I recently started flying in VR and am slowly increasing realism settings and manual controls to improve the experience. After a nice flight and landing tonight while watching a sunrise over Japan, before logging off I took some time to zoom in on all the buttons in the cockpit and click through on all the screens and devices (Textron Aviation Beechcraft Baron G58).
I found out that I can zoom in and out on the right Garmin screen to quickly get a better map view of my surroundings, and to find any nearby airports. As I mainly fly without a flight plan I really like this option. However, grabbing my mouse in a flight in VR, and using the mousepointer to find the ‘increase map zoom’ button to accidentally click something else instead breaks immersion quite a bit. I cannot find any way to bind this key in the standard keybind menu’s. Is there perhaps a different way to do this, or a different way to handle this in VR that I am unaware of?
Okay so I saw on a video from ObsidianAnt today that keybinding Garmin buttons/knobs is a much requested feature and will get released in a future patch later this year. So I guess that’s my question answered.
You can bind a lot with use of GitHub - Elephant42/FS_Tool
Depends on available controls you have, but if you read readme and config files - everything is there (working trough SimConnect as far as I remember).
I binded even more on my Bravo Throttle - works like a charm
Not a keybind, but a feature I have been using lately that makes turning dials in VR quite easy.
Just hover the mouse over the dial you want to turn, what the tooltip says doesn’t matter, as long as there is only one dial to turn. So for the GPS zoom, there’s just one dial and a bunch of pans and a button to center.
Just hover the mouse and turn the mouse wheel and voila! it turns the dial.
For things like Altitude where there are two dials, one for thousands and one for hundreds, you have to aim a little bit, but don’t worry what the tooltip says, just hover over the right spot and turn the mouse wheel.
It’s made turning dials in VR far less frustrating for me.
That’s why I’m building this: [WIP] cheap DIY VR Control Box - 6 dual encoder / 8 button / 1 3-pos switch project
Not just the zoom. The entire GNS-530/430 is almost fully mappable, zoom works in all GPSs but G3X, radio tuning (COM/NAV), transponder, heading bug, course etc. work everywhere. Really great in VR. Just waiting for more encoders to come from China to complete the project, because now I’m switching banks with a 3-pos switch, and when there are full compliment of 6 dual encoders I won’t have to (mostly. The second bank will have rarely used functions, and third will be empty).
Nice project. I want to build a diy knobster but have no clue what parts to order. A friend offered to put it together and 3d print some stuff but not sure if just a dual rotary encoder with button and an arduino nano is sufficient, can’t find a ‘shopping list’ anywhere. What about cables and pins and stuff like that? Anyway, I am now using axes and oh’s to use an old Midi controller (korg nanokontrol) to work the G1000 buttons and knobs, works pretty good (yet not in VR as its not very intuitive to operate).
MobiFlight does the programming and interfacing MSFS events for you and has all the events mapped, but it requires Arduino Pro Micro, and only this model and not most others. Some might work, but not a Nano for sure, and not Leonardo. It’s best to get a Pro Micro clone - it’s under 9$ on Ali Express.
For encoders I use cheap EC11 encoders from Ali Express, they work fine. 10 encoders for about $4. With some 3D printing and some careful filing of the prints you can make dual encoders from 2 EC11s.
As an update to this, the developer of Axis and Ohs created a bridge to connect directly to Knobster devices. So you can now use those with AAO as well if you happen to have a Knobster device. I’m super happy with how I can now directly interact with Radio/Nav in VR with the Knobster devices I own. No need for Air Manager, just direct interaction with the cockpit!
Bridge can be downloaded for free at the bottom of this page. You need a copy of AAO though (highly recommended!): Downloads - AXIS AND OHS
hi ! have also the knobster, installed Axis and Ohs incl knobster bridge plugin
bridge sees the knobster (at least green light button)
but how do i configure a button in Axis and Ohs ! i need the FMS button, outer inner ring and press event. this is main thing
many thanks Franz
hello Bansni,
is it working for you ? here not.
the main program does not recognize the knobster hardware. how do i see the knobster in hardware menu item ?
button in the plugin is green.
pls advise
thanks
It’s been a while since I have checked (switched to simracing for a while), but for me it was a matter of starting the bridge - if it turns green then it can talk to the knobster. And then start MSFS, get in a plane, then open AAO, find the proper ‘action’ and press/rotate the corresponding button on my Knobster. The developer of AAO doesn’t have access to a Knobster so he can’t test himself, so perhaps something broke in one of the newer releases and he is unaware of it.
thanks
yes bridge is green.
does the knobster hardware show up in AAO main program somewhere ?
how do i see the plugin and main program communicate well ! here i cannot select the knobster hardware in the main program. presssing the knobster does nothing in the main prg when selecting an action item.
