Strange problem

[Brett Chance]

My quad stick is having erratic movement  and input.  The lights facing me keeps cycling between the first light (purple) and the second and fourth light (red). 

[Fred Davison]

That would be a problem with the USB connection.   2 & 4 indicate the USB just finished making a new connection.

There are an infinite number of possible causes.   Cables, connectors, power supplies, software problems with the host, if a USB converter is involved, it could be something with that.

[Brett Chance]

Thanks for the tip! 

[Brett Chance]

I replaced the USB B to A cable. Same thing. I had another Quadstick, but it had the same issue. I've tried multiple ports with no success. All other USB devices work fine. It worked fine for 2 days, but started this in the middle of the day. I was installing several programs at the time, but never opened them. I threw in the towel and hooked my old computer up, and its working fine now. The constant appearance of red lights 2 and 4 are gone.

On a side note, I don't think the pre-owned Quadstick I bought was "unused" as claimed. There's no RAM mount. I think he just took the old one off the mount and forgot to give it the other one. Other than the mouthpiece what else should I sterilize? As to why he sold it, I can't get softs to trigger on the side tube. 

[Fred Davison]

There is no separate "soft" sensor.   Each hole has one pressure sensor for sip/puff/hard/soft/short/long.  Everything else is software.  When a soft input is not being used, it does not make any sound in the soft range.

https://quadstick.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/user_manual/um/sip_puff_sensors.htm

Those RAM Mount parts can be found here:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006PK661Q

It sounds like your new PC is either aggressively trying to save power by suspending the quadstick's flash drive, or some software is scanning the flash drive.  Both can be addressed by disabling the flash drive.

Try using Mouse2 no flash, which will disable the flash drive while it is being used.  If that stops the problem, you can modify your game configurations to also turn off the flash.

Finally, there is a long standing problem with the Intel DSA service that affects some computers:  https://groups.google.com/g/quadstick/c/jAsvUQUMVn4/m/rncP3v3pAAAJ

[Brett Chance]

I understand there is no separate soft sensor. What I'm saying is that the side tube sensor doesn't seem to detect something in the soft threshold.

The problem is indeed the QS flash drive. I did have the DSAservice (Intel Driver & Support Assistant). I uninstalled and that cleared up my issue, until I restarted. I did all the USB stuff you recommended. Took some effort to find the USB Suspend in Windows 11, but I did. Disabling the flash drive has been the only fix. I can add the csv file in Windows, but I can't easily open the QMP or make setting changes. I also can't use HIDHide. Do you think disabling TPM in the registry might help? I found a way to only allow certain USB device from the computer, like MAC addressing for networking. USB's not being plug and play would be a pain. I don't know a way to exempt 1 USB drive.

[Fred Davison]

The lack of the side tube, or any tube, responding to the soft range is "as designed".  This is the intended behavior when there is no output programmed to use it.  Program an output to be controlled by right_sip_soft and the led will start flashing and making a tone as the pressure goes through the "soft" range.

In a spreadsheet, you can get a list of unused inputs by selecting Extensions->Quadstick->List unused inputs.  "right_sip_soft" will show up there.

Do not mess around with TPM.  The computer trying to shut down the flash drive to save energy is not related to any TPM function or security.  

Keep the Quadstick in mode 6 except when you want to make a change to the configuration files.  Switch it to a mouse config that has flash access, start or re-start QMP, make your changes, then switch back to a mouse config that turns the flash off.   

Your quadstick has a bluetooth module.  You could turn on the bluetooth in "simple serial port" mode, pair it with the computer, and manage all the configuration files over a serial connection and never need to access the flash.

Bluetooth settings:  ssp and 2, "Enable file management over serial port" on and "Enable Voice Commands over USB" off.

Stay away from HID Hide.  It was a mistake to include it in the installer since only one person has ever actually needed it.

[Brett Chance]

Its working fine now. Thought I would need to pair it, but apparently not. Little afraid to restart the PC to find out if it's really fixed.

[Brett Chance]

Never mind. Restart brought it back.

It won't show when Windows looks for it.

[Brett Chance]

In an effort to get the computer to pair I added the bluetooth lines to Preferences. Right ones?

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1eUS2uBl4N51u_yGiKIJTXvK9FPrQelQilm-RNyGOksk/edit?gid=1356231990#gid=1356231990

[Fred Davison]

The only bluetooth setting that can set in a regular configuration spreadsheet is the bluetooth_throttle.  All others can only be set in the prefs.csv file, and nowhere else.

If you look at the original Default Preferences where all the preferences are described, there is a color code as to where preference settings can and cannot be used.

Must be set in prefs.csv or via QMP

Can be changed with voice command, or game configuration file's Preferences sheet

Can be changed on Mode sheet, Voice Command or Preferences sheet.

bluetooth_device_mode	ssp		Bluetooth HID Device Selection
bluetooth_authentication_mode	2		Bluetooth Authentication Selection
bluetooth_connection_mode	pair		Bluetooth pairing control
bluetooth_throttle	15	ms	Bluetooth mouse report interval in ms.

Those settings with the dark purple background must not be changed after power up.  Once the Bluetooth device, authentication and connection mode are set, they cannot be changed without rebooting the CPU and the Bluetooth module and this only happens at power up.

enable_usb_a_host

1

Enable Host mode support for devices plugged into USB-A

enable_usb_a_host is the only other preference setting like this.  Once the USB hardware direction is initialized, it cannot be altered.

You need to remove any Preference settings that affect those preferences from any configuration files.

The QMP misc tab controls those settings and these are the settings that matter for using a serial connection over bluetooth:

Save those settings to the quadstick, wait for the quadstick to go "boing", then un-power the quadstick and power it back up.  

Whenever the device mode is changed, any prior "pairing" is no longer valid and must be forgotten in the host and the quadstick re-paired as the new type of device.  The quadstick must be paired within a few minutes after powering up.  It will stop advertising itself after a while.

If you are having trouble seeing it as a new device on the PC, see if other hosts can see it.  You do not need to pair to it to see it show up as available in other hosts, like a phone or tablet.

If it has been paired to another host, make sure that host is not on and in the area when trying to pair it with the PC.  If the quadstick is actively connected to a host, it will not advertise itself for a new host to pair with.  Probably best to have any other hosts that were ever paired to it forget their pairing to it.  The quadstick remembers the last eight hosts.

Just to throw more complexity into it, not all Bluetooth adapters see all bluetooth devices.  The built in bluetooth adapter on my desktop unit didn't work and I needed to replace it with a one that plugs in to a USB port.

 

[Brett Chance]

Can you look at my sheet tell me it's right.

So I should hunt down a bluetooth receiver that connects via USB?

Not a QS issue, but are you a sports fan Fred? I'm an Auburn college football fan unfortunately.

[Fred Davison]

Just completely delete the Preferences sheet.  Those preference settings can only be set at boot up time in the prefs.csv file that QMP creates.  Nowhere else.

These are the settings:

Period.  After they are set and the quadstick makes the "boing" sound, unplug the quadstick from its power source and plug it back in.

If you are having trouble seeing the Quadstick on the PC's bluetooth devices, check with another host, try to see it with a cell phone.  If it shows up in the cell phone but not the PC, then the PC will need a new adapter.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=bluetooth+dongle