Is there a quick solution to add more buttons?

[Ribbs67]

Originally Posted by 335th_GRAthos

I thought of something, I think I read somewhere about it but could not find it again:

An easy way to make more keys could be to add an extra USB-keyboard or an extra USB-arithmetic keypad (I saw one today, they sell them as add-on to notebooks which have no arithmetic pads).

Would it be possible to add a second keyboard and allocate different functions to its keys?
(I need to put keys for the heating contol of a twin-bomber's engines and it is a nuisance).


~S~

If your looking to get more creative, check out Desktop Aviator. They have a 20 button USB circut board that just plugs in and is recognised as a 20 button gamepad. With some basic soldering skills and some imagination you. Can build a pretty sweet toggle switch panel that adds to the immersion.

[Sokol1]

If you have good soldering skill (and patience) and like building things - for ~35/40U$ you get:

64 push button
16 toggle switch (2 mode)
2 rotary encoder (2 mode)
1 POV HAT
8 analog axis

http://www.x-simulator.de/forum/mjoy...df4b78b95d844b

Or

81 push buttons
1 POV HAT
4 analog axis

http://www.xtremeracers.info/forums/...hp?f=45&t=5696

Sokol1

[335th_GRAthos]

soldering skills???

patience???

Sorry, guys, this is science finction to me...

I have seen amazing things posted in this and other forums but I am no person with the patience to work on such things and time is limited.

I got myself an extra keyboard though and I hope this will solve my current needs...

Thanks again for all the constructive feedback!

~S~

[335th_GRAthos]

Hmmmm.... Sokol, I need some help !!!!!!!!!


second keyboard installed
HIDmacro installed
macro (keystroke ctrl-j) set to second keyboard Y key

It works but, when pressing Y the game will also intercept the keypress from the second keyboard and tilt the rudder as well
Any suggestions on how to avoid this?


~S~

[Maico]

I keep it all on a excell document. THat way I dont forget where I put that command.. "Was it Shift+ this button, Oh Damn, that was eject"

Start by opening the software to the X-45 and assigning keys to the buttons. A, B, C, ect. Of course make sure you assign Ctrl and Shift. I put Ctrl on the throttle and Shift on the Joy, but to each his own. Assign the A, B, ect in game. Then assign the Ctrl+A ect. If you want a copy of my Excell let me know I will email to you.

Maico

[335th_GRAthos]

Thank you Maico, it is a solution but I am already using this way and honestly I am not happy with such a solution when I look at all the other nice possibilities that could exist

Examples:




The problem could have been been solved so easily with a second USB keyboard and HIDmacro, unfortunately however CoD seems to intercept the commands from the second keyboard despite the HIDmacro programming which is supposed to suppress it

But many thanks for your offer!

~S~

[flyingblind]

I use the Nostromo 52 game pad. You can map one key to scroll through 4 modes plus you can set keys as CTL ALT SHIFT thus you can get something like 130 or more commands.

[Maico]

Ok, well if it is low tech that you want....

Dial=A-Kill2 by marklopez996, on Flickr
I made the brackets from some plastic I had laying around and used model glue to connect them to my X-52. I dont use this anymore but It was my low tech solution to your question.
With my new method I hardly ever have to move my hands away from my controllers in combat.

[Maico]

Uhmmm... The Hat on my Joystick has 12 Commands on it. Up is Map Dn is Normal View, Rt is Gunsight View and Lt is Wide View. Up + Shift is Tgl Engine, Rt+Shift Select Eng 2, Lt+Shft Select Eng 1, Dn+Shift Select All Engines. +Ctrl Is for Missile commands with the corresponding Up, Dn ect.

But that is just the way I like to work it.

[335th_GRAthos]

Originally Posted by Maico

I made the brackets from some plastic I had laying around and used model glue to connect them to my X-52. I dont use this anymore but It was my low tech solution to your question.
With my new method I hardly ever have to move my hands away from my controllers in combat.

Wow, that looks very good Maico, well done!

Do not get me wrong, this is not quite what I am looking for.


I have setup the numerical keyboard to put the bombsight control commands. This is doing the job fine for me.

The challenge I need to solve now is to allocate single keys (withot combinations of ALT, SHIFT, CTRL and God know what...) to other functions like, for example, the Radio frequency control and the directional gyro control.

Of course I could add these function to the num pad as Alt, shift, ctrl combinations but I would prefer a more elegant solution with a lot of space in order to make things more intuitve; Especialy for the keystrokes I do not use every day (like bombsight control).
This is where Nostromo dissapoints me (everything too crammed).
Something like this would have been marvelous



As said earlier, HIDmacro is a wonderfull solution of additing a second keyboard and normally it intercepts the keystrokes of the second (or third, or fourth) keyboard so they are not forwarded to the game (WOW! ) but unfortunately it does not seem to apply in the case of CoD (DAMN! )
Oh well, one can not have everything I guess so, I will have to stick to my MSSWFF2, X45 and two ThrottleQuadrants for the time being

~S~