Hi all, 

 

Lately, I have been thinking of purchasing a touch screen monitor and using it as an overhead. After a quick Google search, I found a neat-looking Dell 23" touch screen (Dell P2314T) for $300. If someone has bought a similar touch screen, was it worth it (does realism really increase)?, and does it work well with PMDG-style add-ons?

 

Thank you in advance for any replies! :smile:

I just bought and installed a touch screen infra red overlay, you just apply it with double sided tape and its fantastic for the sim however there are a few things to consider

 

Trying to precisely hit a switch can be a challenge as the surface area to work with is quite small. Also you arm can get a bit sore as you are now poking into space and not resting on a mouse.

 

I bought Sim touch http://www.simtouch.eu  and love this product as it gives a nice big surface area to hit the switches, It fits really well with the F1 mustang and all default but the not  PMDG however I let Fs2crew do all the work anyway 

 

edit The pmdg Fmc for example is difficult to manipulate, again the surface area of the buttons just are not large enough

Hi Kevin,

 

I purchased a Dell touchscreen as well; and for the same purpose. I am quite happy with the product. Be sure to calibrate the touch in Windows. This is particularly important if you change DPI and/or interface element sizes to make the UI more user friendly. I found I had better luck if I deleted the current calibration before re-calibrating. The monitor certainly makes it much easier to access controls. I have a different use for my own touchscreen. See the third paragrah. I use it primarily for buttons.

 

Do bear in mind that you will have to find a way to mount the monitor in such a way as to be able to use it while focusing on the main monitor. I bought a Dell msa14 arm. It was a nightmare to setup, but is functional. There are others on the market.

 

I don't know if you are using a network setup and/or have FSUIPC installed. If you have both, you may wish to look into WideFS Client. It is a separate, but reasonable, purchase. You can create a button screen with up to 288 buttons, programmable in FSUIPC. It is one of the best kept secrets in FS.That is how I use the monitor. I have created a WideClient button screen and programmed the key controls of the Aerosoft Airbus overhead using FSUIPC. No eye candy, but highly functional.

 

I'm sure there are others using touchscreen monitors as extensions of their main screens. If that's the route you wish to go, they will have better advice as to the performance with switches and rotaries.

 

I would go for it. Dell's warranty is good, particularly the zero bright pixel guarantee.

 

 

Graham

 

 

You can create a button screen with up to 288 buttons, programmable in FSUIPC. It is one of the best kept secrets in FS

 

Graham, thats astonishing..do you have a tutorial or something to go by?

Thank you, Zoran and Graham for your answers! Much appreciated. 

Kevin, UR welcome.

 

Zoran, I'll put some info into this post when I get back from vacation. There is a bit of setup work involved. But to me, it's the bee's knees.

 

Graham

Hi Zoran,

 

WideFS is now incorporated into FSUIPC. It is unlocked by purchasing a license for the product. The license is for WideServer which lives inside of FSUIPC if you are using FSX or P3D. You need version 7 for FSX/P3D. WideClient is a separate, free download which is installed on the networked machine(s). I don't know if it is allowed to reference vendors in a post. You can google WideFS7.

 

There is an ini file which is created with the WideClient installation. Its use is described in the User Guide and Technical Reference. The button screen is covered in the User Guide.

 

Essentially, you setup the button screen in the WideClient ini file. When you start FSX/P3D and get into your aircraft; start WideClient. The button screen will appear as configured in the WideClient window. Go to the FSUIPC buttons tab and assign the buttonscreen buttons to the controls of your choice.

 

Unfortunately, LINDA does not see the WideClient buttons. Maybe Scott will see this post. But you can create one or more lua files to reference controls that you create, which are not available as standard FSX/P3D controls. You can create up to 288 buttons. The size of the buttons will determine how many buttonscreens you have.

 

You are limited by FSUIPC logic and your imagination. I have no idea why this product is not installed everywhere there is a second machine.

 

You are not limited by a buttonscreen. There are a host of other functions available. Hope this helps you get started. If you need any further assistance, PM me or go to Peter Dowson's forum to get an idea of what thoughts go into its use.

 

Graham

 

 

 

 

Thanks Graham for you detailed reply, much appreciated. I currently don't have a second machine to try that but have been toying with the idea as they are so cheap now days. I had no idea this wide-fs  touch screen set up was available and I doubt many simmers do. 

UR welcome Zoran. Well Peter Dowson doesn't seem to do much promoting. It appears he lets his product speak for itself. I have no affiliation with FSUIPC/WideFS, other than a healthy degree of respect for the author. I really think that anyone who has/will have a second PC available, should look into this excellent product.