PTT on the Yoke

[Puffmac]

Heya,

I'm a keen simmer and use CH's ProPedals and Yoke. They are both great products and do the job nicely:thumbsup:! The thing is, being the keen and awkward simmer I am, I am trying to move my SB3(Squawk Box 3 for VATSIM) Push To Talk buttons onto the yoke. I have found the buttons I wanted to use, created a simple script, mapped the buttons, downloaded it into the controller etc. but then the toe brakes on the pedals become useless.

I never make sense in looon forum posts so I'll make it short and sweet. Could someone give me a tutorial or help or something to get this working? Also, it seems there is no way to callibrate the controllers when in mapped mode, or is there some other way you must do it?

Thanks,
Puffmac

[Bob Church]

Hi Puffmac,

>> I'm a keen simmer and use CH's ProPedals and Yoke. They are both great products and do the job nicely! The thing is, being the keen and awkward simmer I am, I am trying to move my SB3(Squawk Box 3 for VATSIM) Push To Talk buttons onto the yoke. I have found the buttons I wanted to use, created a simple script, mapped the buttons, downloaded it into the controller etc. but then the toe brakes on the pedals become useless. <<

Regarding the PTT, what exactly do you need to do to make one? As to the pedals, bring the map up into the GUI and select the Pro Pedals tab. Over on the right side of the screen, what is it showing you in the boxes marked "DX Device" and "DX Axis" in the "DirectX Functions" section under "Axis Settings"?

I never make sense in looon forum posts so I'll make it short and sweet. Could someone give me a tutorial or help or something to get this working?

>> Also, it seems there is no way to callibrate the controllers when in mapped mode, or is there some other way you must do it? <<

That's normal. The controllers are calibrated in Direct Mode, that calibration moves around along with the axis when you're in Mapped. The Mapped Mode calibration is actually the Direct Mode calibration.

Let me know, we can work from there.

Best regards,

- Bob

The StickWorks
http://www.stickworks.com

[Puffmac]

Hi Puffmac,

>> I'm a keen simmer and use CH's ProPedals and Yoke. They are both great products and do the job nicely! The thing is, being the keen and awkward simmer I am, I am trying to move my SB3(Squawk Box 3 for VATSIM) Push To Talk buttons onto the yoke. I have found the buttons I wanted to use, created a simple script, mapped the buttons, downloaded it into the controller etc. but then the toe brakes on the pedals become useless. <<

Regarding the PTT, what exactly do you need to do to make one? As to the pedals, bring the map up into the GUI and select the Pro Pedals tab. Over on the right side of the screen, what is it showing you in the boxes marked "DX Device" and "DX Axis" in the "DirectX Functions" section under "Axis Settings"?

I never make sense in looon forum posts so I'll make it short and sweet. Could someone give me a tutorial or help or something to get this working?

>> Also, it seems there is no way to callibrate the controllers when in mapped mode, or is there some other way you must do it? <<

That's normal. The controllers are calibrated in Direct Mode, that calibration moves around along with the axis when you're in Mapped. The Mapped Mode calibration is actually the Direct Mode calibration.

Let me know, we can work from there.

Best regards,

- Bob

The StickWorks
http://www.stickworks.com

I've done the PTT, it's just the problem with the Pedals wich is preventing the setup from working.

[Puffmac]

Got the toe brakes to work independant on an axis, but they don't work in unison anymore - by which I mean once pressed they stay depressed constantly, and they don't get treated as one whole brake (for example, in direct mode, when they are both pressed evenly, they are treated as Brakes and not Diff. Brakes.) I'm using FS9 btw.

[Bob Church]

>> Got the toe brakes to work independent on an axis, but they don't work in unison anymore - by which I mean once pressed they stay depressed constantly, and they don't get treated as one whole brake (for example, in direct mode, when they are both pressed evenly, they are treated as Brakes and not Diff. Brakes.) I'm using FS9 btw. <<

Okay. First, make sure they're calibrated in the Control Manager. Since you're using a map, FS will see them as "Control Manager Device x". There could be more than one CM Device, but the "X" can run from 1 to 16. Find the one that tracks the pedals. I think you've already done this since you've gotten them to at least register, but I'll mention it anyway. Basically you have to unassign X and Y from Elevator and Aileron in the FS Control Assignments dialog. After you've cleared them, you can reassign them to the Left and Right Brakes in FS Assignments. Make sure the little "Reversed" box is checked next to the Axis Setting in FS.

Next, find the FS Sensitivity and Null Zone screen. All of the Sensitivity sliders should be fully to the right, all of the Null Zone sliders should be fully to the left. That gives maximum deadzone, IOW you have to move the brakes about 1/3rd of the way down before the brake light comes on. Try that and see if the brakes are "unstuck".

If they are, you probably want less deadzone at the top, going a third of the way down to get braking isn't a lot of fun. Start going back to the Sensitivity and Null Zone screen and moving the sliders for the X and Y axis to the right. The farther they go, the closer to the top the brakes will activate. If you go too far, the brakes will stick again. Anyway, just adjust them until they're comfortable and you should be set.

One other note. Make sure you start the map before you start FS. If you don't, FS will think you've changed controllers and reset all the default assignments. There's a file, CMStart.exe, that should be in your main CM folder. If you took the defaults and it's an XP (or 98) installation, that will be:

\Program Files\CH Products\Control Manager

on the Windows drive. If you go to the "StartUp" folder on your Start Menu in the Programs section and create a shortcut to that, it will run at startup for a couple of seconds and switch back to Mapped Mode. The map is held during a restart, but it defaults back to Direct Mode, CMStart just save you having to run up the GUI and click the "Mapped Mode" every time you restart Windows. Assuming the FS map is the last one you downloaded, you should be set to go.

Give it a try and see if it sorts things out for you.

Best regards,

- Bob

The StickWorks
http://www.stickworks.com

[Puffmac]

Hi Bob,

with regards to your last post, the reverse box misteriously unticks its self in FS. Would it do the same thing if I ticked reverse in CM? Also, those sensitivity settings you mention, if you mean in FS, they're not there, but again, there's options in CM to edit sensitivity and null zone.

[Bob Church]

Hi Puffmac,

The settings are there. They're easier to find if you use ALT Enter to get it into windowed mode. On the top bar menu, pick Options, then Controls, then Controls, then Sensitivities. You need to set the "Advanced" radio button and you'll get assignments for the individual axes.

I've seen the Reversed box uncheck itself. Usually it happens when you set the Sensitivity, it will always happen if you click "Reset Defaults". "Reversed" seems to be "negative sensitivity", I think it's playing with the Sensitivity and Null Zone sliders that causes it. Do the assignments first, then the Sensitivity and Null Zone, then go back to the Assignments dialog and recheck it if necessary.

Also, it seems to me that if you exit out to the desktop, then go back in, it sometimes sets the controls back to Simple. The trick is to just not go back to the Sensitivity and Null Zone screen.

You can use the "Reverse" box in the Control Manager, either one will work but don't check them both or they cancel each other. The on in FS is the one generally used though. The Sensitivity and Null Zones have to be set in FS. You can cut the Sensitivity in the CM, but the brakes are non-centering and don't really set Null Zone for those. The FS settings are your best bet.

Give it a try, see if you can get it to line up for you.

Best regards,

- Bob

The StickWorks
http://www.stickworks.com