VKB Gladiator quits with SRS

[Captain Chuck]

I've been to both SRS and VKB about this and both are pointing their fingers at the other guy or my computer. 

The problem is getting worse gradually too. Though everything work well together for 2 years. 

The SRS radio sends me this popup every few of minutes or so and I have no input for the radio.  I've tried different USB ports and different USB hubs. The pc, usb ports & hubs are set to never sleep or turn off. 

The Gladiator does not always shut off all the axises, so I can keep flying but sometimes it does and the stick goes dead completely. Sometimes just the button on the Gladiator I assigned to the SRS radio is all that quits.   So I have to turn off the SRS and restart it and wait for it to connect and then it will be good for a few minutes. Hitting the "Rescan the Controller input" in SRS sometimes works too.  Then I'll get the popup again and be disconnected again.  While I am doing this I often crash whatever plane I'm flying. So this is a game killer. 

The team at SRS tell me that it's not an SRS problem but a stick problem.  They also said it could be a motherboard problem.  VKB says there's nothing they can do about it whatever it is.

I don't have another stick to try out to compare with, either unfortunately. I have my doubts that it is a motherboard problem. If it is, that means buying another expensive gaming laptop. I can't afford that so that could mean quitting DCS multiplayer.

It could just be the VKB because it used to sometimes stop working a while back but I never got the popup back then and it rarely occurred then. That could have been because I wasn't using SRS though. I don't remember. VKB told me to re-calibrate. That did nothing. 

Anyway, someone on the MP server I was on said they had a similar problem as this with his Gladiator. Has anyone got any ideas what to do?

 

 

 

Edited July 7, 2023 by Captain Chuck

[NAM]

I had similar issue with my VKB gladiator. while in DCS, sometimes error message poppued that VKB unplugged.. I had to re-plugged and rescanned.

I updated the VKb firmware and reinstalled windows 11 due to unrelated issue.

It has been several months now without any issue. Not sure whether it was firmware or windows 11.

You could firstly update for VKb firmware and if it is still exist then may be using another drive to install fresh windows 11.

[Captain Chuck]

7 minutes ago, NAM said:

 

You could firstly update for VKb firmware and if it is still exist then may be using another drive to install fresh windows 11.

Ow.... a fresh windows 11.....that would suck. I suppose I could because I have windows installed on a drive 'almost' by itself.   I already updated the VKB.  I just wondering if I'd like another brand of stick better.... like Virpil or something.

[NAM]

If I am betting man, my bet would be windows issue, there thousand things could go wrong in windows.

Before you do the re-installation of windows 11. Perhaps try to purge SRS completely from your registry by using uninstaller utilities like Revo Uninstaller. then reinstall SRS.

Edited July 7, 2023 by NAM

[Captain Chuck]

21 hours ago, NAM said:

If I am betting man, my bet would be windows issue, there thousand things could go wrong in windows.

Before you do the re-installation of windows 11. Perhaps try to purge SRS completely from your registry by using uninstaller utilities like Revo Uninstaller. then reinstall SRS.

 

I've tried to uninstall SRS using an Uninstaller to completely remove all leftover parts, but I don't see SRS showing in my Uninstallers. Is it supposed to be there or is it like a portable or something? 

I really don't want to have to try a clean re-installation of Windows 11.  I'm not sure what would happen.

I have OS on C Drive - Games on D Drive  - and Documents, Pictures, Videos and all App software on E Drive. There are some random parts of some software that got installed with the C Drive somehow but nothing too important, I think.

[Captain Chuck]

On 7/7/2023 at 2:42 AM, NAM said:

I had similar issue with my VKB gladiator. while in DCS, sometimes error message poppued that VKB unplugged.. I had to re-plugged and rescanned.

I updated the VKb firmware and reinstalled windows 11 due to unrelated issue.

It has been several months now without any issue. Not sure whether it was firmware or windows 11.

You could firstly update for VKb firmware and if it is still exist then may be using another drive to install fresh windows 11.

I'm thinking that in my case it's not Windows fault because when this error occurs it only knocks out the VKB stick but not the Thrustmaster TWCS attached to the same USB port at the same time through the multi-hub I use. So it's not a hub in my PC that shuts down. But anyway I bought a new POWERED multi-hub today. I'll see if I get a better performance using it later.

[NAM]

I have several usb connected like Thrustmater Airbus throtlle, vkb T-rudder, Ms ffb2.. but only VKb gladiator had an issue.

You never known why sometimes windows 11 only effected one particular usb device. But since new installation windows 11, it has been several months without any issue.. or

My case may be could have been DCS issue as well. Now I will never known...!

[okopanja]

This message will occur also when vkb is restarted. E.g. when you load a different config.

Your issue might be insufficient power on USB and/or faulty usb cable.

Are your USB hubs powered by external power supply?

I had constant disconnects until I got powered hub.

 

Edited July 11, 2023 by okopanja

[Captain Chuck]

3 hours ago, okopanja said:

This message will occur also when vkb is restarted. E.g. when you load a different config.

Your issue might be insufficient power on USB and/or faulty usb cable.

Are your USB hubs powered by external power supply?

I had constant disconnects until I got powered hub.

 

 

No, it was not powered hub. Also interestingly it happens with or without using a hub. So, went out and and bought a POWERED hub and so far it looks like I have success in defeating this problem. 

 

4 hours ago, NAM said:

I have several usb connected like Thrustmater Airbus throtlle, vkb T-rudder, Ms ffb2.. but only VKb gladiator had an issue.

You never known why sometimes windows 11 only effected one particular usb device. But since new installation windows 11, it has been several months without any issue.. or

My case may be could have been DCS issue as well. Now I will never known...!

Fixed it I think with a powered hub. No need for me to re-install Windows fortunately. This could be something that VKB could take a look at as they were unaware of this problem.

[NAM]

Well, glad to know that you do not need to reinstall windows 11.. without another unrelated issue I rather live with that intermittent issue rather spent whole day reinstall windows & dcs.

 

[Captain Chuck]

17 hours ago, NAM said:

Well, glad to know that you do not need to reinstall windows 11.. without another unrelated issue I rather live with that intermittent issue rather spent whole day reinstall windows & dcs.

Anyway, thanks for your help.

 

Well, this was not exactly an "intermittent" problem since it happened every few minutes. DCS multiplayer was unplayable using SRS. It was a SERIOUS problem. I would have re-installed Windows.  

21 hours ago, okopanja said:

This message will occur also when vkb is restarted. E.g. when you load a different config.

Your issue might be insufficient power on USB and/or faulty usb cable.

Are your USB hubs powered by external power supply?

I had constant disconnects until I got powered hub.

 

 

Thanks !  ...The powered hub fixed it!

[MAXsenna]

On 7/11/2023 at 11:07 PM, NAM said:

Well, glad to know that you do not need to reinstall windows 11.. without another unrelated issue I rather live with that intermittent issue rather spent whole day reinstall windows & dcs.

 

Just a quick tip. If one has a spare external drive with enough space, there's never a reason to re-install DCS. Just copy the whole Eagle Dynamics folder to the drive, and copy it back or to another computer. Along with a backup of the DCS folder from Saved Games, which contains your settings obviously. 

Cheers! 

[Captain Chuck]

On 7/13/2023 at 8:54 AM, MAXsenna said:

Just a quick tip. If one has a spare external drive with enough space, there's never a reason to re-install DCS. Just copy the whole Eagle Dynamics folder to the drive, and copy it back or to another computer. Along with a backup of the DCS folder from Saved Games, which contains your settings obviously. 

Cheers! 

To get this straight: So as well as copying the ED folder from Program Files (or wherever you put it. I actually have mine in its own folder) You go to the Saved Games folder and back up the DCS folder there, to later be put back on the reformatted disk?  That sounds so logical I don't know why it's not talked about more often. In fact I have always wondered about this myself.

OK, but I think I got myself in an even better situation.

I have all Eagle Dynamics DCS related files installed on Drive D (A separate drive from which the operating system is on)

I have the Operating System Windows 11 on Drive C ..with very little else. Just a few small programs and files that got accidentally installed there that can easily be replaced if I want.

I think all I have to do in order to fix an OS problem in my case is reinstall WIndows 11 onto Drive C (Where it isnow) - My other two drives D & E should no tbe affected I assume. Dive D contains my flight sim. Drive E contains Documents, Pictures, Programs, Videos everything else etc, but the OS. 

So would you say I could just use the Win 11 built in reinstall option?

 

[MAXsenna]

@Captain Chuck

Exactly! Just do a refresh/factory reset of Windows. Or a full new installation. 

Move/redirect your Saved Games folder from your new account on your new installation to the drive/folder you have now.

Recreate the shortcuts to DCS, or even better, get Skatezilla's GUI Updater Launcher Utility. 

Word of note. ALL your input and bindings won't work, because Windows will give new IDs to all of your devices. BUT you can just rename all the old files with the new ID, and then they will work. A mass rename utility can be used for this, or just make a batch file. (Just make a copy of your config/input folders for best practice backup first. ). 

Cheers!