Best use of a tablet ever

[RJC68 820]

Hi All,

I was looking into getting a Stream Deck to have the ability to assign multiple functions within MSFS 2020 instead of constantly using my keyboard. They do look great but are not cheap. While browsing at lunch I came across this excellent alternative called Touch Portal. You basically create virtual buttons using MSFS default keyboard mappings and run a client on your PC and an app on your tablet. I tried both Android & IOS, both have a free version with some limitations (2 pages and 4 buttons per page) It is super simple to setup and it works brilliantly ! There is even a Flight simulator icon pack you can download. I can definitely recommend even the free version, for me I have buttons on my Honeycomb Yoke & Saitek panels. The paid version is around $15 and gives you unlimited pages, various grid sizes and up to 110 buttons per page.

https://www.touch-portal.com/

 

  

Edited November 11, 2020 by Richdem

[DAD 2,648]

Thanks a lot. Will give it a try. Was looking into such app but did not find anything yet. RemoteFlight has quite some sleek apps but I am hesitant since eg their autopilot app was last updated 6 yrs ago...

[Gridley 257]

Looks cool.  Thanks for sharing.  I wonder if the app will run on an old iPad...EDIT: Looks like iOS9+ so should be good!

Edited November 11, 2020 by Gridley

[sidfadc 1,340]

cool thanks for sharing, just downloaded free version looks good.  I was looking for something like this so your post is incredibly timely!

[eslader 1,774]

Another good one to check out is SimDashboard. Works the same way, but allows you to create custom buttons with custom imagery, and place them where ever you want on the screen. If you're feeling really ambitious, you can even import screenshots of the buttons in the cockpit, then make them into buttons on the tablet so they look like they should. Very much transformed my DCS experience, as I can just reach out to hit buttons rather than having to take my hand off the stick and grab the mouse, etc.

 

 

[DAD 2,648]

Is SimDashboard available for iOS?

[Steku 158]

Why buttons only, when you can have the full instrument panel with AirManager. Beta of AM4 support MFS2020. 

[fppilot 4,335]

If I had two tablets I would certainly take a look at that.  But I am rooted to the Fltplan Go app for all it does.

[DAD 2,648]

33 minutes ago, Steku said:

Why buttons only, when you can have the full instrument panel with AirManager. Beta of AM4 support MFS2020. 

Looks also good. Are any (community) panels available for the a320? Saw only XP panels on their website. 
 

out of curiosity: how to you turn knobs on the iPad, like eg HDG Select or ALT select?

[eslader 1,774]

1 hour ago, DAD said:

Is SimDashboard available for iOS?

Yep.

 

27 minutes ago, DAD said:

out of curiosity: how to you turn knobs on the iPad, like eg HDG Select or ALT select?

On SDB, I solved this by putting two invisible buttons on either side of the knob that increase/decrease whatever the knob controls. The knob is just a dummy graphic. You just press to the right to go up, and left to go down.

 

 

[jrw4 623]

There's also an iPadOS app called Custom Keypad. It is highly configurable with a variety of buttons, etc. I have used it to create a custom ARTS keyboard for the VATSIM controller client VRC. I think it costs around $5 at the app store.

 

[DAD 2,648]

13 minutes ago, eslader said:

Yep

Really? Only find the google play version on their website.

 

[Alvega 2,119]

I use Matric with Android. They have some templates for MSFS ready for download. 3 images from one of them.

 

 

 

 

[Glenn Fitzpatrick 3,798]

Note that in combination with using a pad for switches you can also pop the glass cockpit screens onto a second monitor in Win10 . It does NOT give you functional knobs and buttons in the pop up window though.

CAVEAT :  it can cause stuttering and FPS issues for some people.

 

 

Edited November 12, 2020 by Glenn Fitzpatrick

[Waldo Pepper 1,952]

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