Make sure you continue to assign the correct physical buttons in the phys.button column which should be 53 and then next 54 and the next 60, 61,62 all the way to 65. In my case when I was done this process I have 5 full sets of 52 53 54 60 61 62 63 64 65. Over and over I assigned the same 9 physical buttons to send 5 full sets of different logical buttons outbound to what will be lights and dials and volumes etc.)

 

Important. I found that when you are assigning all these logic buttons that only the original dials (not the z axis press) can have the Encoder mode set in that window. All the copies you make (in my case 4 copies) will have normal set in there. Don't know why dont care.

 

You should be able to continue this process of setting mode 3,4,5 in the shift window of each button as mentioned earlier until you have your 5 full sets of 9 physical buttons all sending a total of 45 unique logical buttons. If I am wrong on this or not doing it right then you will destroy me on the internet and I will deserve it.

Edited September 19, 2018 by backstab

[Sokol1_br]

And if you just set the mode switch selector 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th positions to press 4 new logical buttons e.g 93, 94, 95, 96 and assign this new logical buttons (93, 94, 95, 96) in DCS as 'modifier'.

 

At least in theory this give you access to 5 "layers" of assignments in game controls, one 'no modified', four 'modified', for map all of ~54 (I think) physical buttons of throttle in game controls, or more ~216 logical buttons.

 

Of course some buttons will require be assigned to the same command ind all 5 modes, reducing the practical number of usable buttons.

[backstab]

Ok well if I am right about how you see this mapping you mentioned I see an issue. I think you are right about the math but the functionality will be an issue. Here's why. If I map say 96 to mode 2 and tell DCS that 96 is a new modifier then that should mean that when mode 2 is selected 96 is being sent continuously and every single trim switch airbrake you name it has to be a 96 modified button press. You could do that but as soon as you switch to mode 3 (say button 97) then all the 96 modified buttons are dead.

 

What I need are certain buttons on the mode switch which I have figured out and then a momentary modifier button to selectively modify certain buttons. You have reminded me that I can in fact choose and select ANY button as a modifier in the add modifier tab at the bottom of the mapping page. I knew about it but completely forgot so thanks for that.

 

So now I can get my momentary modifier. In fact Ill do 2 of them. I don't feel like adding them all up but thanks to your reminder we will have hundreds of buttons.

 

I was in mapping, because that's all I do now is map (its a mapping game now) and I am trying to decide what goes where. The usual first world problems and I decide that I want to shift state an axis. 2 in fact. Those nice round dials A1 A2. I think I will, if I can turn them into either 10 dials with the 5 position mod switch or 6 dials with 2 modifiers. I cant see a way to shift an axis so I may just momentarily mod them with some button.

Edited September 18, 2018 by backstab

[backstab]

More observations on these new "15" dials I have created. It looked like all was working. I shift stated 3 dials and their Z axis press 5 times and quintupled my dials. What I notice is that the second, third, fourth and fifth mode of these dials only allow a very slow rate of adjustment on the item I bind it to. ie the volume of something. It takes many many turns to get a large change. This is worse for light dimmers I think because they have a wider range than say a volume (just the way the game is).

 

The first, original dial setting (mode 1) which has the Encoder set in the mode window and this particular dial seems to move any dial much faster. Obviously the encoder mode works differently and better. They appear the same inthe test window in the configurator but perform differently. Maybe Ill head into axis and try to modify it if i can. it technically isn't an axis but maybe I can get it to move more with less movement

 

I literally have so many dials I can't remember what's what. I go to turn up the volume and the wings fold, I turn down the lighting and radio turns off. I like this problem.

Edited September 19, 2018 by backstab

[backstab]

I learned another thing recently pertaining to my dials and their function. After I was able to quintuple the functionality of the dials as per the process above, both push button and turning, I noticed they were notchy and had to be turned slowly to make the mapped item move ie lighting CCW/CW. To smooth this out add the maximum delay of 3 in the delay column within the button tab on the left side.

 

I do not know what this delay is but it makes the dials work much better.

Edited January 3, 2019 by backstab

[Bananimal]

Thanks for the write up. Not working for me. Nothing SHIFTED shows up in DCS even though it all works in the Virpil Control Panel. Scratching my head on this one. It doesn't help that Virpil has no information on SHIFTING in the manual to date.

[HC_Official]

Thanks for the write up. Not working for me. Nothing SHIFTED shows up in DCS even though it all works in the Virpil Control Panel. Scratching my head on this one. It doesn't help that Virpil has no information on SHIFTING in the manual to date.

 

see if any of these helps