Joystick programming wows. Can someone point me in the right direction please?
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OK …. SimEject doesn’t work on my shifted 1st detent either. Could be a BMS ‘thing’. I’ll try/test an alternate command.
Oddly though, with a command on that 1st shifted DX button, my pinky switch now works like it’s ‘supposed’ to … momentary, dual-function based on time held (i.e. short press = exp veiw; long press = DX shift).
I do worry that this software is a little bit “buggy”. The more the software does and the more sophisticated it gets the “buggier” it becomes. You can’t really help that.
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I’m reluctant to call it a ‘bug’ …. more likely a feature I haven’t read/learned about, or an ‘undocumented’ feature. Complication includes things that do stuff that one doesn’t (yet) understand or expect.
However, for me, this is good. I have a new ‘free’ button for assignment … the FOV/Pinky switch.
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I’m reluctant to call it a ‘bug’ …. more likely a feature I haven’t read/learned about, or an ‘undocumented’ feature. Complication includes things that do stuff that one doesn’t (yet) understand or expect.
However, for me, this is good. I have a new ‘free’ button for assignment … the FOV/Pinky switch.
I worked extensively in software development methods and also software quality assurance. I must have been a real pain in the 4rse. For me it would have been a bug to restrict the number of DX controls “sensed” on an input device on such an arbitrary basis. For me that should be totally dynamic. You can probably see why I don’t get employed much these days. . .
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I did try +256 with another command and nothing happened.
T
So you’re having the same issue with failed +256 shifting using a different callback but you’re still using the trigger? Ideas for troubleshooting:
1. X52 trigger is two-stage. I believe first detent holds one button and second holds two but I’m not sure.
2. Confirm the following line in falcon bms.cfg
set g_nHotasPinkyShiftMagnitude 256 // Enable DirectX Shifting and specify button offset
3. Are you sure that you are using the .key file you edited? Make sure you save the file in the text editor, possibly as a new filename, load it into Falcon, confirm new file name in setup screen.
4. SimHotasPinkyShift should appear 3 times in your .key file. Once in the keyboard section with the text description in quotes, once to turn it on (ID+0), once to turn it off (ID+256). -
So you’re having the same issue with failed +256 shifting using a different callback but you’re still using the trigger? Ideas for troubleshooting:
1. X52 trigger is two-stage. I believe first detent holds one button and second holds two but I’m not sure.
2. Confirm the following line in falcon bms.cfg
set g_nHotasPinkyShiftMagnitude 256 // Enable DirectX Shifting and specify button offset
3. Are you sure that you are using the .key file you edited? Make sure you save the file in the text editor, possibly as a new filename, load it into Falcon, confirm new file name in setup screen.
4. SimHotasPinkyShift should appear 3 times in your .key file. Once in the keyboard section with the text description in quotes, once to turn it on (ID+0), once to turn it off (ID+256).1. 1st detent is button 1 and 2nd is button 15 from memory.
2. confirmed.
3. confirmed. I load it in the UI every time.
4. I’ll have to check this tomorrow. I am away from my desktop at the moment.Many thanks.
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The pinky switch saga continues. . .I create an extremely cut down key file for experimental purposes only. I used the brake in and out call for visual confirmation.
Assigned pinky to button 5 - the one that is on the handle by your little pinky finger and it doesn’t work. . . I can brake out but brake in is ignored.
SimEndFlight -1 0 0X1 0 0 0 0 “SIM: Toggle Exit Sim Menu”
OTWSelectChaseMode -1 0 0XA 0 0 0 1 “VIEWEXT: Chase Camera”
SimHotasPinkyShift 5 -1 -2 0 0X0 0
SimHotasPinkyShift 261 -1 -2 0 0X0 0
AFBrakesIn 265 -1 -2 0 0X0 0 “”
AFBrakesOut 9 -1 -2 0 0X0 0 “”Change the pinky button to another button on the hotas and it works fine . . .Brake comes out. I hold the shift button (next to th emain POV) hit button 9 and in come the brakes again.
SimEndFlight -1 0 0X1 0 0 0 0 “SIM: Toggle Exit Sim Menu”
OTWSelectChaseMode -1 0 0XA 0 0 0 1 “VIEWEXT: Chase Camera”
SimHotasPinkyShift 3 -1 -2 0 0X0 0
SimHotasPinkyShift 259 -1 -2 0 0X0 0
AFBrakesIn 265 -1 -2 0 0X0 0 “”
AFBrakesOut 9 -1 -2 0 0X0 0 “”So, what the hell is wrong with my proper pinky switch. I can see it operate in the Saitek control panel and it comes up as button 6 (button 5 in game). I note that this key does not show up when using the keyfile editor. All the other buttons show up when pressed?
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One test if the SimHotasPinkyShift is working is if you are able to use its non-shifting function. If tapped it presses the pinky switch which controls among other things expanded display of the FCR (“EXP” with highlight at the top of the MFD). If you can’t use the pinky switch this way then shifting by holding it will never happen.
As for why the callback does not show up in the list is because the list only shows “keyboard type” line entries. The DX entries are invisible lines. This is why I mentioned that SimHotasPinkyShift should appear three times in your .key file. If you look at my .key file and take an example you notice that I have the lines:
AFGearUp -1 0 0XFFFFFFFF 0 0 0 1 “Gear Up”
and
AFGearUp 23 8 -2 0 0x0 0Having the blank (0xF… is the blank code) is not just there for my health. Despite the fact that I only trigger the AFGearUp callback using DXid 23 I still have the blank keyboard entry as well. From my prior testing if I removed the top line it breaks functionality for the DX line.
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One test if the SimHotasPinkyShift is working is if you are able to use its non-shifting function. If tapped it presses the pinky switch which controls among other things expanded display of the FCR (“EXP” with highlight at the top of the MFD). If you can’t use the pinky switch this way then shifting by holding it will never happen.
As for why the callback does not show up in the list is because the list only shows “keyboard type” line entries. The DX entries are invisible lines. This is why I mentioned that SimHotasPinkyShift should appear three times in your .key file. If you look at my .key file and take an example you notice that I have the lines:
AFGearUp -1 0 0XFFFFFFFF 0 0 0 1 “Gear Up”
and
AFGearUp 23 8 -2 0 0x0 0Having the blank (0xF… is the blank code) is not just there for my health. Despite the fact that I only trigger the AFGearUp callback using DXid 23 I still have the blank keyboard entry as well. From my prior testing if I removed the top line it breaks functionality for the DX line.
I wasn’t actually looking for HOTAS keys to appear in the BMS UI. I did realise that this only shows keyboard keys. What is happening is that the physical pinky key does not turn a button on when using the keyfile-editor software (distributed with BMS). All the other buttons show up in the keyfile-editor by turning a button on in the editors forms. I am wondering whether the physical pinky key press is being “seen” by the Keyfile-editor and by BMS. I’ll use your suggestion and map the pinky switch (DX 5 AKA 6) to a function that will be obvious in game.
T
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SimEndFlight -1 0 0X1 0 0 0 0 “SIM: Toggle Exit Sim Menu”
I added line 4 to make sure that the unshifted function is present as suggested. That has crashed BMS so badly that even when I remove the .key file it still won’t start. I tried starting up on the earlier .key file that used to work. I also tried copying bms.key into the last .key file that the software accepted. Nothing works. I am now reloading the whole installation. Buggy, flakey, nearly giving up . . .OTWSelectChaseMode -1 0 0XA 0 0 0 1 “VIEWEXT: Chase Camera”
SimHotasPinkyShift 5 -1 -2 0 0X0 0
SimHotasPinkyShift 261 -1 -2 0 0X0 0
AFBrakesIn -1 0 0XFFFFFFFF 0 0 0 1 “Breaks In”
AFBrakesIn 265 -1 -2 0 0X0 0 “”
AFBrakesOut 9 -1 -2 0 0X0 0 “” -
Fixed the crash on launch. I deleted the dx9display file. Back on track with the original issue.
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After extensive debugging it just seems that BMS does not “see” my button 5 (physical pinky switch). The UI certainly doesn’t pick it up. It sees all the other X52 buttons. The keyfile editor software also doesn’t see button 5 (maybe that is a clue). The Saitek controller sees the button so it isn’t my hardware.
I also think that when my button 5 is configured to certain calls it prevents other calls operating. That is rather spurious though. First things first: get X52 button recognised by BMS.
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After extensive debugging it just seems that BMS does not “see” my button 5 (physical pinky switch). The UI certainly doesn’t pick it up. It sees all the other X52 buttons. The keyfile editor software also doesn’t see button 5 (maybe that is a clue). The Saitek controller sees the button so it isn’t my hardware.
I also think that when my button 5 is configured to certain calls it prevents other calls operating. That is rather spurious though. First things first: get X52 button recognised by BMS.
I would issue a cautionary warning that my number 3 button (pinky button) on both the joysticks I have used extensively with Falcon (Saitek X-65F and TM Cougar) have not been recognised by the UI, but have still worked.
EDIT: So to clarify, you are trying to set up the buttons using the BMS UI, and not the Saitek SST software?
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Hi Blu,
I have reduced my scope to just getting the physical pinky switch to do anything in the sim. I reduced the keyfile down to just that which will allow me to see that the pinky switch works. So, I have mapped keyboard 9 to give me an external view. The escape key so that I can cancel a mission. A button to extend air brakes (button and a button to close them again (button 9). It all works just as expected so I have the numbering correct and have the theory under my belt.
When I swap the close airbrake for button 5 (pinky) the airbrakes don’t close. I can extend them (button eight) but can’t close them (pinky - button 5). In fact, I can’t get the pinky switch to do anything. I haven’t tried to assign the pinky to many calls. I could try a few more. . .All my X52 buttons get recognised by the UI when I press them except for button 5. The line that declares the button pressed near the bottom of the window simply does not change from its last value when I press the physical pinky switch. It does change for all the other buttons. That seems to be a thundering great clue as to what is happening. I am about to search for DX diag tools and see if I can spot anything betwixt the physical device and BMS.
Terry
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Hi Blu,
I have reduced my scope to just getting the physical pinky switch to do anything in the sim. I reduced the keyfile down to just that which will allow me to see that the pinky switch works. So, I have mapped keyboard 9 to give me an external view. The escape key so that I can cancel a mission. A button to extend air brakes (button and a button to close them again (button 9). It all works just as expected so I have the numbering correct and have the theory under my belt.
When I swap the close airbrake for button 5 (pinky) the airbrakes don’t close. I can extend them (button eight) but can’t close them (pinky - button 5). In fact, I can’t get the pinky switch to do anything. I haven’t tried to assign the pinky to many calls. I could try a few more. . .All my X52 buttons get recognised by the UI when I press them except for button 5. The line that declares the button pressed near the bottom of the window simply does not change from its last value when I press the physical pinky switch. It does change for all the other buttons. That seems to be a thundering great clue as to what is happening. I am about to search for DX diag tools and see if I can spot anything betwixt the physical device and BMS.
Terry
At the moment, is the button 5 being used as a shift key?
If it is, then that could be the problem. I personally avoid the use of shift keys, and one of the first things I did with my setup was make sure that there was no shift key setup.
From memory, this is set in the falcon config file.
EDIT: yeah, so your falcon bms.cfg file should have the line :
set g_nHotasPinkyShiftMagnitude 0
in it.
Thats definitely the case?
Just to clarify, when I press my pinky button, it does not change the value displayed in the setup UI either. Irritating, but at least for me it still works in the 3D world!
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YOU GOT IT!!!
I set the shift magnitude to 0 to disable shifting. Then retried:
SimEndFlight -1 0 0X1 0 0 0 0 “SIM: Toggle Exit Sim Menu”
OTWSelectChaseMode -1 0 0XA 0 0 0 1 “VIEWEXT: Chase Camera”
AFBrakesIn -1 0 0XFFFFFFFF 0 0 0 1 “Ckpit-Air brakes close”
AFBrakesOut -1 0 0XFFFFFFFF 0 0 0 1 “Ckpit-Air brakes open”
AFBrakesOut 8 -2 -2 0 0x0 0 “”
AFBrakesIn 9 -2 -2 0 0x0 0 “”Fully worked again. Brakes open and close when I throw button 8 and 9.
I guess this means that there are bugs in BMS that prevents shifting working if you assign the X-52 button to anything. NB I can get shifting to work if I choose a different button as the “shifter”. It is only when the physical pinky switch gets involved that things start to go wrong. Since, this is the only button physically positioned under the pinky finger, I think I am stuffed. I’ll have a look at what Saitek SST software has to offer.
I tried reducing the pinkyshiftmagnitude to 64 and the brakes are still opening and closing. Maybe there is an issue with such a large offset? The experimentation continues.
Reducing the pinkyshiftmagnitude made no difference to button 5 not being seen by BMS. It is clearly not recognised in the software.
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OK.
Here is how you get the physical pinky shift button working. . .
You open the Saitek control panel and leave it running. Then, as if by magic, BMS will “see” your button 5 presses!:D
Flaky or what.
Terry
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YOU GOT IT!!!
I set the shift magnitude to 0 to disable shifting. Then retried:
SimEndFlight -1 0 0X1 0 0 0 0 “SIM: Toggle Exit Sim Menu”
OTWSelectChaseMode -1 0 0XA 0 0 0 1 “VIEWEXT: Chase Camera”
AFBrakesIn -1 0 0XFFFFFFFF 0 0 0 1 “Ckpit-Air brakes close”
AFBrakesOut -1 0 0XFFFFFFFF 0 0 0 1 “Ckpit-Air brakes open”
AFBrakesOut 8 -2 -2 0 0x0 0 “”
AFBrakesIn 9 -2 -2 0 0x0 0 “”Fully worked again. Brakes open and close when I throw button 8 and 9.
I guess this means that there are bugs in BMS that prevents shifting working if you assign the X-52 button to anything. NB I can get shifting to work if I choose a different button as the “shifter”. It is only when the physical pinky switch gets involved that things start to go wrong. Since, this is the only button physically positioned under the pinky finger, I think I am stuffed. I’ll have a look at what Saitek SST software has to offer.
I tried reducing the pinkyshiftmagnitude to 64 and the brakes are still opening and closing. Maybe there is an issue with such a large offset? The experimentation continues.
Reducing the pinkyshiftmagnitude made no difference to button 5 not being seen by BMS. It is clearly not recognised in the software.
So, with shifting disabled, your button 5 was still not recognised by BMS?
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Absolutely right. I haven’t been able to do anything that gets my X-52 physical pinky button (button 5 when counting from 0) to move anything in BMS until I started the Saitek control panel. There is something seriously wrong with the Saitek driver in my humble opinion. I’ll raise a Saitek ticket but I am sure that they have known of this for some time. I vaguely remember the techie in the shop that sold me the kit actually telling me about this. Trouble is my ancient brain let it slip away . . .
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no arguments from me if you wanna hate on Saitek drivers. So much hassles trying to get my X-65F working… I ended up getting it working best by unplugging it and replacing it with a cougar XD
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no arguments from me if you wanna hate on Saitek drivers. So much hassles trying to get my X-65F working… I ended up getting it working best by unplugging it and replacing it with a cougar XD
Wish that I had heard that a week ago. Before I bought the Saitek. . . I bet I could find bugs in the Cougar though. I am a bug-magnet. The most frequently repeated thing I hear from customer support is “Nobody has ever reported that one before.” Tee Hee.
I don’t “hate on them”. What else would I be doing with the last 4 or 5 evenings? I had lots of contact with you guys and learnt a hell of a lot (the hard way).
Terry