CH Force FX Feedback with Windows XP?

[Moochie]

I have a CH Products Force FX stick and wondered if the force feedback effects work in XP.  If so, how do I set them up?

I realise that I can't use Speedkeys, by the way, without dual booting into 98.  However, why is it even necessary to use Speedkeys with Aces High (since key and stick mapping is available in the game)?

Thanks,

Mooch

[kappa]

Because without speedkeys your cant program the different buttons on the throttle..  If they are not programmed, they are like null or blank. As I recall they will do nothing.. I wish CH would get back into the FF sticks....  Could for certain use a CH usb ffb stick...

k
AoM

[Moochie]

Thanks Kappa.  BTW - you can convert a gameport Force FX to USB with a Radio Shack converter - I'll give you the part number if you want it.

My stick is already programmed from before so it is not blank/null.  I just need to reassign the keys in AH to change their effect, I would think.  Or am I missing something?

Can anyone tell me how to get force feedback working in DX mode in XP (so far I have only been able to get it to work with the old I-force test facility).

Thanks,
Mooch

[spiffykraits]

Originally posted by Moochie
I have a CH Products Force FX stick and wondered if the force feedback effects work in XP.  If so, how do I set them up?

I realise that I can't use Speedkeys, by the way, without dual booting into 98.  However, why is it even necessary to use Speedkeys with Aces High (since key and stick mapping is available in the game)?

Thanks,

Mooch

The FX stick has no throttle so you need a throttle to work with it.
To program the throttle you need speedkeys (or the old dos programmer) to store the button assignments.

The throttle will work in XP as long as it has been pre-programmed in win98, but the stick buttons can be assigned in AH independantly and don't require the throttle -which is what I do. Actually they work better if progammed directly into the stick rather than through the throttle. However you cannot program the throttle at all from AH, only the stick.

Now we come to the nub, you need the directX (last issue of the Immersion drivers Force FX DX5) drivers for the FX CH stick to work with DirectX Force in AH AND to give a full 10 button stick you can use and assign in AH directly. The combined driver (Throttle,stick, and pedals -if you have them) has all stick buttons functional and seen by windows.  Standard drivers won't see all the buttons and hat switches on the stick in AH. The last version of these drivers is on the CH site, but the file does not contain the ForceFX5.dll, this is on your FX original installation disc but can be copied across and placed with the last DirectX5 immersion drivers when selecting and installing the drivers in Sound, Video and Gamecontrollers section of the System.

The only drawback using the 10 button DirectX drivers (with DirectX force) is that the speed (or trim) force is miles too high and needs to be set very low at about 10% else excessive stick force is seen. Other force functions work fine.

However, it all works much better in Win98 and a dual boot is recommended _ I use win98 for playing with all my CH gear functional and working - Pro-throttle programmed in Speedkeys, FX stick programmed and assigned directly from AH (its faster, with no inherent delay), and the pedals working in combination using the Imersion driver for combined Throttle, stick and pedals. I even reverse the hat switches on the stick using AHs own software assignments as I have a short thumb and the top default view hat is too long for me. The bottom hat is windows buttons 7,8,9, & 10 and can be assigned to views in AH.
The forceFX5 drivers (Immersion) allow all hats and buttons to work.

You CAN use a Gameport to USB adapter ( Maplins or Radio Shack) with the CH gear but you will lose some of the buttons and one hat as far as I remember.

Hope all that helps.

[Moochie]

Thanks very much Spif.

I have now found out that I can't install a dual boot with 98 without taking out 512 Meg of RAM (98 only works with up to 512 Meg and I have a Gig).

So I will just have to struggle on with XP hohum.

[Moochie]

Spif

Do I actually have to install drivers?  I've run the autoinstall off both the latest CH FX file and my installation disk, and I find the .dll file when I do a search.

However, the stick that the system is seeing is 3-axis 2-button joystick.  Is this right or should it be seeing a Force FX?

Thanks,

Mooch

[spiffykraits]

Originally posted by Moochie
Spif

Do I actually have to install drivers?  I've run the autoinstall off both the latest CH FX file and my installation disk, and I find the .dll file when I do a search.

However, the stick that the system is seeing is 3-axis 2-button joystick.  Is this right or should it be seeing a Force FX?

Thanks,

Mooch

The default windows XP and windows 98 stick for the force FX is only a 3 axis 2 button, and XP wont see the force drivers and the extra 10 buttons unless the DX5 drivers are actually installed.

You need to download the DXForce drivers from CH which are the latest ones and install those AFTER your original installation from your old installation disk -as far as I remember they may install in different directories but all you need from your original disk is the dll.,which can be copied into the same directory as the latest Force driver files.

Install one of these four (or all if you wish, but better to choose the one that matches your CH gear)
Stick only, Stick and throttle,  Stick and Rudder, or stick throttle and rudder.  You install into your Sound, video and gamecontroller section.

You will see if you open the CH directory you should have these 4 files named ForceFX5J.inf, ForceFX5JR.inf; ForceFX5JT.inf, and lastly ForceFX5JTR.inf which correspond to your CH gear.  Choose the one that matches your combination.

Using Windows explorer browse to the one you choose and RIGHT click on that file, you should get a dialoque box including an install option in a drop down box, so select the install option and then press return, and install into your Sound and game controller section in the list you get. You can also use the add hardware option in control panel if necessary also, either should work.  You will have to select which hardware group to install in which will be sound and game controllers.  Windows should ask during the install for the .dll if it is not in the same directory, which you can browse to.

Your stick "should" now show up in game controllers if you add it in, as a Force FX DX5 joystick with 10 buttons, and also listed in the System Manager under sound and game controller as a Force FX DX5.

If you chose the ForceFX5JTR.inf (if you have throttle and rudder pedals too) it will be listed in Game controllers as Force FX DX5 Joystick,Throttle & Rudder (serial) for example. When installing the combination ones with Rudder there is no need to select a separate rudder in the box on the install routine in game controllers, and no need to select each view on the hat when calibrating, just press enter for the hat calibration for each view.

As far as I know XP should see this new driver and although it is an old DirectX5 compatible driver, it works fine on my system even with DirectX9 (except for too high force in trim mode which has to be turned down very low as otherwise the force will almost lockup your stick) -but then I use it with win98.

Another guy in my squad said he has used this driver with XP to get the 10 button stick though he doesn't use the force which you can turn on/off in AH, so I think it should work. Try it, it shouldn't do any harm.

[Moochie]

Thanks for all your help, Spif.  I do in fact have the J, T and R so I will follow the steps you have set out.

Only problem is I won't have Speedkeys (but I still want to try running Speedkeys in Win 98 emulation mode from XP, and see if it works then).

I will keep you posted.

BTW - is there any life left in the Kraits squad still?

Cheers,

Mooch

[Moochie]

Oh dear.  I am getting the following error:

The class installer has denied the request to install or upgrade this device.

No idea why.  I have copied the .dll file over to the right directory, and followed all your suggestions.

hohum

[Moochie]

Spif, would you mind asking the guy in your squad how he got the DX5 .inf files to work in XP?

Thanks,
Mooch

[spiffykraits]

Originally posted by Moochie
Spif, would you mind asking the guy in your squad how he got the DX5 .inf files to work in XP?

Thanks,
Mooch

Checking with him. It may be he used a dual boot with win98 to enable the 10 button DX5 stick combo. I thought he was using it with XP only.

It may be of course XP rejects this driver as too old - I wouldn't be too surprised -it's why I still use win98 for playing games as I can still use my old gear.

However you could use the gameport to USB adaptor route made by Rockfire (at RadioShack) to still use your FX stick, providing you have programmed the throttle already for the extra buttons on the stick in Win98.  Ack Ack is the one to ask about the Rockfire

[spiffykraits]

Originally posted by Moochie
Thanks very much Spif.

I have now found out that I can't install a dual boot with 98 without taking out 512 Meg of RAM (98 only works with up to 512 Meg and I have a Gig).

So I will just have to struggle on with XP hohum.

Reference this - I'm pretty certain although Win98 will use only 512MBs ram of the 1GB, it will still work with the 1 GB fitted, so dual boot should still be possible.  Only prob is you need to install XP after Win98 for the dual boot option (I think).

[spiffykraits]

Checked - he was using a dual boot system win98SE and XP.

Can't see any specific reason the DX5 driver shouldn't be installed via add new hardware on XP, but XP must have altered the gamecontroller interface drasticaly for it not too work.