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E-D trackIR
By Art Burke (5 April 2002)
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E-D trackIR device is a hands free controller that allows
easy point of view control while in flight. Though a general purpose
design it comes with drivers specifically for flightsims including
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002.The package arrived well protected and contained the trackIR, a USB extension cable, 40 dots (boy was I puzzled about that at first!), some extra rubber pads and the software (on a CD-ROM).
The Physical Device
There was at first a minor glitch. The device itself (which looks
like someone stole the eye from a Cylon on Battlestar Galactica!) has a
spring-steel base. The device is designed to either (a) sit on top of the
monitor or (b) snap onto the top of a laptop screen. Alas, my monitor is
one of those newer panel-style monitors. There isn't a large enough top to
comfortably sit the device and the panel is thick enough to prevent
mounting the device similar to a laptop screen. Rather than jury rig
something to hold the device above the monitor, I decided to chance its
use resting on the monitor support. As long as your hands (or anything
else) don't get in the way, the sensitivity of the device seems virtually
the same as it would be sitting on top of the monitor.The trackIR is designed to work with several varieties of gaming software, including FS2002. I can hear the purists out there now - "Flight simulator is not a game!" Be that as it may, this device has been partially tailored to function with the sim - although there is somewhat of a caveat in that regard.
Installation
I had a couple of minor problems getting the device to function properly with FS2002. An e-mail and a phone call from eDimensional (the product can be viewed/reviewed at www.edimensional.com) and I was off and running. Initially, I was hung up on the key mapping function, which is actually incorporated for use with programs other than FS2002.Installation of the software was rather straightforward, with one twist. An attempt to install the software with a version already installed results in total removal of the existing version and nothing gets installed. Running the install procedure a subsequent time installs the current version. Once I realized what was happening, all was well.
The setup for use with FS2002 is even simpler. Simply double-click on the icon on your desktop and the main dialog screen opens. Using either the hot-keys (explained in detail in the manual) or the mouse, select FS2002, then start the sim.
Use
There are three keys I consider critical to the use of trackIR within the flightsim. All the appropriate keys are explained in detail in the manual, but my important "guys" are F8 (the "mode" key), F9 (the "pause" key) and F12 (the "center" key). Essentially, you can orient your head to what you might comfortably call your "center" position and press the F12 key. This centers the cursor - literally placing the cursor in the center of the display. The F8 key toggles "mode on" and "mode off" for the trackIR. What the devil is mode on and mode off?Access an aircraft with a reasonably detailed virtual cockpit view. I say reasonably detailed because I initially used an add-on plane. The virtual cockpit consists of a propeller! You certainly can't tell much about what's going on if you can't see any instruments! For my "serious" testing of this device, I opened the Cessna Skyhawk. Once the panel was visible, I pressed F8. Voila! Any head movement allowed me to pan all over the place, changing my view on demand - without touching the mouse or the keyboard!
I must admit - before getting the trackIR to work properly I was quite skeptical. My first inspection of the manual (reading most of the fine print if not all of it) gave me the impression numerous keystrokes would take the place of mouse clicks. Perhaps in some of the games supported this may be the case, but not in the case of FS2002.
You can actually use the mouse at the same time you're using the trackIR, but you will most likely find it more convenient to temporarily turn the trackIR off (hence the use of the F8 key to toggle back and forth when necessary). I personally found it convenient to use the mouse for most of the typical functions (accessing menus, for example) and using the trackIR exclusively for panning in virtual cockpit mode. Keep in mind - the panning mode without the mouse, keyboard or controller requires you to be in virtual cockpit mode.
Fortunately, you can control the speed of the panning function. I say fortunately because I left it initially in a normal mode - and darn near got dizzy! If the motion seems to take on a herky-jerky appearance, try moving your head closer to the monitor. The manual recommends you be about an arm's length from the monitor for optimum performance. I found a little practice while sitting perfectly still helped a lot to get used to how the panning functioned. Even with the practice, the actual performance does take some time to become familiar. My initial tendencies were either too quick a motion (judicious use of the F12 key to keep centering the view helped) with the head (delivering a perspective somewhat like being stuck on the gyroscope of life!), or totally losing track of what the plane was doing while I was looking around!
Like most things in the real world and the flightsim world, practice, practice, practice. If you're learning how to fly a plane, this device isn't going to help much - it may only hinder you. But if you're already pretty confident in the cockpit of your favorite plane, this device adds a further sense of realism - and a hands-off one at that.
The device came with a small plastic sheet - about the size of a typical credit card - of 40 dots. The dots are reflective and designed to be placed on your nose, forehead, glasses or a headset (possibly on the microphone). I wondered how long the dots would last and discovered they are reusable to some degree. Contact with eDimensional however, rendered an easier solution. You can (a) purchase more reflective dots (in groups of 80 at a reasonable cost) or (b) make your own from 3M reflective tape.
If your PC (like mine) sits a few feet from the monitor, the cable will likely be too short to reach the USB port. (I personally prefer my CPU under the desk, removed a significant distance from the monitor.) The trackIR comes, however, with an extension USB cable. It also came with some additional padding to protect your laptop from scratches if you use the device with your favorite portable.
Summary
One of my pet peeves on both hardware and software is support. The gang at eDimensional promises 24/7 technical support. I don't know if your support will be as quick as mine - after posting a request for assistance I got a phone call in less than five minutes! Now that's support! Some of my favorite flightsim add-ons are my favorites because their authors/creators offer terrific support for their product(s). Based on the company's initial reaction to my request for help, I feel confident in their ability to provide support for the flightsim community.
Proper, successful use of this product will take practice. I wouldn't
expect the average user to install it, start it and enjoy it immediately.
Given time to become accustomed to its use should provide the user with
countless hours of fun-filled simming.
Art Burke
aburkefl@comcast.net
