My Trainsim Controller On Ps4

Discussion in 'TSW General Discussion' started by Sigy_Joe, Jun 25, 2020.

  1. Sigy_Joe

    Sigy_Joe Member

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    Hi everyone, my name is Simone and I write from Italy.
    I have been passionate about trains since I was a child and the only way I can give vent to my passion is simulators. With PC I played, but having a laptop I never managed to have good results. When TSW was released on PS4, I didn't wait a moment! To make the game a little more fun and realistic, I connected the keyboard to the console, although there was always the problem of missing the key for applying the brake, so I was forced to use the keyboard and dualshock and often went haywire when I had to recognize SIFA, PZB and brake (I prefer the German lines, since they are the ones that come closest to the Italian style).

    One fine day, I decided to assemble my custom controller to make the simulation even more pleasant and dynamic. :love:
    To do this I used the circuit of a keyboard and an Arduino microcontroller (to have a display with some information). I connected various buttons and levers to the keyboard circuit to better simulate driving dynamics. I also modified a dualshock with an additional map, so that I could connect the brake L2 button to the lever on my custom controller. Also I connected a pedal to reset the SIFA.
    I left a space to rest the tablet, on which I created an Excel file with the times of the various stops for when I use the passenger line, for now I have only done it for the Main-Spessart Bahn.

    The only flaw that I am trying to solve is the numeric keypad. With this keypad I reproduced the numeric keypad which is on the right in the complete keyboards. With it I could have all the numbers to manage the various views and the various HUDs, and by using the "BlocNum" I could also have used the directional arrows. Unfortunately the game does not recognize the numeric keypad of full keyboards, but only the numbers above the letters and the true directional arrows. However I think I have found the solution, so I'm working on it.

    Meanwhile, I'll show you some photos and as soon as possible I will also make a video. :cool:


    Forgive me if there are imperfections in the language, but my English is not very good and therefore I trusted Google Translate. :|

    Greetings from Italy.
    SigyJoe
     

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  2. Sigy_Joe

    Sigy_Joe Member

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    Some other photos, including the inside.
     

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  3. Sigy_Joe

    Sigy_Joe Member

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    Some photos of the buttons and levers of the controller.
     

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  4. Sigy_Joe

    Sigy_Joe Member

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    The cables for connecting the power supply, the USB socket for connection to the PS4 and the connection of the dualshock for using the brake (L2).
     

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  5. JohnnyK98

    JohnnyK98 Well-Known Member

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    Thread of the year goes to Sigy_Joe. WOW that is absolutely incredible! I've dreamed of this, but you actually did it. VERY well done Sigy, and thank you for sharing that with us. I wish I had one! :love:
     
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  6. JohnnyK98

    JohnnyK98 Well-Known Member

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    How did you decide on the layout of the buttons and everything? It must've taken a lot of preparation time to decide where each individual button goes and whatnot. Seriously impressive. And then you had to build the structure from scratch... My brain hurts thinking about it. I can't stop looking at it!
     
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  7. Stockton Rails

    Stockton Rails Well-Known Member

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    Wow, this is just awesome! I want it, I love it... the only problem I‘d have is, if I had something like this in *my* house my wife would kick me out of it. :) Super effort, Sigy_Joe... thanks for sharing all of the info and the great pics!
     
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  8. Doyden

    Doyden Active Member

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    Brilliant Sigy_Joe! Amazing work there. When are you taking orders? :)
     
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  9. Plastic Pal

    Plastic Pal Well-Known Member

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    Bellisimo....! I can't wait to see the video - please do post a link here...!

    I was looking at the RailDriver controller a few days ago (soon to be compatible with TSW2).... and I thought the build quality of that unit looked cheap and poor quality, and for hundreds of Euros..... But wow... your build looks utterly amazing - superb quality!

    Hmmmm....... I have an Arduino and some displays gathering dust upstairs..... Although it is all allocated to doing model railway stuff (yet to be built...). Hmmm..... Maybe a rig for TS1 would be good..... ;-)

    I think Dovetail should reward your efforts by making an Italian route before Christmas. ;-)
     
    Last edited: Jun 26, 2020
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  10. Thunderer

    Thunderer Well-Known Member

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    Wow Sigy, that is fantastic, well done!
     
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  11. kingus.uk

    kingus.uk Active Member

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    That is awesome. Seriously.
     
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  12. Sigy_Joe

    Sigy_Joe Member

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    To start, I'd like to thank everyone for the compliments! I admit that when I finished it and used it for the first time, I was extremely proud of myself and I am very happy that you liked it too! A heartfelt thanks to all!

    JohnnyK98 thank you very much! I started playing with "Microsoft Train Simulator" as a child and if I think about it now, I would like to have this controller! I spent hours playing with the keyboard, with a controller like this, I would never see the light again! : D

    The structure is all in wood. My brother is a carpenter, I created a sketch and then we designed it in 3D and then it was created. Let's say I'm a person who, when he puts something on his head, doesn't stop until he reaches the goal. I confess that I started from scratch. I went to school as an electrician, but I never had anything to do with electronics. I work as an employee in a university college. A friend, when I told him what I wanted to do, advised me to try using Arduino. Thanks to the tutorials on YouTube, I was able to understand something and from there I started designing what I needed. The position of the levers is carried out on the basis of the locomotives DB BR 146.2 and DB BR 185.2. Starting from the left, the first lever is AFB, then there is acceleration and then gear. It was not easy at all and I admit there were moments when I wanted to throw in the towel, but then I managed to solve some problems and the result was in my opinion magnificent. Let's say that playing for me must be a real experience, so using SIFA and PZB, while using the keyboard, I often could not keep up with the dualshock for the brake and therefore I skipped some controls and the brake was applied emergency . Hence my desire to solve the problem!

    Stockton Rails thank you very much, I admit that my partner was also very kind and patient, first in the period in which I had transformed the house into an electronic laboratory and then in the period in which I started using the controller! : D

    Doyden, thank you very much! I wouldn't mind at all, go back to work, try to design it even better! From this experience I learned a lot about electronics, programming and above all about the use of the soldering iron, which often made me despair! : D

    Plastic Pal thank you very much! I want to do it well, recording the playstation screen with its function and at the same time recording a video while using the controller. And then you will be the first to see it!

    I admit that I also concentrated on that at the beginning, but the price was very high and then honestly, as already said, it would not have been the same, given that I use the German routes and RailDriver is configured to resemble the passenger compartment of American locomotives. The only positive thing in comparison is that my levers are contacts, while I think they scroll and give the game the percentage of effective unity, but I read a lot of negative reviews and then I started working on the project.

    I use Arduino to get some more information on the display. First of all, it reminds me to load the brake system and set the direction of travel and then to check for the parking brake. Next, I entered the date and time and a reminder about the safety devices of the SIFA and PZB set. On the PZB I can also choose U-M-O and it gives me the various speed limits. Since each locomotive has its own SIFA system and, during the game, the perception of the light it informs after 30 seconds is not so good, I inserted everything on Arduino, so I have the light and after 32 seconds also a buzzer, everything is restored by the pedal which also restores SIFA in the game. Now again with Arduino I think I have found the solution to the keyboard problem, when I wait for the pieces and go back to work. I 'd like to try to bypass the keyboard and use Arduino Leonardo or Raspberry which can simulate the keyboard, but maybe later, if I dedicate myself to production. : D
    Plastic Pal would be fantastic!
    But I would be satisfied only with the possibility of using the key to apply the keyboard brake (à #). By connecting the L2 button to the lever of my cotroller, I can brake without any problem, but I must always remember to release the train brake (ò @) before using other brakes, since the game recognizes the L2 button as a general brake command and change the brake style with the square button. But nothing so difficult is now a habit. Before applying the train brake, I always press the release and then apply.
     
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  13. Plastic Pal

    Plastic Pal Well-Known Member

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    A friend of mine (another engineer) decided that he wasn't happy with his extremely expensive studio speakers (he is also a musician). So he designed and built his own design that sounded better, looked better, weighed less and took up less (bulk) space.

    Then he made some for his friends and sold them at cost price. Then friends of friends started paying for them, and he made a small profit on those. He then perfected the design for the bass speakers, and started to make studio monitors as well.

    Now he manages a company that makes speakers and he has his own factory.... and a collection of very nice sports cars....! ;-)

    I think that you could find a market for your controller. It would be a small market... but you might be surprised..... the RailDriver people should start getting worried.... You should apply for a patent.... ;-)
     
    Last edited: Jun 26, 2020
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  14. Sigy_Joe

    Sigy_Joe Member

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    Mmm, Plastic Pal.. Thanks, the idea is not bad! : D

    I show you some more photos.
    The design and creation of the case and the keys / levers that I used.
     

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  15. Sigy_Joe

    Sigy_Joe Member

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    The beginning of the works ..
     

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  16. Plastic Pal

    Plastic Pal Well-Known Member

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    From these photos (during the build phase)... it looks like you could easily produce these quite economically. So - I think you will be able to sell them, and maybe make €50 or €60 profit on them... (rough guess), maybe €100 (eventually) if you build very many of them and get economy of scale...

    But, if you do go into production, then I would suggest that you also make it work with TS1 and various other simulators.... on PC and XBox.... and that you put in a few "spare" buttons for later assignment, in case new features are brought out. Or you could have some sort of slot for a future update/upgrade module. Just an idea.....

    The quality of the components looks superb. How much are you charging....? ;-)
     
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  17. Sigy_Joe

    Sigy_Joe Member

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    The total cost is higher, I made a calculation at the end of the project and I spent more than 150 € of components. But it should be noted that I did not make purchases from China, so each single piece cost me more, about 5 times as much. Let's say that you could save money, but I was in a hurry to have everything and therefore I preferred to spend more and I already had a keyboard luckily, which I recovered. while on the operation on other games, if I am not mistaken the keyboard keys for the management of the simulator are always the same, therefore being in the end based on the keyboard, it would also work on PC, I don't know if the Xbox is able to read a keyboard, but I really think so.
     
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  18. grdaniel48

    grdaniel48 Well-Known Member

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    Congratulations Sigy Joe, for your great controller!
     
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  19. Sigy_Joe

    Sigy_Joe Member

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    Hi guys, sorry if I didn't speak again, but I didn't have time, partly for work and partly because I was fixing the keypad, which now works!


    I leave you these two videos where in the first, I show an overview of the controller, with the correspondence of each key with the keyboard while in the second I show the part relating to the functions of the microcontroller.
    The messages that are shown on the display are:
    - "load the brake system"
    - "set the direction of travel"
    - "check for the parking brake".
    Then I show that I have integrated the SIFA system on the microcontroller, where the orange LED flashes after 28 seconds and the sound recognition starts after 30 seconds.
    When I mute the microcontroller, I also send the letter "Q" on the keyboard to the PS4, so that the counts restart simultaneously.

    The video is in Italian, I had thought of writing it in English, but the pronunciation is not good, so I avoided it.

    Soon I will make a video while using the controller.
     
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  20. OnlyMe1909

    OnlyMe1909 Well-Known Member

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    You should request a patent for this, so that your creation is protected. With all the photos, somebody might steal your design and take it to market :)
     
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  21. stujoy

    stujoy Well-Known Member

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    It’s not worth getting a patent. The cost of obtaining one can run into tens of thousands of Euros. That’s of course if there is anything patentable in the design to start with. It’s too late anyway as the design has already been published.
     
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  22. Sigy_Joe

    Sigy_Joe Member

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    In fact my aim was personal, as I wrote the expenses were around 200 euros only for materials and therefore it would not be worth it. As soon as I can, I would like to make a calculation to reproduce one with components from China. The wait would be long, but I already have a lot, maybe one to do and then put on ebay or another portal. I with pleasure I showed it to everyone to be taken as inspiration, for a more realistic and addictive game.

    But it's just an idea to spend some time. Speaking of time, I'll be a dad soon, so I'll have to see how much is left.
     
    Last edited: Jul 15, 2020
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  23. Sigy_Joe

    Sigy_Joe Member

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    Hi guys I did a test of my controller on the Main-Spessart Bahn line from Heigenbrücken to Gemünden divided into two parts.
    1 - from Heigenbrücken to Lohr Bahnhof.
    2 - from Lohr Bahnhof to Gemünden.

    I noticed some minor errors during the game and I fixed them. I used the SIFA and PZB safety systems for a more realistic simulation.
    What you think? :cool:



     
    Last edited: Jul 17, 2020
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  24. Sigy_Joe

    Sigy_Joe Member

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    Hi guys, does anyone have Trai Sim World 2 on PS4?
    Can you tell me if they have enabled the key to increase the brake using the keyboard?
    Thanks so much!
     
  25. xblackwolf90

    xblackwolf90 Well-Known Member

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    Yes, braking works perfectly fine via keyboard on PS4.

    Outstanding work by the way, I missed this thread first time round :)
     
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  26. Manfonse

    Manfonse Active Member

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    Brilliantly Excellent stuff.
     
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  27. Sigy_Joe

    Sigy_Joe Member

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    you gave me great news! :love:
    the remapping for the Dualshock PS4 started giving me problems. Now I can connect the brake lever directly to my controller without using the Dualshock ps4.

    thank you so much!
     
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2021
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  28. Gav

    Gav Active Member

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    This is absoutley amazing, brilliant.

    I want one!!, its my birthday in March 16th (hint hint hint) haha
     
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  29. Lamplight

    Lamplight Well-Known Member

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    This is absolutely stunning! I know people manage to pull off some crazy stuff on PC, but such a control desk for PS4? Absolutely amazing :love: Great Work!
     
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  30. Sigy_Joe

    Sigy_Joe Member

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    Thank you so much guys!
    I just bought TSW2 on PS4 and modified the controller to use the brake without using the Dualshock.
    Great, it works great! As soon as I can I make a video.

    Thanks Dovetail for this gift! :love:
     
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  31. marcjmurray

    marcjmurray Member

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    Will it work on ps5
     
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  32. Birita

    Birita Well-Known Member

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    Wow! Congrats! Amazing!
     
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  33. Knightfire1964

    Knightfire1964 Well-Known Member

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    doubt they will know but at the moment
     
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  34. Coastway trainspotter

    Coastway trainspotter Well-Known Member

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    Xbox does support keyboard
     
  35. sammarco#8258

    sammarco#8258 New Member

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    where did you find the mushroom switch?
     
  36. yardem

    yardem Well-Known Member

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    Amazon has some. But if you're willing to wait a few weeks, Aliexpress has more options and lower prices.

    Kudos for an amazing job.
    I have only one question: why did you add CTRL and SHIFT buttons?
    I'm currently working on something like this, using Arduino Pro Micro. The Keyboard library allows you to send multiple key presses, so you can have single button press converted to combinations, like CTRL + Key or SHIFT + Key and even CTRL + SHIFT + Key. For me, the whole purpose is to push one button instead of combos.
     

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