Simviation Forum - Proportional Braking

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Proportional Braking (Read 1316 times)

Jan 11^th, 2007 at 11:23am

Professor_Fate Offline
Colonel
"Push the button, Max!"

Posts: 49

Hello all!

My sim pit is based on CFS2, which uses single key presses for brakes. That is to say brakes are either full on or full off, no proportional braking capability. I am kicking around the idea of using a variable flash rate circuit as a poor man's A to D converter to solve this problem for my pit. In this concept, pressing the toe brakes moves a potentiometer that changes the switching rate of circuit. In this way, it would emulate pressing the brake key in a repetitive fashion at a rate proportional to the toe brake displacement. May sound goofy, but I think it is workable.

Has anyone else worked out a method for proportional braking for their pit? Maybe a better way than I am describing?

Fate

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Reply #1 - Jan 11^th, 2007 at 6:56pm

SilverFox441 Offline
Colonel
Now What?
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Gender:
Posts: 1467

CFS 2 allows both left and right brakes to have an assigned joystick axis.

I have mine working off the brake axis of my CH Pro Pedals as a second controller (X-52 is the primary)... no problems.

The circuit you describe might work, if required, but keyboard repeat rate mismatch against the flasher would mean missed brake calls and eratic performance. You might get two brake calls in one read cycle and none in the next.

I didn't test it... but the cfs2.cfg certainly suggests that the axis assignments are proportional:

Quote:

AXIS_EVENT_00=AXIS_LEFT_BRAKE_SET
AXIS_SCALE_00=64
AXIS_NULL_00=36
AXIS_EVENT_01=AXIS_RIGHT_BRAKE_SET
AXIS_SCALE_01=64
AXIS_NULL_01=36
AXIS_EVENT_02=AXIS_RUDDER_SET
AXIS_SCALE_02=127
AXIS_NULL_02=1

Steve (Silver Fox) Daly

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Reply #2 - Jan 11^th, 2007 at 10:31pm

Professor_Fate Offline
Colonel
"Push the button, Max!"

Posts: 49

Well, that is interesting. So are you saying that you are currently using CH Pro Pedals with CFS2 and get variable braking or did I misunderstand?

Fate

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Reply #3 - Jan 11^th, 2007 at 11:05pm

SilverFox441 Offline
Colonel
Now What?
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Gender:
Posts: 1467

Just tested it...

At half brakes I can taxi at full throttle in the A6M2, with full brakes... nothing.

Seems to me that it is reading the difference. I was also able to easily steer using the toe brakes without any sensation that it was not proportional.

So, I guess the answer is yes...

I use CH Pro Pedals with CFS2 and get variable brakes.

Steve (Silver Fox) Daly

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Reply #4 - Jan 12^th, 2007 at 12:54pm

Professor_Fate Offline
Colonel
"Push the button, Max!"

Posts: 49

Thanks for the info. Now that I at least know that CFS2 will support variable braking, I need to find a good way of interfacing my toe brakes to the PC. Of course, I could hack a set of CH pro pedals, but I already have my rudder interface done and would prefer to not spend $100 on the pro pedals just for the brake pots and interface card. So, is there a cheap way to interface a couple of pots to the pc and assign them to the CFS2 brake functions?

Fate

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Reply #5 - Jan 12^th, 2007 at 12:59pm

SilverFox441 Offline
Colonel
Now What?
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Gender:
Posts: 1467

How to do it would depend on what has already been done for the rudder, and how.

There's a number of different ideas here on the board that might work for you if you look around.

Steve (Silver Fox) Daly

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Reply #6 - Jan 12^th, 2007 at 1:05pm

Professor_Fate Offline
Colonel
"Push the button, Max!"

Posts: 49

I hacked a MS Sidewinder USB joystick and interfaced my joystick, throttle, and rudder through it. I thought that maybe I could take another simple USB joystick and use the two pots in it to handle the brake inputs. The main thing I don't know is how to assign those two input axes to the CFS2 brake functions.

Fate

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Reply #7 - Jan 12^th, 2007 at 8:31pm

Professor_Fate Offline
Colonel
"Push the button, Max!"

Posts: 49

Eureka! Once I did a little digging around in the CFS2 settings menu I found how to set the brake axes. I dug out an old USB joystick and got it to work great. Thanks for the tips SilverFox!

Hopefull soon I can get off by duff and get some photos posted of my pit. It is getting pretty far along now.

Fate

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Reply #8 - Jan 13^th, 2007 at 12:02am

SilverFox441 Offline
Colonel
Now What?
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Gender:
Posts: 1467

Glad I could be of help!

My pit is still at the design, redesign, redesign, redesign... stage.

It's getting real close to the cutting and assembly stage though. most of the recent redesigns have been tweaks to get as close to what I want as possible the first time.

Steve (Silver Fox) Daly

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