Flight Simulator Keyboard. AskMisterWizard

http://techvideoreview.com/FlightSimMovies/General/ControlsAndCockpits/Joysti... Using a hardware-programmable "Point-of-Sale" keyboard with flight simulators. Modern, computerized combat flight simulators are complex, and users are expected to memorize a myriad of keyboard commands to simulate aircraft functions. It gets even more complicated if more than one flight simulator is used, or if simulation involves competitive combat. With a programmable keyboard, it is possible to arrange keys and corresponding commands logically. An almost unknown approach involves use of programmable keyboards originally designed for use in retail stores, as "Point of Sale" devices. These tend to be robust, flexible, and equipped with a lot of keys. This clip shows how I used a Cherry G86-63400 keyboard with combat flight simulators.

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Science & Technology

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• AskMisterWizard
• Flight Sim
• Flight Sims
• Flight Simulator
• Flight Simulators
• Flight sim controls
• Flight simulator controls
• Programmable keyboard
• programmable keyboards
• cherry keyboard
• cherry keyboards

[sexynwstavyzia]

Hello, very nice video! I want to ask you a question, since I am new to the flight sim genre. I have a Logitech Attack 3 joystick, which has no rudder control. I don't want to use auto-rudder because I think it wil rob too much realism off the game. Can I use keyboard buttons to control the rudder? Or, whenever I press the button, the rudder will go all the way to the left or right? I mean, I want to gradually adjust the rudder with the buttons so when I release, they won't go back to center.

[bbosen]

@sexynwstavyzia

It depends on the flight simulator. Most offer some way to operate rudders through keystrokes, but some implement this better than others. In my experience, the best ones in this area offer keys to nudge the rudder to the left, nudge the rudder to the right, and a third key to immediately return the rudder to it's normal, centered position.. The "nudge" keys are cumulative, so that additional "nudges" in the same direction increase the rudder displacement.

[bbosen]

@bbosen

(Keep in mind, however, that NONE of these keystroke rudder emulators work nearly as well as a joystick with rudder controls. I think you're better off using "rudder autocoordination" while you save up for a better joystick. The joystick I use costs only about $29.00 at retail, and it works very well.)

[nitestrike1000]

Thank you for uploading this! It was very informative. I never heard of point of sale keyboards. Can more than one be used to double the amount of available programable keys for flight simulator 2004 or FSX?

[bbosen]

@nitestrike1000 I have no experience using more than one of these at a time, but since it DOES work well in addition to a regular keyboard, I suspect that you could use two or three of them simultaneously. I DO use mine in combination with XKEYS at the same time. No problems there!

[steve93138]

I just checked out the programmable keyboard online but does it include blank color keys where I can write my own text on them?

[bbosen]

@steve93138 Yes, the one described in the video does include blank keys with transparent covers. It's easy to make a small paper label in any color and then to insert it beneath the transparent cover.

[sexynwstavyzia]

@bbosen Thank you for your reply! I will work my way through the lessons of FS2004 and maybe I'll find the pilot in me!

[500mert500]

500mert500



[nitestrike1000]

@bbosen I just want to assign as many functions to as many keys as posssible so I think this will work

[nitestrike1000]

@bbosen Thanks again for the info :)

[nitestrike1000]

@bbosen Thanks, this is the ticket then! I am searcing for one to use :)