T.Flight Hotas X and Elite Dangerous

[zboson]

I just bought a Thrustmaster T.Flight Hotas X for Elite Dangerous.  It's taken some time to get it mostly configured but my first impressions are very positive.  The game is really made to be played with HOTAS.  Watching your hands move the joystick and the throttle in VR at the same time that your physical hands do the same thing and well as many of the finger movements for buttons such as trigger is amazing.  The flight controllers are almost much more interesting.  It's a joy to dock now!  I don't think I used forward and backwards thrust with the xbox controller before. In fact I did not even realize this was an option since the throttle almost moves forward and backwards but now with HOTAS everything feels very natural.

I am wondering if anyone has any recommendations for the controller configuration.  I mostly followed this layout 
    http://imgur.com/rY0aiki
But I have not got everything working. Particuarlly the UI panels.  Right now I have it bound to the keyboard.  This works okay because I have a keyboard without a numpad which fits right in between the throttle and joystick.  However, I think this could probably be done with the HOTAS.  I am not sure what "Panel Mode Toggle" does.

I have also found this config which I have not tried out
http://twisted.org.uk/content/HOTAS-bluekieran4.jpg

Do any of you have different suggestions for configuring this HOTAS?  I also don't know what to do about distributing to power, weapons, and sys.  The Galaxy map is a new subject I think.  I never figured it out with the xbox controller either and had to use the keyboard.

Edit:

The flight assist toggle does not work like I expect.  Whenever I assign it to a button on the HOTOS I have to hold the button down to turn of flight assist.  The movemnt I release it turns flight assist back on.  I want to toggle it.  I am not sure why this is.  I have tried assigning it to other buttons but I get the same effect.

[Greyman]

Ctrl alt space should give you an external view

[Alec_Turner]

On the subject of activating those '+' options in the Elite settings menu without having to use the mouse, there's an option in the control bindings for "UI nested toggle" or somesuch. If you bind this to another joystick button (i.e. not your primary button) you can then use this button to expand and collapse those '+' options while continuing to use your primary buttons to active the main options.

[Anonymous]

I recently purchased a HOTAS for Elite Dangerous and couldn't find all the information I needed in one place. So I made that place! See my post here. Buying guide, installation guide, bindings file, bindings diagram, and debug guide. Hopefully it's of some use to anyone reading this thread.