Newcomer / Intro New joystick setup help needed

[K Olley]

After wearing out 2 X52 pro joysticks I decided to invest in something decent

a Virpil Constelation alpha with a Warbrd D base and a Mongoost-50cm3 throttle.

I uninstalled the X52 software installed the Virpil software and plugged them in.

First attempts are a total disaster, I cannot seem to zero or center the joystick or set the throttle to zero either in the software or the game.

 

[Jack Winter]

I think the vpc configuration tool is what you need for the initial configuration, and then of course you'll need to setup binds inside of the game.

 

[K Olley]

I think the vpc configuration tool is what you need for the initial configuration, and then of course you'll need to setup binds inside of the game.

The part that I missed was to configure only 1 at a time, unplug other one.

I am now struggling with the binds files

This is going to be a long job

 

[aRJay]

Remember to keep saving named copies of the binds files so you can move back a step if things go wrong.

 

[Fixitman]

Setup all the bindings in ED, there is no need for anything else outside the game for now. Start with the basics, and work your way up from there. I kept a notepad and pen next to my setup for several weeks after starting with my Virpil setup. I'd write down binds I wanted to add, then add them when I had a few to do. After less than a week, I had a nearly perfect (for me) setup.

Basics = Pitch, Roll, Yaw, Throttle, Hyperspace, Supercruise, Boost, Primary and secondary fire. Those have always been a good starting point for me.

 

[aRJay]

The tutorials/training scenarios are great for setting controls up as you get to repeat the same scenario each time.

 

[K Olley]

Have got the very basics setup and working now, at least I can just about fly

There are so many switches and top hats its going to take some time and a good memory to optimise this setup.

 

[K Olley]

The first flight that I tried, I took of from my carrier with probably half throttle in a full barrel roll bouncing of of the carrier with shields down and minus 20% of hull unable to gain any control, I exited restarted with only keyboard and mouse and struggled to return to the carrier.

It took me several attempts before I managed to calibrate both joystick and throttle for basic flight.

 

[aRJay]

The first flight that I tried, I took of from my carrier with probably half throttle in a full barrel roll bouncing of of the carrier with shields down and minus 20% of hull unable to gain any control, I exited restarted with only keyboard and mouse and struggled to return to the carrier.

It took me several attempts before I managed to calibrate both joystick and throttle for basic flight.

This is why I suggested the tutorials/training.

 

[Fixitman]

This is why I suggested the tutorials/training.

That's also why I listed those basics. They are all that's needed for the tutorial (if I remember correctly).

Edit: If you're having issues with calibration, make sure you run the routine in the Configuration Tool. Both controls can be connected for this. You will want to move each axis to it's extremes until it's bar turns blue ant stops twitching. Once they are all done, save the calibration to the profile, then click the green "Save VPC Device" button at the top.

 

[Ashnak]

and a good memory

Since it (or one of them at least) seems to be workingagain, I found EDRefCard to be an invaluable help. In this thread there are a few links to various instantiations, should one or the other be down.
Virpil joystick handling may be a bit difficult - at least for me with dual WarBRD/Alpha - if you haven't set up the correct identifier in the Virpil utiliy. But it'll sort of work also in this case.

 

[K Olley]

Part of the problem was that the configuration tool had miss-identified the joystick handle, which I think upset the calibration, I may have also not realised that I had to Save the calibration.

I think a big part of the problem is the lack of easy to find instructions, ie: a piece of paper Not a barcode that I have not got any idea how to access.

The problem with memory or identification is trying to match what ED calls a particular button or top hat with what is actually on the joystick or throttle, and - or finding out what ED has allocated to a particular switch

Getting old in this increasingly more complex world sometimes no fun.

 

[Ashnak]

The problem with memory or identification is trying to match what ED calls a particular button or top hat with what is actually on the joystick or throttle, and - or finding out what ED has allocated to a particular switch

This is wgere EDRefCard shines - it'll give you a graphic of your stick, with labels attached to the assigned buttons. So, you

• choose a binding in ED
• press the button you want to have assigned to that binding
• save the settings
• run them through EDRefCard and get a picture with labels about which button does what

No need to remember that Joy1 on the stick is the fire button and Joy1 on the throttle lowers the landing gear - and which of those 50 buttons on either stick actually was "Joy1".

 

[K Olley]

Trying that at the moment, unfortunately EDRefCard is only recognising stick not throttle.

Another thing that I am finding is that ED can blank another function if it was previously allocated to a switch, its circles within circles

 

[metatheurgist]

Open up your controller properties, there you can press a button/switch/whatever and see what corresponds to Joy_X. The real gamechanger though is that I recently discovered that ED lets you remap those default strings like Joy_X, to something sensible like stick_hat_1 or whatever and you can see it in your binds.

 

[Fixitman]

Trying that at the moment, unfortunately EDRefCard is only recognising stick not throttle.

EDRefCard doesn't work well for Virpil controls. Their VID (Vendor ID) is always the same, but the PID (Product ID) is usually random. I've even had PIDs change after a firmware update. EDRefCard has to recognize both to identify the devices.

On that note:
Keep a copy of your PIDs just in case they change during a firmware update. If a device's PID changes, ED won't recognize that device's binds anymore. It's easier to change PIDs back in the Virpil configurator than it is to re-bind everything in ED.

If you create any customizations in the Virpil configurator, export your profile before updating the firmware. Updating wipes everything on the device, and brings it back to factory settings. You can import after the update to get your customizations back.

Profile export/import and PID editing can be found at the bottom of the Profile window.