(Updated Oct 2019) How to assign a button to the MCG brake lever (and an extra button to the MCG PRO trigger)

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rrohde
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(Updated Oct 2019) How to assign a button to the MCG brake lever (and an extra button to the MCG PRO trigger)

Postby rrohde » Thu Dec 28, 2017 1:38

*** The old write-up below is obsolete, so please use this new (and easier) method to get your Brake Lever Button going: ***

Newer versions of VKBdevCfg (e.g., v0.90.56) allow you to directly assign this function from the Profile panel. That said, please do the following:

VKBdevCfg > Profile > Axes2Buttons - check the "MCG Brake" checkbox, and then go to Action > click "Set" to save. Now, button #29 will be automatically assigned when you squeeze the brake lever fully.

As a side note, you could also assign a button press to the "Armed" position of the MCG PRO folding trigger, allowing you to have 3 button presses throughout the trigger's movement - Safe, Armed, and Fire. To do this, do the following:

VKBdevCfg > Profile > Axes2Buttons - check the "Armed" checkbox, and then go to Action > click "Set" to save.

For your reference, see the screenshot below:

Image

















*** OBSOLETE ***


Hi guys,
some of you might like to add a button that you can assign within your favorite sim when depressing the brake lever fully. By default, the brake lever is an analog axis only. However, you might prefer to squeeze the brake lever for some other action to happen, like enabling nose wheel steering, or anything else along these lines. For this, we need to enable a hidden button in VKBdevCfg that's associated with the brake lever.
Keep in mind - the brake lever analog axis will still function as you expect, we're just adding a new button to the end of the travel of the brake lever! So you still have your analog brake when you want it, but also that extra button when you need it. :)

Let's get started:

If you haven't done so, grab the latest (by date) VKBdevCfg from VKB's FTP site here: http://ftp.vkb-sim.pro/Programms/

*** Next, save your default MCG configuration from the Action tab > Save *** (you can always Load the saved config to return to the default MCG settings that way).

Now, follow these steps to assign a button to your MCG's brake lever:

1) From within VKBdevCfg, navigate to the Global > External tab and observe the default settings for the MCG grip:
Image

2) Change the default to what you see below (Generic Device, and RegN = 5)
Image

3) Before moving on, you want to apply these new settings by clicking Set from the Action tab.

4) Now, we need to assign functionality to one of those 'hidden buttons' - to get there, go to the Profile tab > Buttons > Physical Layer; once there, click on row Reg#5, column Line2. This should become our new button.
When you click on it, the Button mapping wizard for button #34 should pop up. As you can see, button #34 does currently not have any functions assigned to it yet, but we will make it our button for the brake lever.
Image

5) To activate our button #34, click on the "B Auto 34" field, and it should end up with a red outline, just like on the screenshot below:
Image
While there, ensure that the check mark for Auto Mapping is enabled as well.

6) Apply these new settings by clicking Set from the Action tab.

7) Now, you should be able to test your new button by squeezing the brake lever all the way, with the button #33 and #34 lighting up:
Image

8 ) Since we don't want or need button #33 for our purposes, we need to disable the functionality from button #33.
Navigate back to the Profile tab > Buttons > Physical Layer; once there, click on row Reg#5, column Line1 to access the Button mapping wizard for button #33. Within the wizard, click on the "Button" drop-down in the top right, and select NoF (no function) from it.
Image

9) Apply these new settings by clicking Set from the Action tab.

10) Test the brake lever again, and now only button #34 should light up:
Image

You're done! You now should be able to assign this new button to any function you like in your favorite sim.
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Re: How to assign a button to the MCG brake lever

Postby Outlaw24 » Thu Jan 11, 2018 3:34

rrohde,
I'm attempteing to assign a button the brake lever using your guide here, for some reason after I activate button 34 and SET it it will not pass the test. Is this procedure still accurate. I'm using a MCG Pro, gunfighter Mk1 with firmware 1.917. I noticed you use Firmware 1.916
would that be the problem?

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Re: How to assign a button to the MCG brake lever

Postby david_wi » Fri Jan 12, 2018 16:44

Hi Guys

Will VKB make a brake profile in the future?
For me this long procedure makes no sense.

Bye, David

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Re: How to assign a button to the MCG brake lever

Postby Outlaw24 » Fri Jan 12, 2018 16:59

That would be nice the current procedure is not that long I personally can't get it to work. Hopefulluy, we will get some insight on this soon.

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Re: How to assign a button to the MCG brake lever

Postby david_wi » Fri Jan 12, 2018 20:00

I personally tried the configuration procedure when the Gladiator Pro came out and didn't have much luck with it.

Bye, David

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Re: How to assign a button to the MCG brake lever

Postby RecklessPrudence » Sat Jan 13, 2018 2:05

A much easier way of doing this is to use the 'AxesToButton' functionality. Go to axis 8, set it to Edges1, Zone 1, set it to a percentage point that you're comfortable with (ie 25% will press the button when you've pulled the brake lever three-quarters of the way, 0% will press the button only when the lever is pulled completely to the end of its travel), and set it to an unused button. Remember to click the checkbox in the top left to enable the AxesToButton content you customised. Et voila! You have a button! If you are really set on not using the analogue axis of the brake, you can go to the Logical Axes tab and hide the axis. Don't disable it, that will stop your button from working - just hide it from the HID. Tada! You now have a button that activates when you pull the brake, and no analogue axis to confuse your game.

The bonus of this is that you can leave the stick on MCG mode, rather than setting it to Generic as shown up there.

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Re: How to assign a button to the MCG brake lever

Postby Outlaw24 » Sat Jan 13, 2018 6:14

Thanks this procedure worked great!

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Re: How to assign a button to the MCG brake lever

Postby RecklessPrudence » Sat Jan 13, 2018 12:02

No prob - I was experimenting with the software last night, and stumbled across this.

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Re: How to assign a button to the MCG brake lever

Postby david_wi » Sat Jan 13, 2018 20:15

Hi Guys

I used the first method and it worked well.
The only down side is that the plane is moving to the right all the time.

Bye, David

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Re: How to assign a button to the MCG brake lever

Postby Outlaw24 » Sun Jan 14, 2018 16:21

There's no downside to alternate method offered by RecklessPrudence, no turning right or anything. However, I'm glad you got it working on your system.

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Re: How to assign a button to the MCG brake lever

Postby rtrski » Sun Jan 14, 2018 17:51

rrhode's first couple steps - changing to 'Generic' and setting a different RegN - are those just so you're not programming 'over' the default settings, but creating another bin so to speak?

If one has for example altered a couple axis settings (the curves) and added secondary buttons here and there with Tempo, and never did this first step, does that mean the new version code when we hit the "Default" it's never really going back to a correct, clean "Default"?
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Re: How to assign a button to the MCG brake lever

Postby david_wi » Sun Jan 14, 2018 23:31

RecklessPrudence wrote:A much easier way of doing this is to use the 'AxesToButton' functionality. Go to axis 8, set it to Edges1, Zone 1, set it to a percentage point that you're comfortable with (ie 25% will press the button when you've pulled the brake lever three-quarters of the way, 0% will press the button only when the lever is pulled completely to the end of its travel), and set it to an unused button. Remember to click the checkbox in the top left to enable the AxesToButton content you customised. Et voila! You have a button! If you are really set on not using the analogue axis of the brake, you can go to the Logical Axes tab and hide the axis. Don't disable it, that will stop your button from working - just hide it from the HID. Tada! You now have a button that activates when you pull the brake, and no analogue axis to confuse your game.
The bonus of this is that you can leave the stick on MCG mode, rather than setting it to Generic as shown up there.


Important is to press the SET button after each change.
The part where you explain to hide the axis stopped the tendency of the plane to veer right :idea:

Thanks

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Re: How to assign a button to the MCG brake lever

Postby RecklessPrudence » Mon Jan 15, 2018 3:14

No problem. And what was probably happening was your game was detecting the brake axis and auto-assigning it to either yaw or nose steering (depending on whether your plane was only veering right on the ground or not), but since the brake axis is not a return-to-centre one, it was always fully out to one extreme. Hiding the axis fixed that.
Last edited by RecklessPrudence on Fri Jan 19, 2018 15:04, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: How to assign a button to the MCG brake lever

Postby AeroGator » Mon Jan 15, 2018 5:56

RecklessPrudence wrote:A much easier way

A million millions thanks to you Captain.

Outlaw24 wrote:Thanks this procedure worked great!

david_wi wrote:I used the first method and it worked well.

Great it worked.

Now, all of you guys - IF this problem ever shows up, please rush to PM me - I might not have time to read the forums every day but I will check the PMs.
Best Regards,
AeroGator

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Re: How to assign a button to the MCG brake lever

Postby david_wi » Mon Jan 15, 2018 12:13

Hi Guys

What I do with important posts is copy them and make a Word file kept in the same folder where the VKBDevCfg-C and Wizzo files are placed.
Give it a name like How to... and keep it for future needs.

Bye, David


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