reported Keyboard Unit's "A" key is entered on release, not press

[Tuuvas]

I'm unsure if this is accurate to the real thing, but all alphabetical keys on the Keyboard Unit enter into the scratchpad on key press - except for one: the "A" key.  The "A" must be pressed then released in order to enter it into the scratchpad.

1. Startup Apache or enter a hot start one
2. Wakeup the Keyboard Unit by pressing any key
3. Press any alphabetical key aside from "A" and note that they are all entered on PRESS
4. Press the "A" key on the keyboard unit

• Expected Results: "A" should be entered into the Keyboard Unit on key PRESS
• Actual Results: "A" is entered into the Keyboard Unit on key RELEASE

Edited April 14, 2022 by Tuuvas

[BIGNEWY]

reported, not sure if intended or not, the team will let me know

thanks

[Yurgon]

Follow-on to this report:

The release-event of the KU's A-key is only registered when there are no other keypresses between the press and release of the A-key.

That means it can happen that an A entered into the KU doesn't register.

Brilliant visualisation of the practical problem (assuming it's from Tuuvas, though not sure):

https://imgur.com/GI27yRQ

[BIGNEWY]

The A key has more than one function, when it is pressed with the + key it performs a LED test. 

[Yurgon]

On 6/28/2022 at 4:52 PM, BIGNEWY said:

The A key has more than one function, when it is pressed with the + key it performs a LED test. 

Not sure that explains anything.

I don't know how it works in the Apache, but it's very odd that all other keys get entered into the KU display on the press-event and only the A-key gets entered on the release-event.

Compare that to your PC keyboard at home and type text here into the forum or into Notepad: Letters and numbers are all entered during the keypress-event.

The problem in the Apache is that they A-key's release-event doesn't register when any other button was pressed in the meantime. This makes it feel as if the A-key is broken half the time. Would be great to know if this is how it works in the real aircraft.

[Raptor9]

If [A] and [+] are pressed at the same time, it displays the LED test pattern, which allows maintainers to see if the KU scratchpad display is functioning properly.

In real life, it should generate an "A" on the display as soon as the key is pressed by itself.  But, I guess the follow-on question is, under what circumstances in game are you all encountering this to be an issue? I'm not being pedantic; I'm asking because in my mind I can't see how this impacts gameplay, since I'm never intentionally holding keyboard buttons down during KU data entry. If there is some aspect of gameplay I'm not aware of or haven't encountered that is being affected by this, I'd like to hear it.

[Sacarino111]

17 minutes ago, Raptor9 said:

If [A] and [+] are pressed at the same time, it displays the LED test pattern, which allows maintainers to see if the KU scratchpad display is functioning properly.

In real life, it should generate an "A" on the display as soon as the key is pressed by itself.  But, I guess the follow-on question is, under what circumstances in game are you all encountering this to be an issue? I'm not being pedantic; I'm asking because in my mind I can't see how this impacts gameplay, since I'm never intentionally holding keyboard buttons down during KU data entry. If there is some aspect of gameplay I'm not aware of or haven't encountered that is being affected by this, I'd like to hear it.

Hi.

I can't tel if that is the cause, but most of the time I try to set the Range finder to AUTO for the gun, most the times something goes wrong and I have to re do the thing a few times; I have a "home made cockpit" (ufff) and I like to press the MPD button and the "A" key without taking the eyes off the screen. AS I said, most of the times I find I wrote something strange with multiple A s. Again, can't tell this is the reason ut I will check out!

Cheers.

Saca111

[Yurgon]

33 minutes ago, Raptor9 said:

But, I guess the follow-on question is, under what circumstances in game are you all encountering this to be an issue?

I don't like to press the KU buttons with the mouse.

So I've bound my entire keyboard with CAPS LOCK as a modifier. I suppose IRL pilots won't lean over and type with both hands, but of course on my PC keyboard that's what I'm doing. So let's say I wanted to type in the free text "A01", I guess being a bit slurry with my keypresses, that's where the A's release-event doesn't happen before I already push down the 0-key with another finger, and now my "A" doesn't register and I'll have just entered "01" instead of "A01".

If we used a keypress-profiler on our home PCs, I guess many of us type like that.

And even when typing into the KU with only one hand and using several fingers, this could be an issue.

55 minutes ago, Raptor9 said:

If [A] and [+] are pressed at the same time, it displays the LED test pattern, which allows maintainers to see if the KU scratchpad display is functioning properly.

When that test is done, does it enter the "A" into the KU display?

[Raptor9]

26 minutes ago, Yurgon said:

When that test is done, does it enter the "A" into the KU display?

I couldn't tell you, I haven't played with it in a long time. My memory on this isn't clear.

[s32191234]

While using the Apache I ran into a different issue which seems related and would like to provide the additional information.

When using the keybind (a on keyboard) I can visually see the A-key on the KU move in sync with both the press and the release. My conclusion is then that the problem is not particularly there.

What I ran into is the following:
If any other KU-key is pressed, after releasing the A-key, within approximately 0.5 seconds, the second letter will end up in the KU first.
This only happens to the letter A when attempted to enter before any other letter and i have found no other letter to have this.

To me this becomes a problem if I type AG to mark a CM as an Airfield, which results in GM ending up in the KU.
This of course solely being a problem because I enter the data via my keyboard on PC, instead of using the mouse.

I have tested this today on the Beta MT version 2.9.3.51704 in the CPG seat. However my experience has been that this was the case in both seats and having been a discrepancy since the start of EA.

My hope with this reply, is to both bring new information to help, but also ask for an update as this post is now nearing 2 years. 

Kind regards,
s32191234