PC Free Hardware Interface Software Based On The Official Api (supports English, German, And Chinese)

Discussion in 'TSW General Discussion' started by Spark Chen, Feb 5, 2026.

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  1. Spark Chen

    Spark Chen Active Member

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    Sim Workshop console (Beta) V0.0.1 is a tool for Train Sim World 5/6 that lets you map USB device axes and buttons to the game’s writable control interface. It also supports keyboard mapping, control scanning, and profile save/load. The UI is clean and available in Chinese, English, and German, making it easy to build custom hardware control setups quickly.

    Special thanks to CobraOne’s “TS World Raildriver And Joystick Interface” for inspiration, and to DTG for the public API. This software is free for all users—we hope every train sim enthusiast can enjoy the same hardware-control experience found in flight sims.

    The project is still in beta, so unexpected issues may occur. If you run into any problems, please leave feedback—we’ll fix bugs as quickly as possible.
     
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  2. Spark Chen

    Spark Chen Active Member

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    upload_2026-2-5_18-23-25.png
     
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  3. Spark Chen

    Spark Chen Active Member

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    Last edited: Feb 6, 2026
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  4. Sportgaming

    Sportgaming New Member

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    afraid that my tscx axis are not detected when using the 'listen axis' button - i press the button, then move the lever, but nothing happens
     
  5. philime#3678

    philime#3678 New Member

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    Hello,
    Very good operation for all GWE locomotives. However, in english, the layout of some words in the application isn't correct (outside the frame)
     
  6. Spark Chen

    Spark Chen Active Member

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  7. Sportgaming

    Sportgaming New Member

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    afraid that the bug reported above is still present in 0.0.3
     
  8. philime#3678

    philime#3678 New Member

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    I reinstalled version 0.02. On some trains, the controller doesn’t work in version 0.03 (for example the BR423 from the latest update). Also, several features have disappeared between the versions: for example the control mapping — now there is only keyboard mapping — and the ability to choose between toggle, hold, and step.
     
  9. Spark Chen

    Spark Chen Active Member

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  10. Spark Chen

    Spark Chen Active Member

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    Sim Workshop Console (Beta) V0.0.5 is a small tool for Train Sim World 5/6 that lets you map USB device axes and buttons directly to the game’s writable control interface.

    It also supports keyboard mapping, control scanning, and profile save/load, making it easier to build custom hardware setups for train simulation.

    The interface is currently available in Chinese, English, and German, and the goal is to make hardware configuration as simple and quick as possible.

    Huge thanks to CobraOne for the inspiration from the “TS World Raildriver and Joystick Interface”, and also to DTG for providing the public API that makes projects like this possible.

    The software is free for everyone, regardless of whether you own any Sim Workshop hardware or not. Our hope is that train sim players can enjoy the same kind of hardware control experience that flight sim users have had for years.

    During development we decided to completely rethink the early versions of the software. Versions v0.0.1 to v0.0.4 were experimental and ended up being too complicated to use.

    With V0.0.5, we're aiming for something much more intuitive and straightforward.

    The project is still in beta, so you may run into issues. If you do, please let us know — feedback from the community helps us improve the software much faster.
     

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  11. Spark Chen

    Spark Chen Active Member

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    The software will first detect the hardware devices connected to your computer, such as TSC-X, flight sticks, throttles, or other USB controllers, and automatically identify how many buttons and axes the device has.

    After that, you only need to tell the software what function each button or axis should perform, and the rest of the configuration will be handled automatically by the software.
     
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  12. Spark Chen

    Spark Chen Active Member

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    If you're using Sim Workshop Console, here is a quick way to get everything working.
    Step 1
    Go to your Steam Library, find Train Sim World 5 or 6, right-click it and open Properties.
    Under the General tab, add the following to the Launch Options:
    -HTTPAPI
    Then start TSW5 or TSW6 once. This enables the API interface that our software uses to communicate with the game.
    Step 2
    Open Sim Workshop Console and select the game you want to use.
    If the connection indicator turns green, that means the connection is working correctly.
    Step 3
    In the Input Devices section, select the hardware device you want to use (for example TSC-X, a joystick, throttle, or any USB controller).
    Once selected, the Axis Mapping and Button Mapping panels will automatically show all the axes and buttons detected on that device.
    If you move an axis or press a button, you should see the input responding in real time — this is also a good way to quickly check if everything is working properly.
    Step 4
    Now just assign the functions you want to each axis and button, click Start Mapping, and you're ready to go.
    Enjoy your drive
     
  13. Spark Chen

    Spark Chen Active Member

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    The software also includes two small tools: the Axis Config Tool and the Key Library.
    The Axis Config Tool is mainly there for trains that we haven't fully configured yet. With it, you can manually assign throttle, brake, AFB, or other axis-based functions, or modify the locomotive configuration files that come with the software.
    The idea is fairly simple. Since different trains use different names for their axis controls, we created a separate configuration file for each locomotive. These files are stored in the root directory of the software.
    When you open the Axis Config Tool, as long as the software is connected to the game and you are sitting in the driver’s seat, the tool will automatically scan all available controls for the current train and display them in a list.
    You can enable any control from the list and assign it as Throttle, Brake, AFB, etc., which then makes it available in the Axis Mapping panel so you can bind it to your hardware device.
    So how do you know what a scanned control actually does?
    That part is quite simple as well. Just move the validation slider next to the control and watch what happens in the locomotive in-game. In most cases you'll quickly see which function it corresponds to.
    (Of course, it would be much easier if DTG provided a consistent naming standard for these controls — we definitely hope that might happen one day.)
    The good news is that this only needs to be done once per locomotive.
    We are continuing to add support ourselves, but we also wanted to make this tool available so you can get your favorite trains working with your hardware.
    The Key Library is even simpler.
    The built-in key library works by simulating keyboard output, which means you can add, remove, or modify key bindings freely. As long as you know which keyboard key corresponds to a specific function, you can add it to the library and then assign it to your hardware buttons in the Button Mapping panel.
     
  14. Spark Chen

    Spark Chen Active Member

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    Last edited: Mar 14, 2026 at 2:25 PM
  15. fizzbin14

    fizzbin14 Member

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    The software is coming along nicely but I still have problems.....
    If I take for example the East Coastway Class 377/2, this train has a combined power/brake handle but the software only offers AFB, Throttle, Trainbrake, IndependantBrake and DynamicBrake. I select Throttle but the axis will only control half of the quadant, in this case the brake half (I have axis inverted). How do I make the axis control both throttle & brake.

    Regards
    Phil
     
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  16. Spark Chen

    Spark Chen Active Member

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    Hello Phil,

    You are correct — trains such as the Class 377/2 on East Coastway, as well as some German trains, use a combined power/brake handle.

    In this case, you only need to use the Axis Configuration Tool included with our software and assign Throttle to the axis for that combined power/brake handle. Once this is done, the software will automatically handle the rest of the logic internally.

    In a future version, I will also rename Throttle to “Throttle (Throttle and Brake)” to make this clearer and easier to understand.

    Regarding the issue where the axis only controls the brake half of the quadrant, my guess is that the train might not currently be set to Forward traction or Reverse traction. If the reverser is in neutral, the throttle side will not respond.

    You may want to try again after setting the train to Forward or Reverse and see if that resolves the issue.

    Kind regards.
     
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