Multiple Controllers

[Lude2Envy]

After years of just using a Sidewinder 2, I went ahead and purchased the Saitek Pro Flight System and Combat Rudder Pedals. I have them all set up and love them so far. They're way better than the CH yoke and pedals I used to have. Anyway, I have them set up running exclusively through FSUIPC with the exception of the hat switch.....which I have set up through FSX itself since the panning is smoother. I want to plug in my Sidewinder to use with helicopters and Airbuses which leads me to a few questions.

 

1. Am I correct in assuming that I'd have to change the hat switch assignment within FSX every time I go back and forth between the yoke and joystick?

 

2. If I ever unplug any of my controllers and plug them back in, will that mess up the profiles I've created in FSX for each of my aircraft? 

 

3. Am I correct in assuming that as long as I don't set any assignments to the yoke itself while creating helicopter and Airbus profiles, I can use the joystick for control inputs and the yoke's throttle quadrant for throttle/collective settings?

 

Thanks for the feedback!

[Pete Dowson]

After years of just using a Sidewinder 2, I went ahead and purchased the Saitek Pro Flight System and Combat Rudder Pedals. I have them all set up and love them so far. They're way better than the CH yoke and pedals I used to have. Anyway, I have them set up running exclusively through FSUIPC with the exception of the hat switch.....which I have set up through FSX itself since the panning is smoother.

 

Really? This is even with it assigned as an Axis to "Pan view"?

 

1. Am I correct in assuming that I'd have to change the hat switch assignment within FSX every time I go back and forth between the yoke and joystick?

 

You aren't thinking of unplugging and re-plugging things each time, were you? Because if you have not disabled controllers altogether in FSX it will re-assigned axes and buttons each time.

 

If you weren't thinking of doing that then I don't understand how the question arises.

 

2. If I ever unplug any of my controllers and plug them back in, will that mess up the profiles I've created in FSX for each of my aircraft?

 

I don't know how you create 'profiles' in FSX. Maybe you mean FSUIPC?

 

Nothing will mess up FSUIPC assignments and profiles unless you delete or corrupt the settings stored in its INI file. However, the numbers used to identify devices may change, and that will get all the assignments mixed up. The way to avoid that, before unplugging anything, is to change FSUIPC to use Joy Letters instead of numbers. There's a chapter in the user guide about that. See the contents list near the front.

 

But, as I said, unplugging and replugging in joysticks will wreak havoc in FSX because it will make automatic assignments -- UNLESS you disable controllers there.

 

3. Am I correct in assuming that as long as I don't set any assignments to the yoke itself while creating helicopter and Airbus profiles, I can use the joystick for control inputs and the yoke's throttle quadrant for throttle/collective settings?

 

Axis assignments and calibrations, when made in a Profile, are profile specific. No other axis movements will be applied by FSUIPC other than those belonging to this profile.

 

Button and Keypress assignments can be global, applying to all profiles, and profile specific. If both the latter override the former, but usually you have a mix. This isn't done for axes for obvious reasons.

 

Regards

Pete

[Lude2Envy]

Thank you for your quick response. Yes I did mean FSUIPC profiles, not FSX. And yes I wanted to be able to unplug my yoke/joystick when I'm not using them to free up desk space. I will look at the Joy Letters section in the user manual. Has a solution been found to make panning with the hat switch work as good with FSUIPC as with FSX so I can just customize it to each aircraft? I tried a few that I read online but they all made panning slow and jumpy both in the VC and outside the plane. Thanks again!

 

Update: I went into the .ini and it looked a little different from the manual. The joystick names were listed next to the numbers:

 

[JoyNames]

AutoAssignLetters=No

0=Saitek Pro Flight Yoke

0.GUID={8951F010-E9BF-11E2-8001-444553540000}

1=Saitek Pro Flight Combat Rudder Pedals (USB)

1.GUID={D015B190-EA1D-11E2-8001-444553540000}

 

So I just change those numbers to letters and I should be good to unplug them?

[Pete Dowson]

Thank you for your quick response. Yes I did mean FSUIPC profiles, not FSX. And yes I wanted to be able to unplug my yoke/joystick when I'm not using them to free up desk space. I will look at the Joy Letters section in the user manual. Has a solution been found to make panning with the hat switch work as good with FSUIPC as with FSX so I can just customize it to each aircraft? I tried a few that I read online but they all made panning slow and jumpy both in the VC and outside the plane. Thanks again!

 

Is that when assigning the hat in the Axis Assignments to 2Pan View". It is smooth here.

 

Update: I went into the .ini and it looked a little different from the manual. The joystick names were listed next to the numbers:

 

Er, why's that different to the manual?  The example in the manual looks exactly like your example except, obviously, differet devices and GUID numbers!

 

So I just change those numbers to letters and I should be good to unplug them?

 

Er, no! Didn't you actually read the text? You need to ADD lines to assign with the letters if you want to do it manually. If you don't understand what you are doing, or don't want to read it, just change "AutoAssignLetters" to "Yes" before running FS, as suggested.

 

Pete

[Lude2Envy]

I wanted to assign AlphaIDs to the name manually like you recommend ("J" for joystick, "Y" for yoke, etc.) but I didn't seen any examples in the manual other than the AutoAssignLetters. What lines do I have to ADD to assign Y=Saitek Pro Flight Yoke, J=Sidewinder 2, etc? 

[Pete Dowson]

I wanted to assign AlphaIDs to the name manually like you recommend ("J" for joystick, "Y" for yoke, etc.) but I didn't seen any examples in the manual other than the AutoAssignLetters. What lines do I have to ADD to assign Y=Saitek Pro Flight Yoke, J=Sidewinder 2, etc? 

 

I can't tell you exactly because I don't know the full EXACT names of anything but the two you showed. As the user guide tells you, the name must be EXACTLY as shown, as it needs to be matched. If there's a GUID, match that tooo. So, for example, for the two you have shown so far, using perhaps Y and R:

 

Y=Saitek Pro Flight Yoke

Y.GUID={8951F010-E9BF-11E2-8001-444553540000}

R=Saitek Pro Flight Combat Rudder Pedals (USB)

R.GUID={D015B190-EA1D-11E2-8001-444553540000}

 

Strictly you probably don't need to add the GUID lines too, but it is safer in case you have two or more joysticks with the same name. The GUID is always unique.

 

Pete

[Lude2Envy]

Is that when assigning the hat in the Axis Assignments to 2Pan View". It is smooth here.

 

It's smooth for some aircraft and not for others. Not sure why. 

 

Er, why's that different to the manual?  The example in the manual looks exactly like your example except, obviously, differet devices and GUID numbers!

 

I was confused because the first one in the example didn't have a specific name. I apologize.

 

Er, no! Didn't you actually read the text? You need to ADD lines to assign with the letters if you want to do it manually. If you don't understand what you are doing, or don't want to read it, just change "AutoAssignLetters" to "Yes" before running FS, as suggested.

 

I can't tell you exactly because I don't know the full EXACT names of anything but the two you showed. As the user guide tells you, the name must be EXACTLY as shown, as it needs to be matched. If there's a GUID, match that tooo. So, for example, for the two you have shown so far, using perhaps Y and R:

 

Y=Saitek Pro Flight Yoke

Y.GUID={8951F010-E9BF-11E2-8001-444553540000}

R=Saitek Pro Flight Combat Rudder Pedals (USB)

R.GUID={D015B190-EA1D-11E2-8001-444553540000}

 

Strictly you probably don't need to add the GUID lines too, but it is safer in case you have two or more joysticks with the same name. The GUID is always unique.

 

 

I asked you earlier about changing the numbers to letters and you said I had to ADD lines but according to your post you just changed the 0's and 1's to Y and R, which is what I had asked you earlier. I apologize for the frustration but either you misunderstood me or I'm still missing something. And yes I read you user manual several times, despite how confusing some sections are. I spent a lot of time setting up profiles for my aircraft and I just wanna make sure I don't lose them. 

[Pete Dowson]

I asked you earlier about changing the numbers to letters and you said I had to ADD lines but according to your post you just changed the 0's and 1's to Y and R, which is what I had asked you earlier.

 

No, I did not CHANGE the lines. The lines I showed you should be ADDED. You can of course copy the existing ones and change the copies, but if the numbered lines aren't there then FSUIPC cannot match the numbers for existing assignments to the correct joysticks! The whole point of all these lines is to declare the equality between the numbers (which might change next time) and the letters. After you edit that section you must run FS once in order for the existing assignments to be converted!

 

I realised you didn't understand any of this, despite documentation which hasn't been so questioned since published, which is why i suggested that you take the easier course of letting it all happen automatically.

 

Anyway, sorry, but I won't be able to help any more until 22nd july because I'm off on holiday soon. I'm sorry you find the documentation so obscure.

 

Pete

[Greybeard412007]

Hi, I am running Microsoft Sidewinder Flight Stick and using the Saitek Pro Yolk and both my controllers are working great, if I am flying the FA-18 I can use the Sidewinder and without changing anything I can then fly a conventional Aircraft with the Saitek Yolk with the optional levers but I'm not using pedals, I will graduate onto those soon, I hope it all keeps working for me I am getting lots of enjoyment from Microsoft FSX Acceleration Gold Edition a bit old but works fine in Windows 7 also using Flight Recorder.