Cougar & Realsimulator update
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BTW - here’s an example of what I was talking about concerning stick wobble with the FSSB R3, and FCC3, or any force sensing controller base used with a Cougar or Warthog grip (there are lots of such user observations out there, if you look for them) -
Note that when he’s saying that the “the stick is crap”, he’s talking about the grip and not the FSSB R3. This is because of the metal the grip is made from…it’s soft and will wear over time, and the amount of time that takes will depend on the pilot. Note his very simple solution with the Lego bricks - such adds support and stops the wobble. Dunno if you were to do this right off the bat that it would eliminate the problem forever, but it’s something to consider.
Then there are also more elegant solutions out there like this -
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3114647
Personally, I like the 3D printed collars best - and if you have a 3D printer they are easy enough to make/print, and I think I’ve also seen these out there that are for use with the angled grip adapter. Frankly though, I think one could also nicely make one of these supports by sawing up a plastic medicine bottle or chunk of PVC pipe. Highly suggested in order to increase/maintain the useful life of your grip. It’s a simple installation - just insert the support and screw the mounting ring up against it, and you’re solid.
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the wobble is not a bad feature in fact I prefer it. The real F-16 does have the wobble option for the pilot’s convenience but of course they can set it to zero.
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Actually, the RL stick does not “wobble” - it has about 1/8" inch of movement built into it (as I recall) and “clicks”…sort of. I know from the people that have real SSCs in their cockpit builds and have demo’d the units that you can hear an audible “clunk” at the travel limits. But the grip itself is firmly and stably attached to the SSC core and provides control input throughout the movement. As opposed to the situation here, where the result is a distracting movement that provides no control input until the grip is actually loaded.
…which I’m certain will mess with you during AAR.
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I’ll try to send you a clip of a pilot’s hand which seems to be moving during the formation.
edit: I cannot include a video clip because it asks for a URL but I have it as saved copy
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I placed a wooden piece in the place that the video specified and I have to say it did make refueling possible.
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I’ll try to send you a clip of a pilot’s hand which seems to be moving during the formation.
edit: I cannot include a video clip because it asks for a URL but I have it as saved copy
Yes - I fully believe and understand that the stick moves some in the RL jet, but you’re missing the point about how that stick works vs how our setups work. The pilot is making control inputs during that movement. In our case the movement is only slop with no input until the stick is loaded…this is a real problem for making fine control inputs as you will either over or under control the initial input.
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I placed a wooden piece in the place that the video specified and I have to say it did make refueling possible.
Interesting…so it sounds like your grip is slightly worn already. I plan to make a support out of PVC pipe for my own setups. Unless I get a 3D printer first.
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flight is very sharp with the realsim stick, it’s like first days of hall sensors. One thing I find a bit annoying about the radar cursor, while the y-axis does what it used to with cougar the x-axis does not. It goes to the left when I press down, is there a way of making it go to the right for down motion of the microstick? also the cursor is a bit too slow how can we increase it’s speed?
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The RealSim software will allow you to invert axes if needed - just check the box for it. You may also need to re-calibrate your Cursor using the Windows Control Panel and the RealSim software - I recall having to do some “dancing” between the two on my first go round, but what I got in the end is rock solid and I love it; plus it’s hard to get full deflection on the Cursor by simply moving it through x and y individually. I always rotate it in a full circle against the cup to insure I capture the endpoints of travel. Look at the manual under “Manually configure Raw Axes” - you can shorten the endpoints and make it faster/more sensitive there. My Cursor is set up to up/down/left/right wrt the display.
The TUSBA gives you some real power and control over your setup - study the manual, there’s good info in there!
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how does the real pilot resets the trim ? is there a realistic key combination? there should because this is one of the things that should be at his figertips
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I noticed if I download the firmware then in the tool macro is an option but once I close and reopen the tool the macro (and many others) is no longer an option as in being unclickable!
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how does the real pilot resets the trim ? is there a realistic key combination? there should because this is one of the things that should be at his figertips
Not always…I know some jets that have the ability to reset Trim, and a lot more that don’t. One of them I know of can effectively “reset Trim” by engaging and cancelling BALT Hold on the Autopilot. I even know of one that can only reset/zero Trim in the pitch axis.
What I do is to use a double click on the NWS button (red one on the side) to command BMS Trim Reset/zero (there is a key command for it)…good a guess as any. I also use a double click on CMS->dwn to toggle my Trim hat between Trim and POV functions…like with shift keys, effectively. CMS->dwn makes a great shift key on the WH stick because it’s not used for any basic Viper HOTAS.
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I noticed if I download the firmware then in the tool macro is an option but once I close and reopen the tool the macro (and many others) is no longer an option as in being unclickable!
Make sure you’re loading the MJF_FW_F16_SG_3 Firmware, or later.
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Make sure you’re loading the MJF_FW_F16_SG_3 Firmware, or later.
you must be connecting the FSSB-R3 with a RS F16SGRH grip because per the manual only that arrangement will enable the macro +other options. But if it’s FSSB-R3 with a TM compatible grip then the macro+other options will be grayed out and not clickable (pages 85-86). This is regardless of the firmware. I think I do have the latest firmware which by the recommendation of the manual it is “MJF_FW_F16-F18_4_xx_x.FSSB_R3” for the FSSB-R3 Lighting. The x’s will be either 0 or 1 or 2. I might have to save a file (page eighty eight)because it is the wierdest thing that once I download a firmware all options are available but some options are greyed even if I change the tab on the tool.
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Actually, all I’m doing is reading the manual…I have yet to own one of these, but you’re convincing me!
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I recently bought a very lightly-used FSSB R3 Warthog Lightning base and RS-F16-RG-HOM stick from another BMS forum user, but at the moment I’m using my Warthog stick on the Realsimulator base.
That’s not because of any problems with the Realsimulator stick. The stick works quite well, although I can see Stevie’s point, about how the 5-way-hat nature of (nearly all of) the buttons could be off-putting. I plan to use the Realsimulator stick in the future, but I’m using the Warthog stick for now, because my BMS setup is a purely desktop setup.
My throttle and stick are just sitting on a tabletop, and it’s a little bit higher than I’d like, because it’s a dining-room table. This places the stick well above the level of my elbow, which is pretty sub-optimal. I wish the stick was right in front of the arm rest on my chair, but the table is in the way. So, for the moment, the stick is up high on the tabletop.
That makes the Realsimulator stick not quite work for me, because it’s got a built-in forward lean to it. More than the Warthog stick does. On the Realsimulator stick, the aft edge of the “flange” on which your hand rests is tilted up in such a way that it presses uncomfortably into my hand when used as part of this desktop setup. That’s not the fault of the stick, it’s the fault of the too-high tabletop on which my stick sits.
If I get a new desk and chair, I will hopefully be able to use table mounts or chair mounts, and bring the throttle handle and the stick down until they’re in front of my elbows. The the forward lean of the Realsimulator stick will fit well. I hope to be able to use such a setup in the future. The Monstertech chair has got me intrigued…
So, I guess the soft metal at the base of my WH stick will likely suffer, and will lead to some play in the stick, but maybe not too much, since my current setup (hopefully) won’t be forever. Also, since I can’t exert much force on the stick, due to its high placement, I have both axes of my stick set to only about 2 lbs each. So I don’t think the Warthog is suffering too much, yet.
Upshot: I like the FSSB R3 base, I can make more delicate control inputs with it, such as during AAR. Initially, it has taken some getting used to, but I think it’s better for fine detail work, such as getting on the boom and staying on it. When I’m practicing AAR, I find that I can hold the stick very lightly, and since it moves essentially not at all, I just let myself feel the very slight elasticity of the skin on my fingers, thumb, and palm. Just working within the slight “play” that’s inherent in the flesh of my hand is the “regime” in which I make stick inputs during AAR. I think it works pretty well. I guess if I were a real Viper driver, I’d be using the slight “play” in the fabric of my glove, too, when I was close to the tanker.
Stevie’s right that the Realsimulator manual is good. You have to read it in a lot of detail, definitely make sure you don’t miss anything. But the details are in there, and after some careful reading, I got my [TUSBA R2 + Cougar throttle] and my [FSSB R3 + Warthog stick] set up in a way that works well for me.
what is the way to program combination of keys for a cougar stick mounted on FSSB R3L? for example, pinky + MSL step opening the refuel door during flight.
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Hi Alfred,
I’ve been away from BMS for a few weeks, busy with work and other things. I hope to have time next week to sit down and make sure I’ve got it all sorted, before I write a real reply.
But off the top of my head, I think I did that type of programming with the Alternative Launcher (AL). For example, I use pinky + RDR CURSOR / ENABLE to turn on my ACMI, and pinky + TMS-Down to turn my pilot model on and off. I know I originally programmed those combinations in AL, before I got the FSSB R3 base. I think I did the same thing after getting the FSSB R3 base and putting the Warthog stick on it.
I don’t know if this will be of any help, but here is the .xml file that my [FSSB+WH stick combo] uses:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aSV3lk7Y2cbIxtlIrJ8TbF76sBBsiqFE/view?usp=sharing
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wow, too complicated!!
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wow, too complicated!!
The pinkyshift is just the Standard feature within BMS regardless of which Stick / HOTAS used to add another layer of functionality on every DX input. Pretty simple to setup with AL
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…setting up and using a Macro within the RealSim package is the simplest way.