=VG= SemlerPDX

^What he said... Network Address Translation. It's a good thing!

You're a binary co-processor unit that I'm still not convinced is not a bot, and you're asking us how to use PayPal? I don't think you can, you're from Germany, dude. Germany HATES PayPal (not without reason). But all joking aside, if you could, you would go to the paypal website and create a user account. From there you can add a credit card, debit card, or bank account as a payment method. Then when you donate to a place like us that accepts paypal, it will first take you to a screen here where you can choose a donation amount, then it takes you to a secure PayPal portal to finalize the transaction, giving you a final option to choose which saved payment method you want PayPal to use, or just whatever default method you have set. Bing bang boom, done. When a bill is paid directly from a PayPal account to places that accept PayPal (like our website host, for example), we don't even have to worry about fees. Only if one were to take cash out, then they would lose 30% to fees (so best use is just as our bill pay/donation acceptance, which we do). Understood, brother?

Is it time to ditch the Oculus Rift (CV1) and buy an Oculus Rift S? If I ever told any of you that Oculus Rift is cool, if you have the money, a capable PC, and if you already play a few games like War Thunder or Elite: Dangerous that have native VR support, but also told you to hold off for the next generation of VR, well... you may wanna keep holding off. Here's why: The original Oculus Rift (Consumer Version 1) is awesome now, mostly due to the fact that you can buy a comfortable facial interface replacement that makes it possible to play for hours without getting a Ski Mask face, allows more airflow for less heat-buildup, and if you have good over-the-ear headphones, you can take off the Rift earpieces and use VR like I do with full surround sound immersion via the Logitech G35. I bought custom prescription glasses made for the Oculus Rift, they are curved the opposite way, and sit like monocles over the Rift lenses. They cost about as much as regular prescription glasses (expensive!), though I did choose the extra options like the blue light filter coating. Definitely worth it because it provides comfortable and clear viewing with reduced eyestrain, all without the discomfort of trying to wear actual glasses with frames inside the Rift (which could scratch the lenses easily!). The included Oculus Touch controllers are so advanced, and intuitive, that I cannot believe anyone would consider VR without these controllers. The Vive wands, the PS4 wands, etc, all pale in comparison. The ergonomics are as perfectly designed as the Playstation Dual Shock 3 controllers, with analogue buttons everywhere, and of course, vibration. They even sense when you are simply touching a button or not, to translate SO many real world hand gestures from grabbing to pointing to finger-guns to the old standard one-finger "come here" gesture, and many more. (thumbsticks are buttons, too, because of course they are ) The only controller issue would be the fact that they are a little small for an adult with medium to large hands. But, since the Oculus Rift has been out for awhile, there are plenty of third party options available for sale such as gel covers that marginally increase the size enough to fill the gap, while increasing comfort for extended use. Also, the old CV1 Oculus Rift can run fairly well on just a GTX 970 and 4th generation Intel CPU (I have the 4690k, and a super clocked EVGA GTX at 1509MHz, so results may vary) VS. On the other hand, the new Oculus Rift S is also amazing tech, but is brand new. Because of this, for now, there are no fancy gel controller covers for larger hands, no comfortable facial inserts for sale yet, and the included facial piece is just as difficult to wear for any period of time as the original CV1 version was. From what I can tell from reddits/etc. the custom prescription glasses I have for my CV1 Rift may not fit correctly in the Rift S, and that's a huge add-on cost. They say it's easier to wear glasses with frames in the Rift S, but unless I can try a demo, I'm not gonna take that at face value. They said the same about the CV1, and I strongly disagree. There are no included headphones, just a few built-in speaker holes directly over the ear on the headstrap. It apparently has a 3.5mm jack for headphones, though a lot of the users that posted said they wear earbud style headphones. Personally, I've hated those since the 1980's, so for me, I'm not considering that as an option. It looks like it might be difficult to fit the Logitech G35 surround sound headphones over that headstrap, and like many people, I feel that complete immersion requires surround sound and either a quiet room or over-the-ear style headphones like the G35 and G933. It "can" run on a GTX 970 like it's predecessor, but will likely be able to take advantage of more modern graphics cards and CPU's to help maintain at least 45FPS as required for a "no nausea" VR experience while in motion. The resolution has been improved to the point where the very apparent screen door effect of the Oculus Rift CV1 is all but completely gone, according to reviews. With a closer and tighter fit around the nose, there is less face exposure to outside air, and this has led to complaints about heat buildup. I use a small fan that constantly blows over the top of the Oculus Rift CV1 when I use it from a desk setup, and it makes it possible to spend more than an hour or two in VR without noticing the heat. According to reviews and posts so far, the Rift S has fewer/smaller openings to allow such a fan to help dissipate the heat buildup. I already notice immediately if I move my hand (and touch controller) out of view of my Oculus Sensors mounted near the ceiling - if I block it by reaching under my chair, desk, etc. it switches to a sort of inertial mode and can lose that under certain circumstances. With the Rift S, the sensors are on the HMD itself, so I assume it could have even more issues when playing from a desktop setup vs. a room scale setting. With any luck, my sensors will function with the new systems, and add to the tracking. That would be great, but I'm sure the new Touch controllers designed for the Rift S will work well just as if they were the old ones, only with the tracking ring on top. It should be noted that because the Rift S uses a single screen for both eyes, the inter-pupilary distance is no longer adjustable as it was on the Oculus Rift CV1. Anyone with outside the average range will certainly have issue, and even those inside the range will be unable to fine tune it to their exact IPD, which some are counting as a step backwards for this pioneering VR company. So, for these several reasons, I am not upgrading my VR setup to the Rift S at this time. Even if money were not a factor, sadly, I don't think it would be a very enjoyable and comfortable and equally immersive experience. VR is awesome in the Oculus Rift CV1 right now, there's even a wireless kit available! It's comfortable to wear, easy to cool, accommodates my less than perfect vision, and is completely immersive thanks to the Logitech G35 (and the buttkicker under my seat!). I just have to deal with this screendoor effect for a little while longer.

^ That's a feature, not a bug

SitRep: I have several great suggestions and will be working on adding several of these ideas to the next working beta (0.99b), if possible. My release plan is simply this beta, and the 0.99b beta, for a few weeks until VoiceAttack beta that we are using gets it's own release, and then I'll add any final changes and polish, and release it as a version 1.0 - I don't expect much need for editing in future unless the radio menus get changed again, but will maintain the profile and entertain any useful suggestions even after final release. If anyone has any other suggestions, feel free to let me know! Thanks for all the feedback so far!

*For anyone with issues, per a message I received about keys not getting through: You can ensure that keys are getting sent to the application by opening the VoiceAttack Profile, and clicking on Options along the top, and select "Send commands to this target" and then write in *Falcon BMS* between asterisks (*) for a wildcard catchall for the BMS game window. This will ensure these keystrokes go where they are needed. See image:

Thanks for the feedback! If people prefer English for VoiceAttack, there is no sense to waste time on localization. I believe I can include an option for QUERTY or AZERTY. Is this correct? // AI COMMS Menu Lists Set Text [KEY_AWACS_LIST] to 'A' Set Text [KEY_WINGMAN_LIST] to 'Z' Set Text [KEY_ELEMENT_LIST] to 'E' Set Text [KEY_ATC_LIST] to 'T' Set Text [KEY_FLIGHT_LIST] to 'R' Set Text [KEY_TANKER_LIST] to 'Y'

We don't pause when no players online. Not sure if there is a setting for that. EDIT: I thought we tweaked the campaign to change some setting when no players were online, but it seems that our setting was no different than the default 2 hours, and it has nothing to do with actually pausing the server or action on the server. I have notes going back to Allied Force, things get confusing, so I hope this is relevant. Admittedly, I've not tested it. I set it like 3 years ago as I read in some ancient forum post here, and haven't changed it since, and have included it in our servers falcon bms.cfg file throughout version changes over the years. Here's the original post from three years ago: More info from the interwebs: Technically, it's a 24/7 Campaign, so things happen even when we are not present to witness them, the clock keeps ticking in real time. At all times, a war is going on with thousands of units all over a full scale map of Korea. (if only they could have maps this size and units of that volume for an infantry+vehicles military game like PR or Arma, a map change could be more of a location change/teleport!!) Hope that answers your question - there is no literal "pause" - time moves ever forward: set g_nNoPlayerPlay 2 //VG server changed- extend playtime when no players online *after re-reading all that old info, I think the comment I put in our config "extend playtime when no players online" was what confused me, as I don't think it's the most accurate interpretation and I think I'll revisit this particular setting when I have time

Roger. I'll set it at around 0600 ZULU for Muttrah All Layers 24 Hours in remembrance of our dear departed friend H8CrazyVet67 aka VincentJames, and an in-game message will display such on the server title, and at the join screen & in-game. *(the denotation of 24/7 implies seven days a week/twenty four hours per day -- this will be a 24 hour event)

Thank you very much! (It's my profile, not Kavelenko - lost in translation, I'm sure, don't worry about it!) I had a feeling that the profile may look odd, all of my AVCS4 profiles follow a similar format, and must be grouped by category in order for the list to look correct. By consolidating multi-part commands, and collapsing all categories, it should begin to appear much more ordered. I enjoy placing as much as possible into "initialization" scripts so that if I change anything later, I can make changes in one place. If you look inside most of the commands like "go stack;go spread;..." their content is almost exactly the same as the next or previous commands, and again, this makes it very easy to expand or edit in future if needed. I would love to work with someone to add localization to this profile! If we could translate my command words into French, and if Windows Voice Recognition and VoiceAttack both work in the French language, it would be very easy to modify this profile. Again, all speech variables are in one file, so anything spoken by the profile can be changed to any language without hunting for them throughout the profile. And editing the commands themselves would let you change any of the command words to French equivalents. Proper nouns would likely remain the same, of course, OR you could change ALL callsigns in the profile to different ones if you edit the .vap and find/replace all. I'll include a readme with instructions on changing/adding callsigns to the .vap profile file before the beta is finished. If anyone would like to help with localization, RSVP

I have a touch screen monitor below my main one when I fly in flight simulators like Falcon BMS or DCS or Microsoft Flight Simulator. It's great for the MFD buttons, as opposed to the actual wired USB Thrustmaster MFD's physically attached to the screen like I used to have, and I can use the monitor for other things, too. But one thing I would love to have attached to the screen would be the Course and Heading knobs of the HSI (horizontal situation indicator) . It would need to be removable so I can store it when not in use. I've heard about a micro-suction tape that can stick to anything smooth and flat without leaving a residue or losing stickiness, so this is a good excuse to buy some and play around with sticking things to my monitors. ← On the left is the (green) Arduino Micro board I used to test the concept with a rotary encoder on a breakout board, where I wrote the initial sketch with the Joystick and Encoder libraries. Later, because I didn't want to sacrifice my Arduino Micro to this controller, I bought a 3 pack of these much smaller Sparkfun Pro Micro clones for fifteen bucks (blue one in the middle). That one is gonna stay there for future tests and such, they'll be the heart of many projects in the future since they cost so little and include so much! My DIY USB Game Controller - Rotary Encoders as Course & Heading Knobs for Falcon BMS / DCS / FSX *parts list with links at bottom The initial goals I had for this project were: Two Rotary Encoders with Push Buttons recognized as USB Game Controller in Windows Thin and flat, without taking up too much viewing space on the monitor Can stick and restick to the monitor with micro-suction tape USB connector can be removed so it can be boxed (NetDot magnetic) Fine control for one-degree per detent and Fast Speeds for turning quickly Encased in semi-rigid form like shrink wrap so it won't scratch the monitor Total cost for one single unit less than $10 First, I affixed the Rotary Encoders and the Pro Micro clone to an 8cm x 2cm prototype PCB with a couple header pins bent outwards and crimped down, and with the two blue solid copper switch wires soldered in place from the top. I also ran the 10k Ohm resistors for the switches now. These are for the push buttons built into the rotary encoders, and although they only have two pegs on the actual component, they require three wires from the controller board (ground, 5 volt power, and the blue switch wire going to the Pro Micro). All this added plenty of structure. There is no wiggle or play, I'm not gonna try to break it, but it is very rigid now. Here's a close look at the first stage of soldering. (okay, don't look too close) I don't have the highest quality tools or solder, or even a lot of skill and experience at this, but it's good enough -- and good enough should always be good enough for a DIY project for personal use. If I wanted to, I could order a custom circuit board if I was going to make a bunch of these, but I'm happy as it is. It is so cheap to buy some of this stuff, if you messed up, you can always just buy another. Those Pro Micro controller boards cost about as much as a value meal at a fast food joint, so you can literally afford to make mistakes as you learn even if you're on a very tight budget like I am. A homemade carbon filter fume extractor, a simple soldering iron with a power switch and a temperature controller, some handy dandy helping hands and that brass soldering tip cleaner make little projects like this very easy, and all these items together costs less than the Logitech mouse to it's right. Good enough to play. If anyone reading this has any idea to get into working with things like this, my advice is to jump right in, get the most basic stuff you can get, not the cheapest, but things with good reviews from some good online store like Amazon, Sparkfun, Adafruit, etc. Soldering the top side here, used one of the helping hands to hold a string of solder from the spool. When I'm dealing with tiny bits that are between 0.5mm-2mm, anything that helps is appreciated. One slip and this 225C soldering iron would burn through any one of those tiny chips or components on the board. I find myself holding my breath and doing one or two, then letting go for a sec. I had to redo a few, and I always wait for it to cool down so I don't transfer too much heat to this poor little board. I had a few bits of solid copper wire with colored insulators, from a breadboard jumpers kit, so I cut some to length, but used others as is. This resulted in an odd looking crossover of the Orange and Yellow wires, but they are not taller than the micro USB port on the other side of the board and that's fine. Once I was all done, I tested every connection for continuity and unintentional bridges, and it all checked out, so I encased it in shrink wrap. By some sort of miracle, it works, it looks decent, and I think that will do just great! I connected it to the computer and uploaded the sketch, which I had to modify slightly since I used a few different pins for the push buttons on the rotary encoders, now at pins 15 and 6 instead of 6 and 7. I am thoroughly hooked on these NetDot magnetic adapters. When I looked at the reviews for Pro Micro boards, one of the only issues I saw that I'd be concerned with is accidentally popping the micro-USB port off the Pro Mini board if dropped or yanked too hard. A magnetic connector completely eliminates this issue, as well as the standard wear and tear issues that plugging and unplugging creates over time. And they're as cheap as regular braided USB cables, too. Why not? Here it is connected to the touchscreen monitor. It is far more satisfying to have tactile dials for these knobs than trying to make little circles on the screen with my finger over the touchscreen dials. The micro-suction tape keeps it in place and actually has some grab when trying to pull it off the screen. I've started using a peeling action but I doubt the screen would ever have problems. I might get a 3D printed case someday and maybe even a 90 degree angle connector so the cord goes back behind the monitor naturally instead of downwards, but for now, it's done and working great. Turning the dial with the most basic rotary encoder sketch from that Arduino library results in a "one degree per detent" meaning one turn is one click, and one click is one degree. No matter how fast you turn it, with 20 detents per 360 degrees with these encoders, it would take FOREVER to turn the dial from heading 000 to 180!! I wrote two separate jump speeds to detect how fast the dial is being turned, one jumps 18 degrees per click, and the other 30 per click. Now, it's easy to twist the dial fast to get it spinning fast on screen, while also being able to dial in one degree at a time when needed. All in all, it was a fun project and it's made me think seriously about getting a 3D printer someday to make little plastic cases for things like this. Here's the code if someone wants to use it (or modify it to make it better): Rotary Encoders HSI Course and Heading Knobs.ino for Arduino IDE https://pastebin.com/drUnCfKN /* Simple HSI Knobs Sketch for Falcon BMS / DCS / FSX * for Arduino Micro/Leonardo / Sparkfun Pro Micro or equiv. clones * by SemlerPDX June2019 * VETERANS-GAMING.COM * * Pins: * Rotary Encoder 1 - (OUTA-OUTB-SW) = Arduino Pins (0,1,15) * Rotary Encoder 2 - (OUTA-OUTB-SW) = Arduino Pins (2,3,6) * * Encoder Library * http://www.pjrc.com/teensy/td_libs_Encoder.html * * Joystick Library * by Matthew Heironimus * https://github.com/MHeironimus/ArduinoJoystickLibrary */ #define ENCODER_USE_INTERRUPTS #define ENCODER_OPTIMIZE_INTERRUPTS #include <Encoder.h> #include <Joystick.h> //Tell the Encoder Library which pins have encoders Encoder axisXRotation(0, 1); Encoder axisYRotation(2, 3); //Rotary Encoder Push Button Pins int buttonArray[2] = {15, 6}; //Rotary Encoder Interrupt Pins int EncoderPin0 = 0; int EncoderPin1 = 1; int EncoderPin2 = 2; int EncoderPin3 = 3; //Delay Time between loops int debounceDelay = 260; //Variables to compare current to old values int oldX = 0; int oldY = 0; int RxAxis_Value = 1; int RyAxis_Value = 1; //Intervals for Jump/Warp Speed Rotations int JumpSpeed = 18; int WarpSpeed = 30; //Set generic joystick with id 42 with 2 buttons and 2 axes Joystick_ Joystick(0x42, 0x04, 2, 0, false, false, false, true, true, false, false, false, false, false, false); void setup() { //Set Encoder Pins as Pullups pinMode(EncoderPin0, INPUT_PULLUP); pinMode(EncoderPin1, INPUT_PULLUP); pinMode(EncoderPin2, INPUT_PULLUP); pinMode(EncoderPin3, INPUT_PULLUP); //Loop through buttons and set them as Pullups for(int x = 0; x < sizeof(buttonArray); x++) { pinMode(buttonArray[x], INPUT_PULLUP); } //Set Range of custom Axes Joystick.setRxAxisRange(0, 359); Joystick.setRyAxisRange(0, 359); // Initialize Joystick Library Joystick.begin(false); } void loop() { // Loop through button pin values & set to Joystick for (int x = 0; x < sizeof(buttonArray); x++) { byte currentButtonState = !digitalRead(buttonArray[x]); Joystick.setButton(x, currentButtonState); } // Read "Heading" X Axis Rotation Encoder Knob int newX = axisXRotation.read(); if (newX > oldX) { //Determine speed of increment & set output int difX = newX - oldX; RxAxis_Value = speedVal(difX, RxAxis_Value, 1); Joystick.setRxAxis(RxAxis_Value); axisXRotation.write(newX); oldX = newX; }else if (newX < oldX) { //Determine speed of decrement & set output int difX = oldX - newX; RxAxis_Value = speedVal(difX, RxAxis_Value, 0); Joystick.setRxAxis(RxAxis_Value); axisXRotation.write(newX); oldX = newX; } // Read "Course" Y Axis Rotation Encoder Knob int newY = axisYRotation.read(); if (newY > oldY) { //Determine speed of increment & set output int difY = newY - oldY; RyAxis_Value = speedVal(difY, RyAxis_Value, 1); Joystick.setRyAxis(RyAxis_Value); axisYRotation.write(newY); oldY = newY; }else if (newY < oldY) { //Determine speed of decrement & set output int difY = oldY - newY; RyAxis_Value = speedVal(difY, RyAxis_Value, 0); Joystick.setRyAxis(RyAxis_Value); axisYRotation.write(newY); oldY = newY; } //Send Joystick info through USB Joystick.sendState(); delay(debounceDelay); } //Function to set Rotation value adjusted for the turning speed int speedVal(int dif, int val, int dir){ if (dif >= WarpSpeed) { if (dir == 1) { val = val + WarpSpeed; }else{ val = val - WarpSpeed; } }else if (dif >= JumpSpeed) { if (dir == 1) { val = val + JumpSpeed; }else{ val = val - JumpSpeed; } }else{ if (dir == 1) { val = val + 1; }else{ val = val - 1; } } //Correct Rotation within 360 deg. if (val < 0) { val = val + 360; }else if (val >= 360) { val = val - 360; } return val; } Here's a cost breakdown: Pro Micro (clone of Sparkfun Pro Micro board sold by KeeYees) (3 pack) - $15.99 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FXCTVQP/ $5.33 per board PCB Prototype Board Kit - $15.99 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CK3RCKS/ $0.25 (just a guestimate - it's one part out of a huge kit) 360 Degree Rotary Encoders (5 pack w/knob caps) - $8.89 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DM2YMT4/ $3.56 for 2 dials Microsuction Tape (25cm X 30cm Sheet) - $14.95 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M7FC1K8/ $0.12 (just a guestimate - used 1.5cm x 6cm strip of a huge sheet) NetDot 5ft Braided Magnetic Tip USB Micro Cable (3 pack) - $13.90 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074TB8XTL/ $4.64 for 1 cord (Not taking into account things like double sided sticky tape, solder, wires, or shrink wrap tubing segments used because they cost less than a few pennies) Total: $13.65 (USD) _________________________________ I spent a fair bit more money than I initially expected to (almost $55!), but much of that went towards components or materials that I'll be able to use for several projects in the future. At about $14 bucks, it is twice what I thought it would be per unit, so that will help me to better gauge other ideas. It seemed like it would be cheap as dirt, using many parts I already owned, but it all adds up - they don't sell less than a sheet of micro-suction tape, and buying control boards in bulk is the only wise way to do it (if you can call 3 units "bulk", that is). In conclusion, it was great to have an idea, play around with some proof of concepts, and then make it into a reality within a few days. Single game controllers today.... one day, a full cockpit of switches! Not sure what my next project will be, but among other ideas, I've considered making a custom control board for Kerbal Space Program, or maybe some kind of wireless gear that can connect to a computer and translate into RF to control some DIY RC cars or whatever with my Xbox controller already attached to my PC. Eventually, I want to get into wireless stuff, and even RC, but I might start with button boards that use USB cables just like this one. If anyone has any questions on this project, feel free to ask. Thanks for reading!

This is a known issue that we have not been able to resolve yet (mostly because I'm the only one really doing it and I'm out of ideas). Zadra has been invaluable in helping pin down the issue, but to no success. He doesn't even read English, so our communication is always passive and not a lot gets accomplished fast. I feel like I'm spinning plates sometimes..... I used to have several technical people helping manage the difficult technical aspects of various servers at VG, and now it is pretty much down to me. I remember back when I didn't know anything technical and Savage/Poffadder/Solar taught me a little and encouraged me to learn more. Now, here I am. Thank God for Kav and Stark being so helpful and getting through a lot of training this year managing the PR Server.... but still, I'm alone in the dark here and not sure how to fix the Arma 3 server(s)... One possible work around (if I understand Zadra correctly) is to restart it 3 times.... apparently, the third time will be stable(?) So sorry for the technical issues, I hate when things fall into disrepair. If you know anyone in our group with technical know-how who'd be willing to help ol' SemlerPDX out, tell them to msg me.

I bought a Logitech G933 wireless headset last year and I'd like to make my TrackIR TrackClip Pro into a wireless unit as well. I need to be able to remove it from the G933 when not in use, TrackClip Pro's break if you look at them too hard, so taking it off is a primary requirement. I'll want to be able to recharge it with the same cord the G933 uses, too. I'm not a pro at this stuff, so any thing that works well and doesn't cost too much will be just fine with me. I know that if I ramp up the voltage from one single 3.7V battery, I can achieve 5V @ 1A for the 3 LED's on the TrackClip, and should retain a duration of more than 4 hours (overly hopeful estimate). I'll need to do some testing, if I have to, I'll use the second 3.7V battery like in the image here just for longer time between charges. My DIY TrackIR "Wireless Rechargeable" Track Clip Pro mod *parts list with links at bottom The initial goals I had once I began were: Tiny form-factor, less than 5cm long, less than 2.5cm wide & tall Can power TrackClip for between 4-8 hours continuously Tiny on-off slider switch Rechargeable via micro-A USB female plugin Output to TrackClip via USB (type A) female outlet plug (as in picture above) Encased in semi-rigid form like shrink wrap, adapted plastic case, or custom 3D printed plastic case Velcro strap to easily mount on headphones Total cost for one single powerpack unit less than $10 USD Soldering leads to the TP4056 (03962A) Charging Board with Protection. This is the brains of this unit, and will make sure the rechargeable 3.7V battery will not discharge past 2.5V and will not recharge over 4.2V. It acts as the buffer between the battery and the voltage booster. Here is the 03962A Charging Board and battery holder wired to the MT3608 DC to DC Step Up Boost Converter. I did this for initial testing and to set the trim-pot (blue square box with round brass peg) on the boost converter from the 18V setting it shipped with to the 5V that I need. It will take the 3.7 Volt battery and step up its voltage to something usable by the TrackClip Pro without the need for a second battery. Trying to keep the size small, mounting the breakout boards close together makes it about the size of a stick of gum, plus the AAA sized battery. I put a USB female plug in for size reference along with the Bic lighter. The 10440 is a 3.7 Volt Lithium Ion rechargeable battery in a AAA size. According to a features sheet on a batteries info website, "Lighter weight and higher energy density than any other rechargeable battery". I'll be ramping up it's voltage to a full 5V. I used a portion of shrink wrap tubing around the 03962A Charging Board on the left, and MT3608 Boost Converter on the right is hot glued to the battery holder and to the 03962A in the middle. Through the shrink wrap I cut holes for the LED indicator lights on the charging board. The tiny switch has a pin through the breakout board and is soldered in place, with another pin bent and wrapped around the edge of the board, and soldered to it's wire (I didn't have red shrink wrap, but the thicker top right wire is the load line, and is red under there). Even with all of that, I just don't trust tiny switches to stay in place and solder is not structural, so it got a healthy dose from the hot glue gun. As you can see, I've used the highly skilled technique known as "just glob it on". I've cut the cord on the Track Clip Pro, spliced the wires to the Boost Converter, and used shrink wrap tubing to contain the entire unit. I've left a bit of the wire jacket hanging below the wires and hot glued in place, and then shrink wrapped under a little tension. This causes a slight bend in the wire, shown in these pics and it helps the unit bend the newly magnetic end inwards to the screw under this panel. A NetDot micro-USB magnetic adapter makes connecting a charging cable easy, and gives one end of my battery pack a strong magnet to work with. The NetDot magnetic charging adapter is so strong it is very well stuck to the screw on the corner of the G933 headset under the panel. It doesn't come off and swing around when I move my head around, and that's all that really matters to me. Function before looks. It's finally finished and working great! I expect it will last for a few years before I'll want to carve off the outer shrink wrap and replace the 10440 battery, and seal it back up with a new shrink wrap tube (and some new cut-outs for the switch and lights). Here's a cost breakdown: NetDot Magnetic Bi-Directional microUSB Plug Adapters https://www.amazon.com/NetDot-Generation-Magnetic-Adapter-Compatible/dp/B076QC2RQT/ $4 (per male/female adapter pair) TP4056 (03962A) Charging Board with Protection MT3608 DC to DC Step Up Boost Converter (in a pack with 3 of each board, plus 5 battery holders) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NHHCNNQ $1.00 per breakout board The battery holder I used was actually the AAA type: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C2XT5C5 $0.58 (one) 3.7V 10440 AAA Lithium Ion Rechargeable Battery (x4 @11.69 - w/Charger $19.09)*(note: these are NOT AAA batteries! They must be charged with a special charger, and shouldn't be used for normal AAA battery powered devices!) https://www.amazon.com/10440-Rechargeable-Lithium-Battery-350mah/dp/B010ABNW5S/ (or) https://www.amazon.com/10440-Lithium-Rechargeable-Battery-Charger/dp/B06X9TZ1CG/ $2.92 / battery Tiny switch with nice long legs (they come in a pack of a hundred for six bucks): https://www.amazon.com/Cylewet-Vertical-Switch-Arduino-CYT1016/dp/B01N7NCW8N/ $0.06 (one) (Not taking into account things like hot glue sticks, solder, tape, or shrink wrap tubing segments used because they cost less than a few pennies) Total: $9.56 (USD) _________________________________ Looking back to the start, I've met my goals or caused some to become redundant (like velcro) and the cost for this single battery unit was less than $10, though I do have enough parts to make 2 more, I'm happy to put those in my Arduino projects bins and eat the costs there. This thing cost me about ten bucks, it works well, and I also have another $26 in extra parts (NetDot's and 3.7V batteries, battery holders, charging and boost breakout boards...). I learned a bit about larger shrink wrap tubing, it only shrinks so far. And I think it was all worth it. Had a flight earlier, with 8 minutes to taxi, I just got up out of my PC chair from a hot pit, and walked over to the fridge to get a soda all without taking off my headset or TrackClip Pro, strolling around while listening in to the Tower and waiting for my clearance to taxi. It was a feeling of true freedom! If anyone has any questions on this mod, I'd be happy to help if I can. See you at Angels 20!

Thanks for the report! It was crashed to the desktop. I've restarted to the last autosave file. If it's greatly messed up the time of day for our regular pilots, let us know and we can adjust the clock.

I've read this like twenty times since you posted (I think it's finally sinking in), figured I'd comment and say thanks! A lot of new stuff in BMS 4.34 - this helps a lot! Cheers!

I agree - when they changed up the radios and radio menus for 4.34, I started by taking pics of all of them (the bottom graphic) just to wrap my head around the changes. Then I built this voice control profile so I didn't have to memorize anything (except those 5 "add/remove hoomans" commands). To use this profile myself, I have that bottom image on my tablet or phone just as an image reference so I can see "what" I can ask of AWACS or other contacts, in case something is new. I certainly don't know everything by memory myself, but I also don't find that I use everything in every flight. I definitely use the AWACS and ATC stuff a lot, and the ATC has really changed! A little learning is half the fun of a sim, right? haha! I'm relying heavily on Jeffu's blog post here to figure out these new features in Falcon BMS 4.34:

Wow! Great video! (guy needs to turn up the volume on the microphone that is embedded in the controls ... I can barely hear what buttons he is pushing... j/k )

Thank you very much Kav!!

Great idea, thanks Keed!

Thank you Cpthawk!!!

I'm down for $20 -- thanks for taking care of this shit! Note to everyone: VETERANS-GAMING is fortunate enough to have a few very generous alumni members who take care of many of VG's bills behind the scenes, and this sometimes leads the rest of us to assume that nothing costs much and everything is being taken care of, but truly we rely on every member to help out if able because we can't expect those generous members to handle everything. Dig deep, any little bit helps! Thank you! Long live VG!