Mag switch fix

[ThePops]

I thing that has irritated me with several modules for piston aircraft is the Mag switch implementation. The de facto standard for Mag switches is:

• A 4 way rotary/sliding switch (In GA, it's sometimes 5 way with starter as the fifth)
• Two two-way switches (+ a starter button)

They both do exactly the same thing physically with regards to the ignition systems. They switch the Mags (or ignition systems) to:

• OFF OFF : (OFF)
• ON OFF : (Mag 1)
• OFF ON : (Mag 2)
• ON ON : (Mag1 + Mag2)

The problem (for me at least), is they are implemented in the modules as 4 separate buttons. One for each position of a 4 way switch (one also for the off position, which is actually pretty weird when thinking about it  ). Unless I actually have a physical 4-way switch, this makes no sense to map to my controller, it simply isn't possible in any natural way. There are no 4-way switches on my WinWing. I do however have lots of two-way switches I don't use in any piston aicraft.

Anyway, with Joystick Gremlin Ex and vJoy this is easily fixed as a plugin (I only use Ex now, since the original Gremlin is full of bugs when working with plugins, probably due to using older libraries, don't know). The way I did it was to use two two way switches, thus simulating the "other way" to implement Mags. Be aware that in the Gremlin app when configuring switches for a plugin, it will detect the first event regardless. When flipping a two way switch, the first event is usually (but not always) to turn the existing switch OFF before turning the other switch ON. Thus you may have to switch in "reverse" to actually get the correct button. It's only the "ON" position of each switch that is necessary to configure in Gremlin.

In case someone else also have this "problem", the plugin is included below.

magneto_fix_v00_EX.py

[Nightdare]

Doesn't the Winwing Orion2 have a 3 position dial w/push (and Taurus PSU a 4 pos. dial)?

[ThePops]

Only a 4 position switch would help here, since the mags are implemented as one of 4 positions shall be ON (for the modules in the sim). With a 3 position, there will always be 1 of 3 positions that is ON, one position will be missing. A 3 position with a push button, like on the Orion 2, will not help.

I like my WinWing setup, but it's better suited for F-18/18/15 etc modules than a FW-190 for instance  It wouldn't hurt if WinWIng was a bit more generic, but there are other manufacturers that are.

The root of the mag "problem" is obviously that a quasi implementation of the mag switch is done, and not an implementation of the mag switch functionality. It's also in error in fact. A real mag switch does not have an active OFF state, it's simply the absence of ON state(s). The functionality is simply to put mag1 on and off, and mag2 on and off. This requires only two buttons.

The problem with implementing it as two buttons, is that this would be incompatible with a 4 way switch, if you happen to have one. It would need additional scripting to map:

• OFF OFF to 4 way switch OFF
• ON OFF to 4 way switch Mag1
• OFF ON to 4 way switch Mag2
• ON ON to 4 way switch Mag1+Mag2

The solution is if the module builders could implement the functionality as well as the "buttonology" and give the user the choice to pick what is best for his gadgets. The other solution is called Joystick Gremlin Ex and a plugin  I don't know, it seems to me this is more typical of DCS than other sims. It sort of scratches the surface, but doesn't go into the functionality of things, like for instance X-Plane, or even Il-2. DCS is kind of "buttonology over function", which is kind of weird all the time only extremely few have a true replica cockpit of any aircraft in their homes. If they had, they would be much better of with mapping of functions anyway, like it's done in X-plane for instance for pro simulators. Which is also kind of weird, because X-Plane started out requiring only the use of a mouse to manipulate switches in the cockpit. It was one of the major selling points in the beginning: No need to remember tons of awkward keyboard key strokes (like in MSFS at that time), "use point and click for everything". A bit like DCS today, as well as most others today. Unless you have a practical way to implement functionality on your controllers that actually works, you are better off using the mouse point and click method. This makes this tendency of "buttonology over function" even stranger IMO. Some modules do have some basic functional approach also though for some stuff, which I like.

Btw, there is a bug in the I-16 module regarding mag switch. It can only be turned to Mag 1 and Mag 2 by mouse clicking. Using switches it would either be OFF or Mag1+Mag2 regardless.

But, with Gremlin Ex and plugins, everything can be solved to your liking  It's an additional layer, and it takes some computer recourses though, it's not a perfect solution. Ex is much faster than the old Gremlin (newer and faster Python), so it's not too bad either.