This release contains a little reprise for the F/A-18C toolbox controls to give more auto-binding, and the capability to switch to a more night appropriate image set. The DCS Additional Viewport Interface now has the ability to patch community mods which have been installed into the Saved Games directory. Finally there are a few bug fixes to the F/A-18C and A-10C interfaces.

This release includes the DCS interface for the community mod OH-6A Cayuse from Tobsen and Eightball. It also contains a RWR patch and template for the F-5E 2024. There are a number of bug fixes included in this release.

1. Implement hostname support for DCS interfaces. The Hostname needs to resolve to an IP V4 address. This will require a Setup DCS to be performed to rewrite HeliosExport16.lua (#857) @BlueFinBima
2. Fix to support the change to the ED Hornet UFC cueing indicator character mentioned in #854 @BlueFinBima
3. Fix for #848 to correct the function of the PotentiometerIndicatorClickable @BlueFinBima
4. Corrections to the CH-47F CDU needed because of ED module changes. @MadKreator37 @BlueFinBima
5. Add F-5E 2024 RWR viewport template. @BlueFinBima
6. New Patch level for 2.9.10.4160 which changes the RWR for the Hornet and CH-47F, and adds viewport patch for the "F-5E 2024" @MadKreator37 @BlueFinBima
7. Fix for #854 which was caused by the width of the apostrophe character being too great. @BlueFinBima
8. Fix for "Reset Monitors" problem described in #847. This fix reintroduces a problem with the Lock Aspect Ratio tick box, but this is of lesser consequence. This fix has appeared in 1.6.611 Hotfix 1. @BlueFinBima
9. Pilot Callsign not populated in Falcon Interface #852 @Todd1215
10. AH-64D - Change of the name for the standby altimeter which might require minor changes to existing Apache profiles. @BlueFinBima
11. Fix for deserialisation error on the AH-64D MFDs. @BlueFinBima
12. Additional flight control elements added to the interface of the CH-47F @MadKreator37 @BlueFinBima
13. Add the OH-6A Cayuse / Loach Soft Interface from Tobsen and Eightball. @MadKreator37
14. Fix for #846 which reports that some/most output binding for the CH-47F are no longer working after 2.9.9.2280 changed the devices.lua in a non-backward compatible manner. @BlueFinBima
15. Fix for Hornet ADF switch problem in the F/A-18C type 1 interface and also the JSON version #844 @BlueFinBima
16. Fix for empty rectangle being passed to ConvertToDCS in MonitorSetupGenerator when simulate monitor in profile tool is selected. #584 @BlueFinBima
17. Tighten up the profile monitor checking against the physical displays in HeliosProfile because it was returning a match when the profile only contained a subset of the real monitors. Now the number of Monitors in the profile must match the number of displays. @BlueFinBima

This release is generally fixing bugs, however there are a number of functional changes to controls. Finally, this release ships viewport patches and templates for the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior.

Full change notes from previous releases

Iris Screen Exporter can be downloaded here

This release contains an interface and associated artefacts for the CH-47F Chinook from Eagle Dynamics. Since the CH-47F is still in Early Access, it is anticipated that future changes by ED will require further updates to Helios. There are changes to the Falcon BMS F-16 MFDs and Hydraulic Pressure gauges as well as support for Version 21. There have been changes to several Helios controls to enable easier implementation of advanced binding in profiles. There has also been a number of bug fixes

Main items for this release are Gauges for the F-5E-3 aswell as various assets for the Tiger II have been added to this release. Early patches and viewport templates for HeatBlur's F-4E Phantom have been incorporated into Helios. As usual, there is a smattering of bug fixes too (see Developer Notes)

Full change notes from previous releases

Iris Screen Exporter can be downloaded here

This release is mainly minor adjustments and bug fixes across many components from Falcon/BMS to Mi-24P. See the details section if you want to know more.
The F-15E Plug-in has now been withdrawn from this release and the contents of this plugin are contained within the main Helios installation.

• "Lock Aspect Ratio" layout setting to assist with resizing controls in Profile Editor. @BlueFinBima
• Refactor for the F-15E UFC to simplify the images, and hopefully cure the disappearing background images. @BlueFinBima
• Added "Enable" action and alternating False/True "Tick Tock" trigger for the Metronome control. There is also a trigger which is the inverse of TickTock. @BlueFinBima
• Mi-24P interface changes for R60. @usagiyon
• Mi-24P patches and viewports - Map & TV. The TV remains a work in progress so please don't open any issues relating to the partial implementation. @BlueFinBima
• Changes to the DCS BIOS F-16 JSON interface. @medievalbunny
• Improvements and corrections to the Mirage-F1 EE interface. @NoNoBear
• New Mirage-F1 patches added to move the destination folder for those patches #810. @BlueFinBima
• F-16C project creation and assets moved into new dll (with re-directions). @BlueFinBima
• Added F-16C Block 50 Fuel gauge #811. @BlueFinBima
• Adding hidden & untested DCS F-16C interface. @BlueFinBima
• Fix for #821 which is an unhandled DirectX exception when the device is unplugged from the computer when the DirectX interface for that device is open in Profile Editor. @BlueFinBima
• Removal of old VendorUsbCommunications project files. @BlueFinBima
• AV-8B Front Cockpit "Mega-gauge" did not allow access to the gain rocker on the right MPD because it was being eclipsed by the Flight Instruments panel. Re-ordered the sub-panels, moving the Right MPD to be in front of the flight instruments. @BlueFinBima
• Fix for #819 which is a problem with the A-10C CDU brightness rocker. @BlueFinBima
• Fix for #816 which is a problem introduced by a Mirage 2000C module change to the way in which the display data in the PCN is exported. This change interprets the segments and translates to characters which can be displayed using a font. @BlueFinBima
• Move the F-15E into the main Helios installer. @BlueFinBima
• AH-64D Interface TEDAC display mode switch positions reversed to address #814. @BlueFinBima
• Refactoring the Calibrations for the gauges in the DCS F-15E Interface. @BlueFinBima
• Improved handling of exception during Initialization caused by invalid ImagePath making the creation of a URI fail #813. @BlueFinBima
• AH-64D EUFD - Rename IDM rocker to DL rocker in line with change in 2.9.3.51704. @BlueFinBima
• F-15E ODU Fix for missing ILS decimal point. @BlueFinBima

• Added Exception handling of missing HUD Behavior elements for Falcon/BMS. @Todd1215
• Falcon Texture Display - Add ability to flip the image in the horizontal & vertical planes. @Todd1215

Full change notes from previous releases

This release is predominantly bug fixes affecting AH-64D, AJS-37, F-15E, A-10C, along with new fucntion for Falcon BMS and the ability to use individual display lines for the F-15E ODU. There are significant changes to the AJS-37 Viggen which were contributed by @usagiyon.

Another release with a mixture of bug fixes and minor improvements. One significant change is to DCS drivers for interfaces which declare multiple variants (examples are the DCS F-14B, DCS P-47D, & DCS P-51D but there are others).

Changes made in this release will result DCS users needing to perform "Setup DCS" in one of their DCS interfaces to remove the preflight warning that HeliosExport16.lua has been changed. Users of interfaces which have been declared with multiple vehicles will also need to perform "Setup DCS" in that interface in Profile Editor to update the drivers of affected interfaces.

1. Impersonation Capability for DCS SoftInterfaces #791 #794 #765 This allows interfaces to be used by variants of the DCS module which have different vehicle names. @BlueFinBima

2. Helios Information interface now exposes the vehicle name which is in use by DCS @BlueFinBima

   

3. Various P-47D JSON soft interface improvements and additions. @MadKreator37

4. Various fixes to the DCS F-14B soft interface #784 @MedievalBunny

5. #791 Fixed calibration issues with KA-50 BS3 gauges and fix for weapon type display as weapon names has changed in DCS @usagiyon

6. #786 Implemented Magnetic Yaw in Simulator Telemetry interface as "T6" @BlueFinBima

   

7. Telemetry interface arguments T1, T2, T3 & T6 have had their precision increased to three decimal places #789 @BlueFinBima

8. Additions to the existing 4-way hat switch to allow independent horizontal and vertical interface elements to be used. #783 @BlueFinBima

   

9. Fix for bug #796 in Rotary Switch. The Exit trigger now fires when the switch moves out of the final switch position @BlueFinBima

10. AH-64D Apache Glass Reflection Opacity control in Profile Editor added to MFDs, TEDAC, and EUFDs @BlueFinBima

    

11. Metronome control to provide a regular trigger at a configurable frequency. This is located in the "Special Controls" section of the Profile Editor Toolbox. @BlueFinBima Artwork contributed by @Shaftoe62

    

12. Fix for #788 which is a problem with an error message put out by the animated Linear Potentiometer control. @BlueFinBima

13. Falcon Interface - Correction to Radio2 and IffTransponder FightData2 Entries @linknetx

This is a minor release primarily to address the fact that an AH-64D Apache patch no longer installs after changes made in DCS 2.9.2.49629. There are also minor changes relating to the A-10C II and the F-15E UFC.

Full change notes from previous releases

Iris Screen Exporter can be downloaded here

This release is a mix of bug fixes and minor improvements. There are minor changes in the Falcon interface as well as F-15E & M-2000C. One new function relates to Profile Editor detecting images being changed outside of Profile Editor and reloading the image.

1. New function in Profile Editor to reload images which have been changed outside of Profile Editor. The intention is to allow profile developers who are simultaneously editing a small number of images while developing their profiles. #648
2. Improve tooltip for DCS 3D views in DCS Monitor Setup Interface.
3. XAML version of the RWR rings added in addition to a template for the toolbox.

4. Help improved for LuaScript Binding global variable descriptions in profile editor.
5. Improve the handling of problematic DirectX devices. #772
6. Assignment to ProfileName Lua variable did not escape apostrophe characters. Fix for #770
7. Moved ProfileName Grid.Row down one to correct the layout of the panel. @Todd1215
8. Fixed ButtonImageEnabled. It was always defaulting to true in Button properties Dialog even if previously set to false. @Todd1215
9. Fix for incorrectly named Global Option LogDCSFunctionDictionary
10. Fix for "Simulator Viewport" & "DCS Monitor Setup Script Appender" incorrectly displaying "Rotation" in the Layout section. #767

1. Added Radio 2 for Falcon Interface. Compatible with Falcon BMS 4.37.3+ only. @Todd1215

1. Fix for #773 which describes non-functional F-15E interface elements due to Terrain Following RADAR changes implemented by the module developer. This will require updating the Helios F-15E Plugin to release 1.6.604 which is available as a download in this release

1. Enable M-2000C Clock outer bezel
2. Fix for the M-2000C Rad Alt Min knob template being a potentiometer instead of an encoder
3. Add missing Appearance Editor to the M-2000C Accelerometer.

All content in this release contributed by @BlueFinBima unless otherwise indicated.

This release has a focus on viewports with a new control to allow adjustment of viewport images using the Screen Exporter control. These image adjustments are similar to the latest release of Iris Screen Exporter which also has the ability to adjust image characteristics. The DCS Monitor Setup interface now contains helper functionality which aids the creation of the configurations needed by Iris Screen Exporter.

The Control Center now has the ability to transfer control to another profile, as well as improvements to the command line options. Profile Editor also has improvements to the command line.

The new Mirage 2000C profile from @Soyouz2000 exposed bugs and omissions in the interface which have now been addressed and new gauges have been added. Patches for the F-5E RWR & RADAR have been added along with new viewports, and some minor bugs have been resolved in the F-15E functionality.

• Iris configuration Helper for DCS to assist with the creation of the configuration files for Iris Screen Exporter

• Profile Chaining as submitted by @finbarlay in #760 which is a new output binding on the Profile interface which allows Control Center to transfer control from one profile to another

• ProfileName Lua global variable made available to Lua Script binding values

• Active Profile Name trigger added to the Helios Information interface
• Allow Control Center to loop round the profiles using the Prev / Next buttons rather than stopping at the first / last
• Add in new darker versions of the standard wheel images.
• Fix for the Inverted Vertical processing for the linear potentiometer.
• Exposed the Inverted Vertical and Inverted Horizontal as checkboxes in the behaviour for the linear potentiometer.

• Adjustable Screen Replicator control added to allow image adjustments to be made to screen captures such as viewports.

• #755 Profile Editor and Control Center command line improvements

1. Help text improved and Usage examples added.
2. Attempt is made to find the profile specified on the command line of the Control Center and Profile editor in the Profile directory and secondary profile directory as taken from the HeliosSettings

-Minor changes to F-15E interface and controls to fix problems with WSO Caution Panel and UFC Reject toggle switch.

• F-5E Patches for RWR and RADAR. Viewports for these also.

• M-2000C Interface corrections from @Soyouz2000, Also addition of more missing values from the interface
• Fix for M-2000C HSI Mode Selector knob not changing the Mode needle to move correctly in the composite control.
• Changes to the interface calibration of the 397,398,399 and LOx.
• Auto binding M-2000C Clock / Stopwatch gauge completion.
• Auto Binding of the Backup ADI for M2000C
• Auto binding Accelerometer Gauge
• VVI Gauge
• Templates for M-2000C gauges.

This is a minor release completing the F-15E Strike Eagle interface and gauges. The interface now includes the ability to manipulate the Laser Guided Bomb code controls #750. There is also now an auto binding magnetic compass in the toolbox for the F-15E Strike Eagle (note: the binding names for the compass pitch and roll have changed since 1.6.6010 so will need to be rebound if you have already made use of them.

One niche enhancement is being delivered to enable exporting MFD viewports when in Mixed/Augmented reality. See #742 for more details.

Finally there were problems with the naming of the interfaces for the Mirage F1 - these should now be fixed. The JSON interfaces themselves still need considerable work, however changes to the JSON interface should now be picked up.

• Various F-15E interface changes, mainly for emergency functions

• Several changes to the F-15E WSO ADI and Altimeter. Also Name case changes for the two Mirage F1 interfaces.

• Enhancement to address #750 LGB Panel support in the F-15E interface

• F-15E Strike Eagle Magnetic Compass gauge.

• Fixing Mirage F1 interface naming.

• Fix for invalid export codes in the Mirage F1 interfaces

• Fix for one invalid export code in the Helios F-16 interface.

This release contains enablement for an optional, separately installable Helios Plugin for the DCS F-15E Strike Eagle from Razbam.
The F-15E Plugin contains the interface, as well as multiple Toolbox gauges and controls, the majority of which will auto-bind to the F-15E interface if it has previously been added to a profile. A new set of patches to support the exporting of the F-15E cockpit displays is available in the base Helios program. The F-15E Plugin work in this Helios release benefited greatly from the assistance of @MadKreator37 who did a stellar job testing the interface and components, as well as providing graphical elements and suggestions for improvements. Release numbering for Helios changed last release, but was not obvious. Helios releases will effectively be numbered "x.y.zzzh.r" instead of the previous "x.y.zzhh.r" (where "h" is the hotfix number and "r" is the development rebuild number). So this release is 1.6.601 in common terms.

The F-15E plugin requires that Helios 1.6.6010 is installed first, and the plugin needs to be downloaded from the Assets below and installed in the same directory location as the Helios product.

The F-15E Strike Eagle module is still under active development by Razbam, and Razbam do not maintain backwards compatibility which means that DCS updates may require changes to the F-15E code within Helios in order to retain functionality.

Unless otherwise indicated, content was created by @BlueFinBima

• Autobinding Multi Function Displays

• Up Front Controllers for Pilot and WSO

• Fuel Monitor Panel

• Engine Monitor Panel

• UFC font added

• Gauges: Barometric Altimeter; Cabin Pressure; AoA; VVI; IAS; ADI; Hydraulics; Pitch Ratio; WSO Fuel; Oxygen Pressure and clocks

• Caution Panels for Pilot and WSO

• Viewport templates added to the Toolbox

• Patches added based on Razbam's changes delivered in DCS 2.8.7.42583

• Image fix for A-10C MFD SYM Rocker images being incorrect.
• The ARC-210 Exports for the A-10C II have been changed to a lower frequency

• Change to AH-64D Exports to reduce the size of the CMWS Flare and Chaff text. This addresses a problem with the CMWS text for Flare and Chaff counts resulting in elipses.
• AH-64D CP/G Left and Right handgrip controls added to the interface.

• Visual assets and templates added to Helios so the "Helios Asset" pack for the M-2000C is no longer needed (M-2000C.V1.0.3.helios16.asset.package.zip).

• H-60 functions added to allow the creation of an interface for the community MH-60R which is based on the community UH-60L interface. #717

• Viewport patches updated to 002_008_00007_42583_00000
• "The viewport '{name}' is not tracked automatically because it is contained within a gauge, control or panel." message has been downgraded to Info from Warning.
• A new "Save DCS Interface Functions to Log" Global Option allows logging of the DCS Interface dictionaries which should be beneficial for interface auditing and allowing profile creators to know which category each interface element resides within.
• Developer Tool "GenerateImageTemplates" added to create Helios Image templates from a directory of .png files.
• Fix to address the Exception that is thrown when the version number in the autoupdate.cfg for the DCS installation is invalid. #667
• Fix to the Custom Tape Off Flag Image being incorrectly saved and restored.

A new patch set is delivered at level 002_008_00004_38947_00000 to resolve patch application issues following a change to the AV-8B N/A DCS module. https://github.com/HeliosVirtualCockpit/Helios/issues/728

Please refer to notes for 1.6.6000. This release is Fix 1 for 1.6.600 and addresses challenges with integrating the viewport into Captain Zeen's A-10C II profile due to the need to "tunnel" through underlying panels. This fix level addresses the problems by delivering a much improved textual mode for the ARC-210 radio.

The textual display for the ARC-210 radio in this fix level removes the dedicated arguments for some of the text areas used by the ARC-210 radio and delivered in 1.6.6000. Two new fonts are also delivered in this release for the ARC-210 to make the characters in the ARC-210 look similar to the characters used in the DCS module. The problem with the channel selector knob on the ARC-210 not decrementing has also been resolved #727

Fixed is a bug which resulted in the monitor setup file being incorrectly detected as having been changed when viewports are not defined directly as a child of the monitor in Profile Editor. This can happen when the viewport is included in a panel, or within a composite visual control or gauge.

Fixed in this level is a problem whereby the AH-64D background images for some gauges were not replaceable, and the text for the embedded viewports was exceptionally large. Specifically the CMWS,EUFD, MFDs KSs and TEDAC.

There is a fix for Mirage-F1 duplicate UDP elements 194 and 195 in the interfaces caused by duplicates in the module lua. This also updates the interfaces submodule with the same fix.

This release delivers support for the new ARC-210 radio on the A-10C II. There is a new "Simple Computation Wire" control, and a number of bug fixes. The DCS Patches have also been updated.

Recent changes to the M-2000C mean that the User notes from 1.6.5500-1.6.5700 should be reviewed if you have skipped those releases.

Unless otherwise attributed, the changes were contributed by @BlueFinBima

• Added A-10C II ARC-210 Radio to the interface, added a new viewport template and patch for the display in this device.
• Added ARC-210 Radio auto-binding gauge to the A-10C Gauges folder in the toolbox
• DCS Patches refreshed to 2.8.3.37854
• New Simple Computation Wire added to allow triggering following simple arithmetic operations as well as the result of Exclusive Or boolean operations
• New "Special Controls" folder in the Toolbox which has had the following controls moved into it
• File a Bug option in Helios now includes the Helios Version in the text body, and the GitHub Issue template is used to improve the quality of the information in the first Issue submission
• Falcon Interface - Additional Null Checks for Shared Memory String Data added by @linknetx (#719)
• Change Log link added to the distributed readme file.

• Mirage-F1 duplicate UDP elements 194 and 195 in both of the interfaces caused by duplicates in the DCS module lua files.)
• Profile Editor -> Invalid viewport name breaks Helios.lua file #721
• Removal of the -- changes to this viewport are not tracked automatically. comments in the generated monitor Lua file which caused the Lua file to be detected as changed.
• Fixed problem with several AH-64D gauges which would not allow the background image to be changed. Over-sized viewport names have also been reduced in size. Specifically, the changes were made to the EUFDs, MFDs, KUs, CMWS and TEDAC.

Full Changelog: https://github.com/HeliosVirtualCockpit/Helios/compare/1.6.5800.0...1.6.6000.0

This release brings the ability to control external indicators on your Virpil controllers. There are enhancements to the Falcon Interface, Proto-type and (untested) interfaces for DCS Mirage F1 CE & EE, support for the DCS Super Hornet Mod from Chiller Juice Studios, and dummy Interface entries for VSN's F-4B & C Phantom module.

Recent changes to the M-2000C mean that the User notes from 1.6.5500-1.6.5700 should be reviewed if you have skipped those releases.

1. Support for setting indicators on Virpil controllers. This was a collaboration between @BlueFinBima & @ryanwoodcox
   

2. Proto-type (and untested) interfaces for the DCS Mirage F1 @BlueFinBima

3. 002_008_00002_35759_00000 New patches for Mirage F1, and removing the incorrect files in the Viper, M-2000C and A-10C II which existed in the previous two generations of the patches. #703 @BlueFinBima

4. Option to store settings for Color and Font selections in Profile Editor (#709) @BlueFinBima

   

5. Falcon Interface - Added EHSI Control 45 Degree Markers Image Change @linknetx

6. Falcon Interface - Update Global BMS Falcon Path Parameter (#705) @linknetx

7. Added additional exception checks to ReadBMSConfig to cope with the directory being absent. @Todd1215

8. Falcon Interface - Check for RTT Config Parameter @linknetx and @Todd1215

9. A-10C (1 and 2) ILS switch is the wrong way round @BlueFinBima

10. F/A-18C interface change to correct the INS rotary and the IR cooling switch @davidmontpellier

11. Add the Super Hornet mod JSON interfaces and corrected the comment associated with the helios_module_names table @BlueFinBima

12. Added dummy JSON interfaces for VSN's F-4B&C module @BlueFinBima

13. DCS AH-64D Apache patches now include LEFT_MFCD and RIGHT_MFCD viewport names for the co-pilot's MFDs.

14. Change to the internal generation of viewport templates tool to allow for existing viewport names, even when there are patches. This is initially to support the Mirage F1 interfaces which have common viewport devices.

New in this release are Bindings for BMS 4.3.7 and better handling of Falcon registry sub-keys. For all those Thrustmater Warthog owners, the setting of the indicators on the throttle is now supported. For a full list of changes in this release, please see below. Recent changes to the M-2000C mean that the User notes from 1.6.5500-1.6.5700 should be reviewed if you have skipped those releases.

1. Added New Shared Memory Bindings For BMS 4.37 (#694) @linknetx
2. Check For No Subkeys In Falcon BMS Registry Key @linknetx
3. Added ECM/IDIAS Panel Selection Binding (#693) @linknetx

1. Restore accidentally deleted HUD Brightness axis from the Hornet Interface. and update the interfaces submodule.
2. Fix for Interface problems for the hornet with the launch bar and field bypass toggles.
3. Change to he Hornet interface UFC Comms rotaries
4. Change to Fuel switches @kcharlie2

1. The Helios interface for the Thrustmaster Warthog Throttle now has actions to allow the indicators and backlight to be set as well as their brightness. #133
2. Merge "Buttons" and "Push Button Indicators" categories into the single "Push Buttons" category in the toolbox
3. Change to Indicator Control so that AllowInteraction is backwardly compatible - ie it is only serialized if it is false. Secondary issue reported in #697