Using button to Fix Axis when the axis is logical

[mmcmah]

I have an MCGO Pro with twist and a GF III base. I have T-Rudder Mk. IV pedals attached to the same BlackBox. Everything is on firmware 1.986 and I am using VKB Device Config v0.91.10.

I am trying to modify the behavior of a logical axis based on a button press. I have figured out how to do it for a physical axis (set the button to a "Fix Axis" function), but I can't figure out how to do it for a logical axis. I will attach some screenshots below, but first some context. I am trying to use the rudder pedals as virtual toe brakes in DCS. I tried setting up the pedals on a separate BlackBox and joining the MCG and the pedals with T-Link. I wasn't happy (and maybe it's just me), but I couldn't get the hang of how the rudder and brake axis worked together with a button press, and despite many many tries, I could never maneuver smoothly down the runway.

So, I ended up plugging the rudder pedals into the same BlackBox as the MCG so that I wouldn't need to use T-Link any more and so that I could get creative in the way the toe brake axes work. I came up with a configuration that makes sense and has allowed me to maneuver much more smoothly down the runway, but I am trying to tweak it further.

Under the current configuration, pressing the brake handle engages both brake axes equally as well as the brake handle axis. When I press the rudder pedals either to the left or to the right, the corresponding virtual axis (defined as axis 5 & 6 in my Logical axes setup) engages and ramps up on its own depending on how much I press the rudder pedal. This is what I wanted instead of the binary on/off activation of the T-Link software. Also, when I have the brake handle partly pressed, I can still press one of the rudder pedals to add additional brake pressure to that wheel, while still maintaining pressure on the other wheel based on the amount of pressure that I am applying to the brake handle. This was a way to set up the axes more like true toe brakes rather than differential brakes (as I understand the difference).

So far, so god in terms of functioning for the brakes. However, the problem is that any time I engage the rudder pedals to engage the brakes, I am also engaging the rudder itself on the plane. So, what I wanted to try to do was to set a button to disable to rudder axis when I only want to use the toe brakes. The solution that I tried out (using a Fix Axis button, setting it to FA1 on the rudder axis (axis 7)) did work because it disables the physical input on the axis rather than the logical output of the axis.

Can the above be accomplished? Assuming that it cannot be made to work in a different manner, is there a way to affect the output of a logical axis, such that I can press a button to modify whether the rudder axis or the brake axes drop to center/zero when the button is pressed?

Here is my current configuration. As an aside, I also set the microstick on the MCG to be on VC #2 because I didn't want to lose the use of those physical axes.

I do not have the twist adapter axis enabled, since I have rudders connected and they seem to be working even though I am not sure where on the physical axes where they show up. Is someone able to explain to me how to read the GF Base tab below to determine where that physical axis of the rudder appears (I have seen other threads that explain what the axes on the MCG correlate to)?

[mmcmah]

Here are my axes:

Here is where I try retain the use of my microstick using the axes from VC #2:

Here is the functioning of the right toe brake and rudder combined when there is no brake lever being applied:

[mmcmah]

Finally, here is the brake lever being applied and some additional right toe brake being applied, to achieve true toe brakes:

If someone has any ideas about how to modify my setup, or how to achieve my desired goal of unlinking the output of the rudder and toe brake axes in the game, that would be great!

Thanks in advance.

[Ron61]

Try another option, as in the picture. No additional buttons needed. The brake lever will adjust the braking force, and the pedals - the side of braking, differentially braking the opposite wheel.

In this case, we free the 5th axis.
The twist needs to be set in accordance with the free axes. By default, it hangs on the 7th axis - if you don't have pedals.

If they are (on the 7th axis), then we can attach it to the free 5th axis. We calibrate and that's it.

[Victorus]

Thanks to Ron!
Found similar topic. http://forum.vkb-sim.pro/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=3900

[mmcmah]

Thanks Ron and Victorus!

I have tried both solutions suggested (I had found Victorus' one before as well). I think Victorus' solution works a lot like mine except that it applies a 40% filter to the rudder movement. If I recall correctly, it also works in the inverse direction in terms of the application of force to the brakes.

The solution Ron suggested is nice because I get axis 5 back (I am not implementing the twist axis under the current setup).

I would have to see how quickly I get used to using the lever as the setting for magnitude of force to the wheels and the pedals just as the way to apply force differentially to the wheels. The challenge seems to be that not only do I need to change my thinking in terms of what the pedals do, but also that in order to apply only right brake, for example, I need to press the rudder pedal fully to the right, which also pushes the rudder all the way to the right.

In my solution, the pressing of the pedals themselves (no lever) activates the appropriate wheel brake by adding pressure to the brakes - which only depends on the amount of force applied. So, I can apply a little right wheel brake while only applying a little right rudder. In Ron's suggestion, I would need to apply full right rudder for only a little right wheel brake, by pressing the lever a little bit.

Does anyone have a suggestion for how to enable a button press to disable the application (at a logical axis output level) of the rudder axis? That way either my solution or Ron's solution (which I would rather use if this request can be done) would achieve the desired effect of having two brake axes, while also being able to disable the application of rudder in the game...

[Ron61]

Option with a button. The brake settings remain yours, with the visibility of the 8th axis turned off (Vs - off).

Since uStick Switch is not used, we make a simple 23 button out of it.

We make the Switch switch from 7 buttons.

And in the Leds display settings, change its line Pov Active (7), as in the picture.

[mmcmah]

Thank you so much Ron!!

This. Is. Genius!

My axes are now working as I had hoped. There is a slight issue when the controller first restarts, where I need to cycle the switch twice to get all the axes synchronized, but the functioning is exactly as hoped.

I tried to apply the same methodology to your previously-presented solution, but was unable to get it to work correctly. One of the brake axes would never respond while the Switch button was engaged. I was trying to use your solution to recover an axis, but to no avail.

Thank you again.