Flaps switch on HOTAS Warthog

[Dethmagnetic]

Are there key bindings I can use to immediately set the flaps to UP / MVR / DN position, regardless of the position they're currently in? I'm working on a custom TM HOTAS Warthog profile, but I can't find any key bindings that will let me do this with the flap switch. All I could find is the flaps up/flaps down bindings, which doesn't really work with the way the flap switch is laid out.

 

I'd rather not use the default DCS mappings because I wanted to change some stuff around (add TrackIR centering, use APU switch for landing gear, a couple of other things).

[Spartan]

as far as i know all switches on the throttle can only be programed via the T.A.R.G.E.T software.

you will have to have a go at that one dude.

[icemaker]

Dethmagnetic, just wait a fiew days the new T.A.R.G.E.T Release Candidate that will come with new functionalities that are specially designed for that you want to do...

[Dethmagnetic]

as far as i know all switches on the throttle can only be programed via the T.A.R.G.E.T software.

you will have to have a go at that one dude.

 

That's what I'm saying, I have a T.A.R.G.E.T. profile that I'm working on, I just can't find the key bindings in DCS that I need to bind to the flap switch in order to make it work like it does in the real aircraft.

[slimakwielki]

That's what I'm saying, I have a T.A.R.G.E.T. profile that I'm working on, I just can't find the key bindings in DCS that I need to bind to the flap switch in order to make it work like it does in the real aircraft.

 

If You go *\DCS A-10C Beta\Config\Input\Aircrafts\A-10C\keyboard\Keyboard.lua (or default, or new one based on default to have a original copy - You got my drift?) and overwrite section:

 

 
       [225] = 
       {
           ["combos"] = 
           {
               [1] = 
               {
                   ["key"] = "F",
               }, -- end of [1]
           }, -- end of ["combos"]
           ["name"] = "Flaps Down",
           ["category"] = "Systems",
           ["down"] = 145,
       }, -- end of [225]
       [226] = 
       {
           ["combos"] = 
           {
               [1] = 
               {
                   ["key"] = "F",
                   ["reformers"] = 
                   {
                       [1] = "LShift",
                   }, -- end of ["reformers"]
               }, -- end of [1]
           }, -- end of ["combos"]
           ["name"] = "Flaps Up",
           ["category"] = "Systems",
           ["down"] = 146,
       }, -- end of [226]
       [227] = 
       {
           ["up"] = 75,
           ["name"] = "Wheel Brake On/Off",
           ["category"] = "Systems",
           ["combos"] = 
           {
               [1] = 
               {
                   ["key"] = "W",
               }, -- end of [1]
           }, -- end of ["combos"]
           ["down"] = 74,
       }, -- end of [227]

 

 

with as follows:

 

 
       [225] = 
       {
           ["combos"] = 
           {
               [1] = 
               {
                   ["key"] = "F",
               }, -- end of [1]
           }, -- end of ["combos"]
           ["name"] = "Flaps Down",
           ["category"] = "Systems",
           ["down"] = 1049,
       }, -- end of [225]
       [226] = 
       {
           ["combos"] = 
           {
               [1] = 
               {
                   ["key"] = "F",
                   ["reformers"] = 
                   {
                       [1] = "LShift",
                   }, -- end of ["reformers"]
               }, -- end of [1]
           }, -- end of ["combos"]
           ["name"] = "Flaps Mvr",
           ["category"] = "Systems",
           ["down"] = 1048,
       }, -- end of [226]
       [227] = 
       {
           ["combos"] = 
           {
               [1] = 
               {
                   ["key"] = "W",
               }, -- end of [1]
           }, -- end of ["combos"]
           ["name"] = "Flaps Up",
           ["category"] = "Systems",
           ["down"] = 1047,
       }, -- end of [227]

 

You will have:

"W" - Flaps Up [class button]

LShift + "F" - Flaps Mvr [class button]

"F" - Flaps Down [class button]

 

 

You can assign those in TARGET then. These acts as buttons now, NOT toggle class, so You can press them as many times You want to get desired Flaps Position (going from Up to Down without MVR as well). As You might notice I overwrite Brake section (default 227 section with "W") to make it easier to see in Controls->Systems for You, but feel free to change it to suit Your needs. With a little bit research over files You can customable many things in pretty ergonomic value (such as adding Emergency Disconnect Lever to TM WH paddle switch by adding section to HOTAS lua file).

 

Hope that helps!

[Laud]

Hey slimakwielki,

 

would that also work for the fuel flow switches and stuff? I mean are there ALL necessary functions which are (in parts) missing at the in-game options???

[slimakwielki]

Hey slimakwielki,

 

would that also work for the fuel flow switches and stuff? I mean are there ALL necessary functions which are (in parts) missing at the in-game options???

 

I'm pretty sure. In-game options has everything, but not well described/presented which leads to confusion...

[Laud]

The fuel flow switches appear as toggles while I need them in "on" and "off" states for a propper TARGET-Mapping.

 

I'll have a look at it. TY!

[Mad Dog 7.62]

 

Not trying to be obnoxious, but I have track IR center and pause on the unsed mic switch positions (up and push) and the gear on the autopilot button with the paddle switch as a modifier, all from within DCS without having to run TARGET at all. Its really easy to do and you don't have another layer of software running to slow things down.

[Dethmagnetic]

snip

 

I'll try that when I get home, thanks a lot!

[RedX]

Like Mad Dog says above, it may be possible to achieve what you want without using TARGET software at all. TrackIR identifies joystick clicks just fine like other software such as TeamSpeak3, too. When mapping the keys, just make sure that there are no buttons depressed in your HOTAS by checking the status in the game controller section of Windows control panel first. Some software have problems otherwise.

 

In A-10C you can add functions to the joystick column so that they are clickable with the ADD function by editing the Input config files. Just take the rows you need from default.lua in Config\Input\Aircrafts\A-10C\joystick and add them into your joystick profile. You may need to remove the custom mappings saved by the sim (the file with the long alphanumeric ID string of the game controller) so that the initial settings are read again from the files in the above folder. The "down/pressed" and "combos" may need to be checked for the rows added to the joystick profile file.

[SsgtHolland]

Programming the flaps switch in TARGET

 

I'm working on a custom TM HOTAS Warthog profile, but I can't find any key bindings that will let me do this with the flap switch. All I could find is the flaps up/flaps down bindings, which doesn't really work with the way the flap switch is laid out.

 

Hey DM(cool handle, great album!)

 

I just got the TM WH and I struggled with the exact same thing. It seemed like there was a keycommand missing in the control options. The solution is to do the programming in TARGET.

Start by assigning the 'F' key to the flaps down part of the switch in TARGET. Then assign the 'L-Shift+F' to the flaps up part of the switch. Now for the solution to the mvr problem.

We need to set up the mvr part of the switch, so that it sends an up-command when coming from the down position and a down-command when switching from the up-position.

 

To do this, you need to use the release function in TARGET. On the flaps up part of the switch,assign the flaps down key and program this to release instead of press. Do the same for the downpart of the switch, assign a flaps up command to the switch with a release setting.

I also linked a led on command to the flaps up release parameter. The led off command is linked to the flaps up state of the switch.

And that's it!

[Laud]

Yeah, I also did the Flaps with press/release.

 

No I'm interested how you're going to do the Fuel Flow switches!!!

[boris_badinov]

RedX, can you post your code please?

[fael097]

xpadder.

[ivanwfr]

I would suggest mapping DirectInput values to all those Thottle switches and let DX API detect OFF states by design.

 

Keystrokes are on-off transitions with synchronization issues and they defeat the very purpose of the device.

 

Even worse, allowing depressed keys to be persistent will inevitably have devastating results when keyboard focus gets directed to the desktop or any application window.

[Laud]

I would suggest mapping DirectInput values to all those Thottle switches and let DX API detect OFF states by design.

 

I still don't really understand how. Mapping a DX-Button to the wanted knob, and then, with running profile, press the knob within the (device) controls setup?

 

Even worse, allowing depressed keys to be persistent will inevitably have devastating results when keyboard focus gets directed to the desktop or any application window.

 

That's exactly my main problem so far with target profiles, at least for the throttle-base switches. Besides that mapping by keypresses is kinda impossible for the fuel-flow switches.

 

However, seems like I get there try by try... :)

[ivanwfr]

This is how:

 

include "target.tmh"
int main()
{
   Exclude(&HCougar); Exclude(&T16000); Exclude(&LMFD); Exclude(&RMFD);
   if(Init(&EventHandle)) return 1;
   th();
}
int th() {
   MapKey(&Throttle, SC      , DX1 );

   MapKey(&Throttle, MSP     , DX2 );
   MapKey(&Throttle, MSU     , DX3 );
   MapKey(&Throttle, MSR     , DX4 );
   MapKey(&Throttle, MSD     , DX5 );
   MapKey(&Throttle, MSL     , DX6 );

  .../...

   MapKey(&Throttle, IDLERON , DX31);
   MapKey(&Throttle, IDLELON , DX31);

   MapKey(&Throttle, CSU     , DXHATUP);
   MapKey(&Throttle, CSR     , DXHATRIGHT);
   MapKey(&Throttle, CSD     , DXHATDOWN);
   MapKey(&Throttle, CSL     , DXHATLEFT);
}
int EventHandle(int type, alias o, int x) { DefaultMapping(&o, x); }

 

If you would like to see this working in Device Analyzer, the completed code is in a file named th_DX_main.tmc in the archive DCS_ivanwfr_110607.zip attached to the bottom of this post.

 

All you have to do is to run this file in TARGET Script Editor and launch Device Analyzer.

 

However, to actually have it working with DCS A-10C, controls have to be altered by loading the related configuration file TM_Warthog_Combined_1108_ivanwfr.lua which goes with it. This would be the equivalent of the P&P Throttle part.

 

As for the Joystick, no need to reserve DX slots for that one - a good thing BTW as there are no more available ;) - keyboard mapping is quite natural as all its switches are the pulse type and keyboard event mappings are absolutely the way to go.

[Wintermute74]

For completeness in the thread, the TARGET code solution mentioned by SsgtHolland is (for anyone else looking):

// Flight Control: Flaps
MapKey(&Throttle, FLAPD, PULSE + Flaps_down);
MapKeyR(&Throttle, FLAPD, PULSE + Flaps_up);
MapKey(&Throttle, FLAPU, PULSE + Flaps_up);
MapKeyR(&Throttle, FLAPU, PULSE + Flaps_down);