DriveLink Desktop

DriveLink Desktop is the bridge application that allows you to use your Android phone as a high-performance racing game controller for Windows. It receives real-time motion and touch data from the DriveLink mobile app via UDP and translates it into virtual gamepad inputs.

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Features

• Low Latency: Uses UDP for near-instantaneous input transmission.
• Precise Steering: Maps phone rotation (accelerometer/gyroscope) to the virtual steering axis.
• Full Pedal Support: Real-time feeding of 3 independent Throttle, Brake, and Clutch axes.
• Custom Button Mapping: Support for gear shifts, handbrake, and other actions using buttons.
• Visual Feedback: Real-time UI indicators for steering angle, pedal levels, and connection status.
• Lightweight: Written using C++ to keep performance impact at a minimum while running in the background.

Overview

DriveLink Desktop acts as a "Bridge" in the system:

1. Phone Sensor Data : Captured by DriveLink Android App.
2. Network Transmission : Sent as UDP packets over local WiFi.
3. Bridge Processing : DriveLink Desktop receives packets and parses the data.
4. Feeder Execution : DriveLink Desktop feeds data into the virtual gamepad device.
5. Game Reception : Your game (BeamNG.drive, Assetto Corsa, etc.) sees the phone as a standard Steering Wheel/Gamepad.

Requirements

• OS: Windows 10/11 (64-bit).
• Visual C++ Redistrubutables: Download here
• Local Network: Phone and PC must be on the same WiFi network.

Installation

1. Download DriveLink: Get the latest binary from the Releases page.
2. Install DriveLink: Run the installer. It should install the app and vJoy driver automatically. Firewall troubleshooting: Ensure UDP port 7001 is open in your Windows Firewall for the local network. If there is a dialog that asks for permission to allow access to the network, click Allow access.

Usage

1. Install apps: Install the Android app on your mobile and Desktop app on your PC.
2. Run DriveLink Desktop: Open the application.
3. Connect Phone:
   • Note your PC's local IP address (e.g., 192.168.1.50).
   • Enter this IP in the settings page in the DriveLink mobile app.
   • Go back to the home screen on the mobile app.
4. Verification: You should see the steering wheel and pedal indicators move in the Desktop UI.
5. Game Setup: Open your racing game and map the axes (Steering, Throttle, etc.) and the buttons to the actions of your choice.

How It Works (Technical)

DriveLink uses a custom binary protocol over UDP for maximum performance.

• Packet Parsing: The application parses packets containing floats for axes and a bitmask for buttons.
• Scaling: Phone rotation in radians (-π/2 to π/2) is mapped linearly to the virtual gamepad absolute axis range.
• Thread Safety: Networking is handled on a dedicated thread to ensure the UI remains responsive and the feeding loop (100Hz) stays consistent.

Troubleshooting

• No connection (Red Dot):
  • Verify phone and PC are on the same WiFi.
  • Double-check the PC's IP address.
  • Disable Windows Firewall temporarily to test.

Contributing / Building from Source

DriveLink is built with C++20 and SFML 3.0.

Environment Setup

1. Install Visual Studio 2022 with "Desktop development with C++".
2. Install vcpkg and integrate it: vcpkg integrate install.
3. Install dependencies: vcpkg install sfml.
4. Open the .slnx (or .vcxproj) in Visual Studio.
5. Build for Release/x64.

Project Structure

• src/core: Networking and thread-safe input state.
• src/platform: Windows-specific vJoy implementation.
• src/ui: SFML-based UI components.
• include/dl/core/Protocols.hpp: Definition of the UDP packet format.

Future Improvements

• Support for Linux (using uinput).
• Dynamic port configuration via UI.
• Force Feedback support.
• More interactive widgets like line charts on the interface.

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I hope you enjoy it!