Most, if not all, other simulation programs implement Direct Input (DI) support from the get-go but sadly not TS, TSW or TSW2. Over a year ago I started looking at building a controller for TSW2 in anticipation of DTG implementing DI so that HOTAS units, joysticks, throttle levers and home grown diy controllers, etc, used in other sims, could be used in TSW2; although DI “isn’t on the Roadmap” it was something that kept getting mentioned in the live streams as a follow-on from getting Raildriver support implemented and as this was progressing well I thought DI must be a natural next step. Anyway, having got a Leo Bodnar interface/pots/switches, searching the net for suitable levers and getting support from my eldest son to CAD & 3D print parts, I looked at getting some sort of controller design together. My enthusiasm wained as DI’s non-appearance on the Roadmap became a regular thing and my repeated questions on live streams about DI never got picked up, such that I put it on hold. Recently my son mentioned that Diesel Railcar Simulator (DRS) fully supported DI controllers, so this re-kindled my interest and spurred me on to get my controller design together and get it up and working on DRS. Well, hats off to DRS, its set-up for any sort of controller/axis is fantastic, it really is very well implemented and fully adjustable in its useable ranges and dead-zone set-up, etc. It shows what can be done to support any and all controller types. The immersion factor using lever controls for instance (I’ve gone with a sort of very generic BR Diesel era layout) is a big improvement and far more involving. I really do hope DTG can come up with something similar and soon, the sim deserves it and Direct Input really should have been there from the off.
What a nice design. Congrats! Is the "joystick" looking control in the upper left a forward/middle/back switch or an analog lever/joystick? There are a couple different attempts people have tried to add Direct Input to TSW. One of the better ideas was dropped when DTG said they were going to add Direct Input support - so no new support in almost 2 years. I saw another one recently on the forums here about using the DLL for the RailDriver to hack in a Direct Input controller. My own solution using Thrustmaster TARGET to program a Warthog HOTAS and TCA Airbus Throttle Quadrant works pretty well, but only works with TARGET compatible devices. But Thrustmaster has a 3 axis RJ12 connector on some of their devices (as well as a 3 axis to USB dongle) that would allow adding analog axes from a custom controller to my script. I have considered several times using these features to add 6 analog axes on a custom controller box like yours. The connector is available on the Thrustmaster TWCS Throttle, TCA Airubus Throttle, and the T.RJ12 USB adapter. It is very simple - provides 5V, GND, and 3 analog axis inputs (take the output from the potentiometers or hall effect sensors directly into the 3 analog axis inputs). This connector is intended to allow adding rudder pedals to a HOTAS setup, or clutch/brake/throttle pedals for racing wheels. Here is the T.RJ12 adapter. They are sometimes hard to find, but I recently saw new stock show up at a few stores. https://www.amazon.com/Thrustmaster-TR-J12-USB-Adapter-pc/dp/B01F41W63S There is a similar RJ12 connector on the TWCS Throttle and TCA Airbus Throttle. The picture below of the TWCS shows the RJ12 connector opposite the USB cable. The USB adapter works stand alone, or using the connector on the TWCS or TCA, the 3 axis work in concert with the rest of the controller. If I made a box like yours using a Bodnar board, I would make a switch to allow me to send the analog signal from the pots or hall effect sensors to the Bodnar, or flip the switch and send output to a connector on the back which I would attach to a couple of these RJ12 connectors. I would use the Bodnar to do button to keyboard mapping to TSW, but use my TARGET script to handle the analog axes. I would set the TWCS off to the side and not even use it - just use it as a USB adapter - and only use the custom controller box. Anyway, I'm not planning to build such a box anymore, but for those that are, this is a relatively simple way to make a custom control box for TSW using TARGET, and it can be done without disabling the use of the Bodnar board. Another solution would be to use the guts of a Raildriver to replace the Bodnar board, but that would require gutting or modifying the Raildriver (possible but just more effort) whereas what I describe above only requires modifying your custom controller box to bring out the analog signals. Everything else is off the shelf and unmodified.
Hi Drakoz, interesting solution. The control top left is just an up/down 2-way switch for the horn control.
Given PC users are only a third of the player base DI is likely to be very far down the to do list. I find the Raildriver clunky, and the accelerator is maddening when you drive mostly European trains. Can only dream of a controller in TSW as smooth as Thrustmaster gear. Nice controller zappatime. Hope it works as well as it looks.
It's more like they don't care about external controllers at all, they did RD as that was the bare minimum, a lot of peole had it and before it was implemented there was quite a lot of demand, if they were interested they would have started to implement stuff like official HOTAS support for all the HOTAS and flight stick available for consoles (and for PC as well), and I'm guessing once you develop something not-as-crude as the current RD system (which is almost not even the bare minum in terms of functionalities and customization) it can't be too hard to then modifiy said system to allow for more "PC-only" stuff like DI. RD is STILL in beta, is not customisable, and is not the best. Chances are that they view it something like VR... a niche thing not worth pursuing in their simulator "aimed for everyone"... so they did the bare minimum to satisfy the biggest part of that niche (RD owners) so they could focus on doing other stuff and never think about it ever again, and in fairness what would they gain by allowing DI or HOTAS support?
You don't have to dream. I have been using my Thrustmaster Warthog Throttle (and now TCA Airbus Throttle) through my TARGET script in TSW for 3 years. Still not perfect (each locomotive must be programmed separately, and it is a script, not a convenient configurable UI), but it works very well. The disappointing part is it can't support non-Thrustmaster devices. But that was the point of my post above. There is a way to make a custom control box like what zappatime created work with Thrustmaster TARGET using the RJ12 connector Thrustmaster created for attaching a rudder pedal set.
