Showing posts with label Help. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Help. Show all posts

Saturday, 17 January 2015

Fan Made Cyclics From PC Joysticks

Image (c) Neville Hatton





With the discovery of this little gem posted within the Airwolf group(s) on Facebook and after stack of research to find out what aircraft it was really from.. It spawned an unusual object from the days of Windows 3.11 and Win95 (the Top Gun Joystick and Ms Dos based game)


This hunt for information and history behind this real Cyclic prop brought up a PC Gaming Joy Stick that looks so similar... Its Cool  & Booom... Fans now get to make a prop for them selves. That is before the eBay snipers raid them all to hoard them (like they always have before.. we shall see i guess) I bought two, one that's used, one that's new and sealed in the box.






They come in 2 forms of joystick and 2 forms of connectivity.

A) TopGun Thrustmaster


B) TopGun Thrustmaster Platinum

1) 30 Pin Joystick (female plug)
That looks like This..

30 Pin Joystick Female Cable

















That plugs OVER a Soundcards Joystick/Midi Port (male)
Onto/Into This type of port
(sometimes the plastic is black, but their mostly yellow) purple is a printer, blue is monitor

Midi / Joystick Port On Computer


This is often used for music keyboards as well as joysticks.

 Not all computer towers have this port.

Often with the soundblaster audigy this port comes on a separate plate. But you can get a 30 Pin to USB Adapter.





2) USB Connector (male plug)
Some of the TopGun joysticks come with a standard usb plug compatible with PC & Laptop

USB Port and Cable


No doubt many of you will buy one or two (just for a fan made prop basis) BUT ber in mind.. It is a joystick, So if you wish to use it (on more modern computers/laptops) with OFP, GTA, MS Sim.. You will need a converter for the 30 Pin to Fit USB Machines. 

Note their are a number of different types of converters, but remember the longer the wire, the more complex the unit, the more delay between you pressing buttons and what's happening on screen.



So the type i recommend is the small bog standard converter
(that often used to come free with joysticks)

Analogue 30 Pin Joystick/Midi Soundcard Adapter To USB




I recommend these because the cable is shorter than all the new types on-line. 

A longer cable OR a converter with a Box in-between the two ends (the type with switches and multiple options) Will only slow down the signal (reaction time) from the joystick (or worst case, draw more power than needed) from your usb port and strain your power psu.









Making Your Own Replica?
Here Are Some Reference Shots

Reference Shot

Reference Shot

Reference Shot

Reference Shot

Reference Shot

Reference Shot

Will update this post soon..


Saturday, 6 December 2014

Airwolf AMT ERTL Model Kit 6680 Scale 1:48



AMT 1984 Airwolf Helicopter #6680 1:48

The main parts plastic bag, 1/48 scale kit.
from 1984.








Repackage Here clearly 1987+


Instruction Manual, in case you need one



















UPC: 03688106680



Wednesday, 30 April 2014

Help Using Screen Savers By TheWraith517

.. READ THE INFORMATION BELOW BEFORE USING MEDIAFIRE OR SCR's

Mediafire runs using adverts, so the download button may NOT be obvious to you if your new to file sharing web sites.. this is why i have added the FILE SIZE  next to each screen saver, mediafire has many download buttons.. only ONE has that file size on it.. and that's the file you want... be careful..

Virus False Positives And Solutions...
Every RAR file is locked (not password-ed.. just locked against modification)
and the maximum winrar recovery record is also stored within the rar code
This locked rar means.. NO website or files on a website can modify the SCR file...

Your own computer (if infected, or has remaining remnants of a virus that was never fully removed in the past) can use parts of the SCR file packing compression code, and part of the RSS feed code is sometimes detected as "PUA.Packed.PECompact-1"  this is a false positive and is only the code used that makes the "SCR Dialog Displays" options pop up onto your screen and display the window, also for the Preview image in the windows desk top scr settings box.

Virus Total  initially said these screen savers where riddled and had 100's of names for it... Here
(But then when you try just scanning the SCR on its own outside the rar, rather than in the RAR)  
you'll find the rar compression also creates false positives, because the SCR on its own just gets this result Here.  Those two red flags are code results and are irrelevant to a user, But i guess could be used in conjunction with something else (if you have a firewall, you could open the properties box and click my Blog URL) then when yoru asked if the SCR wishes to go online or anything, say no and block
This way 3rd party stuff infecting your machine can not use any part of the scr for its own gain..

Jotties malware scanner gets ONE result....  See you can't even Click on the scr when its running, so i never added a URL to open or an RSS feed to load.. i could of.. i never... So even though virus total initially condemns the files, the results are to bogus and far fetched to be positive, and today.. jotties malware scanner beat the VT site hands down.  I have these on my own systems and my own systems attempt to download Nothing.... also other people have them to.  Ide like to thank Daniel Shaffer of the stargate community on facebook for approaching me with an issue that has helped me update this content your reading, so that it better helps explain the factors that may arise when using these scr files (or mediafire as a web host)
Remember these are home made, an SWF coded into an SCR, so their is no digital signature, no safe list and you can NOT add an SCR to an exception list because they can be infected by other means.. Again this is why i do not want them packaged with themes.. there's more to it than "your theme being clean"  it's how you pack it, how the site keeps it... i have picked the best method of release (been at this stuff since 2001 online) and 1999 offline..  Anyways here's the shot from Jotties page.. Also read the TECH Warnings below to avoid colour spots and dead pixels..

False Positive Due To Compression Used On The SCR
 

Screen Saver Important Technical Warnings:

A Screen Saver Is Supposed To Run Full Screen
Using screen savers that have none animated sections such as wide-screen boarders, or black lines down either side of your monitor/display is not healthy for it.

It's ok to look at and play about with, but a screen saver being active for hours at a time MUST be fully refreshing every pixel on your screen or it'll damage your screen over time, damage even more so than not using a screen saver... because 2 lines (top and bottom) or even (left and right) will end up showing colours differently than the rest of your screen.

Q) I have downloaded one and i have black boarders on the screen, what size do i need?
A) Only way to determine that is looking at your own computer or laptop, telling someone what your screen size is or model of your machine is irrelevant...  Windows sets your "Aspect Ratio" so everyone's can be different, even with 2 of the same machines...

On Windows XP Systems you can "Right Click" on your "Desk Top" and select "Properties" and this box will pop up....  Click on the "Settings Tab"


And you'll be presented with this box


There you can see your systems Screen Resolution AKA Aspect Ratio
that shows the size of the SCR you will need for that specific display, click "Cancel" to close it

On Windows Vista,Windows 7 and Windows 8 Systems you can "Right Click" on your "Desk Top" and select "Screen Resolution" and this box will pop up....  click "Cancel" to close it




QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:

Q) What about duel displays where one is bigger than the other?
A)  That shouldn't matter as windows normally uses the same size on duel displays

Q) When i run the screen saver the screen is a blue background with faded blue borders?
A) Place the scr file into either your "system32" folder, or directly on your "desk top"
     It will not run from the root drive, or from inside a folder on the desk top or any other folder for that matter, due to windows permissions over SCR files.


Q) What are these and How are they made?
A) Each SCR is a container for an SWF file, icon, and a dialog/settings box with a jpg banner (nothing more is included within the screen saver, no adds, no rss feeds or anything)
   the SWF was compiled with "Flash Image Builder" and the compiled into an scr using "Alexis Screen Saver Producer Corporate Edition"

Q) What is the scr and windows requirements?
A)  It is tested and works on my windows 7 desk top and in my windows 7 system32 folder
      It is also tested and working on the same "file locations" on Windows XP and Windows 8.1
       (it will also work on windows 98 & milenium) as long as they have flash player installed
  (this does not require a specific version of flash, any version will do)