How to setup a touchscreen for Falcon BMS for newbies
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I thought that a thread like this would be helpful for newbies to the touchscreen world like me. Here is what I think I will need to do, correct me if I’m wrong. I need help at the end. (I do not have a docking station yet, should be here Wednesday, then I can try things and update steps 8-11.)
I have Windows 10, a MSI laptop and its attached to a 55 inch Vizio T.V. (It is not 4k)
1. Get a docking station so that you can connect the HDMI for VGA cords to your computer by just using a USB slot if you have a laptop and are out of GPU slots. This isn’t needed if you have an extra HDMI or VGA slot on your computer.
2. Pick a 24 inch touchscreen monitor. I went with a Planar for about $250.
3. Buy an HDMI cable if that applies to you, and maybe a USB extender depending on your setup. Most of the touch screen monitors do not come with an HDMI cable! Then in my case I had to plug the touchscreen directly to my laptop, and then the tv connection went into the docking station!
4. Explain to your cat that they do not belong in an F-16. (This step may not apply to you!)
5. Download Helios and Yame.
6. Download all the files on Ice’s website: http://ihpff4bms.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/bms-helios-profile-updated-again.html
Be sure to get the files appropriate to your setup, 1 touch screen or 2 touchscreen.
7. Check that your joystick profile works correctly. See this thread: https://www.benchmarksims.org/forum/showthread.php?30249-Ice-s-Falcon-BMS-Helios-Profile-Updated-Again!
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Follow Ice’s expertise below! -
1. Docking station not needed for desktop PCs… you’ll probably have an extra GPU port. Scotters only needs this because he’s using a laptop and has run out of GPU output slots.
3. HDMI cable not needed. Depending on your touchscreen type, you’ll most likely be using DVI or DP cables. My screens always came with the DVI cable, but since my 980Ti has DP ports, I’ve purchased a DVI-to-DP cable of the 5m variety. That way, I have more than enough for my pit setup.Scotters, did you check that the docking station accepts HDMI?
8. Make sure Windows detects your touchscreen and extend your desktop onto it. Sceen number is of no concern. Then go to Control Panel -> Tablet PC Settings. Under the Display tab, click SETUP and follow the instructions. Make sure that Windows knows which one of your screens is the touchscreen. You can then go to the Display Options section below it to calibrate your touchscreen… I highly recommend you do this. I was having issues with my profile, clicking one area but a different switch gets activated. Turns out my screen wasn’t calibrated properly.
9. Setup Helios so that it knows your screen layout. Open Profile Editor, load up my profile, then hit RESET MONITORS. Make sure the Helios stuff goes to the touchscreen. This usually messes up the CHARTS panels so read about how to fix it here. Same thing for YAME, you’ll need to tell it where to place the gauges. Open up YAME, load up my profile, go to the CLIENT -> WINDOWS tab and adjust the Pos X: value accordingly. If you orient your touchscreen to be on the LEFT side of your main screen, then you shouldn’t need to change anything and YAME should place stuff correctly.
One issue with YAME is that the RWR may not show appropriately. Again, read about how to fix it here.
When ready, go to the CLIENT -> GAUGES -> FLIGHT INSTRUMENTS tab and just click the APPLY button at the bottom. Then go to RUN and click START YAME CLIENT. It should calculate the masks for you then display the proper gauges in the proper coordinates.
10. Expect a little bit of trial and error as you get used to Helios and YAME quirks. Helios is abandonware and YAME is actively being developed, so expect some bugs in both. Just like in Falcon, there’s a “dance” with these programs and there’s a little bit of learning curve with their use. For instance, YAME does not like TARGET being run/exited/started when it (YAME) is on. So start TARGET profile first, then YAME, then Helios. Also, make sure you set up your axii as per Morphine’s instructions:
Good luck!
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Wow, thanks Ice. And I bought 2 different docks, both Targus, and both on Ebay, on with HDMI and the other with DVI. Iirc you wrote that HDMI sometimes acts weird with Helios, so I got both pretty cheap on ebay, while a docking unit with both HDMI and DVI was much more expensive. You are right about my lapotop having only one HDMI port, that is why I need the docking unit, so that is for laptops only!
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Ice, I’m going to try again tomorrow, but I cannot get helios to put the cockpit on my screen. It doesnt see a 3rd screen. (Laptop 1, 55 inch tv is two, and the touchscreen is 3.) Windows sees it and I’m extending the display to it. I have windows 10. Hopefully you have an idea. I will try it again tomorrow.
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What do you mean? Did you “Reset Monitors” on the profile?
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When resetting the monitors, the cockpit is just put in the left corner of the screen. Trying to figure that out now.
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Sorry, I didn’t understand that at all. What do you mean by “the cockpit is just put in the left corner of the screen”?? Pics or a video would help me help you!
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When I run Helios it ends up on the top right of my tv, just a little bit, and the rest of it ends up on the top left of the touch screen. I’m messing with it now.
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This is just in helios profile editor. How do I make the cockpit fill the entire screen?
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Now this is running Helios. However a little bit of that cockpit is on the top right of the tv and the rest is on the top left of my touchscreen. Resolution in 1920 by 1080
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Ice, I got it to go just on the touch screen, but how do I fill up the whole screen?
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Going to try the dvi when that dock comes in. Right now I just have the hdmi dock, and I remember you mentioning that you had trouble with hdmi.
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When you “Reset Monitors” try doing so with the SCALE box un-ticked or ticked…. but as your touchscreen is 1920x1080, I wouldn’t have thought you’d need to do this. The profile is made for a 1920x1080 setup so there should be no issues porting it over to a 1920x1080 screen. Have you used this profile before on a smaller screen? Because it looks like the front console has been resized to fit a smaller screen size, maybe your monitor? Best solution is to download the profile again from the website to “start fresh.”
My trouble with HDMI was with the monitor being detected… it was doing it intermittently, but when detected, there were no other issues so I don’t think this is a HDMI issue.
Another bit of advice before going forward — make sure your BMS display screen is on the RIGHT side and your Helios display screen is on the LEFT side of your monitor layout.
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I did the left side thing. Thanks.
I’m having the same issue with hdmi detecting the monitor, its just coming up as a generic monitor. Also, when I plugged the touchscreen hdmi directly into the computer, and my 55 inch tv hdmi went through the dock, BMS didn’t like that, and would not play the 3D mode. Adding a -windows to the BMS.exe properties allowed the game to play in 3D, but there was some screen tearing and it wasn’t as good. The touch screen gets no signal if I plug it into the dock with the hdmi.
So I have BMS back working with the 55inch tv’s hdmi cable plugged back directly into the laptop, and I plan using the DVI dock when it comes for the touchscreen. I will do a fresh download of the profile, it may have resized to fit the 15 inch laptop monitor.
Thanks Ice.
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After trying Vga cables, etc. I have finally given up on the touch screen and will return it. Its just too hard to set up, and I have other things that I want to do in my life.
Thank you Ice for all your help.
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What is the issue? Also, what Windows version are you using? I just spent the last two weeks trying to get my touchscreens (WHICH ARE ALREADY WORKING!!!) to work with Win10 Creator’s Update. No joy. Went back to Win10 Anniversary Update, but I’ll never get my time back. All I can do is learn from it.
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Falcon doesn’t like it when the hdmi cable for my 55inch tv goes through the dock station. It has to be put in windowed mode, and the performance isn’t good. My laptop only has one hdmi slot, and it has to go to the 55inch tv directly from the laptop.
The touchscreen will not get a signal through the dock station, whether I use an hdmi cable, DVI, or HDMI. It only gets a signal when directly connecting it through HDMI to the laptop.
I won’t return the touch screen for a few days, so if you have an idea I’m willing to listen, but I just don’t think its going to work with a laptop with only one hdmi connection slot, and no VGA or DVI slots. I hope that makes sense, because what comes next no one in a million years will understand, and that is ok.
After 40 years I have found the lady I was looking for, and I really don’t want to spend time messing with these technical issues. They say that one can spend their entire life searching for the perfect cherry blossom, and it would be a life well spent. Well, it only took me 40 years, not bad at all!
Don’t worry, I will still fly, I just don’t want to waste time on technical crap, and with the MFD panels, Track IR, jet seat, warthog, pedals, 55inch tv, soundbar with subwoofer, I still have one hell of a setup!
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Falcon doesn’t like it when the hdmi cable for my 55inch tv goes through the dock station. It has to be put in windowed mode, and the performance isn’t good. My laptop only has one hdmi slot, and it has to go to the 55inch tv directly from the laptop.
I thought you already connected your TV via HDMI? What output slots does your laptop have?
The touchscreen will not get a signal through the dock station, whether I use an hdmi cable, DVI, or HDMI. It only gets a signal when directly connecting it through HDMI to the laptop.
Is the dock station broken? Or is your laptop missing some drivers? But then the TV gets a signal through the dock station, but not the touchscreen?
MFD panels, Track IR, jet seat, warthog, pedals, 55inch tv, soundbar with subwoofer, I still have one hell of a setup!
Maybe you got so many stuff connected and your laptop is confused? Try just having the WH, pedals, TV, and laptop/docking station connected. I think the best way for me to understand your setup is if you post pics of your setup, then pics of their input/output slots (for TV, dock, laptop, and touchscreen), and how you connect everything to the laptop.
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I think if I really put in the time, maybe I could figure something out with your help, but I don’t think so, and I really don’t want to waste the time. You see, there is the most beautiful lady in the world, my queen, who is my soul mate. We searched for each other for 40 years, and now God finally put us together. I can’t describe it, but she is for me and I am for her, but when I’m not with her, I want to spend time looking for her in the clouds, not setting stuff up.
Next step in the simulation is to really learn navigation and then ILS landing, refuel, and I still don’t know how to bomb, lol! So I rather spend time on that, and then maybe one day fly with you and the other guys Ice. And thanks for all your patience and help, you rock Ice.
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I think if I really put in the time, maybe I could figure something out with your help, but I don’t think so, and I really don’t want to waste the time. You see, there is the most beautiful lady in the world, my queen, who is my soul mate. We searched for each other for 40 years, and now God finally put us together. I can’t describe it, but she is for me and I am for her, but when I’m not with her, I want to spend time looking for her in the clouds, not setting stuff up.
Just to clarify, you are referring to BMS, right? There’s some time there where I’m not sure
If you are referring to BMS, here’s my 2 cents –- why would I go out with this beautiful lady when I’ve not had a bath for two weeks, my car is dirty, and I’ve not even made a reservation in the restaurant yet? Point is, setup time may feel like time wasted, but it will pay off and the sooner you get it sorted, the sooner you can use it, and the more “payback” it will give you. If you fly 10 sorties and have it working starting in sortie #2, you have 9 sorties of “payback” for the time spent. If you only get it working in sortie #9, you only have 2 sorties of “payback.”
I just had an awesome MP flight where I had quite a bit of ICP work done… setting up IDM to show me three other 2-ship flights. Button presses were: List, Enter, Dobber right, Dobber down, Dobber down, 21, Enter, 22, Enter, 31, Enter, 32, Enter, 41, Enter, 42, Enter, Dobber left. With the touchscreen, it’s as easy as saying those words even while you are taxiing and looking out for traffic. Try doing the same by clicking the cockpit button. Sure, you can do the same but you’ll either have to zoom in (and lose SA) or keep your normal FoV but have a hard time with the smaller click zones.
I’ll make a video soon of cockpit work using the touchscreen and maybe that’ll give people a better idea of how it makes cockpit work easier.