Upgrade to FCC3 for Cougar
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@MailMan - I recall that in the beginning there was another guy located on the Continent that was initially producing these and a few other Viper products…but he sold off his biz (not long ago) and the FCC production rights along with it to Invictus.
I’m eagerly awaiting the followup unit that will work with the Warthog PCB/grip combination. That’s been teased for some time now.
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@Stevie @MailMan ,
Yes I believe that was “Blade” at ViperGear, located in The Netherlands. I bought a VFS WE (ViperGear Force Sensor - White Eagle - Arend’s Callsign if I recall correctly) from them last year (May 2022). He was starting to wind down the business by the end of 2022.
Glad to see he sold the rights to Invictus. Thanks for the link, Stevie!
Regards,
Tomcattwo
(VoiceClone) -
@Tomcattwo - Yes - that’s the guy I remember!
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@Stevie Wow…thanks…
I will consider buying it when the new Warthog compatible version will be released -
I could use some advice from FCC users.
I am having issues with consistency and accuracy with my FCC3. modified TM Cougar stick.
In this photo - I am applying the ‘right’ amount of pressure I want - but getting little movement in the axis.
As best as I can determine I have set it up correctly following Arends instruction manual - setting the zero points with the small potentiometers.
I have also used the CCP app to set the min/max ranges for the X and Y axis. I do not have any other axis in use - I use a separate TM TPD rudder and TM Viper TQS.
I have this setup for manual calibration, however unless I start the program and apply it to the stick before using it, I does not remember the settings and I do not get much movement with the axes in game.It seems like it should remember the settings and the CCP program should not need to be started for each gaming session. Is that correct?
I did have to click the CENTER button in the BMS setup, because the stick’s centering was not centered.
I general I am not getting equal physical force vs x/y movement in all 4 directions. Pitch down is much more sensitive and a left hand roll requires less physical effort.
On a separate issue - I also need a way to make pitch less sensitive in AAR - the instructions show a scripting example - but I am not sure what file that script gets added to…
I am not using Foxy nor am I using any CCP deadzones or curves.
Can anyone provide some advice please?
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@jcook
I’ve gotten an FCC3 but never had to do all of that. It was out of centre when I installed it on my cockpit, but just re-calibrated and zero’d via MS game controllers. Not installed Foxy or CCP in my computer.To be fair, I’ve not really tested for accuracy but it works as I expect and can do AAR with no problems, similar in performance to my FSSB base. I am having some issues with wiggle with regards to the grip, but obviously that’s not related to the FCC/FSSB.
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@Atlas
I am doing something wrong - or not understanding something about the setup procedure.I thought the deal was not to use MS Windois calibration tools with the FCC3…
I appear to be the only one in history with this issue. Hopefully someone has something for me to try / troubleshoot.
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@jcook
I thought I’d needed to go through all the Cougar legacy stuff as well, but so far, it’s working with the minimum I’ve done for it. Maybe give that a go and see how it works for you? Nothing to lose at this point, I guess. -
You have to save the calibration.ccf file in C:\Program Files (x86)\HOTAS\calib
Doable only if you have installed the Hotas as admin.
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Here is a topic I started a while back that sounds very similar to what you are reporting:
Adjusting Joystick Pitch Curves
I am still having an issue with my VFS WE being much too sensitive in BMS when pitch up (JOY Y down) is requested. I have tried applying curves using both CCP and TARGET software, but it appears to me that if I move the stick to min and max deflections in BMS setup, whatever curves I have applied get ignored by BMS. As a result, I get far too many tailscrapes when landing, and my formation keeping and AAR are not nearly as good as they ought to be.
Regards,
TC2 -
One thing i verified was that during the FCC3 configuration in CCP, I should not set min/max values for X and Y axis. Just leave the read value that the board gets which I think is around 318-325.
This provides me with good and expected control inputs.
However, the stick does not retain these values between sessions (PC off / PC On). I must reapply each time I restart my PC.
I should not have to do this - right? Shouldn’t the stick remember the settings?
The Startup Options are as shown in my screen capture above.
The Manual Calibration file was created and saved.
But to get the stick working with the right values and the correct “feel”. I must select Manual calibration in the Calibration Mode section and click on Apply.I can then run the BMS sim and the stick works fine.
This doesn’t seem right. Seems like the stick should retain the values.
What do other FCC3 Cougar users experience? -
I’m not sure if this would help, but the Cougar DOES retain its calibration in its internal memory. BUT, and that’s what is funky about the legacy Cougar Configuration/Control app is that at PC startup it does not show your saved curves and calibration.
All you need to do is hit the “apply” button to retrieve the currently stored curves/calibration into the app and you’ll see everything is set as before. -
It is virtually impossible to get the exact same amount of pressure while manually calibrating your cougar unless you are using a push pull gage, I believe the realistic amount is 20 lbs. Your hand and arm are going to feel the force differently in all directions X/Y. Watch the numbers as you push and pull and note the number where you click the trigger to set it. Go the opposite direction the same amount and that will get as close as you can. Make sure have User Mode, Emulation On, and Manual Calibration selected in both boxes. I always check this each time before use and hit apply. It will reload you calibration just in case windows messed with it.