Slugmouse - a mouse button emulator for hand-tracked cockpit clicking.

[VirusAM]

2 minutes ago, Johnny Dioxin said:

I have only a passing interest in this as I have a Point Control, but found this on Amazon, if it's any use for anyone...

Finger Ring Controller

Interesting concept....needs to see if can be used as mouse or joystick buttons (which can be mapped as mouse input in dcs then)

 

[slughead]

2 minutes ago, Johnny Dioxin said:

I have only a passing interest in this as I have a Point Control, but found this on Amazon, if it's any use for anyone...

Finger Ring Controller

These don’t work with PC. They’re for use with phones and tiktok.

[Johnny Dioxin]

I just deleted that post because the title and description contradict each other

[ackattacker]

6 hours ago, slughead said:

These don’t work with PC. They’re for use with phones and tiktok.

It's true I actually ordered one to check out. It can be paired with a PC and shows up as an input device but despite repeated attempts I can't make the buttons register/do anything. Unfortunately probably needs a driver that doesn't appear to exist. 

I've also ordered a "Genius" brand ring mouse from AliXpress that seems to fit the bill and is designed for PC use (using a 2.4Ghz dongle). I believe these are old stock from like 10 years ago so not sure how well it will still work. 

 

[slughead]

I'm not far off finishing this pointctrl alternative. It's been fully redesigned from the ground up.

The software is done. The battery will last days without needing a recharge, which should take about an hour. It will now hibernate when not used for a while, say 15 minutes, and can be woken by pressing the middle button. Battery status is available via the Bluetooth devices in Windows.

Perhaps another week to finish.

I think I will christen it the "Slugmouse".

[nikoel]

TheSlugNip™

Looks like you've put in a lot of effort slug. Love your work

[slughead]

The SlugNip. Love it

[OldFlyer]

Wow, well done!! That’s super impressive  

[TimSell75]

That looks great! Are you going to sell it to people who are interested?

[slughead]

6 minutes ago, TimSell75 said:

That looks great! Are you going to sell it to people who are interested?

For sure. 

[VirusAM]

For sure. 

Count me in

[TimSell75]

vor einer Stunde schrieb VirusAM:

vor 3 Stunden schrieb slughead:

For sure. 

Count me in

Second this

 

[Peaceout]

Same! I'm new to DCS but I need this thing lol

[OldFlyer]

Slughead, will you be so kind as to share your updated code for those of us that like to tinker at home?

[slughead]

1 minute ago, OldFlyer said:

Slughead, will you be so kind as to share your updated code for those of us that like to tinker at home?

I'm sorry, I do not intend to at this time. I have had to rewrite the code in C++ from the ground up to achieve my goals. Thus, it isn't the same language as used in the original design, so the deployment method is also different. Is there anything about the original code that doesn't meet your needs?

[OldFlyer]

Would be nice to have a bit more battery life!

[slughead]

35 minutes ago, OldFlyer said:

Would be nice to have a bit more battery life!

Ok. There are two power hogs. Leds and bluetooth transmission. You could turn off the leds once connected. And also, I found the voltage monitor didn’t work so you could disable that too as I think it is reading the voltage (but that doesn’t work in Seed’s circuit python board library) and transmitting it on every go around the loop. Those two should massively increase battery lifetime.

One of the reasons I switched to C++ was to get the battery voltage monitor working.

[Dogmanbird]

^ It's a very nice looking button ring .

I'm not aiming to rain on the parade - just wanting to share my learnings after experimenting a little bit a while back with a similar ring setup (much more crude) and what I got from it;

- as small as it was, it was still getting in the way - harder to place pointer finger on collective buttons / accidentally bumping buttons when grabbing throttle or grip on the collective. Using a regular throttle was ok for most things.

-  for speed and accuracy, it needed a "scroll wheel"  and a "shift"  button to increase the scroll rate when needed. I tried with buttons only but was too slow.

- scrolling and pointing on the same hand with precision is very tricky

Trying to keep it simple, I set it up as game device, with buttons mapped as mouse buttons in game and with a rotary encoder. However, under certain conditions in some DCS aircrafts, the buttons sometimes wouldn't behave as mouse clicks, where the buttons on the real mouse would still work correctly. I also couldn't find a convenient way to activate the shift and scroll from one hand, to speed up the rate. 

I ultimately ended up mounting a similar thing (modded version of Firefox's finger mouse) on the joystick which allows me to use multiple fingers for scroll and button presses simultaneously. I glued an extra button onto it, wired down to an arduino on the floor as keyboard emulation for the "shift" button.

I point at everything with left hand and button/scroll with the right hand. With the quest 3 and HTCC, with quite good stability, I can get right around the full cockpit with just my left arm even if the switch is in my peripheral vision, provided I use IR spotlights over the cockpit area. Without the IR spotlights, it can get a little jittery for stiches behind the seat if I can't turn my head all the way around to fully look at the switch/dial

I don't need it to be wireless, but just need it light weight and easily detachable when switching between joysticks  

  

Edited April 2, 2024 by Dogmanbird

[OldFlyer]

15 hours ago, slughead said:

Ok. There are two power hogs. Leds and bluetooth transmission. You could turn off the leds once connected. And also, I found the voltage monitor didn’t work so you could disable that too as I think it is reading the voltage (but that doesn’t work in Seed’s circuit python board library) and transmitting it on every go around the loop. Those two should massively increase battery lifetime.

One of the reasons I switched to C++ was to get the battery voltage monitor working.

Many thanks

[slughead]

9 hours ago, Dogmanbird said:

^ It's a very nice looking button ring .

I'm not aiming to rain on the parade - just wanting to share my learnings after experimenting a little bit a while back with a similar ring setup (much more crude) and what I got from it;

- as small as it was, it was still getting in the way - harder to place pointer finger on collective buttons / accidentally bumping buttons when grabbing throttle or grip on the collective. Using a regular throttle was ok for most things.

-  for speed and accuracy, it needed a "scroll wheel"  and a "shift"  button to increase the scroll rate when needed. I tried with buttons only but was too slow.

- scrolling and pointing on the same hand with precision is very tricky

Trying to keep it simple, I set it up as game device, with buttons mapped as mouse buttons in game and with a rotary encoder. However, under certain conditions in some DCS aircrafts, the buttons sometimes wouldn't behave as mouse clicks, where the buttons on the real mouse would still work correctly. I also couldn't find a convenient way to activate the shift and scroll from one hand, to speed up the rate. 

I ultimately ended up mounting a similar thing (modded version of Firefox's finger mouse) on the joystick which allows me to use multiple fingers for scroll and button presses simultaneously. I glued an extra button onto it, wired down to an arduino on the floor as keyboard emulation for the "shift" button.

I point at everything with left hand and button/scroll with the right hand. With the quest 3 and HTCC, with quite good stability, I can get right around the full cockpit with just my left arm even if the switch is in my peripheral vision, provided I use IR spotlights over the cockpit area. Without the IR spotlights, it can get a little jittery for stiches behind the seat if I can't turn my head all the way around to fully look at the switch/dial

I don't need it to be wireless, but just need it light weight and easily detachable when switching between joysticks  

  

 

As with most things in life, there is rarely a solution that suits everyone. I have seen one guy put a wooden board up as a panel that he could touch while using pointctrl to steady his hand.

As for a scroll wheel, again, it's a trade-off of form and functionality. I have added a faster button press repeat if the up or down button is held down. Users can also hold down a button and move their hand up or down to scroll quicker, like a normal mouse.

[Andrew u.k.]

On 4/2/2024 at 5:49 PM, slughead said:

As with most things in life, there is rarely a solution that suits everyone. I have seen one guy put a wooden board up as a panel that he could touch while using pointctrl to steady his hand.

Great work Rafalg78 & slughead. 
Still using my board, but have added buttons, use pointctrl for some but not all. Great to see an alternative. 

[VR Flight Guy in PJ Pants]

May be this is not the right place to ask, may be it is my set of the VR stationary boundary, short distance between the virtual panel, etc. Using the old version of TheSlugRing (TM pending), the hand tracking of the Quest Pro causes the mouse pointers sweeps up and down. Until I extend my arms, the situation would improve but it did not look very -- authentic.

[slughead]

5 minutes ago, VR Flight Guy in PJ Pants said:

May be this is not the right place to ask, may be it is my set of the VR stationary boundary, short distance between the virtual panel, etc. Using the old version of TheSlugRing (TM pending), the hand tracking of the Quest Pro causes the mouse pointers sweeps up and down. Until I extend my arms, the situation would improve but it did not look very -- authentic.

I can't say I have noticed that. Are you using HTCC for Oculus to DCS hand tracking?

[slughead]

I thought you might like a progress update. The design is complete! I'm just waiting on some JST crimp connectors and a pair of crimp pliers to add a connector to the battery. I'm hoping they will arrive on Friday or Saturday. I will then be able to build the first "SLUGMOUSE." I can't wait, but at the same time, I need a few days' break as I have been burning the candle at both ends to ensure the project is complete this week!

Considering I bought my first 3D printer a month ago and had to learn CAD design from scratch, it's been incredibly frustrating and rewarding; quite the rollercoaster!

[VR Flight Guy in PJ Pants]

48 minutes ago, slughead said:

I can't say I have noticed that. Are you using HTCC for Oculus to DCS hand tracking?

Nope, just the built-in handtracking option in DCS, which means I did not have anything else add on. I think I better take a look at HTCC too. Thanks.

Edited April 4, 2024 by VR Flight Guy in PJ Pants