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#3949624 - 05/06/14 06:30 AM Alternative to Touch Buddy?  
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Dr Meltdown Offline
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Dr Meltdown  Offline
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Hi,
I just came across this in my random web surfing tonight. Has anyone tried it?
ROCCAT Power Grid
It is similar to Touch Buddy but uses a smart phone or tablet connected over the network to send commands. Basically turns your phone into an all in one control interface.
It looks very customizable and simple. And it makes sense, with all the phones and tablets available, that this is more possible than ever before. I may give it a try if no one reports back.

(This could have easily applied to the pit builders, pc hardware & software, or mobile hardware & software forums, but I put it here. Moderator: feel free to move if necessary)


-Dr Meltdown
Inline advert (2nd and 3rd post)

#3949641 - 05/06/14 08:23 AM Re: Alternative to Touch Buddy? [Re: Dr Meltdown]  
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- Ice Offline
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I've tried something called TouchControl before, and used it to send key combo commands to the PC to control Falcon BMS. Biggest problem at the time was lag, about half a sec or so. Second problem is feedback; I had to make it so that activating a switch or pressing a button would give an audible "click" so I know that the command has been sent. Third problem is settings. Flick a switch or two on one panel, check out another panel, and when you return to the first panel, the switches would go back to their default position which would then be confusing. I ended up getting a touchscreen (bigger space for more stuff) and using Helios.

As to the video on the website, well, nothing an alt+tab wouldn't solve IMHO. Or double-clicking on a screen to start up a game. If your game is running at a pace that you need a secondary device to do something else, well, I doubt you can spare the attention to operate your phone anyway. If you COULD spare your attention, like I said, nothing an alt+tab wouldn't solve.


- Ice
#3949847 - 05/06/14 04:33 PM Re: Alternative to Touch Buddy? [Re: - Ice]  
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Originally Posted By: - Ice
As to the video on the website, well, nothing an alt+tab wouldn't solve IMHO. Or double-clicking on a screen to start up a game. If your game is running at a pace that you need a secondary device to do something else, well, I doubt you can spare the attention to operate your phone anyway. If you COULD spare your attention, like I said, nothing an alt+tab wouldn't solve.


I agree, but I'm looking for a solution to just add some key input or macros on a touchscreen, and not so much the launching or secondary PC controls they also advertise. Since I have an android phone already, it's tempting to avoid the cost of a touchscreen. I'll have to try it and see what kind of lag I see. It'll also save me the time and trouble of building a panel, which I can't seem to find the time or patience to begin working on.

Originally Posted By: - Ice
Flick a switch or two on one panel, check out another panel, and when you return to the first panel, the switches would go back to their default position which would then be confusing. I ended up getting a touchscreen (bigger space for more stuff) and using Helios.


I also agree. This "Power Grid" is simple and would not provide any feedback as to switch positions or selected modes. Helios looks neat, but more advanced than I'm willing to learn (and I'm not as concerned with displaying game info the screen).

Something like Touch Buddy or this could allow me to build a "virtual panel" that can be customized for whatever game I want. I like versatility. I'm afraid I'll always find something I could have added or changed if I build a physical control box or panel.

Are there any other options out there similar to Touch Buddy or Helios?


-Dr Meltdown
#3949941 - 05/06/14 07:26 PM Re: Alternative to Touch Buddy? [Re: Dr Meltdown]  
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Just be aware that once you go down this route.... well, just a fair warning! biggrin

Also, a decent touchscreen is less than the cost of a new android phone, unless you're talking about a 3-4 year old smartphone.


- Ice
#3950664 - 05/08/14 08:26 AM Re: Alternative to Touch Buddy? [Re: Dr Meltdown]  
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Ok -Ice… I looked into Helios and saw your youtube tutorials. I'm liking it. I think I see what you mean… I'm going that route. I plan to use a small mini computer to power it and utilize GTP ( Gurra's Pit Tools ), mainly the KeyComTransmitter and KeyComReceiver to send key commands.

I did a test run, and could not get the keycom to work. Are you familiar with it? I've followed the setup, installed all the necessary stuff, and set the IP in the config. But I'm not getting any key response (just tested with notepad on the receiving end). The transmitting PC is running Win 7 x64 and the receiving is running Win 8 x64. I'm thinking it could be either Win 8, or some kind of firewall/router settings.

Any advice? I've seen forum posts of success, but no one has had any feedback with problems. Must be user error?


-Dr Meltdown
#3951107 - 05/08/14 11:50 PM Re: Alternative to Touch Buddy? [Re: Dr Meltdown]  
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I'm not familiar with GPT, sorry. I use a single HD 7970 to push three displays and a touchscreen. Very easy to set up. If you are only using one display screen, why not put the touchscreen on the same GPU? Or maybe use the on-board graphics card (if your CPU/mobo combo has one) to drive the touchscreen? I've even heard of using a smaller, weaker GPU on the 2nd GPU slot to drive the touchscreen.

I've released version 1 of my Falcon BMS pit some time ago, give it a try and it will show you how much better Helios is vs. what came before it. I really like the swipe function as it prevent "accidental inputs" from happening.

I've had version 2 in the works for ages now, I just might release it as is.


- Ice
#3951167 - 05/09/14 02:34 AM Re: Alternative to Touch Buddy? [Re: Dr Meltdown]  
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Good news! I got it working. It seemed I had Win 8 set for a public network so it had extra security set. I changed it to a private network and the key receiver started getting keystrokes from the host. Now that that's solved, I can begin making profiles. (and find a good touchscreen)

I'm planning the 2nd pc to avoid the touchscreen issues with having to run games in windowed mode with Helios. I want a setup that has the ability to work with any game I'd want it to.

As of now, I just want an interface for touch controls. I don't think much of what I'm playing has the capability to send data to the screen like DCS or BMS does. I'm hoping to create something for IL-2 (1946, CLOD, & BOS) and ARMA. And whatever else sim or game I'd want to add a simple interface to play.

Any recommendations for a good, reasonable priced touchscreen? Since I'm not displaying game info, I don't need too much screen real-estate, so anything 19" or smaller is ideal. Maybe even a 10" would be ideal?


-Dr Meltdown
#3952855 - 05/13/14 05:01 AM Re: Alternative to Touch Buddy? [Re: Dr Meltdown]  
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Update:
I found an inexpensive refurbished 10" Asus tablet running Win8. This seemed to be the best option: Self running touchscreen w/ OS, no wires, and about the same price as a touchscreen monitor. It'll run Helios and the GPT software to transfer buttons as keyboard input to my gaming PC via network. I just hope it works as I envision it should.


-Dr Meltdown
#3952882 - 05/13/14 08:37 AM Re: Alternative to Touch Buddy? [Re: Dr Meltdown]  
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Obviously, "ideal" is a relative term. I would not use anything smaller than a 22" which is what I have no. If I could do things over, I'd go for a 24" or bigger instead.




It may be possible to display this on a 19" or a 10" but it sure would be a pain to operate! My Helios profile has every switch available in the cockpit... on the touchscreen. No need for a mouse and keyboard once I'm in the 3D world and flying. Helios deals with the switchology, VAC deals with the radios.


- Ice
#3952966 - 05/13/14 02:06 PM Re: Alternative to Touch Buddy? [Re: Dr Meltdown]  
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Nice! But I'm not expecting to need as much buttons/switches on the screen at once. I'm mostly wanting it for WWII era sims. I'll probably categorize controls into different pages (hidden panels in Helios terms) that can be easily switched between (Take-off/landing, navigation, combat, etc) so that I don't have such a cluttered screen. As far as I know, most sims (that I play) do not support the streaming of gauge data, so I'm not concerned about that right now. Maybe I'll tinker further once I get into it more.
Right now I'm planning it to only output keyboard commands, so it can work with "unsupported sims" such as IL-2, since I don't play BMS or DCS right now (Though I may try DCS WWII once it's released).


-Dr Meltdown
#3953004 - 05/13/14 04:05 PM Re: Alternative to Touch Buddy? [Re: Dr Meltdown]  
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I see. Well good luck anyway!


- Ice

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