KnobXP

KnobXP

KnobXP lets you use the Knobster within X-Plane 11, both in normal mode and VR mode.

KnobXP is only compatible with the new Knobster (V2) and X-Plane 11. This means that it is not compatible with the old and the DIY Knobster.

Installation

The KnobXP menu within X-Plane

KnobXP settings window

Download the latest KnobXP for Windows here:
Download

Download the latest KnobXP for Mac here:
Download

Download the latest KnobXP for Linux here:
Download

1. Unzip the KnobXP folder into \X-Plane 11\Resources\plugins\
2. Start X-Plane and once the aircraft is loaded you will see the KnobXP window with the default modes loaded.
3. When in VR mode, you can position the KnobXP window to a convenient place in your cockpit with your VR controller.

User manual

Control modes

KnobXP comes with a list of pre-defined modes. These modes can be turned on and off from the KnobXP settings window.
In X-Plane go to Plugins -> KnobXP -> Settings and a settings window will turn up, which allows you to turn modes on and off. These settings are stored uniquely for each different aircraft you fly.

Each mode triggers different X-Plane commands. Two examples:

Autopilot heading
Outer dial: Autopilot heading up / down
Inner dial: Autopilot heading up / down
Button: Sync autopilot heading

COM1 frequency 8.33KHz
Outer dial: COM1 frequency coarse up / down
Inner dial: COM1 frequency fine up / down
Button: COM1 standby flip

Active mode

The active mode is visible within the blue box.

Selecting a mode

Selecting a mode can either be done by pointing and clicking with your mouse or VR controller, or by pressing and holding the Knobster button for half a second. When pressing and holding the Knobster button for half a second, KnobXP will go into selection mode, indicated by a green box. When in selection mode, both the inner and outer dial can be used to scroll through the list. Pressing the Knobster button again will select the mode in the green box.

Alternatively you can assign a next and previous command to a joystick button. These commands can be found in the X-Plane joystick settings when searching for Knobster.

Command:                       Description:
si/knobster/mode/next          Select next Knobster mode
si/knobster/mode/prev          Select previous Knobster mode

Advanced usage

You can create your own mode with a little JSON script. This allows for commands for custom add-on aircraft for example.

Navigate to X-Plane 11\Resources\plugins\KnobXP\modes\ There you will see all the available modes within a JSON file. These JSON files can be opened with a code editor like Notepad++.
The best tool to find X-Plane commands is called 'datareftool', made by Lee Baker. It is available for download from his Github.

{
    "name": "COM1 frequency 8.33KHz",
    "minor_cw_cmd": "sim/radios/stby_com1_fine_up_833",
    "minor_ccw_cmd": "sim/radios/stby_com1_fine_down_833",
    "major_cw_cmd": "sim/radios/stby_com1_coarse_up_833",
    "major_ccw_cmd": "sim/radios/stby_com1_coarse_down_833",
    "button_released_cmd": "sim/radios/com1_standy_flip",
    "order": 301500
}

Optionally the command appointed to the Knobster button can be forced for a defined number of seconds. This can be useful for a starter engine command for example. In the example below, the starter command is forced for 2 seconds.

{
    "name": "LR C172 Ignition key",
    "minor_cw_cmd": "laminar/c172/ignition_up",
    "minor_ccw_cmd": "laminar/c172/ignition_down",
    "major_cw_cmd": "laminar/c172/ignition_up",
    "major_ccw_cmd": "laminar/c172/ignition_down",
    "button_released_cmd": "sim/starters/engage_starter_1",
    "button_released_cmd_force_sec": 2,
    "order": 608120
}

Create a new JSON file based on the same structure to create your own mode, and fill in your desired X-Plane commands.

name                           The mode name that will show up within X-Plane
minor_cw_cmd                   Inner dial clockwise command
minor_ccw_cmd                  Inner dial counter clockwise command
major_cw_cmd                   Outer dial clockwise command
major_ccw_cmd                  Outer dial counter clockwise command
order                          This number determines in which position the mode will show up in the list, the lower the number the higher in the list
button_released_cmd            Button command
button_released_cmd_force_sec  Number of seconds the button command is forced (optional)
minor_acceleration             Inner dial acceleration, 1 is no acceleration (optional)
major_acceleration             Outer dial acceleration, 1 is no acceleration (optional)