forums.naturalpoint.com

About a week ago, I purchased TrakIR5 and the TrackIR Pro clip (from your Canadian distributor). I have noticed a number of problems/issues that I wish to report and / or get help on. But first let me provide some upfront information.

My system:
� Dell 9200 desktop, Intel Core 2 Duo processor E6600 (4MB L2 Cache, 2.4GHz, 1066 FSB)
� 4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz 4 DIMMs
� 500GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s HD 7200 RPM (105GB used, 395GB free)
� Video Card: 256 mB nVidia GeForce 8600 GTS
� Monitor: 20-inch flat panel LCD (4:3)
� Joystick: Saitek Cyborg Evo
� OS: Windows 7 32-bits

�Run as administrator�: I used that to install the TrackIR software. Also my fsx.exe, fs9.exe and cfs3.exe are all set up to run as administrator.

ISSUES

1. Help Manual
When printing it from the printable version on 8x11-1/2 paper, the last few characters in each line do not print. I suggest reformatting it from HTML to PDF. HTML is bad news when it comes to documentation.

2. Profile Hotkey
In the Actions box in the software, 4 items are listed: Center, Pause, Precision and Profile. The first three are explained in the manual, but not the last one. What is �Profile� supposed to do? Clicking on F8 does not do anything related to TrackIR, it just extends flaps to the max, as is normal in FSX. If this �profile� item is not working, just let me know and I will ignore it.

3. Profile Button Assignments
I have created a new profile (named GD1), which is identical to the Default except that I have assigned the actions to joystick buttons instead of F12, F9, F7 and F8 (which I want to keep with the original FSX assignments). This works for the Pause, Center and Precision actions, but not for the Profile action. I tried to assign Profile to a joystick button, but when I click the box in which to enter the desired button, it changes to Mouse 1, and tells me that the button I requested is already assigned to something else (which it is not). Again, if this �profile� item is not working, just let me know and I will ignore it.

4. �Default� Profile
I follow the following procedure when starting: First I open TrackIR and it shows whatever profile it was at the last time I closed TrackIR (such as GD1 as described above), or I choose another profile. Then I open FSX, however TrackIR then changes to the Default profile instead of the desired profile. So I have to change the profile back to whatever profile I want before flying. This is not a big problem with FSX and FS9, however with CFS3, there is no way to access TrackIR while CFS3 is running, so there is no way to choose any other profile than the Default. Could this be solved in an upcoming update?

5. Minimize in system tray
No matter whether I activate this option, it always minimizes into the system tray. The only way I can bring it to the taskbar is to go into the system tray and double-click on the icon; it then goes to the taskbar, which is where I would like it to be all the time (to make sure I don�t forget to close TrackIR before shutting down the computer). What is the point of offering an option when there is no alternative? Or is this a bug to be fixed?

6. Steadiness during precision actions
When trying to do a precise motion, such as adjusting a heading setting by turning a small wheel, I find that my head generates very small movements that are sufficient from keeping the mouse cursor on the wheel. I have been getting around this by pausing TrackIR, doing the adjustment, then unpausing. Is there a way of doing this without pausing? I tried the �Precision� action, but it does not help.

7. Choice of profile
I have tried the Default, Smooth and Seth Flight profiles, and did not see much difference. Which should be best for FSX?

Gaetan

1. Outstanding suggestion. We're in the process of reworking documentation across all of our product lines, so we'll make sure to look at printability when we get to TrackIR.

2. Profile allows you to set a hotkey to switch to that profile, EG: You prefer different settings for flight than you do for takeoff/landing. You can make two profiles, set the profile hotkey for the flight profile to (example) f2 and the takeoff/landing to f3, then use those keys to switch between them as necessary while flying.

3. Does it work properly if you try to assign the same button to say, center? Does it work properly if you try to assign the key currently mapped to center to profile?

4. The "Titles" tab allows you to select a profile to associate with a particular game. When the game launches, it will switch automatically to the associated profile. You can also check the "exclusive" box in a profile to override all settings and just use that one profile.

5. TrackIR will always minimize to system tray while the game is running. This is because if it's left up and in the background, your computer will still have to render the HUD. Minimizing applications is the only way to free up the graphics resources for the game. The minimize/maximize option is really just for when you're not playing anything.

6. Pausing is the way most people do this. It's nothing that's really "fixable" per-se, because in real life, you're not adjusting a knob on a plane that moves relative to your head's constant micro-movements.

7. The best one to use is the one that you feel most comfortable with. Experiment and discover what works for you!

Mike, thanks for the prompt and accurate reply. Following are my responses.

1. Welcome! Glad to see you are open to suggestions.

2. Understood. What caused the confusion is that the first three items are specific to the actions of a given profile, while the �Profile� item designates that profile itself; in other words it is at a higher logical level.

3. Item 2 above provided the answer to item 3. For example, I was able to assign the same key (joystick button 8) to the Center action for 3 different profiles that I created. I was able to assign one joystick button (9) to my GD1 profile, however, when I tried to assign the same button my profile GD2 or GD3, it correctly responded that this button was already assigned to something else, namely to Profile GD1.

So I let TrackIR assign �Mouse 1� to profile GD2, and �Mouse 2� to profile GD3. However, I cannot make any of them work. For example, if I am in the Default profile, and I hit joystick button 9, it does not switch to profile GD1; it stays in the Default profile. I tried this with TrackIR and FSX running and in a flight, also with FSX running but not in a flight (i.e. in the main splash screen). I tried also with only TrackIR running. No joy. Same thing if I click on mouse 1 or 2. Any advice?

4. Understood; done � works.

5, 6 and 7: Understood.

What's your joystick setup?

The following tables show my joystick buttons assignments, before I purchased TrackIR, and after.

Table 1: Original Assignments
Button No. Location Event
Hat Switch (HS) -- View (pan)
01 Trigger Brakes (apply/release)
02 Below HS (View (next category) (=S)
03 Below HS, left Elevator trim (down)
04 Below HS, right Elevator trim (up)
05 Left of HS Flaps (extend incrementally)
06 Right of HS Flaps (retract incrementally)
07 Base F1 Release droppable objects
08 Base F2 Landing gear (extend/retract)
09 Base F3 Free
10 Base F4 Free

Table 2: New Assignments
Button No. Location Event
Hat Switch (HS) -- View (pan)
01 Trigger Brakes (apply/release)
02 Below HS (View (next category) (=S)
03 Below HS, left Elevator trim (down)
04 Below HS, right Elevator trim (up)
05 Left of HS Flaps (extend incrementally)
06 Right of HS Flaps (retract incrementally)
07 Base F1 Pause (TrackIR)
08 Base F2 Center (TrackIR)
09 Base F3 Free
10 Base F4 Precision (TrackIR)

These were originally 3-column tables in Word, however they turned into plain text after pasting in this reply box. If you can't figure it out, I can e-mail you the original.

Gaetan