Skip to content

VFT5 Side-Stick

The Viper Force Transducer Gen 5 (VFT5) is the Invictus USB side-stick controller for F-16C cockpit builds. It measures force applied to the stick rather than physical deflection. You push and the stick stays where it is, just like the real jet.

The VFT5 connects directly over USB and is configured through the manager's Flight Controls and Firmware pages. It does not use the AIM cockpit network or PoE. It's an entirely separate USB HID device.

Flight Controls Live force page showing roll/pitch force and the F-16 FLCS actuation presets

Connect the stick

Plug the VFT5 into any USB port on your PC using the supplied USB-C cable. Windows detects it as a standard HID joystick. No driver installation needed.

Once connected, the manager detects the stick and unlocks the Firmware and Profiles pages.

[!NOTE] The VFT5 shows up as VFT Gen 5 Controller in Windows Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Controllers and in joy.cpl. The exact button and POV hat count shown depends on the grip profile currently saved to the stick.

Check and update firmware

  1. In the manager, go to the Firmware page.
  2. The page shows the firmware version currently on the connected stick.
  3. If a newer version is available, a Download button appears. Click it. The manager downloads the .bin file from the firmware releases page.
  4. Once downloaded, click Upload & flash. The stick reboots into flash mode, receives the new firmware, and reconnects automatically.

Firmware page with the VFT5 connected and its firmware version shown

The manager checks for new firmware automatically when it launches. You can also trigger a manual check via Settings → CHECK NOW.

[!TIP] Firmware releases are published at github.com/invictuscockpits/vft_gen5_firmware. Release notes for each version are on that page.

Set the grip profile

The VFT5 accommodates different physical grip types. The grip you attach determines how many buttons and POV hats the stick reports to Windows and your sim.

  1. Go to Flight Controls → Profiles in the manager.
  2. Select your grip from the Grip dropdown. The preview line shows how many buttons and POV hats Windows will see for that grip (for example: "joy.cpl will show 7 buttons and 4 POV hats").
  3. Click Save to device. The manager sends the mapping to the stick and it reboots automatically.
  4. After the reboot, Windows re-enumerates the stick with the correct button and POV count for your grip.

Profiles page with the grip and sim-mode selectors and the joy.cpl preview line

You only need to do this once, or when you physically swap to a different grip. The mapping is stored on the stick itself. It persists across power cycles.

The Flight Controls → Buttons page shows each grip function and POV hat live, so you can confirm the mapping by pressing buttons on the stick.

Buttons page showing the live grip button map and POV hats

Assign axes and buttons in your sim

The VFT5 appears as a standard HID joystick in DCS and BMS. Assign its axes and buttons the same way you would any other joystick:

DCS: Options → Controls → select the VFT5 device → bind axes and buttons.

BMS: Setup → Controllers → find the VFT Gen 5 Controller → bind axes.

The X and Y axes correspond to pitch and roll force. BMS and DCS both treat them as standard joystick axes.

To confirm Windows sees the stick correctly, open joy.cpl (Run → joy.cpl), select Viper Force Transducer, and click Properties → Test. You'll see the X/Y axes respond to force and the buttons light as you press them.

Windows joy.cpl Test panel for the Viper Force Transducer

[!TIP] Set a small deadzone around center in your sim's axis settings. Even with clean wiring, a force sensor will have a small amount of resting noise at true zero.

If something's wrong

Problem Fix
Manager doesn't detect the stick Check the USB cable and try a different port. Some USB hubs can cause enumeration issues. Connect directly to the PC.
Profiles page shows no grip options The manager may not have connected to the stick yet. Wait a moment and check the Firmware page for a version number. If that's blank too, the stick isn't detected.
Wrong button count in joy.cpl The grip profile on the device doesn't match what you selected. Open Profiles, select the correct grip, and click Save to device again.
Stick axes are reversed Invert the axis in your sim's controller settings.
Firmware update fails Make sure no other application (e.g., joy.cpl test panel) has the device open during the flash. Close them and try again.

See also: Update Board Firmware, What You Need