-Hawkeye-

This!

Great job everybody! The best reward was the win in phase A, which belongs to everybody!

Wow, that it pretty cool; at first I was thinking "how is this any different than setting up a whisper channel?" But then I saw that you actually are switching into that channel, which is great from a commander standpoint. I'm definitely going to set this up for Rise of Flight, Flanders in Flames. Thanks for the info!

Here's the latest Thursday Night get together which took place on Cuban's server. Pfalz D.XIIf's vs. SPAD XIII's, with a few others thrown into the mix. Thanks to Hotlead, Labroisse, Kliegmann, Vikner and everybody who winged up, and of course US103 Hunter and friends for the great opposition. S!

....and anybody else interested in joystick calibration via the CH Control Manager software. Please find the attached "readme" text file, which contains information pertaining to installation of the CH Control Manager software. ReadMe.txt

Yes, I have grown used to this. Although you can get the main axis back in business pretty quickly, for somebody like me, there are a myriad of buttons that need to be re-mapped. BH_Dudley has touted a program that keeps controller ID's the same, but I've never been able to get the actual program online. It's like it has been commandeered to lead to spam-ware, so it seems impossible for us to get now, unless we can somehow get it directly from Dudley, if he has the original installer or .zip file. He may not. With this in mind, I've made up my mind to create 3 different controls maps that work with 3 different ID's for my joystick. The ID's seem to rotate, so I think it could work. I'll name the controls maps to correspond with whatever the main joystick ID is; theoretically the other two I have should fall in line. We'll see. Save whatever you're using right now with a name that you know corresponds to your current joystick ID. Later, if you get screwed again, save your corrections as the next ID for your joystick. Theoretically, eventually you should come back around to your original ID scheme. At that point, you should be able to import that scheme back in, or one of the others, without having to re-do everything again. Since this problem apparently doesn't exist in BoX series, it should be a thing of the past when FC comes out.

I hope you're not correct, since I puke when I do VR.... However, I can't expect much sympathy from a Navy guy

Valkyrie, although there are some that don't use it, IMHO it's harder without it, and if you can afford it, my advice would be to buy a TIR, which probably costs at least $120.00 now. Since the early 2000's, I've owned a TIR 3, 4 and now have a 5. I've never had a failure of any of them at any time. Once you have it properly set up, it will take you some time to get used to it; but once you do get used to it, you'll wonder how you ever flew without it. There are plenty of people here who can help you optimize your TIR setup. Few people ask any questions about TIR, yet it's probably the most important aspect of being a good fighter pilot. You can't fight what you can't see. Also, almost everybody I know uses a combination of TIR and some fixed views. This gives you the best of both worlds, seamlessly. S!

Those awards are all very well deserved! Thanks for your efforts, all!

These ACG gents did not join us today, but they're most welcome next Saturday, and every session there after. If there is anything we can do to clarify what the sessions will be like, please let us know. Even if things seem confusing, please do not hesitate to show up on the JG1 TS channel at game time, and we'll give you an assignment that you're comfortable with. After one session, you'll feel right at home, I hope! S! Luftritter, acting Red Team commander

That's encouraging, but I'm afraid it's still possible that you could have problems again. When a device fails (inside your pedals), most often it will draw far too much current for a short amount of time (short), until it burns out, and then "opens" (like it's not connected anymore, and draws zero current). This could damage the source of the power (your motherboard). The port, or group of ports that the pedals were connected to before, could become unreliable, or eventually fail, causing you more heartburn. I always tell people "it's not going to heal itself"....if there's any problem, it's only going to get worse. IF. You should have a look at your motherboard manual that pertains to USB ports and controllers. Many times it will let you know which ports are on which controllers (USB0, USB1, USB2, USB3 on USB 2.0 VIA controller, etc.) There will be a diagram showing which ports are which. If you have a problem again, try disconnecting everything that is connected to the group of ports in question. For one thing, although you should be able to use your USB 3.0 ports for your USB 2.0 devices (game controllers), you certainly don't need to, since all game controllers are USB 2.0, and so you gain nothing by connecting them to USB 3.0. It will just work at USB 2.0 speeds. Game controllers just don't pass very much data, so it would be a waste to make them a USB 3.0 or 3.1 interface. Hopefully you'll have enough other ports to connect to; if not, you can add an additional two USB 2.0 ports with an add-on card, or use a powered hub. You can stay in business. I hope you won't have to deal with that situation, but if you do, you'll have some idea of what to try. S!

Have you had any issues since getting rid of your old pedals? It's very possible they were causing all the trouble. A USB device with an intermittent short circuit can cause the +5 volt supply to be unstable when it's happening, or even cause the USB controller it's using to possibly lock up. It can take a while for an intermittent failure to develop into a total failure. This kind of thing is always suspect when you're having system-wide computer troubles that are hard to isolate. The procedure generally followed is to disconnect one device at a time and try things out again for a while, until the problem device is found. It doesn't have to be an external device...sometimes a bad drive or other plug-in device inside the computer can be the cause. Perhaps that was always your problem?

Got me looking, VKB "Gunfighter Pro MK.II" WOW!! WOW! WOW!! Stick extension and everything! The button configuration is a lot more what looks like I'd want....but it's hard to tell exactly what they are (I prefer 4-way hats to 8-way hats). Awesome Joystick This is looking mighty interesting for the not too distant future! Thanks guys!!

Sure am glad you guys will all be there! Those are some fine joysticks you guys have!

Nice job, all; way to go!

Outstanding!!

Still following this, thanks Geezer!

Great job everybody; and thanks once again for the recognition! S!

All I can say is, if you're able to get those to Hotlead before Saturday the 27th, I'd be infinitely grateful

If you do, just cut the wires.....I'll do the de-soldering. Also you'll need a static preventing bag....let me know if you need one, I have tons of 'em. Thanks!

Ha-ha, I know that look! But I am even more terrible, I'll keep talking until they actually fall asleep, thinking they might snap out of it somehow when I present some exciting, sparkling story of unusual happenings Seriously, if you ever get insomnia, come talk to me! Guaranteed cure, you'll be nodding off in no time flat

Tube testers in grocery stores! Remember that?

No a problem at all, buddy! In my eyes, you're always golden, and can do no wrong Besides, every customer has a right to be skeptical, or ask questions. Always keep asking questions....always be skeptical! Not only is it the basis for all learning or science, but in this country, it may help keep you out of a lot of trouble. Beware of contractors or businesses that just want you to "take their word for it".

It WAS my job....for 34 years. Trained in airframe electronics and avionics in the US Army, then got a job with the FAA after that, called an "ATSS" (Air Transportation Systems Specialist), or journeyman electronics technician. Much, much more training at the beginning, and all through my career, at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City, and other factory schools. I just retired last year. I understand how you feel; but I tell you the stuff I just explained is so basic, it's not even funny. I can say with complete honesty, I know exactly what every one of those circuit identifiers on the board mean; what the devices are, and what they do; and I can deduce, without any supporting documentation, what the purpose of the board is (it's an ADC, or Analog to Digital Converter). But all of it does little good without components to repair it....and these days, the "part" is the entire board....nobody repairs boards anymore; it's not cost effective. I think I'm extremely lucky. I grew up in a time before semi-conductors even became widespread. I learned electronics at a level that makes me understand what every single component does, and how it works. I was there when the first hand held electronic calculator was invented; the first personal computers, the first simple microprocessors. I understand how machine language works; I can do binary, octal, hexadecimal counting, sums, conversions....in my head or with a little figuring on paper. I understand exactly WHAT'S inside a microprocessor....how the millions of transistors are connected together to form millions of logic circuits. I understand logic inputs and outputs, truth tables. I understand how Boolean Algebra is used to create logic circuits, and the basics of how Boolean Algebra works. And that doesn't even begin to TOUCH on what I know about electromagnetic waves, how they're produced, received, how they propagate through the air, antenna theory and configurations. Radars, Transponders, Interrogators, VOR's, Instrument Landing Systems, AM and FM Communications, Voice Communications systems, Telephone systems, and test equipment that analyzes it all, some of which cost tens of thousands of dollars for just one unit. The knowledge that the human race has accumulated is absolutely amazing. We truly stand on the backs of our ancestors. Yet none of that even makes me an engineer (I have "journeyman" credentials with the FAA). You did hit the nail on the head, Kliegmann. One of the hardest things about knowing all that stuff is that it's like a foreign language that you can never fully explain to anybody....you can't converse with others about what you do, you can't explain to your wife what happened during your day; and there's so few of you that you work alone almost entirely, and the responsibility of what you do is huge. Thus, the retirement

Not sure what you mean with regard to "the wire on the right", but I assure you, none are broken. If you clarify that, I'll tell you exactly where it's connected in the pictures. As for the USB cable, the "kink" is there on purpose. When designing something, you always make sure nothing ever physically pulls on the electrical connections. Routing the cable in that way makes it possible to pull on the cable, but it's locked in place by the "kink", almost liked being tied in a knot. Thus the part of the cable that is past the kink always has slack and therefore doesn't move. This is called "stress relief" for the wires. So yes it is possible the repeated flexing, pulling or yanking on the cable, could cause an internal break in one or more of the wires inside the cable. I didn't see any evidence of that, namely a loose area that would be right where the cable enters the chassis. The cable is quite tough, and the wires inside of it pretty robust. In any case, this is how I tested it: You can see the area of the circuit board where the USB cable attaches. It is a line of solder connections on the lower right side, at the 4:00 position. A box with labels shows this. All USB 1.0, 1.1 and 2.0 use four wires. These wires are red, black, green and white. You can see the labels: "Vcc" (Voltage, common collector). Red goes here. It's the +5 volts from the computer. "GND" (Ground). It's the ground reference for the +5 volt input. "D+" and "D-" (Data +, and Data -). Green and White go there; it's the high speed serial data that goes back to the computer's USB controller. The last connection on the bottom, would be for a "shield ground", which is a woven wire covering outside of the other wires. It's there to protect the data signal from outside sources of electrical noise, but mostly to suppress any electrical noise that the data might produce which might cause interference with other devices. If a cable has this, it's called a "shielded" cable. Most of the time that connection isn't used. So the wires go through circuit board "lands" which connect them to the rest of the circuitry on the board. The wires are connected from the underside of the board, go through the board, and are soldered at those solder bumps you see. Anyway. Those bumps are basically the end of the cable wires. So, using a multimeter to measure continuity (passing a small current from one end of a wire to the other), you can tell if the wires are broken or not. You touch one of the 4 pins, then one of the 4 solder bumps. One of them should always have continuity. You test all 4 wires the same way; then you test each bump to all of the others, to make sure none of them have continuity with each other. If they did, that would mean that they're shorted together inside. Then you can touch the outside metal part of the USB plug, and check the continuity to the bottom shield connection on the board. If it's not there, it won't cause the circuit not to work, and probably just means it's an unshielded cable. You can look on the back side of the board to see if anything's connected to it, to verify that's the case. Just basic electronics, really