Single engine APU restart with single throttle controller?

I've worked my way through the training missions and have started the Basic Flight Qualification campaign. My gear is CH Products Fighter Stick, Pro Throttle and Saitek Pedals. Mission 2 in the BFQ campaign requires a single engine shutdown and restart. I have the Pro Throttle controlling both engines simultaneously and therein lies the problem. One engine needs to be shutdown while the other is kept at max power. The procedure also calls for moving the shut engine to idle (no setting for this on the Pro Throttle. Full disclosure: I am NOT using the CH software since it seems to have a penchant for blue screen IRQ deaths. If anyone is using CH gear and has a work around for single engine APU start please be kind to a struggling Hawg wannabe! Thanks:cry:

Tip... i think you can overcome your problem rather easy.

When it come to the part where you have to shutdown 1 engine while giving the other max power, then do the following.

I dont know your joystick but technical speaking you can temponary bind your joystick to only the right engine, and then bind the left engine to two buttons on your joystick so you can add power and reduce power with a button instead of using the joystick... problems solved.

What I remember worked for me was to leave the HOTAS throttle maxed and then use the keyboard commands to reduce one throttle to idle. Default for left engine is LAlt + LWin + Num-

Thanks for the quick replies. Both appear very good. I will experiment with each and see which works best for me. If successful I will post back. Thanks again. :thumbup:

A potential caveat when using the keyboard while the throttle is maxed: when DCS detects the tiniest throttle movement, that will make the throttle "take over" and will reset whatever you set on the keyboard.

Many throttles will have a bit of jitter, meaning that they'll keep sending tiny updates to the computer regarding their position, and it might seem as if the keyboard controls have no lasting effect on the throttle setting.

In order to overcome this, a small deadzone in the DCS axis settings for the throttle might stop these tiny updates from being sent, thus allowing the keyboard full control. :thumbup:

I've worked my way through the training missions and have started the Basic Flight Qualification campaign. My gear is CH Products Fighter Stick, Pro Throttle and Saitek Pedals. Mission 2 in the BFQ campaign requires a single engine shutdown and restart. I have the Pro Throttle controlling both engines simultaneously and therein lies the problem. One engine needs to be shutdown while the other is kept at max power. The procedure also calls for moving the shut engine to idle (no setting for this on the Pro Throttle. Full disclosure: I am NOT using the CH software since it seems to have a penchant for blue screen IRQ deaths. If anyone is using CH gear and has a work around for single engine APU start please be kind to a struggling Hawg wannabe! Thanks:cry:

You can set up modifier within DCS. So when you press that button, you change function on other buttons. I use a Thrustmaster T Flight stick X. Buttons 5 to 10 are modifiers. So I set the control for left Engine with button 5 and the slider, button 6 and the slider is right engine. Finally the slider is both throttle simultaneously. Modifiers can be any button on the stick or key board as long as they are not assigned to do anything else.

I use CH gear and use the CH software, still working for me but it's not needed.

Like mvsgas has said, assign the left hand far left throttle pinky as a (modifier button) in DCS, you will not be able to use this button for anything else.

Now when this is held down you can assign anything to all the buttons on both the stick and the throttle (again) doubling your control assignments.

Below is the profile my setup is based off. This file is for CH manager tho and you wont need that, there's also a PDF of the button setup in the file, you may want to take a look at the button and shifted button layout for ideas.

https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/38412/

mvsgas and David OC,

Marvelous idea! I am already using a button on my throttle as a modifier but I never thought of using it in conjunction with axis control. Yurgon, this would mean I don't have to mess with my deadzone settings (nice since the throttle is working well with the current settings). Many, many thanks and virtual beers to you all for your assistance!

Hi All,

The use of modifiers for the left and right throttle axes has worked quite well. Thanks for the guidance. A small question regarding keyboard commands for the throttles: What is the difference between "throttle up/down" and "throttle step up/down"? Again, thanks for the great assistance.