PC Ts World Raildriver And Joystick Interface

Of course, and thanks again!

 

So I've tried the interface with my RailDriver, and I've found a couple issues.

1. The speed display doesn't work.
2. I can't seem to configure the levers like with the TS classic interface, I'm not sure if this just isn't a feature or I can't fugre it out, but there isn't a manual yet so idk.

If those two things are rectified, this will make TSW truly great.

 

1. That is something I may look at in the future, but the main reasoning behind the software, was to allow users with joysticks to use them with TSW and therefore the speed is not needed.
2. There is a folder called Manuals which contains the necessary manuals.

When configuring your levers, the first column in the lever map is the actual control in the train, the second is the lever on your Raildriver you wish to use to control that control.
Chris

 

Ok, I've figured out how to add and edit lever maps, but i'm not entirely sure that the notching is working correctly, there isn't really a noticeable difference between it being enabled and it being disabled, and I'm not really any more sure of my throttle position with it on, is this just not fully implemented yet or did I maybe do something wrong?

 

Notching will be fixed in the next update, along with the horn, hopefully early next week.
Chris

 

Congratulations for this great job. It's the best I've seen in a long time. please in future versions if you can make the digital speedometer of the rail driver work that would be great. I have built a cockpit and use the speedometer. It's the only thing missing to make it real. thank you so much

 

Are you refering to the display on the Raildriver or a separate speedometer?
If a separate speedometer, how have you connected the speedometer to your PC, i.e. what protocol are you using to comunicate with it?
Chris

 

I have connected the speedometer with the old rail driver board. Levers connect with potentiometer and Zero delay board

 

i mean raildriver speed display
thanks!

 

Ok, working on a solution as we speak.

 

TSW Raildriver & Joystick Interface V1.0.0.9 released.
Main Program
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/l7at....0.9.zip?rlkey=o3u6nmgw71o3zd11h5byp6lbx&dl=1
Quick Start Guide
https://www.dropbox.com/s/vf6m5cz5nrzeq9w/Quick Start.pdf?dl=1
DirectX
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/download/details.aspx?id=8109

Clicking on the above links will start the download automatically without you having to select the file from my Dropbox account.
The following fixess have been made:
1. The horn on the Raildriver now works again.
2. Added extra checking to eliminate errors when some wheels are attached
3. Fixed the Notch Values in the Lever Maps not working correctly.
4. If you make changes to a lever map, you no longer need to restart my program for the changes to take affect.

With regards the notches, although my program allows you to enter how many notches the lever has, and it will calculate the values for you, I have found that some trains do not have linear values. As an example, you would expect a lever with four notches to be 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1 but they could be 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.85, 1
Read the Using Notches.pdf in the Manuals folder for more details on how to correct for this.

Version 2 coming soon to Beta for testing by volunteers.
I am also working on a version that will check to see if the PieHid64.dll has been installed in the correct location and if it hasn't, it will install it for you, even if that means shutting down TSW and then restarting it automatically.
This version will also have the speed display working on the Raildriver.
I have also been working with Dan from TS Controllers and updated the PieHid64.dll to be also compatible with his hardware.
As this has involved adding code to the PieHid64.dll, I will be asking for volunteers to test it for me to make sure the random disconnects have not resurfaced. I am pretty confident they won't have but need help in clarification.

Chris

 

great news,i'd be happy to test.

 

I'll go ahead and fire this up!
I take it we don't have a working speed display yet, but I can still test it on a few trains.

 

Not yet, but it will be in V2

 

I've done some testing, and made some observations.

1. Sometimes notching stops working. This is purely anecdotal as though I did observe it, it is possible that I set it up wrong and this is a non-issue. Then again it might be real. I noticed this on the NEC F40PH with the reverser and throttle, though these both fixed themselves*, and on the BRO N-Wagen with the throttle.

2. This one I can prove; it sometimes skips notches. I tested this on three trains all with 8 positions on their throttles. On the LBN 377, the throttle skips B2 and P3, while on the NEC F40PH and the NYT Metroliner Cab Car, notches 2 and 6 are skipped. Of note is that while B2 on the 377 and notch 2 on the F40 are the same distance from the lowest notch, P3 and notch 6 are not; P3 is also not the same distance form the coasting position as either of the F40's skipped notches.

Hopefully this tells you something, I'd also be happy to help test V2 when it's ready.

 

I don't have the LBN 377 but I do have the EastCoastway Brighton - Eastbourne class 377 which does the same in regards to skipping B2 & P3. This is because the values set in TSW for the loco's are not equal distant.

Following the instructions in the Using Notches.pdf file on page 2 for the East Coastway 377 I ended up with
0.00, 0.16, 0.29, 0.39, 0.50, 0.74, 0.86, 0.97, 1.00 which fixed the problem.
Try those on your LBN 377 and see if that fixes the ThrottleAndBrake.
I don't have the NEC F40PH and the NYT Metroliner Cab Car or the BRO N-Wagen so can't test them for you.

Here's a breakdown of the problem.
Doing the maths and what my program assumes, 1 divided by 8 = 0.125, rounding to 2 decimal places this gives you
0.00, 0.13, 0.25, 0.38, 0.50, 0.63, 0.75, 0.88, 1.00 using the manual method from the pdf gives you
0.00, 0.16, 0.29, 0.39, 0.50, 0.74, 0.86, 0.97, 1.00 as you can see, instead of each being 0.125 apart they are
0.00, 0.16, 0.13, 0.10, 0.11, 0.24, 0.12, 0.11, 0.03
This is why I had to write the Using Notches manual, and give you the option to enter the values manually into the lever map.
Chris

 

Do you know if there's a way to detect what numerical value the throttle is in from TSW, so we could move it to a notch through some other means and record the value? This would also be helpful for notching throttles that don't have them by default, such as settign up cruise control levers in increments of 5 or 10.

 

Unfortunately there is no way to get any data from TSW apart from the speed. In order to be able to do that, we need DTG to write an API which exports the data like they have with the Raildriver.dll in TSC.
So at the moment, the only option we have is to use the method as described in the Using Notches.pdf.

 

That's going to be one required feature (of many) from now on for any future sim I purchase. Trains or planes, it must have an API so I can use real-time tracking, among a lot of other things.

 

With this in mind, would you consider creating a discord community, or something of the sort, to share lever maps and collaboratively discover notch values for all of the locos? The method seems sound, but is INCREDIBLY tedious, and I think I speak for the community in saying that I'd like for us to only have to collectively do this once.

 

With regards to the notching not necessarily working properly...the native RD support from DTG is often no better, or worse than what Chris has put together. Is it possible that the limitations are on the DTG side? (E.g. the skipping on NEC that Illegal Prime mentioned - that happens with the native RD support from DTG.)

Anyway, thanks again Chris! Your work adds so much enjoyment to the game!

 

The notch skipping is down to the programming of the notch values, which unfortunately we have to figure out ourselves, as the game won't tell us and I'm not sure what file needs to be gotten inside.
This is perhaps the biggest barrier to entry here, as I don't really have the energy to do the process described in the manual with every single train. Especially when you consider things like the Acela cruise control, which I want to notch into multiples of 5, but even without notching it's nearly impossible to get a useful speed setting with it; therefore finding the notch values is just down to dumb luck.

 

You would need to install the Unreal Engine SDK and look in the "Train Sim World 3\WindowsNoEditor\TS2Prototype\Content\DLC" folder where you will find various pak files. You would need to unpack them and then try and ascertain which of the many files inside the pak file holds the relevant data. It would be alot quicker to use my method.

If i'm correct, the speedometer for the acela goes up to 150. This means you are trying to get 30 notches assigned to the lever, the amount you would need to move the lever from one notch to the next would be so small that I doubt you would be able to do it any more accurately than when not having notches. especially as you say you can't do it accurately even without notches.

You could try just going in one direction and noting the values and then use those, as I have said before, there is no alternative way to do this if you want to use notches.

I have never set up a discord channel and to be honest, I am too old in the tooth to start. Also, it's not just a matter of sharing the files. If you copy them to your LeverMap folder, they will not show up in the list of loco's on the main form. There is another index file that has to be updated for them to show.
I know this all sounds very Negative, but I can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.
Chris

 

Chris, do you have any advice on getting the RD throttle/brake lever to work with the 465? I can't get it to go to the off position. As soon as I move away from B1 I'm at P1. When I try moving from P1 I'm at B1. It doesn't matter if I try to cycle from Emergency to 0 or from P4 to 0 - it's as though 0 isn't there.

I've tried using the notch values you give in the Using Notches manual for the 465, along with the auto-calculated values determined by the program. I've even turned notches off. After each lever modification, I re-calibrated first from the program and then in TSW.

The native support for the 465 recognizes 0, but only if you put the lever to the position between dynamic and throttle where the lever is pushed to the right. But I can't get it to do that with your program. Is there a way to get it to recognize that position?

On my RD, the dead center position (where it's equally between dynamic and throttle) is:

• ~155 when I'm moving the lever up towards dynamic, and
• ~145 when I'm moving the lever down towards throttle.

Thanks!

 

Edit the lever map and set the notches to 9 instead of 8.
Don't ask why this works, but it does

 

hello, good afternoon If you need to test the speedometer in version 2, I can collaborate with mine. thanks for this great work

 

I just recently installed both Steam and TSW3. I discovered this interface and am trying to get it to work but in my Train Sim World 3 folder in steam I do not have a folder called TS3Prototype. I do have TS2Prototype however. Seems strange. What am I missing? Any help would be appreciated.

 

I believe that was a typo. I don't have a TS3Prototype directory, either. Here's the path on a typical Windows system:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Train Sim World 3\WindowsNoEditor\TS2Prototype\Binaries\ThirdParty\PieHid\Binaries\

 

Yes it is a typo, my bad, amended quickstart quide uploaded, hopefully I will be able to remove the need for you to copy any dll's in the next version.
Quick update, I am still working on V2 when I can, I am having the odd crash with the code for the speed, which I am trying to eliminate.

 

I have a question, I'm new so sorry if I missed something. Everything works, nothing crashes, but I have 2 brake levers in the BR 101 and BR146. In the master assignment there is the train brake, but not in the button map . There you can set that you have a joystick that always goes back to the middle. I have a second joystick, but it is always centered and the brakes are always in the middle because the joystick always comes back to the middle. can this be avoided?

 

Thanks!

 

In the button map, the TrainBrake is called AutoBrake and the LocoBrake is called Independant Brake, you can change these names as they mean nothing to my program, it's the keyboard keys they are assigned to that's relevant. You could also add new commands using the names TrainBrake and LocoBrake if you so wish.
To use a joystick that always returns to the middle, you will need to edit the Button Map and use the "Assign Lever To Current Command".
Then assign either the Up/Left or Down/Right to each of the commands that apply/release the brakes.
What you are doing is using the joystick to emulate you using the keyboard keys, so one side applies the brakes and the other side releases them. It's not a perfect system, but it's the best I could get with using a self centering joystick.
Chris

 

First of all thanks! So pressing the brake works, but if I want to pull back, he only ever switches the lever for the direct brake. although trainbrake is set. does it make more sense to get another 2nd joystick that also has levers?

 

I would definately recommend having at least four levers that stay where you set them, like in a throttle for a flight simulator. It makes it so much easier to setup your trains.

 

Hello, I have tried to send a reply already but I think I messed it up when trying to send it! So, I’m posting again!
A shorter version is that I was hoping to get some advice on how to run dual logitech quadrants with the Raildriver and Joystick Interface program. I’ve tried already. I get one working ok but when trying to add the second, there’s no response! I notice that the Interface program labels both with the same name so that might be the cause of the problem. But how do I get around that problem? Thanks for any help you could give me.I should say that I’m using TS, not TSW.

 

I have just ran a scenario with two Saitek x-55's and the Raildriver configured as follows:
Saitek with GUID - a0f86680-4298-11ee-8001-444553540000 set to use X as Reverser
Saitek with GUID - ab66fe60-4298-11ee-8003-444553540000 Set to use X as Throttle
Raidriver with GUID - Raildriver (210) ID (0) with the TrainBrake set as TrainBrake

You can find the GUID by looking at the Settings\LeverSettings.xml file once you have allocated them.

All the controllers work as expected. You will note that with the two Saitek's, the first 8 numbers in the GUID are different, these GUID's are assigned by Windows when you plug in your controller into a USB port.
If you then unplug the controller and then plug it into another USB port, a different GUID will be assigned, but, unless you reassign the controllers in my program, they won't work because my program will still be looking for the original GUID assigned when you plugged the controller into the first USB port.

So try plugging both joysticks in, then run my program and assign the joysticks as required. Restart my program to make sure the changes are loaded and try running TS again.

If it still does not work, can you post your LeverSettings.xml located in the Settings folder, so I can see what is happening.

Also for your info and the info of others, as UKTRAINSIM.COM is shutting down at the end of the month, I have started a new thread dedicated to the TSC version here:
https://forums.dovetailgames.com/threads/ts-classic-raildriver-and-joystick-interface.72488/

Although I won't be developing the TSC version any further as there is nothing more I can add, I will still answer queries on the thread.

Chris

 

Thank

s very much. I’ll have a go and see how I get on. Thanks for all you do for the Train Sim fraternity!

 

Have followed your advice, Chris, and have had success, as well as learning something new in the process! At least now both quadrants are working in tandem. I now have to make sure that I point the interface program to the right path for railworks 64.exe as well as the assets folder(s): still a bit sticky there but at least the major hurdle has been overcome, thanks to your generous help!
Marko

 

Hi All

I notice some functions of locos are available via the raildriver that dont have a keyboard shortcut which I would like to assign using the button map to a button box but I have no idea which raildriver buttons correspond to which number, does any one have a button map of the raildriver indicating which button is which number?

EDIT - nevermind found there was a built in map when i used the assign to ingame button function

 

TSW Raildriver & Joystick Interface V2.0.0.0 released.
Main Program
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/2f77....0.0.zip?rlkey=pltl4enjtcz3vpjvf5vwd82mf&dl=1
Quick Start Guide V2.0.0.0
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/usv1....0.0.pdf?rlkey=r9up8ze24xtp49yyj5g4bcg5k&dl=1
DirectX
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/download/details.aspx?id=8109
Clicking on the above links will start the download automatically without you having to select the file from my Dropbox account.

The following changes have been made to the program.
1. The program will now install the PieHid64.dll automatically into the correct location for all versions of TSW it finds on your computer. If it can't find the location then it will ask you to install it manually as before.
2. The Raildriver will now display the speed of the train being driven.
3. For those familiar with using an Arduino, you can also output the speed via the Arduino's serialport, if you have a cab built that uses my TS Classic version, then you will be familiar with the code used. Unfortunately, I cannot output anything else.

I have included a demo file for the Arduino called "TSWToArduino.ino" located in the Arduino\TSWToArduino folder. This uses a 16x2 i2c lcd display, simply copy the whole Arduino folder to your Documents folder. This uses the "LiquidCrystal_I2C" library, which I have included in the Arduino\libraries folder.
You will also need to enable the output using the new menu on the main form Speedometer\Select serialpport.
I have included a new pdf document called "Displaying the Speed in V2.0.0.0.pdf" which explains what to do in more detail, this is located in the Manuals folder.

I have decided to release this as a fully working version rather than the intended beta version, because I am pretty sure this is 100% stable. If you do find problems, you can always revert back to V1.0.0.9 from the link at post #261. Remember to manually copy the older PieHid64.dll to you TSW folder as before.

If you do have any problems with this version, please let me know.
I will be unable to answer any queries between 17th September and 1st October

Chris

 

Hi Chris, Thanks for the update.
I installed clean, installation was error free.
Calibration was as before, no problems there.
Operation was excellent with a solid connection to TSW.
Speed display as expected.

All round great update mate, thanks again.
Regards
Phil

 

Hi Chris,

just wanted to thank you very much for your outstanding work, version 2 is working absolutely perfect, even in TSW4 I had not a single disconnect. Thanks for making this available!

Cheers

 

I was very happy to see this still working for TSW4. I have one new loco where the controls are whacked, I mean different levers do different things now on that loco only. I am not sure which loco model (it is in Germany), but I'll sort it out later.Using v1.0.0.9 here.
Thanks to you CobraOne once again!

 

I think you've got it sir!! Absolute magic!! TSW3 and 4 are working like a charm. I salute you!

 

Hi,
I am having an issue when running the program in TSW4, it says at the bottom "unable to create raildriver".
I have calibrated the raildriver properly so I cant see whats happening. Can anyone shed any light on what I am doing wrong.
Thanks
Keith

 

Please ignore, found out that the raildriver was not selected!!

 

OK so I'm now curious.

Using the editor, would it be possible to determine the notch values for any train? I've not heard this discussed, but it would be big if true.

 

fizzbin14, Fields, j.elkroc and Allsop4
Thank you all for the feedback, especiallly on the working with TSW4.
Chris

 

Unfortunately not, the only variable output by TSW is the speed, I cannot get any data on the trains, for that to happen, we would need a API to be written by DTG to allow interfacing with TSW, the same way the Raidriver.dll does in TSC.
As we are now at V4 of TSW, I can't see that ever happening or it would have been done by now.

It should never have taken someone like me to come along and add joystick support to their program, they should have done it themselves right from the start, but then I wrote this for the TS communities benefit and not DTG.
Chris

 

Hi Chris,
Thanks for your amazing work and help.
My TSW4 works perfect with a Logi Saitek pro flight throttle quadrant!

I'll like to ask if there have any possibility to can communicate the TSW4 with the simhub