Beginners Guide: Dual monitors + Helios + Loz profile

[DerekM]

Hi all, Beginners Guide attached which goes through all the steps required for setting up DCS-A10C in a dual-monitor configuration (one being a touchscreen) + Helios + Cap Loz profile. Only targets the A10C Warthog, but the steps may be similar for other modules. I've tested the procedure on two set-ups (one being side-by-side layout rather than top-bottom) and I think it is sound, but I'll still add the disclaimer that you follow the steps at your own risk! Back up all necessary files, etc.

 

If any steps are clearly wrong, please let me know asap and I'll edit.

 

--DerekM

2MonitorSetup+Helios+Loz.pdf

[Capt Zeen]

Very good guide!

[javelina1]

very nice work Derek! wish I would've had this guide a little bit ago. thank you for your contribution! :thumbup:

[Arcto10]

Hey,

 

I had a guide before but cannot find it now for setting up a dual monitor NON touch screen.

 

I just want to put my right MFD on a second monitor....don't suppose you have a guide for that?

 

Thanks!

 

EDIT: Never mind, I found it! http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=60815

 

Thanks anyway!

Edited June 3, 2014 by Arcto10

[Tricky11]

Think this should be stickied somewhere

[Swaty]

Very nice work!!!!

 

Thank you!

[Stevos758]

Nice! Thanks for your work!

[Rivvern]

Awesome! Great for people new to Helios!

[john3544]

Touch screen problem

 

Hello. Thank you for this guide. I have everything working except the touch screen. I can see the panels and all the gauges and they update with the sim. I can mouse click the knobs and switches but the touchscreen input does not work. I know that the touch screen itself works and it worked with DCS A-10C before I changed to a dual monitor setup. I noticed that Helios requires that I set the touch screen monitor to be the secondary monitor. When I was investigating this problem I read online that setting the touch screen to not be the primary monitor could cause this problem. My touch screen is a Dell S2240T. Did I choose a problem monitor? I noticed that I could not perform some setup procedures for pen and touch. I am using windows 8.1. Is there anything I should check? Thanks in advance

[Tricky11]

Sounds like you have your main monitor set as the one that has touch screen?? Look from pages 26 onwards in that PDF file

[john3544]

I found the problem

 

Yes I hadn't properly set up the 2nd monitor as the touch screen monitor. Everything seems to be working now. Thank you very much.

[SDsc0rch]

@john - have you calibrated it?

 

in Windows?

 

 

I had a problem with touches not registering on the touchscreen - resolved with calibration

[john3544]

I have not noticed any issues with buttons or switches no working yet since I set the monitor correctly. I am trying to get face no ir working now. I will keep your suggestion in mind if I notice that problem later on. Thankyou

[Tricky11]

Ok I got the A10 working but now how do I get the KA50 to work along side the A10?

[DerekM]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I had a small bit more information to add to the PDF, but I'm sidetracked on work and other projects so I haven't been back to DCS in a few weeks, and not looking like getting back to it any time soon either. :(

 

Ok I got the A10 working but now how do I get the KA50 to work along side the A10?

 

Hi nescafe37 - The method I used to set up the A10C was originally used to set up A10C and KA50 to work together. I just stripped out the KA50 material. If you check back in the PeterP post that I reference in my doc, you might get the information you need. But I have no experience with KA50 so I can't really help you beyond pointing you to the link, sorry.

 

Edit to add: If you look at page 42 in my document, you will see that when you extract the PeterP file contents there is an option called 'Ka-50 and A10C installed'. So I think that is what you are looking for. I'm sure there is more information in the readme.txt.

 

- DerekM

Edited June 27, 2014 by DerekM

[DerekM]

Yes I hadn't properly set up the 2nd monitor as the touch screen monitor. Everything seems to be working now. Thank you very much.

 

Hi John3544 - I'm glad you got this sorted, but for anyone else who has similar trouble, I should say that I haven't really explained that step properly in the document. So at the very start of setting up the touch screen (page 27), you need to ensure that the Dell S2240T is selected as the touch screen, and you may also need to select the 'Calibrate' option if you haven't done that in Windows yet. Unfortunately I can't remember the exact steps now, but this is purely a Windows thing and is nothing to do with DCS/Helios. Anyway, hopefully it won't catch anyone else out.

 

- DerekM

[DerekM]

One last point that I should make - There is an issue with turning some of the radio channel knobs which I have no fix for. I think it is related to this post here. If anyone has found a fix for that issue, can they please post about it? It's an annoying little bug.

[doveman]

Hi John3544 - I'm glad you got this sorted, but for anyone else who has similar trouble, I should say that I haven't really explained that step properly in the document. So at the very start of setting up the touch screen (page 27), you need to ensure that the Dell S2240T is selected as the touch screen, and you may also need to select the 'Calibrate' option if you haven't done that in Windows yet. Unfortunately I can't remember the exact steps now, but this is purely a Windows thing and is nothing to do with DCS/Helios. Anyway, hopefully it won't catch anyone else out.

 

I had a lot of trouble when I installed my touchscreen, with Windows 8.1 insisting that my non-touchscreen was the touchscreen and any presses on it activating on the non-touchscreen.

 

I tried all the settings/calibration, etc in Windows but eventually I fixed it by swapping the cables over, so now I have the touchscreen/secondary on Displayport and the non-touchscreen/primary on DVI. Maybe there was another way to fix it but I couldn't find it, so maybe this will help someone else who runs into the same problem.

[Buck70]

Hi Derek;

I am a moderately experienced Helios user and have gone through several upgrade/fix cycles with DCS World-A10C and Helios. After a year off, I tried to upgrade DCS World again and fix my Helios installation.

 

Test run produced working Helios (buttons work) with working MFCD's, but no other viewports. I hit the top right corner of Loz's Helios profile to hide the gauges and reveal whether the viewports were misplaced. They are not there at all.

 

So, I downloaded your excellent guide. I went through it step by step and used PeterP's init.lua viewport files and monitor config.lua after revising the coordinates for my setup and giving it a new name. I changed DCS World options to that monitor setup. Test run produced working Helios, but no MFCD's and no other viewports!

 

Here is an interesting diagnostic. I know that the names for gauges in the monitor configuration.lua file must match the line in the viewport init.lua files exactly. As a test, I changed the MFCD name in PeterP's sample monitor config file to the name in my old monitor config file, and tested again. This made the MFCD's work. But the names for the rest of the viewports match the monitor config file exactly and still do not work.

 

My latest attempt was to uninstall and reinstall everything and try again. No joy. Same result

 

Any suggestions????

 

Windows 7 64bit, DCS 1.2.10, Helios 1.319, Cap Loz 2.1

[Pikey]

thanks this got me the last few yards, the export to monitor with helios was hard.

[-Hammer-]

Thank you so much Derek :thumbup:

 

i owe you a beer :D

Everything works perfect

 

For the tripple screen user (with nvidia surround) + 1 x Touchscreen:

 

To improve the performance I changed (in windows) my T-Screen formation to Side by Side (1. Nividia Surrond - 2. Touchsreen)

 

In DCS I changed the resolution from 5760x2160 to 7680x1080

Check Fullscreen

 

and I got 5 - 8 fps more

[koss19]

Helo guys... im a total newbie in dual monitors in dcs... i have a 24 main screen with full HD resolution and an 17 touchscreen with 1280x 1024. I did everithing like sayed in that pdf in first post (except the resolution witch is mine) but i find out a problem. All my displays are a bit mooved away (in helios the black&white panels witch indicates the displays are mooved a bit away) and i cant figure out how can i fix them. Can anybody help me with it...

[EagleTwoThree]

Does helios still even work with the latest DCS build?

[cichlidfan]

Yes

[MadDog-IC]

Helo guys... im a total newbie in dual monitors in dcs... i have a 24 main screen with full HD resolution and an 17 touchscreen with 1280x 1024.

 

I did everithing like sayed in that pdf in first post (except the resolution witch is mine) but i find out a problem.

 

All my displays are a bit moved away (in helios the black&white panels witch indicates the displays are mooved a bit away) and i cant figure out how can i fix them. Can anybody help me with it...

 

Check in windows monitor configuration, that monitors are set correctly:

 

• For your config, side by side would be more efficient
  
• Make sure both monitors are butted up against each other properly, with the top edge of both monitors in line with each other
  
• Calculate complete screen resolution:
  
• Width = 1920 + 1280 = 3200
  
• Height = 1080
  
• Aspect = 3200 / 1080 = 2.96
  

Setup DCS screen configuration for:

 

• Resolution = 3200 x 1080
  
• Aspect = 2.96
  
• Install a Camera export configuration (my attached ones are JGME compatible), or which ever one you use to specify viewports for export.
  
• Untick Fullscreen
  

Setup Helios Profile:

 

• Load the required Helios Profile
  
• Reset the monitor configuration and check it is how you want it
  
• Re-Save Helios Profile
  

Setup Export.lua file:

 

• Copy Capt_zeens combined export.lua file that supports exporting most aircraft to you DCS users save directory.
  

I have just finished getting helios working with 2 x (1920x1080 HD) monitors set as a Top and Bottom configuration giving a set resolution in DCSW of 1920x2160, also did a side to Side configuration with a resolution of 3840x1080.

 

The attached configs will work with all known aircraft supported by helios, ie A-10c, Ka-50, P-51d, Su-25T, Huey, F-15c, so long as you use capt zeens newest export.lua file from his website.

 

You will have to modify the x and y coordinates for your second screen due to diffent resolution than mine, so that the MFCD's,etc start in the correct location, you may also have to adjust each width and height of each.

 

LEFT_MFCD =

{

x = 60;

y = 1200;

width = 445;

height = 445;

}

 

Hope this of some help.

 

Regards, Ian.

DCSW - Helios - A-10c + Ka-50 + Su-25T + FC3 Patch v1.2.16.zip

Capt zeen export.lua.zip