New Condor Keypad

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premde
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu May 08, 2008 2:09 am
Location: Minneapolis, MN

New Condor Keypad

Post by premde » Thu Jan 10, 2019 1:36 pm

NEW - Condor Keypad
Details: http://www.cumulus-soaring.com/condor2. ... dor-Keypad
The Condor Keypad brings most of the common keyboard commands to your fingertips. It dramatically improves the ease-of-use of Condor and Condor 2. Instead of trying to remember which key on the PC keyboard is used to toggle the landing gear, just hit the "Gear" button. It connects to a USB port on the PC.

The Condor Keypad is especially handy for users of VR (virtual reality) goggles. The goggles make it tough to find a key on a full-size computer keyboard, but after a little practice, I was able to remember and find the desired keys on the Condor Keypad.

Works great with both Condor and Condor 2.

Best Regards,

Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.
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Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.

Mas
Posts: 107
Joined: Thu Feb 22, 2018 3:17 am

Re: New Condor Keypad

Post by Mas » Thu Jan 10, 2019 2:25 pm

Well thats fantastic - I was just about to post on here for anyone knew of such a device as I was using two spare joysticks for the buttons including on the sticks and this was quite tricky in VR as you are fumbling about trying to find the various buttons `in the dark'.

premde
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu May 08, 2008 2:09 am
Location: Minneapolis, MN

Re: New Condor Keypad

Post by premde » Thu Jan 10, 2019 2:55 pm

High-resolution images attached.
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Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.

janjansen
Posts: 1087
Joined: Wed Feb 24, 2016 9:26 pm

Re: New Condor Keypad

Post by janjansen » Fri Jan 11, 2019 9:52 am

For VR users, this wont really matter, but for anyone else, Im a little surprised you didnt use colored key caps or at least colored labels, as that would make it a lot easier to use IMO.

For VR users, it might be useful if you could think of some form of tactile feedback on certain keys to help them find the right keys "in the dark". Maybe rough and smooth labels?

michaeljc13
Posts: 91
Joined: Sat Feb 23, 2013 1:46 am

Re: New Condor Keypad

Post by michaeljc13 » Fri Jan 11, 2019 8:21 pm

Proto type keyboard.jpg
I have been working on a small keyboard (see prototype) . I used a push switch connected to and old computer keyboard via two wires, soldered to the back of each old keyboard switch. The keyboard was then connected to the main computer and configured using Condor setup. I did this for all the other switches. It saves trying to find the right button . I have cleaned it up since then with better lettering. The small key pad looks really professional though and looks really good
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T-bone Tom
Posts: 106
Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2019 1:22 am

Re: New Condor Keypad

Post by T-bone Tom » Sat Feb 16, 2019 10:48 pm

Paul, et al,
I just received my Condor Keypad and I like it very much, but I have a suggestion.
We all seem to have different preferences as to what command should be on it and where that command needs to be on the keypad.
For example, I like the instrument panel zoom and use a lot more than some of the other commands, so I peeled off and swapped labels panel zoom and pause.
The bigger button is easier to zoom on the panel without having to look away and the pause button is still close and easy to hit. I'm planning to do the same thing with some of the other input commands, but it sure would be nice if I didn't have to take a chance peeling off the original labels.
So why couldn't you make and send the pad unlabeled with a separate sheet of tags (labels) so we can map and label our own custom layouts?
And if you have a sheet of these labels I would like to buy one or two.
Thanks,
T-bone Tom

Crakob
Posts: 239
Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2018 8:26 am

Re: New Condor Keypad

Post by Crakob » Mon Feb 18, 2019 11:57 am

Hi,
i`m using this Keypad. (Razer Tartarus V2)

Maybe an alternative for someone.

it's very ergonomic and you can assign a shift-key so every key has two funktions.
for eg. (i use the scroll-wheel for zooming the pda-Map and flipping through the TP. The little joystik is programmed with MC- + and 2 preset trimm values)

of course there are thousands of more options. (Macros, sequences etc)
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CRAKOB = CRA

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scls19fr
Posts: 25
Joined: Sun Apr 12, 2015 9:49 pm

Re: New Condor Keypad

Post by scls19fr » Tue May 25, 2021 5:10 pm

Hello,

I wonder if this device (Condor Keypad) is just an other numeric keypad simply with new labels or a different kind of USB device which can be used in addition to a real numeric keypad also attached (with differents keys... for differents actions... change point of view left/right/up/down...).

Kind regards

rrk001
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat Jul 11, 2020 11:22 am

Re: New Condor Keypad

Post by rrk001 » Sun Jul 18, 2021 2:04 pm

For controls in my VR glider simulator I used off the shelf simulator components.

Joystick - Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS with a 100mm extension to give a realistic control column throw
Airbrake - Thrustmaster TWCS throttle as it has a linear slide motion and the longest travel I could find
Rudder - VBK T-Rudders with the arms re-orientated to give a realistic glider style rudder pedal arrangement
Flap / Undercarriage / Dump valve - Arcade game micro switch joysticks and button.
VR Goggles - Oculus Rift S.

The joystick and airbrake both have multiple switches on them that I used to control the various functions in the simulator (MC, cruise/climb/ volume, views, PDA, etc.) as the keyboard is not a viable option when wearing the VR goggles.

The VR Flying Experience

Seated in a realistic position and using the VR goggles with Condor 2 gives an incredibly real and immersive gliding experience.

It's been a fun project to build and now that it's complete I'm enjoying some very realistic soaring in the virtual reality world of Condor 2.

Happy flying and safe landings!

scls19fr
Posts: 25
Joined: Sun Apr 12, 2015 9:49 pm

Re: New Condor Keypad

Post by scls19fr » Wed Dec 22, 2021 9:47 am

Hello,

I think this video answers my question...
https://www.patreon.com/posts/48602772

When user is doing Condor / setup and
when he is pressing "Gear" button then "Num Lock" appears
when he is pressing "Lift helper" button then "/" appears
...

so this keypad is just considered an an other numeric keypad.

So it seems to me that you can't use for example keyboard numeric keypad for changing views (for example) and this one.

I would be great if this keypad could act as a joystick USB HID and each key be considered as button of this joystick.

It will be great to have a kind of "remote control" which could act both as keyboard and joystick (change view with a kind of hat switch) which is a part of a joystick and buttons which could be mapped either as joystick buttons or keyboard buttons.

Any opinion about such an idea?

Kind regards

alioth
Posts: 22
Joined: Mon Jan 18, 2021 6:14 pm

Re: New Condor Keypad

Post by alioth » Wed Dec 22, 2021 4:47 pm

scls19fr wrote:
Wed Dec 22, 2021 9:47 am

It will be great to have a kind of "remote control" which could act both as keyboard and joystick (change view with a kind of hat switch) which is a part of a joystick and buttons which could be mapped either as joystick buttons or keyboard buttons.

Any opinion about such an idea?

This is exactly what my condor keypad does:

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=20668

It was built with an arduino pro micro. And it is coded in a way that windows thinks it is a joystick with 32 buttons and 1 axis, and a keyboard.

So when programming the arduino you choose if a key sends a press button, a keyboard press, both, or whatever you imagine.

Arturo.
AMS.

scls19fr
Posts: 25
Joined: Sun Apr 12, 2015 9:49 pm

Re: New Condor Keypad

Post by scls19fr » Mon Feb 07, 2022 10:26 am

I also did a very basic custom keypad with an analog 4x4 keypad
see viewtopic.php?p=178153#p178361

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