Switching out grips?

I'm looking into vkb pretty much because of the supported grips that can be switched out on the stick. Thing is, I'm wondering if you have to remap all the buttons on the grip everytime you switch the grips out or not.

They are completely different grips with completely different layouts and button counts... so yes... you'll need to set them up individually ;)

They are also not plug and play for the same reason, changing the grip requires a reflash of the firmware so the base knows that something changed. All the brains are in the base, there is nothing in the grip itself to tell the base how many buttons it has or what their layout is.

All the brains are in the base, there is nothing in the grip itself to tell the base how many buttons it has or what their layout is.

In fact is due the VKB grips being "entities" - having a "brain" (micro controller) is that is need change firmware of base, for base can "talk" with this new "brain" and know how buttons have.

When the grip is just buttons and HAT's (all open connections) and don't use micro controller don't matter for the base their new buttons layout or even number of buttons. Example, install a Warthog grip in VPC base (or vice versa - except T50 CM2) is just "bolt and play".

Well, if my understanding of the mechanics was wrong, the end result is the same : it's not plug and play and requires a reflash :p

Does saving profiles help?

Would be nice if vkb could add a bit of memory so that the base remembers the previous settings of grips it had installed with.

Does saving profiles help?

 

Would be nice if vkb could add a bit of memory so that the base remembers the previous settings of grips it had installed with.

Every time you switch grip you have to run the VKB app and load the corresponding profile. I currently have 3 VKB grips (MCG, MCG Pro, Kosmosima) and that's how it works, without the correct profile loaded into the base the grip won't get recognized.

Every time you switch grip you have to run the VKB app and load the corresponding profile. I currently have 3 VKB grips (MCG, MCG Pro, Kosmosima) and that's how it works, without the correct profile loaded into the base the grip won't get recognized.

So, if you switch out the grips and load up the correct profile, do you have to remap the buttons on that stick in DCS?

So, if you switch out the grips and load up the correct profile, do you have to remap the buttons on that stick in DCS?

If that grip was already mapped for that particular aircraft I see no reason to do so. Unless you want to change the grip you use i.e. you were flying F-14 with Kosmoshima and now you would like to use incoming F-14 grip.

At least when I changed my joystick setup and opened keybinding profile in the game, it was mapped for previous stick and when I re-plugged it in, it was recognized and functional. (But I do not use VKB products - at least not yet)

Thus unless VKB base with every grip swapping make for it some random identification code it should not happened. And you have also their software where you can set the thing.

If you happen to have a spare Black Box (I got a spare when I got the rudder pedals), you can have different firmware flashed to each. So for my right hand stick, I have one flashed for my Kosmo, and one flashed for my MCG Pro.

Having said that, re-flashing and loading a profile takes less than 30 seconds. There were folks who were concerned that you could brick you Black Box if you screw up the flash. Aerogator posted a way to use a jumper to reset the box if that happens. I've reflashed maybe 100 times and have never had an issue.