Honeycomb Bravo, LEDs, and P3D Drivers?

[ESzczesniak 128]

I've been doing a lot of reading on the Bravo, but have had little time to test since receiving mine earlier this week.  It seems the LEDs are the tricky part, otherwise it works as a normal controller.  I assign axes through FSUIPC and buttons through LINDA.  Are the drivers necessary at all to get the LED's to work?  If they are, how can I avoid the Honeycomb software?  I have no interest in yet another software to program controls through.  Is it as simple as just not opening the program, or does it run in the background?  I'm looking forward to testing, but work and life has not allowed that yet.  The unit feels great, look forward to using it!

[John Dowson 65]

If using FSUIPC, there is a user contribution to control the Honeycomb Bravo LEDs. Please see https://forum.simflight.com/topic/91539-lua-scripts-for-honeycomb-bravo-leds/

John

P.S. There are also lua scripts to handle the buttton numbers > 32 for both the Honeycomb Bravo and Alpha Flight Controls. See https://forum.simflight.com/topic/91599-lua-scripts-for-honeycomb-bravo-quadrant-and-alpha-flight-controls-buttons-32/

Edited January 9, 2021 by John Dowson
Links updated

[vtracy 0]

Thank you, John!

I just wrote an irate comment in another forum on AVSIM, aboutt the (IMHO) missing drivers, profiles, user guide,... for the Bravo. 

I will try your lua scripts, in the hope that they will give me the necessary ‚drivers‘ to make the switches etc. work in my P3Dv5. What makes me p... off, is the fact that a tool like LINDA is at all necessary to set up(!) a flight sim instrument.

Volker

[gaab 111]

11 hours ago, vtracy said:

Thank you, John! What makes me p... off, is the fact that a tool like LINDA is at all necessary to set up(!) a flight sim instrument.

Volker

The Configurator is doing a great job, no need for FSUIPC nor LINDA.
And Aerosoft is improving it with user's feedback and suggestions.

Just take a look here https://forum.aerosoft.com/index.php?/files/category/126-honeycomb-profiles/

there is a growing list of profiles readly available.

Gérard

Edited February 17, 2021 by gaab

[vtracy 0]

Gérard,

just to be clear: The Bravo itself, as hardware, is a beautiful product. That is why I bought it.

BUT! It needs software to function properly. So, the software is part of the product, like for example, the GoFlight products. I just criticize that for me, in my installation, it does not work. Neither off the shelf, like GoFlight, nor after doing the configuration. My P3Dv5 HF2 does not receive any signals from the switches. The axes work, as do the flaps and gear levers, but not the switches. Now, it is possible that I made a mistake but then I say that should not be possible, given a good user interface.

The tip about using FSUIPC and/or LINDA was one I read in a forum; it seems to have to do with the number of buttons allowed in P3D. LINDA seems to help here. But LINDA is a programming tool! WHY SHOULD i need a programming tool just to set up a set of switches?! And to reiterate, it does not work in my P3D. If anything is needed, driver etc., it should be clearly said - better: written down - somewhere. 

As you write yourself, in the download section for the Honeycomb produchts, the number of profiles is rising „with user feedback and suggestions“. Don‘t you think it is a bit strange that a big company like aerosoft ‚needs‘ user input! What it means is that they wait for users to complete their product (creating profiles). I think that they should provide profiles at least for the most common aircraft, for example those by A2A. 

Volker

Edited February 17, 2021 by vtracy

[gaab 111]

Volker

The Bravo is an ambitious project and it is usual that the first version of such a software will benefit of user input.
The software has to cope with a lot of different systems and simulators not to speak of different level of users 😉

I am a simple user (not affiliated to any company), but I feel sorry when I see somebody "fighting" to get it working,

1 - Forget the story about limit of number of buttons allowed in P3D - the driver (when corectly installed) will take care of that.

2 - To check that you have it installed and working just look at your P3D menu
(extract from Basic test of the Honeycomb Bravo Throttle under P3D with the Honeycomb Configurator)

5 hours ago, vtracy said:

My P3Dv5 HF2 does not receive any signals from the switches. The axes work, as do the flaps and gear levers, but not the switches. Now, it is possible that I made a mistake but then I say that should not be possible, given a good user interface.

May I smile for your lattest sentence 🙂 I still have to see a version 1 (and may be even V5) where no user error is possible...

If you use the driver and the configurator (that I strongly recommand), you also need to desactivate all key assignements automatically done by P3D for a new equipment, they will conflict with the Profile configuration. You will only use P3D assignements for the Axis.
The configurator will take care of that for you.

Hope you will quickly enjoy your Bravo.

Gérard

[vtracy 0]

Gérard,

as there are quite a number of things to observe and install, shall we set up a list (as complete as we all can) of items to doin order to ensure a working Bravo. I will begin with my list; please feel free anyone to enlarge, correct, erase items as you find useful:

1 - Sim is properly installed, latest updates included.

2 - Install - if not already done - FSUIPC6 or later as appropriate; register FSUIPC, NO lua scripts to install(?) NO Linda is necessary.

3 - Download and install latest Honeycomb driver/configurator (link here).

4 - Download profiles from aerosofts database (link here )into the ‚bin‘ folder of the Honeycomb installation folder (the 2 default profiles for Alpha and Bravo are part of the configurator software).

5 - Start Sim (P3Dv5), load any aircraft that you want to set up with the Bravo.

6 - Start Honeycomb configurator, go to ‚Profile’ in top menu, click on ‚Default_Throttle‘, click ‚Load’ on bottom right (blue button), go to ‚Actions‘ click on ‚Disable Simulator Defaults‘ ‚click on ‚Activate Current Profile‘.

7 - In Sim (P3D), click on Sim Menu item ‚Add-ons‘, on the drop-down menu, you should see ‚Honeycomb‘ and ‚FSUIPC‘ (among other add-ons you have installed, click on ‚Honeycomb‘, BFC_Throttle - Reload Bindings‘, a green band should show shortly in the upper area of the sim window  telling you that the throttle bindings have been reloaded, AND on the Bravo, the lights over the gear lever and some of the LEDs in the area underneath the switches should go on, that shows that the connection between the Bravo and the sim is working.

8 - Well done! Now, you can begin configuring the Bravo (see also video link ... !)

[gaab 111]

2 hours ago, vtracy said:

2 - Install - if not already done - FSUIPC6 or later as appropriate; register FSUIPC, NO lua scripts to install(?) NO Linda is necessary.

Absolutly not necessary for the Honeycomb.

Since I am using P3D, I have not re-installed FSUIPC.
The driver is taking care of the extended button numbers.

On your point 6, take care that you must activate the two profiles individually !

The new Configurator should be available soon - we will see what it brings on that points.

Gérard

[vtracy 0]

Gérard,

what I was trying to put down was a „To Do“ list of things for a working installation.

Pse feel free to correct the list of activities. I hope to help others after me/us not to have the difficulties I had.

[gaab 111]

Volker ,

1 hour ago, vtracy said:

what I was trying to put down was a „To Do“ list of things for a working installation.

I did understand it 🙂

And for that reason I clarified that FSUIPC was not necessary to get Alpha and Bravo working fine and take advantage of the profiles shared by the community.

Please forget this wrong asumption that buttons greater than 32 will not be "recognized" by the driver - it's only the Windows Controler Manager that don't show them)

Let me modify point 4, use the Configurator to download other profiles (will direct you to the right link).

For the point 6, I thought it was necessary to insist that each profile (one for the Alpha and one for the Beta) needs to be activated separately.

Gérard

[vtracy 0]

Gérard,

yes to all ‚corrections‘! I invite everyone to contribute. Hopefully, in the end it will be a comprehensive list of things to do/observe for a trouble-free installation.

Volker

[jboi90057 0]

On 2/20/2021 at 1:55 PM, gaab said:

Volker ,

I did understand it 🙂

And for that reason I clarified that FSUIPC was not necessary to get Alpha and Bravo working fine and take advantage of the profiles shared by the community.

Please forget this wrong asumption that buttons greater than 32 will not be "recognized" by the driver - it's only the Windows Controler Manager that don't show them)

Let me modify point 4, use the Configurator to download other profiles (will direct you to the right link).

For the point 6, I thought it was necessary to insist that each profile (one for the Alpha and one for the Beta) needs to be activated separately.

Gérard

Sorry everyone for digging up an old thread from 2021. I am about to purchase both the Alpha and Bravo for P3D v4.5 HF3. I have been researching a lot on forums before I purchase and I am confused by this reply from Gerard. Am I to understand that FSUIPC is not needed to configure Alpha and Bravo? The Configurator is all that is needed to set up the buttons, switches and axis? 

Thanks in advance

Jeff

[pgde 571]

40 minutes ago, jboi90057 said:

Sorry everyone for digging up an old thread from 2021. I am about to purchase both the Alpha and Bravo for P3D v4.5 HF3. I have been researching a lot on forums before I purchase and I am confused by this reply from Gerard. Am I to understand that FSUIPC is not needed to configure Alpha and Bravo? The Configurator is all that is needed to set up the buttons, switches and axis? 

Thanks in advance

Jeff

Yes, that is all I use.

[gaab 111]

4 hours ago, jboi90057 said:

The Configurator is all that is needed to set up the buttons, switches and axis?

And Leds, but Axis are not managed by the Configurator. There is nothing specific to them and can easily be managed by the simulator.

Personnally I use AAO which allow to assign them on a per aircraft basis. And using the AAO Aircraft Script I load the adhoc Honeycomb profile.

Gérard