[simpits-tech] RE: The Cougar Has landed - Mating Season

[Joseph Fagner]

Marv Wrote:

>First the Bad News:
>The screw on gray collar must go.  In fact, so too, the shaft that it
>attaches to on the grip side.  The screw on collar is too big for a
real
>base.  Also, the mounting angle is wrong.  The Cougar sits strait up
off >its mount.  The real grip leans forward 13 degrees.
>I will need to make a coupler that adapts the Cougar grip to my base
and
>corrects the mounting angle.  This will add a little to the price of
the
>base, but not much.
>The user will need to open his grip to make the mod (4 screws).  Once
made,
>it will not fit the original base unless you remove my adapter and
>reinstall the original parts.  At least it is not a permanent mod.

Not a big deal.  The bad news isn't that bad

>Some Good News: 
>I can make an adapter that is easy for the user to install.
Fortunately,
>Thrustmaster used a tiny plug and socket on the inside PC Board for the
>wires, so you can unplug their mount and plug mine in.  That means no
>soldering required!  There is one screw you need to unscrew inside the
>grip.  It is easy, even for the mechanically declined.

So your mount will replace the small PCB on the inside of the stick
grip?  If so, then we could use EPIC to program the buttons on the stick

>Right now it looks like I will make an extension cable to plug into the
>Cougar base.  This will allow the user to keep his software the same.

If you swap out the PCB inside the stick, then you won't be able to use
the software that came with the stick will you?  My understanding is
that the cougar functions as a single unit and if you make one part that
is modified, it won't really work with the rest of the stuff as it sits?
Am I overlooking something

>I don't know how I will interface the output of the force sensor to the
>Cougar's base, if at all.  If I can, it will require a mod to the base.
I
>am steering away from that idea.  You may need to use the game port or
EPIC
>for the force transducer interface.

>From my perspective as a Viper builder, I will be using Falcon 4.0 (I
hope to the powers that be that a new version comes out, but it doesn't
look good).  You can only have one game device installed under Falcon.
This means using the cougar as it's built and having another Non-gaming
device control your switches and what not (i.e. Phigits) or modifying it
to plug into the EPIC and using the EPIC interface for the joystick and
switches.  The latter is what I think you are saying Marv, correct?  

As for the EPIC, I was out at Desktop sims the other day and was talking
with Paul and he eluded to some folks trying to disable the game ports
on the EPIC and using the cougar as it stands with is current software
and then using the EPIC for the other switches and rotaries.  Anyone
have any insight to this?  I ask all these questions as I want to know
exactly what I can and can't do with the cougar as it sits and with your
mod Marv, before I lay out that kind of money on the EPIC.  I want to
make darn sure I can use the thing.

Jay "crease-guard"