Joystick via Network

[egddman]

Hi,

I would like to setup a joystick to work via a LAN and am wondering if this can be done with FSUIPC/WideFS.

I have a Leo Bodnar card connected to a potentiometer. It connected via USB to a client PC and is calibrated in Windows. I know the server PC can 'see' the joystick. I would like to set it up to work in P3d. I have looked at the FSUIPC & WideFS manual but can't see any guidance for this, which I suspect means it's not possible. WideFS is 'seen' by FSUIPC, there are no network issues.

Is it possible please?

Thanks very much

Dave

[Pete Dowson]

20 minutes ago, egddman said:

I have a Leo Bodnar card connected to a potentiometer. It connected via USB to a client PC and is calibrated in Windows. I know the server PC can 'see' the joystick.

How does the Server PC (the one running P3D) 'see' the joystick on the Client? Where do you see this happening?

Pete

 

[egddman]

Hi Pete,

I use Prosim 737 (like you) and I see it in the configuration area. I can calibrate it, move the lever and I see it move in Prosim however, it does not work in P3D, although speed brake and throttle levers do, which are connected to the same Bodnar card. I am using the Hardware Connector provided by Prosim.

I have raised this with the Prosim devs but it taking a long time to get responses. I thought using FSUIPC may provide a work around.

Regards

Dave

[Pete Dowson]

17 hours ago, egddman said:

I use Prosim 737 (like you) and I see it in the configuration area. I can calibrate it, move the lever and I see it move in Prosim however, it does not work in P3D, although speed brake and throttle levers do, which are connected to the same Bodnar card. I am using the Hardware Connector provided by Prosim.

So you are running ProSim on the P3D PC, but have your axes on a client PC.

Seems like a problem with that 'Hardware connector" module. I've not used that. i've always made sure all my axes are connected to the main server PC.

17 hours ago, egddman said:

I have raised this with the Prosim devs but it taking a long time to get responses. I thought using FSUIPC may provide a work around.

WideFS will transmit button presses to FSUIPC for assignment, but not axes.

It can be done via a Lua plug-in, using the COM library to read the USB device directly and writing the values to a user offset. Then using my freeware "vJoyOffsets" to make the offsets operate virtual joystick axes which will be seen by ProSim as normal axes. Or you can actually make ProSim read the offsets for the axis values directly.

The problem with this is that there might be too much latency (i.e. a delayed response), so I can't really recommend it. To avoid the delays inherent with a Lua plug-in you could write a program to do the joystick reading and writing to offsets.

The possible delays over the network is the reason WideFS only implements client buttons, not axes, though since that design the speed of most folks' networks is easily enough to cope with minimum latency, so it would be a worthwhile future enhancement (but would need some serious changes in FSUIPC to cope).

If Prosim support really can't resolve your problem, it might be worth running the Prosim program and MCP on the Client. I had mine configured that way originally, only changing it when upgrading my main server considerably. The only problem i ever saw with that original arrangement was the slight loss of control by the A/P when using x2 time rate in P3D, and complete loss of control at x4.

Pete

 

[egddman]

Hi Pete,

Thanks for your reply.

I can't see how it can be a problem with the Hardware Connector if the lever movement is 'seen' by Prosim, it is the communication of the movement from Prosim to P3D where problem appears to be. If I manualyy add a flap position to Prosim on the TQ tab, they work as they should, which makes the issue even harder to understand.

Thank you for taking the trouble to explain your vJOYOffsets to me, I'm afraid it's beyond my software knowledge but, I will take a look.

I appreciate the suggestion of moving Prosim to a client PC but this would also mean moving nearly all my USB devices too. I think I'll hold off on this, at least for now.

Without flaps my sim is not usable, once again...…..

Regards

Dave