ARK-5 crank turning made easier

[scoobie]

(Updated the recipe.)

I attached a track file below to show what's going on.

I didn't expect it to work, but it does!
I believe you may use this patent for SOME other controls in various DCS modules, it's just I've only tried so far with the MiG-15's ARK-5 tuning crank - this one works.

The problem: You bound 2 buttons or keys to make ARK-5 tuning crank rotate CW and CCW, but they turn the crank just too fast, you can hardly tune it precisely - you tap briefly and DANG! it turned too much clockwise, so you tap counter-clockwise... DANG! moved too far CCW. Quite annoying.
You can only tune precisely with the mouse, but (let's say) you prefer your button box or keyboard keys for tuning the ARK-5.

The solution.

Step 1: Make a pair of additional "slow" commands for the tuning crank (leave the original commands as they are, you still need them!).

Put these into the apropriate control bindings Lua file (depending on the controller and/or keyboard):

{pressed = ARC_5_commands.CMD_ARC_5_TUNE_FREQUENCY_EXT, cockpit_device_id = devices.ARC_5, value_pressed = -0.15, name = _('ARK-5 Tuning Crank, CCW, slow'), category = _('ARK-5 Radio Compass')},
{pressed = ARC_5_commands.CMD_ARC_5_TUNE_FREQUENCY_EXT, cockpit_device_id = devices.ARC_5, value_pressed =  0.15, name = _('ARK-5 Tuning Crank, CW, slow'), category = _('ARK-5 Radio Compass')},

You may now bind these slow commands to another pair of buttons or keys OR you may instead bind both slow and fast command for each direction to the same button/key! This way one button/key will turn the crank first slow, then fast clockwise, and another one first slow then fast counter-clockwise. For this you need external software like Joystick Gremlin or similar. Read Step 2.

Step 2: Here's Joystick Gremlin screenshot and control bindings in DCS. What it does is this: if you press and hold Button 21 for 1 second, Joystick Gremlin will press Button 21 on the Virtual Joystick (vJoy Device). Pretty simple. The binding for "Short Press" is only neccessary to circumvent a quirk in JG.

Now you bind "slow" command to the button on a physical controller (for me it's Button 21 on "BU0836-LC" device). Then you bind normal (fast) command to this virtual button.
 

(Of course "Button 21" is my example, for you it may be a different button or key on a different controller/joystick or keyboard.)
It so happens that if two bindings try to act on the same cockpit control, the button/key activated later prevails.

I attached short track to show you what I'm talking about. You have to take my word - each time you see the crank turning I tapped or pressed and held a SINGLE button on my button box for clockwise direction and another one for counter-clockwise direction. Only two physical buttons to turn the crank in 2 different speeds

Important! Like I said, this can be potentially used for various cockpit controls in DCS modules, but the "Step 1" is where a particular control in a particular module, especially 3rd party module, may fail. Even if you add the slow commands, the specific control won't move slower (or won't move at all etc.). If this happens, I don't think there's anything you can do about it.

2-speed tuning crank.trk

Edited December 9, 2022 by scoobie

[scoobie]

(deleted my post - no longer neccessay)

 

Edited December 9, 2022 by scoobie