Extra Buttons

[kiwi55]

Found an easy way to add a extra button pad to FSX.
Just buy a USB number button pad for laptops. They are very cheap.
Using FSUICP Keyboard presses setup allows you to assign a huge number of actions to buttons.
Assign lights, spoilers or any other functions to the buttons and make stick on labels.
I found you had to have the number lock off on the keypad before assigning and while using.

[Chairman]

Oooh, I like that idea. Just as well I can daisy chain USB hubs though !

Gary

[SeanG]

...Or buy a cheap Gamepad and assign all those buttons (which show as discrete joystick inputs)

..Or, for the more adventurous who want to make a panel with toggle and push button switches... get one of these:
http://www.lbodnar.dsl.pipex.com/joystick/

Just hook up 32 buttons, or toggles, and hey presto cool customised panel for FS ;-)

SeanG

[Zacchaeus]

2 more options for ye.
The first is just to run 2 keyboards. 1st on USB and the other on PS2. All the buttons that ye want - and probably more than you'll need.

The second option, and this one is funky, is that you can hack the second keyboard and wire the nodes up to toggle switches and the like. Apparently you can wire a huge amount of custom switches this way.

Of course ... Adding the keypad is a very simple fix, and I am planning to do this on the head of my collective stick (apologies to creative for nicking his idea)

[HardCorePawn]

QUOTE (Zacchaeus @ Jul 30 2008, 08:01 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Of course ... Adding the keypad is a very simple fix, and I am planning to do this on the head of my collective stick (apologies to creative for nicking his idea)

That's ok... he nicked it from me, after I nicked it from the guy who came up with the original idea!

It should be noted, that I just 'saw' the idea... Mike is the one who 'sawed' his vacuum cleaner pipe and commander unit and actually built one...

[Zacchaeus]

AHA!

oh well, share and share alike as we say in my home town (generally while we are stealing someone's car).

[SeanG]

Hacked keyboards.... been there done that, now days there are so many cheap options which are way more practical, and don't impact on your normal keyboard operation. Leo's clever little board is just one example, there are a heap of others, which give heaps of power for a hand-full of bucks (which suits me!)

SeanG