VKB-SIM

My STECS Space Throttle has been working exactly as expected ever since I bought it, and I'm very happy with it. I just upgraded the motherboard, processor and memory in my PC without reinstalling Windows, and everything seems to have worked nicely, except the STECS Space throttle.

It's not being detected properly. When I plug it in, Windows makes the appropriate sound, and the controller-shaped icon appears in the 'Devices' applet. However, if I right-click on that and look at 'Game Controller Settings', the STECS Space throttle isn't in the list. My Warthog throttle and my rudder pedals are there, but not the throttle. Yes, I know not to use the 'Devices'' applet for calibration. However, I have removed the device using the applet in the hope it would be re-detected correctly when I plugged it back in. It wasn't.

On opening the VKB Button Test app, the throttle isn't there either, nor is it in the Joytester. It's just not in the drop down at all.

It is being seen by the DevCfg app. I have reset the throttle using VKBDevCfg, re-calibrated it and re-initialised it, twice and no change. I also created and ran the registry entry. No change. I've calibrated it using the app, and manually using the red / white buttons & Switch on the throttle.

I have tried using a different USB port on the hub on my sim rig, and even plugged the throttle directly into the PC. No change.

My last option is to re-flash the throttle, but it was working perfectly before I changed my PC hardware, so I don't think it's the throttle. Also, there are two different files in the STECs folder and I don't know which one to use - Unified or Cosmo.

I'm fairly sure this is some sort of Windows / driver / registry issue. I've restarted the PC multiple times to no effect and, short of completely re-installing my operating system, run out of ideas. Can anyone help?

First of all, remove the device using USBDeview utility. ( Find by VID 231d )


After replacing the memory, did you use overclocking?
http://forum.vkb-sim.pro/viewtopic.php?f=25&p=64618#p64618

No, everything on the motherboard is set to default. The RAM timing is set to XMP-1, which correctly reflects its timing of 30-36-36-76 as per the label on it. No overclocking, the motherboard is set to the 'Standard' mode.

Since my original post, I have got my throttle working again. It wasn't really a problem with the throttle, which now continues to perform flawlessly. It appears to be a driver issue, as I (and apparently you) suspected. It looks like the new motherboard drivers overwrote or corrupted the default Windows driver that the throttle uses. It was being picked up correctly when plugged in, but then didn't actually do anything. 'Removing' a device from the 'Devices and Printers' applet doesn't seem to remove it completely. When you plug it back in, Windows treats it like an old friend and uses the same drivers and software even if it's wrong. I had to completely uninstall the throttle, and then it worked when I plugged it back in.

If anyone else has a similar problem in the future, my solution was to find the throttle in the 'Devices and Printers' applet, click on it, go to 'Change Settings', 'Driver' and UNINSTALL the throttle. Then Right Click on its icon in the Devices and Printer applet and 'Remove' it. Unplug the device. [EDIT] I'm guessing this is a clumsier way of doing what you suggested in the attached picture. Looks like we were both on the same path. [/EDIT]

This forces Windows to treat the device as if it has never seen it before, and install it from scratch when you plug it back in, hopefully using the correct driver instead of just reloading the old (or corrupt) driver.

I think this is a bit of an edge case caused by replacing a motherboard, memory & processor without a clean Windows installation - the other user you linked did the same thing and had a very similar experience. I'm puzzled why changing their RAM timing fixed the problem for them. Maybe our issues were unrelated, or maybe the RAM timing change forced Windows to re-load the driver somehow. Maybe the two are not connected at all, and both of us did lots of things at once, one of which worked!

I don't know what happened, but it's working now. I wonder if it's worth adding a feature to the Configuration app to force Windows to uninstall and reinstall the device in case anyone else has a similar problem.

I didn't re-flash my throttle in the end as I still don't know which of the two STECS drivers to use for the Space Throttle. The one called COSMO seems logical for a Space Throttle, but can you please confirm which is the correct one?