WinWing MSFS Vibration Bridge

Unofficial Windows utility for driving vibration motors on supported WinWing Orion 2 controllers in Microsoft Flight Simulator using SimConnect telemetry.

Compatibility

This project is developed and tested on Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.

It relies on real-time telemetry provided through SimConnect.

Compatibility with other simulators, including previous Microsoft Flight Simulator versions, has not been tested and therefore cannot be guaranteed.

Aircraft Compatibility

The bridge is aircraft-agnostic.

It uses standard Microsoft Flight Simulator SimConnect variables rather than aircraft-specific integrations. This means vibration effects work with virtually any aircraft that correctly exposes SimConnect data, regardless of the developer.

Whether you fly default aircraft or third-party add-ons, the bridge automatically adapts its effects based on the aircraft type (jet, piston, turboprop, or helicopter) and the available flight data.

No aircraft-specific profiles or plugins are required.

Both interfaces share the exact same vibration core. Choose the interface that best fits your workflow: the Desktop Launcher for configuration and live telemetry, or the lightweight Classic CLI for VR, diagnostics and scripting.

Interfaces

Desktop Launcher

The recommended interface for most users, with:

• live SimConnect telemetry;
• fighter-inspired HUD;
• Aircraft and Helicopter vibration profiles;
• local preferences;
• standalone Windows runtime with no Node.js required.

Classic CLI

The original lightweight console interface remains available for:

• minimal resource usage;
• VR sessions;
• diagnostics;
• scripting and direct console feedback.

CLI vs Desktop Launcher

	CLI	Desktop launcher
Role	Run the vibration bridge	Configure profiles / themes; Start/Stop shared bridge
Feel curves	Built-in defaults from the shared core	Editable Aircraft / Helicopter profiles (local only)
Preferences file	None	OS app data via Tauri Store (launcher-preferences.json)
SimConnect / HID	Active via shared createBridge()	Same runtime via packaged bridge-host sidecar (UI never talks to HID/SimConnect)
Runtime dependency	Node.js (source) or packaged CLI exe	None (sidecar embedded in the installer)
Best for	VR, minimal footprint, diagnostics	Desktop tuning with live HUD and telemetry

Launcher preferences live under the Windows app data directory for identifier community.winwing.msfs2024-vibration-bridge (managed by Tauri / the Store plugin). They are never read by the CLI and are not stored in the git repository.

Project status

• March 23, 2026 — Initial private CLI prototype.
• July 17, 2026 — Development resumed for a public release, introducing the Desktop Launcher and numerous improvements.
• Functional on the hardware listed below
• First public / community release (v0.1.0)
• Desktop Launcher and Classic CLI share the same vibration engine.
• Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or supported by WinWing or Microsoft
• Compatibility is limited to the devices and grips that were actually tested

Tested hardware

Item	Notes
WinWing Orion 2 Throttle Base II	USB PID 0xBD64
F-15EX throttle grips (left + right)	Vibration motors on each grip
WinWing Orion 2 Joystick Base 2	USB PID 0xBEA8
F-16 joystick grip	Vibration motor
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024	Windows

Other WinWing PIDs, grips, or bases are not claimed to work.

Install from a release

When a GitHub Release is published, download WinwingVibration.exe, connect the tested hardware, start MSFS 2024, then run the executable.

Windows Defender / SmartScreen may warn about an unsigned community binary. That is expected until a signed release exists. Prefer building from source if you want to verify the code yourself.

(No release artifact is guaranteed to exist yet—check the repository Releases page.)

Usage

Desktop launcher: install the NSIS build (or run npm run dev:launcher), start MSFS 2024, then use Start in the title bar.

Classic CLI:

1. Connect the Throttle Base II and/or Joystick Base 2 with the tested grips.
2. Launch MSFS 2024 and load a flight.
3. Start the bridge (npm start or WinwingVibration.exe).
4. Keep the console window open while flying.
5. Press Ctrl+C for a clean shutdown (motors are zeroed before exit).

If hardware is plugged in later, the bridge periodically re-scans and opens newly available devices.

How it works

1. SimConnect streams selected aircraft variables each simulation frame.
2. The bridge converts those values into haptic intensities (engine, aero, etc.).
3. Intensities are sent as short HID output reports to the open WinWing devices.
4. A ~50 Hz refresh loop keeps motors active (vibration stops if reports stop).

SimAppPro is not required while this bridge is running. Close or avoid exclusive locks from other tools if a device fails to open.

This program does not send flight data over the Internet. It only uses local SimConnect and local HID I/O (plus normal Node.js package installs when building from source).

Current effects

Effects are a haptic interpretation of available SimVars, not certified flight fidelity.

Intensity sliders (launcher) map to the real HID motor byte:

Slider	HID byte
0%	0
50%	≈128
100%	255

Each effect keeps its trigger conditions and 0..1 dynamic curve. The slider is that effect’s hardware ceiling. Master multiplies the summed contribution last, then the value is clamped to 0..255 (never 256).

effectOutput = dynamicFactor × (effectSlider / 100) × 255
finalOutput  = clamp(sum(activeEffects) × (master / 100), 0, 255)

Effects include:

• Engine RPM per engine (piston / turboprop / jet)
• Afterburner per engine (where SimVars are present)
• Touchdown pulse (based on last airborne vertical speed, wall-clock decay)
• Landing gear transit and gear drag
• Stall buffet
• G-force buffet
• Transonic / supersonic buffet
• Speed brake
• Flap buffet
• Helicopter rotor rumble, ETL, and VRS cues
• Light APU vibration when engines are off

Aircraft that do not expose a given SimVar will simply not produce that effect.

Install from source

Requirements

• Windows
• Node.js 20 or newer (build uses @yao-pkg/pkg target node22-win-x64)
• MSFS 2024 installed (for SimConnect)
• Compatible WinWing hardware connected

npm ci
npm start

Build the CLI executable:

npm run build
# or explicitly:
npm run build:cli

Output: dist/WinwingVibration.exe (not committed to git). The packaged runtime is Node 22.

Build the launcher bridge-host sidecar (autonomous; no system Node.js at runtime):

npm run build:bridge-host

Output (not committed):

• dist/sidecars/bridge-host-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc.exe
• apps/launcher/src-tauri/binaries/bridge-host-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc.exe

Build the desktop launcher (NSIS, embeds the sidecar):

npm run build:launcher

Run unit tests (CLI core + host protocol + launcher preferences; no simulator / no hardware required):

npm test

Launcher development

Requirements beyond the CLI: Rust toolchain, Windows WebView2 (usually preinstalled). The bridge host sidecar is built with @yao-pkg/pkg before Tauri starts.

npm --prefix apps/launcher ci
npm run build:bridge-host
npm run dev:launcher

tauri dev / tauri build also call scripts/ensure-bridge-host.js automatically so the sidecar exists under apps/launcher/src-tauri/binaries/.

Build the launcher NSIS installer (embeds the sidecar):

npm run build:launcher

Typecheck:

npm run typecheck:launcher

Launcher highlights: FR/EN i18n; Flight panel with sticky HUD and scrollable telemetry; resizable config/flight splitter; panel rail collapse; stick reverse option — see docs/TELEMETRY.md and docs/INTENSITY.md.

Telemetry architecture

MSFS → createBridge() → host stdout (≤15 Hz) → Tauri → launcher UI / HUD
                 ↘ 50 Hz HID vibration (unchanged)

• Without MSFS: launcher stays usable; SimConnect shows Disconnected / Connecting; HUD stays neutral.
• Without WinWing HID: telemetry and HUD still work; HID status is independent.
• Sidecar crash: last values marked stale; Start again after the host respawns.

Smoke-test the packaged sidecar (not node lib/bridge/host.js):

npm run build:bridge-host
npm run smoke:bridge-host

Requires MSFS 2024 in a flight for a full SimConnect pass (exit code 4 if the sim is offline).

Planned features

The following are planned improvements only (not available yet):

• Silent bridge-host startup when launched from the Desktop Launcher.
• Optional Windows system tray support.
• Configurable launcher close behavior:
  • Exit application
  • Minimize to tray
• Tray menu:
  • Open
  • Start / Stop bridge
  • Exit

Known limitations

• Windows only
• Only the listed USB PIDs / grip combinations are supported
• Desktop launcher is autonomous (bundled bridge-host sidecar); CLI from source still needs Node.js
• UI telemetry is capped at ~15 Hz; HUD interpolates locally (not a certified instrument)
• Control positions use SimConnect surface/lever positions (not raw USB HID axes)
• Release binaries are unsigned
• Effect quality depends on SimVars each aircraft publishes
• Third-party aircraft may omit or mishandle some variables
• Packaged sidecar uses EvenAR node-simconnect (pure JS over the SimConnect service); no SimConnect.dll is shipped

Experimental HID research scripts are not part of the public runtime and are not required to run the bridge.

Safety and disclaimer

• Unofficial community software
• Not affiliated with, approved by, or supported by WinWing or Microsoft
• Use at your own risk; provided without warranty of any kind
• Stop the software immediately if vibration behaviour is unexpected or excessive
• Never use this software as a source of real-world flight information

Credits

During the reverse engineering of WinWing Orion 2 vibration support, one issue remained unsolved: although valid HID vibration commands were being sent, the motors would not stay active reliably.

After many unsuccessful experiments, I studied the Ursa Minor FFB project by rtroncoso. While no code from that project was reused, it helped me understand the communication behavior required by WinWing devices, which ultimately led to the solution.

Once that missing piece was understood, the Orion 2 implementation worked as expected.

All Orion 2 support, vibration effects, SimConnect integration, Desktop Launcher, and application code were developed independently.

Contributing

Bug reports and compatibility notes are welcome. Please include:

• Exact hardware (base + grip) and USB PID if known
• Aircraft title
• MSFS 2024 version / build if available
• Steps to reproduce
• Relevant console logs without personal paths or account data

Pull requests that change feel curves should explain the motivation; please keep the supported hardware scope clear.

License

MIT — Copyright (c) 2026 Apch132