x keys by Macroworks

[SKYWARRIOR]

Hi,
I have aquired a keyboard of usb programable keys which can be programmed to send numbers or macros. How can I best get this to work with FSUIPC and SFX on Vista 64 bit system please.

Regards

David

[SKYWARRIOR]

Hi, no response so far but I have enclosed a link to X keys site for developers and whilst I have contacted them ( no reply to solve the problem yet though) I am sure this is an easy solution for the right person. I was reading an article in PC pilot no 58 about making a CDu and the system seems to be similar. A keyboard with a USB plug and buttons and (HID?) codes or signals.

There is an interface missing and I cannot figure out what it is.

Any help welcome please. David

http://www.xkeys.com/developer/hidusb.php

[Polmer]

David,

X-keys is a keyboard/ mouse emulator.
FSUIPC has a option to program both buttons and keyboard input sources.
Use the keyboard input option to control FSX via X-Keys.

To use X-Keys, you have wire your buttons in a matrix and Diodes are required.
Then, you must program the board so that it knows what Key to display depending on what switch you hit.

Hope this makes sense.



~Polmer

[SKYWARRIOR]

David,

X-keys is a keyboard/ mouse emulator.
FSUIPC has a option to program both buttons and keyboard input sources.
Use the keyboard input option to control FSX via X-Keys.

To use X-Keys, you have wire your buttons in a matrix and Diodes are required.
Then, you must program the board so that it knows what Key to display depending on what switch you hit.

Hope this makes sense.



~Polmer
Polmer, thank you for your interest, I have tried programming X key with known keyboard commands from the FSX Settings menu. The system does not see them through FSUIPC when I select keypresses to program in the FSUIPC window. The weir thing is it sees the typed words letters and numbers in Wordpad and Notepad. Also I cannot type Shift C it does not accept shift.
I might be on a hiding to nothing here but I really would like to get this to work as it is less confusing to look at than the standard keyboard.

Thanks David

[SKYWARRIOR]

David,

X-keys is a keyboard/ mouse emulator.
FSUIPC has a option to program both buttons and keyboard input sources.
Use the keyboard input option to control FSX via X-Keys.

To use X-Keys, you have wire your buttons in a matrix and Diodes are required.
Then, you must program the board so that it knows what Key to display depending on what switch you hit.

Hope this makes sense.



~Polmer
Polmer, it would appear you have knowledge of this keyboard. When you say diodes are required is this then an electronic adventure. For example C&H instruments and panel which I use in my small system are USB connected. Do these operate in the same manner as the X keyboard with a diode in circuit?

Thanks for your help and interest by the way as this at first seemed a great answer to a simple keyboard , unconfused by non useable keys as per a normal one.

David

[Polmer]

David,

What I mean is that you cant just simple wire the switches directly to the
Card. You have to place a diode in each circuit so that you dont get phantom keys.

"The 128 switch points in the matrix are connected by wiring one side of eight switches to one of the 16 column pins. The other side of each switch is then wired, through a diode, to one of the 8 rows and the wiring is repeated for each of the 16 columns. Using standard signal diodes (1N4148 or equivalent) will isolate each switch so no phantom keys will appear if more than 3 keys are pressed."


Here is the link to the manual;

http://www.piengineering.com/techdocs/manuals/xkusb.matrixman.pdf


Polmer

[SKYWARRIOR]

David,

What I mean is that you cant just simple wire the switches directly to the
Card. You have to place a diode in each circuit so that you dont get phantom keys.

"The 128 switch points in the matrix are connected by wiring one side of eight switches to one of the 16 column pins. The other side of each switch is then wired, through a diode, to one of the 8 rows and the wiring is repeated for each of the 16 columns. Using standard signal diodes (1N4148 or equivalent) will isolate each switch so no phantom keys will appear if more than 3 keys are pressed."


Here is the link to the manual;

http://www.piengineering.com/techdocs/manuals/xkusb.matrixman.pdf


Polmer

Polmer: the enclosed asks my question. Many thanks David

[Polmer]

If I understand this correctly, you have your switch programmed and it does show a key being pressed when you have notepad up and running, but FSUIC does not recognize the key press?

If this is true, you may want to go the Pete Dowson,s FSUIPC forum as he may lead you to a solution.

http://forums.simflight.com/viewforum.php?f=54

Polmer

[SKYWARRIOR]

Polmer,
he basically said if wordpad and notepad can see it the program it as it is all there to be done. Zadly this does not seem to be the case. I will find out why even if I never end up using it as I know it does not seem to work as described. Maybe its not meant to work for me!

Regards

David

I do apprecaite your interest anyway Thank you

[Peter Dowson]

Polmer,
he basically said if wordpad and notepad can see it the program it as it is all there to be done.
Actually, if you read my replies to you more carefully, I said that if FS could see the keys then FSUIPC would also. That's the only requirement. FSUIPC hooks into FS's detection of the keypresses, the KEYDOWN and KEYUP messages it receives from Windows. If FS can't see them, FSUIPC never will, FSUIPC is effectively part of FS when installed.

If Wordpad and Notepad can see them, but not FS and FSUIPC, then it sounds likely that the software it is using is sending WM_CHAR messages, not the actual KEYDOWN and KEYUP messages whch a true keyboard would send. That would also explain the inability to use Shift, Control etc.

Regards

Pete

[SKYWARRIOR]

Actually, if you read my replies to you more carefully, I said that if FS could see the keys then FSUIPC would also. That's the only requirement. FSUIPC hooks into FS's detection of the keypresses, the KEYDOWN and KEYUP messages it receives from Windows. If FS can't see them, FSUIPC never will, FSUIPC is effectively part of FS when installed.

If Wordpad and Notepad can see them, but not FS and FSUIPC, then it sounds likely that the software it is using is sending WM_CHAR messages, not the actual KEYDOWN and KEYUP messages whch a true keyboard would send. That would also explain the inability to use Shift, Control etc.

Regards

Pete

Pete,
thank you for the reply. I am in touch with Dan Stinton of X keys now and he has asked me to do exactly what you suggest ie. program the top left key on the x Keyboard for G down and G up. Now from reading your reply I can see why. Sadly though it has still not solved the problem, nether able to be seen by FSX normal key press or FSUIPC as described previously.
I will let you know the outcome. In the meantime thank you for your help.

Regards David

[Peter Dowson]

Sadly though it has still not solved the problem, nether able to be seen by FSX normal key press or FSUIPC as described previously.

If you can get hold of the Spyxx program (part of MS Visual Studio -- it is probably available in the free trial versions of VS2008 ), you can use it to monitor what keyboard messages are being seen by Notepad, and presumably by FS. It sounds as if they are malformed. Proper KEYDOWN and KEYUP messages contain the virtual keycode, the scan code, and a set of flags.

In FSUIPC when I am sending keystrokes to programs, I use the facilities afforded by the Windows API called "SendInput". This ensures that everything is correctly set. Perhaps the software for this X-Keys is only trying to send the individual messages, which makes it much more difficult / more complicated to get everything just so.

Regards

Pete

[vcimmino]

Unfortunately most of us trying to setup our cockpits made wrong shopping by buying products that weren't suited for our hobby and what FS9/FSX let us use.

If you can afford it, I would suggest you to simply move to a different board that is more commonly used and you already know that will work for you. Sometimes, though this means to throw some money in the bin, it saves from a lot of headaches too.

So, just in case you decide to abandon trial and error with that card, and apart all of those well known I/O cards dedicated to the flight simulation I would suggest you to give a look at the Pokeys55T board (www.poscope.com). This is a USB I/O board that by reading your needs will really solve your problems. It has 55 I/O that can programmed each one as input or output, so buttons or leds (but it's not really limited to them and supported peripherals list is quite long). It has the very same keystroke programming facility as the X-keys but as I have 2 of them I can assure you that it's kesytrokes work with FSUIPC and FSX. Moreover it has a matrix facility so that you can use out of 16 of it's 55 I/O an 8x8 matrix giving you 64 more keys to be used, this with keystroke or macro assignable to each function and no diodes needed. To end with it supports any kind of CTRL/ALT/WIN combination with chars and it stores all the programmed functions directly in the IC memory so you don't need later any software (after configured) running in the computer to reproduce the stored keystrokes schema.

Not really an advertisment and I'm not related at all with poscope, but this card has been a so nice finding that I'm really enthusiast of it's versatility and easy programming and I'm sure it might help a lot of builders from the beginner to the expert one as it also has available it's own SDK to allow the card to be used trough it's own functions with any .NET application.

[SKYWARRIOR]

vcimmino,
thank you for your reply.
I have just received a mail from Dan Stinton at X Keys directing me to a part of their site which was about to supply a programming feature he said woiuld do the job.
When scrutinised however it is not compatable with Vista !! So since I am running Vista Home Premium 64 bit I much apppreciate your time and trouble in answering this question.

I note you have a Bombardier 45 on your flying list. I am looking for a set of jet panels for the CRJ700 snd thought I had found them in a Friendly Panels prog.
I dont know how to place them in my network although the Peix panels network very well but are not jet and wondered if you do amy I PM you for advice. Freindly Panels seem uncontactable.

Regards

David

[vcimmino]

It looks me that the CRJ700 has the Collins Proline 4 avionics system. You might also give a look at reality-xp.com for gauges, but neither those nor the friendlypanels ones will work in a network. Those can only be used inside FSX 2D and 3D views.

I'm not using friendlypanels atm but flightdecksoft.com AAS L45 suite, that is a project-magenta like software dedicated to the Honeywell Primus 1000 avionics suite. This can be run in network and has a lot of nice features, but I'm not quite sure it will work for you. You can anyway download a 15 days demo off their site and try and see what it might do for you.

No problem if you need further help you can PM me or reply here so maybe others might get useful informations from this thread.

Vince

[SKYWARRIOR]

Vince, much appreciated

David

[SKYWARRIOR]

Vince, I have downloaded the JT 45 suite and it works well. I shall purchase this and move on from our Friends with Panels !
Thank you aagain

Regards

David