Physical controls for G5 HSI and PFD

[Jiminnh]

Hello all,

 

I’m building a sim to use as an IFR procedures trainer, with physical controls instead of mouse clicking. I am using the Garmin G5 PFD and HSI instruments created by “okbob” et.al. (Sorry - I don’t know a better way to identify him!)

 

I have a pair of physical encoder knobs with integral push button with the same feel as the knob on a real G5. I can make the controls send a signals equivalent to a button push on a joystick, or keystroke on a keypad, but replicating the mouse clicks and wheels used to control the G5’s is something that is posing a challenge. The mouse macro recorder in FSUIPC only works for gauges created in C/C++, not XML. So I’m about to start learning about XML local variables, since I’ve read those can be useful in a situation like this. My plan would be to add a keystroke option to the left, middle and right mouse click responses. For example, instead of LeftSingle causing xyz to occur, make it (LeftSingle or alt+1). Since I can cause the alt+1 key stroke to be sent in response to rotating the physical control left, the gauge would respond as if I had left-clicked the knob. Any key stroke could used, but I was thinking alt+1, 2, 3 for the left, middle and right mouse clicks for the HSI, and 4,5,6 for the PFD.

 

But I thought I would reach out to see if others had already solved this problem or might offer advice on this or other solutions.

 

Thanks,

Jim