diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index b79b92b05..865d38e5a 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -33,24 +33,41 @@ set(CMAKE_LIBRARY_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR})
 set(CMAKE_RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR})
 set(CMAKE_MODULE_PATH ${CMAKE_MODULE_PATH} ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake)
 
+if(WIN32)
+  set(WIN_EXTRA_LIBS_PATH "C:/Programs" CACHE PATH
+    "Base path to extra libs/headers on Windows (SDL, dirent, pthreads, msinttypes folders should be in here).")
+  list(APPEND CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH "${WIN_EXTRA_LIBS_PATH}" "${WIN_EXTRA_LIBS_PATH}/SDL")  # hints for FindSDL
+endif()
+
 find_package(Qt5Widgets)
 find_package(Qt5Xml)
 find_package(Qt5LinguistTools)
 find_package(Qt5PrintSupport)
 find_package(Qt5Multimedia)
 
-message(STATUS "Looking for SDL ")
-find_package(Sdl)
-if(SDL_FOUND)
-  message("SDL Include Path: " ${SDL_INCLUDE_DIR})
+if(Qt5Widgets_FOUND)
+  message(STATUS "Qt Version: ${Qt5Widgets_VERSION}")
 else()
-  message("SDL not found! Joysticks support will be disabled. Simulator audio will not work.")
+  message(WARNING "Qt not found! Companion and Simulator builds disabled.")
 endif()
 
-message(STATUS "Looking for FOX ")
-find_package(Fox)
-if ((NOT FOX_FOUND) AND (NOT WIN32))
-  message("Libfox not found, simu target will not be available")
+if(NOT WIN32)
+  find_package(Fox QUIET)  # QUIET not working on WIN32?
+  if (FOX_FOUND)
+    message(STATUS "Foxlib found at ${FOX_LIBRARY}")
+  else() # if(NOT WIN32)
+    message("Libfox not found, simu target will not be available")
+  endif()
+endif()
+
+if(Qt5Widgets_FOUND OR FOX_FOUND)
+  set(SDL_BUILDING_LIBRARY YES)  # this prevents FindSDL from appending SDLmain lib to the results, which we don't want
+  find_package("SDL")
+  if(SDL_FOUND)
+    message(STATUS "SDL Lib: ${SDL_LIBRARY}; Headers: ${SDL_INCLUDE_DIR}; Version: ${SDL_VERSION_STRING}")
+  else()
+    message(STATUS "SDL not found! Joysticks support will be disabled. Simulator audio will not work.")
+  endif()
 endif()
 
 # Check for a file that is typically left from a OpenTX 2.1 build and abort if found
@@ -58,6 +75,16 @@ if (EXISTS ${RADIO_SRC_DIRECTORY}/stamp.h OR EXISTS ${RADIO_SRC_DIRECTORY}/trans
    message(FATAL_ERROR "Source directory contains files leftover from a OpenTX 2.1 build. Please run `git clean -f` in source directory (Careful: Will remove any extra files) or do a new clean git checkout")
 endif()
 
+# Windows-specific includes and libs shared by sub-projects
+if(WIN32)
+  list(APPEND WIN_INCLUDE_DIRS "${WIN_EXTRA_LIBS_PATH}/dirent/include")
+  if(MSVC)
+    set(WIN_PTHREAD_BASE_PATH "${WIN_EXTRA_LIBS_PATH}/pthreads/Pre-built.2")
+    list(APPEND WIN_INCLUDE_DIRS "${WIN_PTHREAD_BASE_PATH}/include" "${WIN_EXTRA_LIBS_PATH}/msinttypes")
+    list(APPEND WIN_LINK_LIBRARIES "${WIN_PTHREAD_BASE_PATH}/lib/pthreadVC2.lib")
+  endif(MSVC)
+endif()
+
 include(Macros)
 today(DATE)
 now(TIME)
diff --git a/cmake/FindSDL.cmake b/cmake/FindSDL.cmake
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b2abd3042
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmake/FindSDL.cmake
@@ -0,0 +1,256 @@
+#.rst:
+# FindSDL
+# -------
+#
+# Locate SDL library
+#
+# This module defines
+#
+# ::
+#
+#   SDL_FOUND, if false, do not try to link to SDL
+#   SDL_LIBRARY, the name(s) of the library(ies) to link against
+#   SDL_LIBSDL, the full path and name of libSDL (or SDL.[lib|dll].
+#   SDL_LIBSDLMAIN, full path and name of libSDLmain (or SDLmain.lib).
+#   SDL_LIBRARY_PATH, the full path to the found libSDL
+#   SDL_INCLUDE_DIR, where to find SDL.h
+#   SDL_VERSION_STRING, human-readable string containing the version of SDL
+#
+#
+#
+# This module responds to the flag:
+#
+# ::
+#
+#   SDL_BUILDING_LIBRARY
+#     If this is defined, then no SDL_main will be linked in because
+#     only applications need main().
+#     Otherwise, it is assumed you are building an application and this
+#     module will attempt to locate and set the proper link flags
+#     as part of the returned SDL_LIBRARY variable.
+#
+#
+#
+# Don't forget to include SDLmain.h and SDLmain.m your project for the
+# OS X framework based version.  (Other versions link to -lSDLmain which
+# this module will try to find on your behalf.) Also for OS X, this
+# module will automatically add the -framework Cocoa on your behalf.
+#
+#
+#
+# Additional Note: If you see an empty SDL_LIBSDL in your
+# configuration and no SDL_LIBRARY, it means CMake did not find your SDL
+# library (SDL.dll, libsdl.so, SDL.framework, etc).  Set
+# SDL_LIBSDL to point to your SDL library, and configure again.
+# Similarly, if you see an empty SDL_LIBSDLMAIN, you should set this
+# value as appropriate.  These values are used to generate the final
+# SDL_LIBRARY variable, but when these values are unset, SDL_LIBRARY
+# does not get created.
+#
+#
+#
+# $SDLDIR is an environment variable that would correspond to the
+# ./configure --prefix=$SDLDIR used in building SDL.  l.e.galup 9-20-02
+#
+# Modified by Eric Wing.  Added code to assist with automated building
+# by using environmental variables and providing a more
+# controlled/consistent search behavior.  Added new modifications to
+# recognize OS X frameworks and additional Unix paths (FreeBSD, etc).
+# Also corrected the header search path to follow "proper" SDL
+# guidelines.  Added a search for SDLmain which is needed by some
+# platforms.  Added a search for threads which is needed by some
+# platforms.  Added needed compile switches for MinGW.
+#
+# On OSX, this will prefer the Framework version (if found) over others.
+# People will have to manually change the cache values of SDL_LIBRARY to
+# override this selection or set the CMake environment
+# CMAKE_INCLUDE_PATH to modify the search paths.
+#
+# Note that the header path has changed from SDL/SDL.h to just SDL.h
+# This needed to change because "proper" SDL convention is #include
+# "SDL.h", not <SDL/SDL.h>.  This is done for portability reasons
+# because not all systems place things in SDL/ (see FreeBSD).
+
+#
+# Modified for OpenTx by Maxim Paperno 19-Dec-2016
+# Added SDL_LIBSDL, SDL_LIBSDLMAIN & SDL_LIBRARY_PATH, removed SDLMAIN_LIBRARY,
+#  SDL_LIBRARY_TEMP, and fixed bug with recursive appending of supporting 
+#  libraries to cached SDL_LIBRARY_TEMP variable.
+#
+
+#=============================================================================
+#CMake - Cross Platform Makefile Generator
+#Copyright 2000-2015 Kitware, Inc.
+#Copyright 2000-2011 Insight Software Consortium
+#All rights reserved.
+#
+#Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
+#modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions
+#are met:
+#
+#* Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
+#  notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
+#
+#* Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
+#  notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the
+#  documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
+#
+#* Neither the names of Kitware, Inc., the Insight Software Consortium,
+#  nor the names of their contributors may be used to endorse or promote
+#  products derived from this software without specific prior written
+#  permission.
+#
+#THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS
+#"AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT
+#LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR
+#A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT
+#HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL,
+#SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT
+#LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE,
+#DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY
+#THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT
+#(INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE
+#OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
+#
+#------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+#
+#The above copyright and license notice applies to distributions of
+#CMake in source and binary form.  Some source files contain additional
+#notices of original copyright by their contributors; see each source
+#for details.  Third-party software packages supplied with CMake under
+#compatible licenses provide their own copyright notices documented in
+#corresponding subdirectories.
+#
+#------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+#
+#CMake was initially developed by Kitware with the following sponsorship:
+#
+# * National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health
+#   as part of the Insight Segmentation and Registration Toolkit (ITK).
+#
+# * US National Labs (Los Alamos, Livermore, Sandia) ASC Parallel
+#   Visualization Initiative.
+#
+# * National Alliance for Medical Image Computing (NAMIC) is funded by the
+#   National Institutes of Health through the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research,
+#   Grant U54 EB005149.
+#
+# * Kitware, Inc.
+#=============================================================================
+
+
+find_path(SDL_INCLUDE_DIR SDL.h
+  HINTS
+    ENV SDLDIR
+  PATH_SUFFIXES SDL SDL12 SDL11
+                # path suffixes to search inside ENV{SDLDIR}
+                include/SDL include/SDL12 include/SDL11 include
+)
+
+if(CMAKE_SIZEOF_VOID_P EQUAL 8)
+  set(VC_LIB_PATH_SUFFIX lib/x64)
+else()
+  set(VC_LIB_PATH_SUFFIX lib/x86)
+endif()
+
+# SDL-1.1 is the name used by FreeBSD ports...
+# don't confuse it for the version number.
+find_library(SDL_LIBSDL
+  NAMES SDL SDL-1.1
+  HINTS
+    ENV SDLDIR
+  PATH_SUFFIXES lib ${VC_LIB_PATH_SUFFIX}
+)
+
+# Non-OS X framework versions expect you to also dynamically link to
+# SDLmain. This is mainly for Windows and OS X. Other (Unix) platforms
+# seem to provide SDLmain for compatibility even though they don't
+# necessarily need it.
+find_library(SDL_LIBSDLMAIN
+  NAMES SDLmain SDLmain-1.1
+  HINTS
+    ENV SDLDIR
+  PATH_SUFFIXES lib ${VC_LIB_PATH_SUFFIX}
+  PATHS
+  /sw
+  /opt/local
+  /opt/csw
+  /opt
+)
+
+# SDL may require threads on your system.
+# The Apple build may not need an explicit flag because one of the
+# frameworks may already provide it.
+# But for non-OSX systems, I will use the CMake Threads package.
+if(NOT APPLE)
+  find_package(Threads)
+endif()
+
+# MinGW needs an additional library, mwindows
+# It's total link flags should look like -lmingw32 -lSDLmain -lSDL
+if(MINGW)
+  set(MINGW32_LIBRARY mingw32 CACHE STRING "mwindows for MinGW")
+endif()
+
+if(SDL_LIBSDL)
+  # For SDLmain
+  if(SDL_LIBSDLMAIN AND NOT SDL_BUILDING_LIBRARY AND NOT SDL_INCLUDE_DIR MATCHES ".framework")
+    list(FIND SDL_LIBSDL "${SDL_LIBSDLMAIN}" _SDL_MAIN_INDEX)
+    if(_SDL_MAIN_INDEX EQUAL -1)
+      list(APPEND _SDL_LIBRARY_TEMP "${SDL_LIBSDLMAIN}")
+    endif()
+    unset(_SDL_MAIN_INDEX)
+  endif()
+
+  list(APPEND _SDL_LIBRARY_TEMP "${SDL_LIBSDL}")
+
+  # For OS X, SDL uses Cocoa as a backend so it must link to Cocoa.
+  # CMake doesn't display the -framework Cocoa string in the UI even
+  # though it actually is there if I modify a pre-used variable.
+  # I think it has something to do with the CACHE STRING.
+  # So I use a temporary variable until the end so I can set the
+  # "real" variable in one-shot.
+  if(APPLE)
+    list(APPEND _SDL_LIBRARY_TEMP "-framework Cocoa")
+  endif()
+
+  if(Threads_FOUND)
+    list(APPEND _SDL_LIBRARY_TEMP ${CMAKE_THREAD_LIBS_INIT})
+  endif()
+
+  # MinGW needs an additional library, mwindows
+  # It's total link flags should look like -lmingw32 -lSDLmain -lSDL
+  if(MINGW)
+    list(INSERT 0 _SDL_LIBRARY_TEMP mingw32)
+  endif()
+
+  # Set the final string here so the GUI reflects the final state.
+  set(SDL_LIBRARY ${_SDL_LIBRARY_TEMP} CACHE STRING "Full list of required SDL & supporting libraries.")
+  unset(_SDL_LIBRARY_TEMP)
+
+  get_filename_component(_SDL_LIBRARY_TEMP ${SDL_LIBSDL} PATH)
+  set(SDL_LIBRARY_PATH ${_SDL_LIBRARY_TEMP} CACHE PATH "Path to SDL library.")
+  unset(_SDL_LIBRARY_TEMP)
+endif()
+
+if(SDL_INCLUDE_DIR AND EXISTS "${SDL_INCLUDE_DIR}/SDL_version.h")
+  file(STRINGS "${SDL_INCLUDE_DIR}/SDL_version.h" SDL_VERSION_MAJOR_LINE REGEX "^#define[ \t]+SDL_MAJOR_VERSION[ \t]+[0-9]+$")
+  file(STRINGS "${SDL_INCLUDE_DIR}/SDL_version.h" SDL_VERSION_MINOR_LINE REGEX "^#define[ \t]+SDL_MINOR_VERSION[ \t]+[0-9]+$")
+  file(STRINGS "${SDL_INCLUDE_DIR}/SDL_version.h" SDL_VERSION_PATCH_LINE REGEX "^#define[ \t]+SDL_PATCHLEVEL[ \t]+[0-9]+$")
+  string(REGEX REPLACE "^#define[ \t]+SDL_MAJOR_VERSION[ \t]+([0-9]+)$" "\\1" SDL_VERSION_MAJOR "${SDL_VERSION_MAJOR_LINE}")
+  string(REGEX REPLACE "^#define[ \t]+SDL_MINOR_VERSION[ \t]+([0-9]+)$" "\\1" SDL_VERSION_MINOR "${SDL_VERSION_MINOR_LINE}")
+  string(REGEX REPLACE "^#define[ \t]+SDL_PATCHLEVEL[ \t]+([0-9]+)$" "\\1" SDL_VERSION_PATCH "${SDL_VERSION_PATCH_LINE}")
+  set(SDL_VERSION_STRING ${SDL_VERSION_MAJOR}.${SDL_VERSION_MINOR}.${SDL_VERSION_PATCH})
+  unset(SDL_VERSION_MAJOR_LINE)
+  unset(SDL_VERSION_MINOR_LINE)
+  unset(SDL_VERSION_PATCH_LINE)
+  unset(SDL_VERSION_MAJOR)
+  unset(SDL_VERSION_MINOR)
+  unset(SDL_VERSION_PATCH)
+endif()
+
+include(FindPackageHandleStandardArgs)
+
+FIND_PACKAGE_HANDLE_STANDARD_ARGS(SDL
+                                  REQUIRED_VARS SDL_LIBRARY SDL_LIBRARY_PATH SDL_INCLUDE_DIR
+                                  VERSION_VAR SDL_VERSION_STRING)
diff --git a/cmake/FindSdl.cmake b/cmake/FindSdl.cmake
deleted file mode 100644
index e81419c21..000000000
--- a/cmake/FindSdl.cmake
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,159 +0,0 @@
-# - Locate the SDL library
-# This module defines
-#  SDL_LIBRARY, the library to link against
-#  SDL_FOUND, if false, do not try to link to SDL
-#  SDL_INCLUDE_DIR, where to find SDL.h
-#
-# Don't forget to include SDLmain.h and SDLmain.m your project for the
-# OS X framework based version. (Other versions link to -lSDLmain which
-# this module will try to find on your behalf.) Also for OS X, this
-# module will automatically add the -framework Cocoa on your behalf.
-# $SDLDIR is an environment variable that would
-# correspond to the ./configure --prefix=$SDLDIR
-# used in building SDL.
-# l.e.galup  9-20-02
-#
-# Modified by Eric Wing.
-# Added new modifications to recognize OS X frameworks and
-# additional Unix paths (FreeBSD, etc).
-# Also corrected the header search path to follow "proper" SDL guidelines.
-# Added a search for SDLmain which is needed by some platforms.
-# Added a search for threads which is needed by some platforms.
-# Added needed compile switches for MinGW.
-#
-# On OSX, this will prefer the Framework version (if found) over others.
-# People will have to manually change the cache values of
-# SDL_LIBRARY to override this selection.
-#
-# Note that the header path has changed from SDL/SDL.h to just SDL.h
-# This needed to change because "proper" SDL convention
-# is #include "SDL.h", not <SDL/SDL.h>. This is done for portability
-# reasons because not all systems place things in SDL/ (see FreeBSD).
-FIND_PATH(SDL_INCLUDE_DIR SDL.h
-  $ENV{SDLDIR}/include
-  ~/Library/Frameworks/SDL.framework/Headers
-  /Library/Frameworks/SDL.framework/Headers
-  /usr/local/include/SDL
-  /usr/include/SDL
-  /usr/local/include/SDL12
-  /usr/local/include/SDL11 # FreeBSD ports
-  /usr/include/SDL12
-  /usr/include/SDL11
-  /usr/local/include
-  /usr/include
-  /sw/include/SDL # Fink
-  /sw/include
-  /opt/local/include/SDL # DarwinPorts
-  /opt/local/include
-  /opt/csw/include/SDL # Blastwave
-  /opt/csw/include
-  /opt/include/SDL
-  /opt/include
-  C:/Programs/SDL/include
-  )
-# I'm not sure if I should do a special casing for Apple. It is
-# unlikely that other Unix systems will find the framework path.
-# But if they do ([Next|Open|GNU]Step?),
-# do they want the -framework option also?
-IF(${SDL_INCLUDE_DIR} MATCHES ".framework")
-  # The Cocoa framework must be linked into SDL because SDL is Cocoa based.
-  # Remember that the OS X framework version expects you to drop in
-  # SDLmain.h and SDLmain.m directly into your project.
-  # (Cocoa link moved to bottom of this script.)
-  # SET (SDL_LIBRARY "-framework SDL -framework Cocoa" CACHE STRING "SDL framework for OSX")
-  # SET(SDL_LIBRARY "-framework SDL" CACHE STRING "SDL framework for OSX")
-  # Extract the path the framework resides in so we can use it for the -F flag
-  STRING(REGEX REPLACE "(.*)/.*\\.framework/.*" "\\1" SDL_FRAMEWORK_PATH_TEMP ${SDL_INCLUDE_DIR})
-  IF("${SDL_FRAMEWORK_PATH_TEMP}" STREQUAL "/Library/Frameworks"
-      OR "${SDL_FRAMEWORK_PATH_TEMP}" STREQUAL "/System/Library/Frameworks"
-      )
-    # String is in default search path, don't need to use -F
-    SET(SDL_LIBRARY_TEMP "-framework SDL")
-  ELSE("${SDL_FRAMEWORK_PATH_TEMP}" STREQUAL "/Library/Frameworks"
-      OR "${SDL_FRAMEWORK_PATH_TEMP}" STREQUAL "/System/Library/Frameworks"
-      )
-    # String is not /Library/Frameworks, need to use -F
-    SET(SDL_LIBRARY_TEMP "-F${SDL_FRAMEWORK_PATH_TEMP} -framework SDL")
-  ENDIF("${SDL_FRAMEWORK_PATH_TEMP}" STREQUAL "/Library/Frameworks"
-    OR "${SDL_FRAMEWORK_PATH_TEMP}" STREQUAL "/System/Library/Frameworks"
-    )
-  # Clear the temp variable so nobody can see it
-  SET(SDL_FRAMEWORK_PATH_TEMP "" CACHE INTERNAL "")
-
-ELSE(${SDL_INCLUDE_DIR} MATCHES ".framework")
-  # SDL-1.1 is the name used by FreeBSD ports...
-  # don't confuse it for the version number.
-  FIND_LIBRARY(SDL_LIBRARY_TEMP
-    NAMES SDL SDL-1.1
-    PATHS
-    $ENV{SDLDIR}/lib
-    /usr/local/lib
-    /usr/lib
-    /sw/lib
-    /opt/local/lib
-    /opt/csw/lib
-    /opt/lib
-    C:/Programs/SDL/lib/x86
-    )
-  # Non-OS X framework versions expect you to also dynamically link to
-  # SDLmain. This is mainly for Windows and OS X. Other platforms
-  # seem to provide SDLmain for compatibility even though they don't
-  # necessarily need it.
-  FIND_LIBRARY(SDLMAIN_LIBRARY
-    NAMES SDLmain SDLmain-1.1
-    PATHS
-    $ENV{SDLDIR}/lib
-    /usr/local/lib
-    /usr/lib
-    /sw/lib
-    /opt/local/lib
-    /opt/csw/lib
-    /opt/lib
-    )
-ENDIF(${SDL_INCLUDE_DIR} MATCHES ".framework")
-
-# SDL may require threads on your system.
-# The Apple build may not need an explicit flag because one of the
-# frameworks may already provide it.
-# But for non-OSX systems, I will use the CMake Threads package.
-IF(NOT APPLE)
-  FIND_PACKAGE(Threads)
-ENDIF(NOT APPLE)
-
-# MinGW needs an additional library, mwindows
-# It's total link flags should look like -lmingw32 -lSDLmain -lSDL -lmwindows
-# (Actually on second look, I think it only needs one of the m* libraries.)
-IF(MINGW)
-  SET(MINGW32_LIBRARY mingw32 CACHE STRING "mwindows for MinGW")
-ENDIF(MINGW)
-
-SET(SDL_FOUND "NO")
-IF(SDL_LIBRARY_TEMP)
-  # For SDLmain
-  IF(SDLMAIN_LIBRARY)
-    SET(SDL_LIBRARY_TEMP ${SDLMAIN_LIBRARY} ${SDL_LIBRARY_TEMP})
-  ENDIF(SDLMAIN_LIBRARY)
-
-  # For OS X, SDL uses Cocoa as a backend so it must link to Cocoa.
-  # CMake doesn't display the -framework Cocoa string in the UI even
-  # though it actually is there. I think it has something to do
-  # with the CACHE STRING. Maybe somebody else knows how to fix this.
-  # The problem is mainly cosmetic, and not a functional issue.
-  IF(APPLE)
-    SET(SDL_LIBRARY_TEMP ${SDL_LIBRARY_TEMP} "-framework Cocoa")
-  ENDIF(APPLE)
-
-  # For threads, as mentioned Apple doesn't need this.
-  # In fact, there seems to be a problem if Find the threads package
-  # and try using this line, so I'm just skipping it entirely for OS X.
-  IF(NOT APPLE)
-    SET(SDL_LIBRARY_TEMP ${SDL_LIBRARY_TEMP} ${CMAKE_THREAD_LIBS_INIT})
-  ENDIF(NOT APPLE)
-
-  # Set the final string here so the GUI reflects the final state.
-  SET(SDL_LIBRARY ${SDL_LIBRARY_TEMP} CACHE STRING "Where the SDL Library can be found")
-
-  SET(SDL_FOUND "YES")
-ENDIF(SDL_LIBRARY_TEMP)
-
-MARK_AS_ADVANCED(SDL_LIBRARY_TEMP)
diff --git a/companion/src/CMakeLists.txt b/companion/src/CMakeLists.txt
index 1dd2a20b6..a2a389eca 100644
--- a/companion/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/companion/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
- if(${CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME} MATCHES "Linux")
+if(${CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME} MATCHES "Linux")
   set(C9X_NAME_SUFFIX ${VERSION_MAJOR}${VERSION_MINOR})
   set(COMPANION_NAME "companion${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}")
   set(SIMULATOR_NAME "simulator${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}")
@@ -38,28 +38,47 @@ if(TABLE_LAYOUT)
   message(STATUS "Using QTableWidget")
 endif()
 
+if(WIN32)
+  option(WIN_DO_FULL_INSTALL "'install' target will perform a full installation into CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX path, otherwise only supporting DLLs are copied to binaries folder (default)" OFF)
+  option(WIN_USE_CONSOLE "Open a Windows command console for Simulator debug output." OFF)
+  if(WIN_USE_CONSOLE)
+    add_definitions(-DWIN_USE_CONSOLE_STDIO)
+  endif()
+endif()
+
 if(SDL_FOUND)
   include_directories(${SDL_INCLUDE_DIR})
-  add_definitions(-DSIMU_AUDIO)
   add_definitions(-DJOYSTICKS)
+else()
+  remove_definitions(-DSIMU_AUDIO)
 endif()
 
-message(STATUS "Looking for QT lupdate ")
 find_package(Lupdate)
 if(LUPDATE_FOUND)
-  message("QT lupdate: " ${LUPDATE_EXECUTABLE})
+  message("Qt lupdate: " ${LUPDATE_EXECUTABLE})
 else()
-  message("QT lupdate not found!")
+  message("Qt lupdate not found, 'translations' target will not be availabe.")
 endif()
 
+add_definitions(-DSIMU)
 add_definitions(-DQXT_STATIC)
 
-if(MSVC)
-  set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "/EHsc /LD /MP")
-  SET(CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS "${CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS} /SUBSYSTEM:WINDOWS,5.01")
-  include_directories(${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/winbuild C:/Programs/pthreads/Pre-built.2/include C:/Programs/msinttypes C:/Programs/dirent/include)
-  link_directories(C:/Programs/pthreads/Pre-built.2/lib/)
-  set(PTHREAD_LIBRARY pthreadVC2.lib)
+if (NOT MSVC AND ${CMAKE_VERSION} VERSION_LESS 3.1.0})
+  message("companion: adding -std=gnu++11")
+  set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS} -std=gnu++11")
+endif()
+
+if(WIN32)
+  include_directories(SYSTEM ${WIN_INCLUDE_DIRS})
+  if(MSVC)
+    set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "/EHsc /LD /MP")
+    set(CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS "${CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS} /SUBSYSTEM:WINDOWS,5.01")
+    message("companion: using MSVC with ${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS}")
+  elseif(MINGW)
+    # struct packing breaks on MinGW w/out -mno-ms-bitfields: https://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=52991 & http://stackoverflow.com/questions/24015852/struct-packing-and-alignment-with-mingw
+    set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS} -mno-ms-bitfields -mwindows")
+    message("companion: using MinGW with ${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS}")
+  endif()
 else()
   set(PTHREAD_LIBRARY pthread)
   add_definitions(-Wall)
@@ -229,7 +248,8 @@ add_executable(${COMPANION_NAME} MACOSX_BUNDLE WIN32 ${companion_SRCS} ${compani
 
 add_dependencies(${COMPANION_NAME} gen_qrc)
 qt5_use_modules(${COMPANION_NAME} Core Widgets Network)
-target_link_libraries(${COMPANION_NAME} PRIVATE generaledit modeledit simulation common qcustomplot shared storage ${PTHREAD_LIBRARY} ${SDL_LIBRARY})
+
+target_link_libraries(${COMPANION_NAME} PRIVATE generaledit modeledit simulation common qcustomplot shared storage ${PTHREAD_LIBRARY} ${SDL_LIBRARY} ${WIN_LINK_LIBRARIES})
 
 ############# Standalone simu ###############
 
@@ -249,60 +269,113 @@ if(WIN32)
   set(simu_SRCS ${simu_SRCS} icon.rc)
 endif()
 
-
 add_executable(${SIMULATOR_NAME} MACOSX_BUNDLE WIN32 ${simu_SRCS} ${companion_RCC})
 
 add_dependencies(${SIMULATOR_NAME} gen_qrc)
-# TODO not the same link command than companion?
-target_link_libraries(${SIMULATOR_NAME} PRIVATE simulation common storage qxtcommandoptions ${QT_LIBRARIES} ${QT_QTMAIN_LIBRARY} ${PTHREAD_LIBRARY} ${SDL_LIBRARY} ${OPENTX_SIMULATOR_LIBS})
 
-############# Packaging ####################
-message(STATUS ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR} ${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}/bin)
+# TODO not the same link command than companion?
+target_link_libraries(${SIMULATOR_NAME} PRIVATE simulation common storage qxtcommandoptions ${QT_LIBRARIES} ${QT_QTMAIN_LIBRARY} ${PTHREAD_LIBRARY} ${SDL_LIBRARY} ${OPENTX_SIMULATOR_LIBS} ${WIN_LINK_LIBRARIES})
+
+############# Install ####################
+
 if(${CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME} MATCHES "Linux")
+
+  message(STATUS "install " ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR} " to " ${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}/bin)
   install(TARGETS ${COMPANION_NAME} DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}/bin)
   install(TARGETS ${SIMULATOR_NAME} DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}/bin)
-  install(DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/ DESTINATION ${SIMULATOR_LIB_PATH} USE_SOURCE_PERMISSIONS
-    FILES_MATCHING PATTERN "libopentx-*${CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_SUFFIX}"
-    PATTERN "CMakeFiles" EXCLUDE
-    PATTERN "_CPack_Packages" EXCLUDE
-    PATTERN "companion" EXCLUDE
-    PATTERN "radio" EXCLUDE
-  )
+  file(GLOB simulator_plugins "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/libopentx-*${CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_SUFFIX}")
+  install(FILES ${simulator_plugins} DESTINATION "${SIMULATOR_LIB_PATH}")
   install(FILES ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/companion.desktop DESTINATION share/applications RENAME companion${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}.desktop)
   install(FILES ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/simulator.desktop DESTINATION share/applications RENAME simulator${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}.desktop)
   if(${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX} MATCHES "/usr/local")
-    install(FILES images/linuxicons/16x16/companion.png DESTINATION /usr/share/icons/hicolor/16x16/apps RENAME companion${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}.png)
-    install(FILES images/linuxicons/22x22/companion.png DESTINATION /usr/share/icons/hicolor/22x22/apps RENAME companion${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}.png)
-    install(FILES images/linuxicons/24x24/companion.png DESTINATION /usr/share/icons/hicolor/24x24/apps RENAME companion${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}.png)
-    install(FILES images/linuxicons/32x32/companion.png DESTINATION /usr/share/icons/hicolor/32x32/apps RENAME companion${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}.png)
-    install(FILES images/linuxicons/48x48/companion.png DESTINATION /usr/share/icons/hicolor/48x48/apps RENAME companion${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}.png)
-    install(FILES images/linuxicons/128x128/companion.png DESTINATION /usr/share/icons/hicolor/128x128/apps RENAME companion${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}.png)
-    install(FILES images/linuxicons/256x256/companion.png DESTINATION /usr/share/icons/hicolor/256x256/apps RENAME companion${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}.png)
-    install(FILES images/linuxicons/512x512/companion.png DESTINATION /usr/share/icons/hicolor/512x512/apps RENAME companion${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}.png)
-    install(FILES images/linuxicons/scalable/companion.svg DESTINATION /usr/share/icons/hicolor/scalable/apps RENAME companion${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}.svg)
-    install(FILES ../targets/linux/45-companion-taranis.rules DESTINATION /lib/udev/rules.d RENAME 45-companion${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}-taranis.rules)
-  else()
-    install(FILES images/linuxicons/16x16/companion.png DESTINATION share/icons/hicolor/16x16/apps RENAME companion${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}.png)
-    install(FILES images/linuxicons/22x22/companion.png DESTINATION share/icons/hicolor/22x22/apps RENAME companion${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}.png)
-    install(FILES images/linuxicons/24x24/companion.png DESTINATION share/icons/hicolor/24x24/apps RENAME companion${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}.png)
-    install(FILES images/linuxicons/32x32/companion.png DESTINATION share/icons/hicolor/32x32/apps RENAME companion${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}.png)
-    install(FILES images/linuxicons/48x48/companion.png DESTINATION share/icons/hicolor/48x48/apps RENAME companion${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}.png)
-    install(FILES images/linuxicons/128x128/companion.png DESTINATION share/icons/hicolor/128x128/apps RENAME companion${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}.png)
-    install(FILES images/linuxicons/256x256/companion.png DESTINATION share/icons/hicolor/256x256/apps RENAME companion${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}.png)
-    install(FILES images/linuxicons/512x512/companion.png DESTINATION share/icons/hicolor/512x512/apps RENAME companion${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}.png)
-    install(FILES images/linuxicons/scalable/companion.svg DESTINATION share/icons/hicolor/scalable/apps RENAME companion${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}.svg)
-    install(FILES ../targets/linux/45-companion-taranis.rules DESTINATION lib/udev/rules.d RENAME 45-companion${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}-taranis.rules)
+    set(INSTALL_TEMP_SHR_PFX "/usr/")
+    set(INSTALL_TEMP_LIB_PFX "/")
   endif()
+  install(FILES images/linuxicons/16x16/companion.png DESTINATION ${INSTALL_TEMP_SHR_PFX}share/icons/hicolor/16x16/apps RENAME companion${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}.png)
+  install(FILES images/linuxicons/22x22/companion.png DESTINATION ${INSTALL_TEMP_SHR_PFX}share/icons/hicolor/22x22/apps RENAME companion${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}.png)
+  install(FILES images/linuxicons/24x24/companion.png DESTINATION ${INSTALL_TEMP_SHR_PFX}share/icons/hicolor/24x24/apps RENAME companion${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}.png)
+  install(FILES images/linuxicons/32x32/companion.png DESTINATION ${INSTALL_TEMP_SHR_PFX}share/icons/hicolor/32x32/apps RENAME companion${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}.png)
+  install(FILES images/linuxicons/48x48/companion.png DESTINATION ${INSTALL_TEMP_SHR_PFX}share/icons/hicolor/48x48/apps RENAME companion${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}.png)
+  install(FILES images/linuxicons/128x128/companion.png DESTINATION ${INSTALL_TEMP_SHR_PFX}share/icons/hicolor/128x128/apps RENAME companion${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}.png)
+  install(FILES images/linuxicons/256x256/companion.png DESTINATION ${INSTALL_TEMP_SHR_PFX}share/icons/hicolor/256x256/apps RENAME companion${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}.png)
+  install(FILES images/linuxicons/512x512/companion.png DESTINATION ${INSTALL_TEMP_SHR_PFX}share/icons/hicolor/512x512/apps RENAME companion${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}.png)
+  install(FILES images/linuxicons/scalable/companion.svg DESTINATION ${INSTALL_TEMP_SHR_PFX}share/icons/hicolor/scalable/apps RENAME companion${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}.svg)
+  install(FILES ../targets/linux/45-companion-taranis.rules DESTINATION ${INSTALL_TEMP_LIB_PFX}lib/udev/rules.d RENAME 45-companion${C9X_NAME_SUFFIX}-taranis.rules)
   # Linux specific code
   set(OperatingSystem "Linux")
+
 elseif(WIN32)
+
   get_target_property(QtCore_LOCATION Qt5::Core LOCATION)
   get_filename_component(QT_DLL_DIR ${QtCore_LOCATION} PATH)
-  get_filename_component(SDL_DIR ${SDL_LIBRARY} PATH)
-  install(FILES ${QT_DLL_DIR}/icudt54.dll ${QT_DLL_DIR}/icuin54.dll ${QT_DLL_DIR}/icuuc54.dll ${QT_DLL_DIR}/Qt5Core.dll ${QT_DLL_DIR}/Qt5Gui.dll ${QT_DLL_DIR}/Qt5Widgets.dll ${QT_DLL_DIR}/Qt5Xml.dll ${QT_DLL_DIR}/Qt5Network.dll ${QT_DLL_DIR}/Qt5PrintSupport.dll ${QT_DLL_DIR}/Qt5Multimedia.dll ${SDL_DIR}/SDL.dll DESTINATION ${CMAKE_RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY}/$<CONFIG>)
-  install(FILES ${QT_DLL_DIR}/icudt54.dll ${QT_DLL_DIR}/icuin54.dll ${QT_DLL_DIR}/icuuc54.dll ${QT_DLL_DIR}/Qt5Cored.dll ${QT_DLL_DIR}/Qt5Guid.dll ${QT_DLL_DIR}/Qt5Widgetsd.dll ${QT_DLL_DIR}/Qt5Xmld.dll ${QT_DLL_DIR}/Qt5Networkd.dll ${QT_DLL_DIR}/Qt5PrintSupportd.dll ${QT_DLL_DIR}/Qt5Multimediad.dll ${SDL_DIR}/SDL.dll DESTINATION ${CMAKE_RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY}/$<CONFIG>)
-endif()
+  set(INSTALL_TEMP_QTDLL_FILES Qt5Core Qt5Gui Qt5Widgets Qt5Xml Qt5Network Qt5PrintSupport Qt5Multimedia)
+  set(INSTALL_TEMP_ICUDLL_FILES icudt54.dll icuin54.dll icuuc54.dll)
+  if(CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE STREQUAL "Debug")
+    set(INSTALL_TEMP_QTDLL_SFX "d")
+  endif()
 
+  if(NOT WIN_DO_FULL_INSTALL)
+    # Just copy supporting DLLs to build folder
+    set(INSTALL_DESTINATION ${CMAKE_RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY})
+    message(STATUS "Partial install to " ${INSTALL_DESTINATION})
+  else()
+    # Full Windows installation with all supporting files
+    set(INSTALL_DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX})
+    message(STATUS "Full install to " ${INSTALL_DESTINATION})
+    # companion & simulator binaries
+    install(TARGETS ${COMPANION_NAME} DESTINATION ${INSTALL_DESTINATION})
+    install(TARGETS ${SIMULATOR_NAME} DESTINATION ${INSTALL_DESTINATION})
+    file(GLOB simulator_plugins "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/*opentx-*-simulator${CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_SUFFIX}")
+    install(FILES ${simulator_plugins} DESTINATION "${INSTALL_DESTINATION}")
+    # language files
+    file(GLOB language_files "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/companion/src/companion_*.qm")
+    install(FILES ${language_files} DESTINATION "${INSTALL_DESTINATION}/lang")
+    # supporting utilities
+    set(INSTALL_TEMP_FILES avrdude.exe avrdude.conf dfu-util.exe libusb0.dll libusb-1.0.dll)
+    foreach(tmpfile ${INSTALL_TEMP_FILES})
+      install(FILES "${COMPANION_SRC_DIRECTORY}/../targets/windows/${tmpfile}" DESTINATION ${INSTALL_DESTINATION})
+    endforeach()
+  endif()  # WIN_DO_FULL_INSTALL
+
+  # Qt dlls
+  foreach(tmpfile ${INSTALL_TEMP_QTDLL_FILES})
+    install(FILES ${QT_DLL_DIR}/${tmpfile}${INSTALL_TEMP_QTDLL_SFX}.dll DESTINATION ${INSTALL_DESTINATION})
+  endforeach()
+  install(FILES ${QT_DLL_DIR}/../plugins/platforms/qwindows${INSTALL_TEMP_QTDLL_SFX}.dll DESTINATION ${INSTALL_DESTINATION}/platforms)
+  # ICU dlls
+  foreach(tmpfile ${INSTALL_TEMP_ICUDLL_FILES})
+    # Qt5.7+ doesn't use icu dlls anymore (at least with MinGW), hence optional
+    install(FILES ${QT_DLL_DIR}/${tmpfile}.dll DESTINATION ${INSTALL_DESTINATION} OPTIONAL)
+  endforeach()
+  # SDL dll
+  if(SDL_FOUND AND SDL_LIBRARY_PATH AND EXISTS "${SDL_LIBRARY_PATH}/SDL.dll")
+    set(SDL_DIR ${SDL_LIBRARY_PATH})  # this is also used by NSIS installer script
+    install(FILES ${SDL_DIR}/SDL.dll DESTINATION ${INSTALL_DESTINATION})
+  else()
+    message(WARNING "Installer: SDL.dll not found!")
+  endif()
+  # C++/system dlls, depends on compiler
+  if(MSVC)
+    set(WIN_SYSDIR "$ENV{windir}/SysWOW64")  # This would be "system32" for a 64-bit build or on x86... but how to tell?
+    if(IS_DIRECTORY ${WIN_SYSDIR})
+      install(FILES ${WIN_SYSDIR}/msvcp140.dll ${WIN_SYSDIR}/vcruntime140.dll DESTINATION ${INSTALL_DESTINATION} OPTIONAL)
+    endif()
+    install(FILES "${WIN_PTHREAD_BASE_PATH}/lib/pthreadVC2.dll" DESTINATION ${INSTALL_DESTINATION})
+  elseif(MINGW)
+    get_filename_component(MINGW_DIR ${CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER} PATH)
+    if(IS_DIRECTORY ${MINGW_DIR})
+      install(FILES ${MINGW_DIR}/libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll ${MINGW_DIR}/libstdc++-6.dll ${MINGW_DIR}/libwinpthread-1.dll DESTINATION ${INSTALL_DESTINATION})
+      set(MINGW_DIR "${MINGW_DIR}/../opt/bin")
+      # SSL support
+      install(FILES ${MINGW_DIR}/libeay32.dll ${MINGW_DIR}/ssleay32.dll DESTINATION ${INSTALL_DESTINATION} OPTIONAL)
+    endif()
+  endif()
+
+endif() # WIN32 install
+
+############# Packaging ####################
+
+# Create Windows installer with NSIS (only works for MSVC for now)
 if(WIN32)
   if(MSVC)
     set(COMPANION_NSI_IN_FILE companion-vs.nsi.in)
@@ -359,9 +432,8 @@ string(TOLOWER "${CPACK_PACKAGE_NAME}" CPACK_PACKAGE_NAME_LOWERCASE)
 # very poor trace-backs from the users when they report Companion crash
 set(CPACK_STRIP_FILES FALSE)
 
-set(plugin_dest_dir bin)
-set(qtconf_dest_dir bin)
-set(APPS "\${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}/bin/${COMPANION_NAME}")
+# Qt5 + Cmake + Mac is poorly documented. A lot of this is guesswork
+# and trial and error. Do not hesitate to fix it for the better
 IF(APPLE)
   set(plugin_dest_dir ${COMPANION_NAME}.app/Contents/Plugins)
   set(qtconf_dest_dir ${COMPANION_NAME}.app/Contents/Resources)
@@ -373,21 +445,11 @@ IF(APPLE)
   # Use a non standard Info.plist that adds Retina support flags
   set_target_properties(${COMPANION_NAME} PROPERTIES MACOSX_BUNDLE_INFO_PLIST ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/companion/targets/mac/MacOSXBundleInfo.plist.in)
   set_target_properties(${SIMULATOR_NAME} PROPERTIES MACOSX_BUNDLE_INFO_PLIST ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/companion/targets/mac/MacOSXBundleInfo.plist.in)
-ENDIF(APPLE)
-IF(WIN32)
-  set(APPS "\${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}/bin/QtTest.exe")
-ENDIF(WIN32)
 
-
-INSTALL(TARGETS ${COMPANION_NAME}
-    BUNDLE DESTINATION . COMPONENT Runtime
-    RUNTIME DESTINATION bin COMPONENT Runtime
-    )
-
-# Qt5 + Cmake + Mac is poorly documented. A lot of this is guesswork
-# and trial and error. Do not hesitate to fix it for the better
-if(APPLE)
-  set(APPS "\${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}/${COMPANION_NAME}.app")
+  INSTALL(TARGETS ${COMPANION_NAME}
+      BUNDLE DESTINATION . COMPONENT Runtime
+      RUNTIME DESTINATION bin COMPONENT Runtime
+      )
 
   file(GLOB simulator_plugins "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/libopentx-*${CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_SUFFIX}")
   set(companion_res_dir ${COMPANION_NAME}.app/Contents/Resources)
@@ -396,7 +458,7 @@ if(APPLE)
   # Write qt.conf to tell qt where to find it plugins
   file(WRITE "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/qt.conf"
     "[Paths]\nPlugins = Plugins\n")
-    install(FILES "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/qt.conf"
+  install(FILES "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/qt.conf"
     DESTINATION "${companion_res_dir}"
     COMPONENT Runtime)
 
diff --git a/companion/src/burnconfigdialog.cpp b/companion/src/burnconfigdialog.cpp
index 3590a3756..2f93c3ae7 100644
--- a/companion/src/burnconfigdialog.cpp
+++ b/companion/src/burnconfigdialog.cpp
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
 #include "progressdialog.h"
 #include "process_flash.h"
 
-#if !defined WIN32 && defined __GNUC__
+#if !defined _MSC_VER && defined __GNUC__
 #include <unistd.h>
 #endif
 
diff --git a/companion/src/companion.cpp b/companion/src/companion.cpp
index db9aa9438..433fc059a 100644
--- a/companion/src/companion.cpp
+++ b/companion/src/companion.cpp
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@
 #include "eeprominterface.h"
 #include "appdata.h"
 
-#if defined WIN32 || !defined __GNUC__
+#if defined _MSC_VER || !defined __GNUC__
 #include <windows.h>
 #define sleep(x) Sleep(x*1000)
 #else
diff --git a/companion/src/comparedialog.cpp b/companion/src/comparedialog.cpp
index 85ee904ba..12e154572 100644
--- a/companion/src/comparedialog.cpp
+++ b/companion/src/comparedialog.cpp
@@ -24,10 +24,6 @@
 #include <QPrinter>
 #include <QPrintDialog>
 
-// #if !defined WIN32 && defined __GNUC__
-// #include <unistd.h>
-// #endif
-
 class DragDropHeader {
   public:
     DragDropHeader():
diff --git a/companion/src/flashfirmwaredialog.cpp b/companion/src/flashfirmwaredialog.cpp
index cf70061f8..4779aa68f 100644
--- a/companion/src/flashfirmwaredialog.cpp
+++ b/companion/src/flashfirmwaredialog.cpp
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
 #include "progresswidget.h"
 #include "splashlibrarydialog.h"
 
-#if defined WIN32 || !defined __GNUC__
+#if defined _MSC_VER || !defined __GNUC__
   #include <windows.h>
   #define sleep(x) Sleep(x*1000)
 #else
diff --git a/companion/src/helpers.cpp b/companion/src/helpers.cpp
index 7908afd35..1ad8aee35 100644
--- a/companion/src/helpers.cpp
+++ b/companion/src/helpers.cpp
@@ -19,13 +19,16 @@
  */
 
 #include <QtGui>
-#if defined WIN32
+#if defined _MSC_VER
   #include <io.h>
   #include <stdio.h>
-#endif
-#if !defined WIN32 && defined __GNUC__
+#elif defined __GNUC__
   #include <unistd.h>
 #endif
+#if defined(WIN32) && defined(WIN_USE_CONSOLE_STDIO)
+  #include "windows.h"
+#endif
+
 #include "appdata.h"
 #include "helpers.h"
 #include "simulatordialog.h"
@@ -809,6 +812,12 @@ void startSimulation(QWidget * parent, RadioData & radioData, int modelIdx)
   Firmware * firmware = GetCurrentFirmware();
   SimulatorInterface * simulator = GetCurrentFirmwareSimulator();
   if (simulator) {
+#if defined(WIN32) && defined(WIN_USE_CONSOLE_STDIO)
+    AllocConsole();
+    freopen("conin$", "r", stdin);
+    freopen("conout$", "w", stdout);
+    freopen("conout$", "w", stderr);
+#endif
     RadioData * simuData = new RadioData(radioData);
     unsigned int flags = 0;
     if (modelIdx >= 0) {
@@ -854,6 +863,9 @@ void startSimulation(QWidget * parent, RadioData & radioData, int modelIdx)
     }
 
     dialog->exec();
+#if defined(WIN32) && defined(WIN_USE_CONSOLE_STDIO)
+    FreeConsole();
+#endif
     delete dialog;
     delete simuData;
   }
diff --git a/companion/src/logsdialog.cpp b/companion/src/logsdialog.cpp
index e87478779..0830a32e4 100644
--- a/companion/src/logsdialog.cpp
+++ b/companion/src/logsdialog.cpp
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
 #include "appdata.h"
 #include "ui_logsdialog.h"
 #include "helpers.h"
-#if defined WIN32 || !defined __GNUC__
+#if defined _MSC_VER || !defined __GNUC__
 #include <windows.h>
 #else
 #include <unistd.h>
diff --git a/companion/src/mainwindow.cpp b/companion/src/mainwindow.cpp
index be5621654..5cc3c9d60 100644
--- a/companion/src/mainwindow.cpp
+++ b/companion/src/mainwindow.cpp
@@ -61,12 +61,15 @@
   #define COMPANION_INSTALLER             "companion-windows-%1.exe"
 #endif
 
-#if defined WIN32 || !defined __GNUC__
+#if defined _MSC_VER || !defined __GNUC__
   #include <windows.h>
   #define sleep(x) Sleep(x*1000)
-  #define OPENTX_NIGHT_COMPANION_DOWNLOADS  "http://downloads-22.open-tx.org/nightly/companion/windows"
 #else
   #include <unistd.h>
+#endif
+#ifdef WIN32
+  #define OPENTX_NIGHT_COMPANION_DOWNLOADS  "http://downloads-22.open-tx.org/nightly/companion/windows"
+#else
   #define OPENTX_NIGHT_COMPANION_DOWNLOADS  "http://downloads-22.open-tx.org/nightly/companion/linux"
 #endif
 
diff --git a/companion/src/mdichild.cpp b/companion/src/mdichild.cpp
index ac45c4e4e..1e16fb00d 100644
--- a/companion/src/mdichild.cpp
+++ b/companion/src/mdichild.cpp
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
 #include "flashfirmwaredialog.h"
 #include "storage_eeprom.h"
 
-#if defined WIN32 || !defined __GNUC__
+#if defined _MSC_VER || !defined __GNUC__
 #include <windows.h>
 #define sleep(x) Sleep(x*1000)
 #else
diff --git a/companion/src/printdialog.cpp b/companion/src/printdialog.cpp
index 8d846f1b8..5f6746f4f 100644
--- a/companion/src/printdialog.cpp
+++ b/companion/src/printdialog.cpp
@@ -24,10 +24,6 @@
 #include <QPrinter>
 #include <QPrintDialog>
 
-// #if !defined WIN32 && defined __GNUC__
-// #include <unistd.h>
-// #endif
-
 PrintDialog::PrintDialog(QWidget *parent, Firmware * firmware, GeneralSettings & generalSettings, ModelData & model, const QString & filename) :
   QDialog(parent, Qt::WindowTitleHint | Qt::WindowSystemMenuHint),
   firmware(firmware),
diff --git a/companion/src/process_flash.cpp b/companion/src/process_flash.cpp
index 424b24eb0..a0b201a3f 100644
--- a/companion/src/process_flash.cpp
+++ b/companion/src/process_flash.cpp
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
 #include "eeprominterface.h"
 //#include "firmwareinterface.h"
 
-#if defined WIN32 || !defined __GNUC__
+#if defined _MSC_VER || !defined __GNUC__
 #include <Windows.h>
 #include <WinBase.h>
 #include <tlhelp32.h>
diff --git a/companion/src/simulation/simulatorinterface.cpp b/companion/src/simulation/simulatorinterface.cpp
index b235d288d..4358ce5ad 100644
--- a/companion/src/simulation/simulatorinterface.cpp
+++ b/companion/src/simulation/simulatorinterface.cpp
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
 #include <QMap>
 #include <QMessageBox>
 #include "version.h"
-#if defined WIN32 || !defined __GNUC__
+#if defined _MSC_VER || !defined __GNUC__
   #include <windows.h>
 #endif
 
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ void registerSimulators()
   QStringList filters;
 #if defined(__APPLE__)
   filters << "*-simulator.dylib";
-#elif (!defined __GNUC__) || (defined __CYGWIN__)
+#elif defined(WIN32) || defined(__CYGWIN__)
   filters << "*-simulator.dll";
 #else
   filters << "*-simulator.so";
diff --git a/companion/src/simulator.cpp b/companion/src/simulator.cpp
index 9ed9438ba..c69938ffb 100644
--- a/companion/src/simulator.cpp
+++ b/companion/src/simulator.cpp
@@ -37,10 +37,13 @@
 #include "appdata.h"
 #include "qxtcommandoptions.h"
 
-#if defined WIN32 || !defined __GNUC__
-#include <windows.h>
-#define sleep(x) Sleep(x*1000)
-#else
+#ifdef WIN32
+  #include <windows.h>
+  #ifdef _MSC_VER
+    #define sleep(x) Sleep(x*1000)
+  #endif
+#endif
+#if !defined(_MSC_VER) || defined(__GNUC__)
 #include <unistd.h>
 #endif
 
@@ -59,7 +62,6 @@ class MyProxyStyle : public QProxyStyle
  };
 #endif
 
-
 void showMessage(const QString & message, enum QMessageBox::Icon icon = QMessageBox::NoIcon) {
   QMessageBox msgBox;
   msgBox.setText(message);
@@ -73,6 +75,12 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 #if (QT_VERSION >= QT_VERSION_CHECK(5, 6, 0))
   QApplication::setAttribute(Qt::AA_EnableHighDpiScaling);
 #endif
+#if defined(WIN32) && defined(WIN_USE_CONSOLE_STDIO)
+  AllocConsole();
+  freopen("conin$", "r", stdin);
+  freopen("conout$", "w", stdout);
+  freopen("conout$", "w", stderr);
+#endif
 
   QApplication app(argc, argv);
   app.setApplicationName("OpenTX Simulator");
@@ -229,6 +237,9 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 #if defined(JOYSTICKS) || defined(SIMU_AUDIO)
   SDL_Quit();
 #endif
+#if defined(WIN32) && defined(WIN_USE_CONSOLE_STDIO)
+  FreeConsole();
+#endif
 
   return result;
 }
diff --git a/radio/src/CMakeLists.txt b/radio/src/CMakeLists.txt
index e325a9154..0b7e53351 100644
--- a/radio/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/radio/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -21,12 +21,22 @@ option(JITTER_MEASURE "Enable ADC jitter measurement" OFF)
 option(WATCHDOG_DISABLED "Disable hardware Watchdog" OFF)
 option(SIMU_AUDIO "Enable simulator audio" OFF)
 option(SIMU_DISKIO "Enable disk IO simulation in simulator. Simulator will use FatFs module and simulated IO layer that  uses \"./sdcard.image\" file as image of SD card. This file must contain whole SD card from first to last sector" OFF)
+option(SIMU_LUA_COMPILER "Pre-compile and save Lua scripts in simulator." ON)
 option(FAS_PROTOTYPE "Support of old FAS prototypes (different resistors)" OFF)
 option(TEMPLATES "Model templates menu" OFF)
 option(WARNINGS_AS_ERRORS "Treat all compiler warnings as error" OFF)
 option(TRACE_SIMPGMSPACE "Turn on traces in simpgmspace.cpp" ON)
 set(DEFAULT_MODE "" CACHE STRING "Default sticks mode")
 
+# Python check
+find_package("PythonInterp")
+if(PYTHONINTERP_FOUND)
+  message(STATUS "Python found, version: ${PYTHON_VERSION_STRING}")
+else()
+  message(WARNING "Python not found! Most firmware and simu flavors not buildable.")
+  set(LUA OFF)
+endif()
+
 enable_language(ASM)
 set(OPT s)
 
@@ -336,7 +346,7 @@ endforeach()
 
 add_definitions(-DCORRECT_NEGATIVE_SHIFTS)
 
-if(NOT WIN32)
+if(NOT MSVC)
   add_definitions(-Wall -Wno-strict-aliasing -Wformat -Wreturn-type -Wunused -Wuninitialized -Wunknown-pragmas -Wno-switch -Wtype-limits)
   if(WARNINGS_AS_ERRORS)
     set(WARNING_FLAGS -Werror)
diff --git a/radio/src/definitions.h b/radio/src/definitions.h
index d18ebbd84..9aec93a27 100644
--- a/radio/src/definitions.h
+++ b/radio/src/definitions.h
@@ -73,10 +73,4 @@ typedef __int24 int24_t;
 #define CONVERT_UINT_PTR(x) ((uint32_t *)(x))
 #endif
 
-#if defined(WIN32)
-#define round(x)    floor(x+0.5)
-#define strcasecmp  _stricmp
-#define strncasecmp _tcsnicmp
-#endif
-
 #endif // _DEFINITIONS_H_
diff --git a/radio/src/lua/CMakeLists.txt b/radio/src/lua/CMakeLists.txt
index fffc3629f..7ec17a77a 100644
--- a/radio/src/lua/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/radio/src/lua/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,15 +1,14 @@
-if(MSVC)
-  set(INTTYPES_INCLUDE_OPTION -IC:/Programs/msinttypes)
-endif()
 
 macro(add_lua_export_target target)
-  add_custom_command(
-    OUTPUT lua_exports_${target}.inc
-    COMMAND ${CMAKE_C_COMPILER} -E ${ARGN} -DEXPORT ${INTTYPES_INCLUDE_OPTION} ${RADIO_SRC_DIRECTORY}/dataconstants.h > lua_exports_${target}.tmp
-    COMMAND grep LEXP lua_exports_${target}.tmp > lua_exports_${target}.txt
-    COMMAND rm lua_exports_${target}.tmp
-    COMMAND python ${RADIO_DIRECTORY}/util/luaexport.py ${VERSION} lua_exports_${target}.txt lua_exports_${target}.inc lua_fields_${target}.txt
-  )
+  if(PYTHONINTERP_FOUND)
+    add_custom_command(
+      OUTPUT lua_exports_${target}.inc
+      COMMAND ${CMAKE_C_COMPILER} -E ${ARGN} -DEXPORT ${RADIO_SRC_DIRECTORY}/dataconstants.h > lua_exports_${target}.tmp
+      COMMAND grep LEXP lua_exports_${target}.tmp > lua_exports_${target}.txt
+      COMMAND rm lua_exports_${target}.tmp
+      COMMAND ${PYTHON_EXECUTABLE} ${RADIO_DIRECTORY}/util/luaexport.py ${VERSION} lua_exports_${target}.txt lua_exports_${target}.inc lua_fields_${target}.txt
+    )
+  endif()
   add_custom_target(lua_export_${target} DEPENDS lua_exports_${target}.inc)
 endmacro(add_lua_export_target)
 
@@ -26,6 +25,12 @@ set(LUA_INCLUDES
   -I${RADIO_SRC_DIRECTORY}/${STM32USB_DIR}/STM32_USB_Device_Library/Class/hid/inc
   )
 
+if(WIN32 AND WIN_INCLUDE_DIRS)
+  foreach(include ${WIN_INCLUDE_DIRS})
+    set(LUA_INCLUDES "${LUA_INCLUDES} -I${include}")
+  endforeach()
+endif()
+
 set(LUA_INCLUDES_STM32F2
   ${LUA_INCLUDES}
   -DSTM32F2
diff --git a/radio/src/targets/common/arm/CMakeLists.txt b/radio/src/targets/common/arm/CMakeLists.txt
index 7d2e25061..25d20d956 100644
--- a/radio/src/targets/common/arm/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/radio/src/targets/common/arm/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-option(TIMERS "Timers count" 3)
+set(TIMERS 3 CACHE STRING "Timers count (2 or 3)")
 option(CLI "Command Line Interface" OFF)
 option(DEBUG "Debug mode" OFF)
 option(LOG_TELEMETRY "Telemetry Logs on SD card" OFF)
diff --git a/radio/src/targets/simu/CMakeLists.txt b/radio/src/targets/simu/CMakeLists.txt
index 3984229d0..3d49e4b85 100644
--- a/radio/src/targets/simu/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/radio/src/targets/simu/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -9,27 +9,23 @@ set(SIMU_SRC
   )
 
 add_definitions(-DSIMU)
-add_definitions(-DLUA_COMPILER)
 remove_definitions(-DCLI)
 
 if(SDL_FOUND)
   include_directories(${SDL_INCLUDE_DIR})
-  add_definitions(-DSIMU_AUDIO)
   add_definitions(-DJOYSTICKS)
+else()
+  remove_definitions(-DSIMU_AUDIO)
+endif()
+
+if(SIMU_LUA_COMPILER)
+  add_definitions(-DLUA_COMPILER)
 endif()
 
 if(Qt5Widgets_FOUND)
   set(SIMULATOR_FLAVOUR opentx-${FLAVOUR})
   set(SIMULATOR_TARGET ${SIMULATOR_FLAVOUR}-simulator)
   add_definitions(-DSIMULATOR_FLAVOUR="${SIMULATOR_FLAVOUR}")
-
-  if (${CMAKE_VERSION} VERSION_LESS 3.1.0})
-    set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS} -std=gnu++11")
-    set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_RELWITHDEBINFO "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_RELWITHDEBINFO} -std=gnu++11")
-    set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_RELEASE "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_RELEASE} -std=gnu++11")
-    set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_DEBUG "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_DEBUG} -std=gnu++11")
-  endif()
-
   include_directories(${COMPANION_SRC_DIRECTORY} ${COMPANION_SRC_DIRECTORY}/simulation)
   add_library(${SIMULATOR_TARGET} SHARED ${SIMU_SRC} opentxsimulator.cpp)
   add_dependencies(${SIMULATOR_TARGET} ${FIRMWARE_DEPENDENCIES})
@@ -38,19 +34,26 @@ if(Qt5Widgets_FOUND)
   add_custom_target(libsimulator DEPENDS ${SIMULATOR_TARGET})
 endif()
 
+if(WIN32)
+  include_directories(SYSTEM ${WIN_INCLUDE_DIRS})
+  target_link_libraries(${SIMULATOR_TARGET} PRIVATE ${WIN_LINK_LIBRARIES})
+endif(WIN32)
+
 if(MSVC)
   set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "/EHsc /LD /MP")
-  include_directories(${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/winbuild C:/Programs/pthreads/Pre-built.2/include C:/Programs/msinttypes C:/Programs/dirent/include)
-  target_link_libraries(${SIMULATOR_TARGET} PRIVATE C:/Programs/pthreads/Pre-built.2/lib/pthreadVC2.lib)
+  message("simu: using MSVC with ${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS}")
 else()
   if (${CMAKE_VERSION} VERSION_LESS 3.1.0})
-    set(COMMON_CPP_FLAGS "${COMMON_FLAGS} -std=gnu++11")
-    message("USING -std=gnu++11")
-  else()
-    set(COMMON_CPP_FLAGS ${COMMON_FLAGS})
+    message("simu: adding -std=gnu++11")
+    set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS} -std=gnu++11")
   endif()
-  set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_DEBUG  "${COMMON_FLAGS} -g -O0")
-  set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_DEBUG  "${COMMON_CPP_FLAGS} -g -O0")
+  if(MINGW)
+    # struct packing breaks on MinGW w/out -mno-ms-bitfields: https://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=52991 & http://stackoverflow.com/questions/24015852/struct-packing-and-alignment-with-mingw
+    set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS} -mno-ms-bitfields -mwindows")
+    message("simu: using MinGW with ${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS}")
+  endif()
+  set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_DEBUG "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS_DEBUG} -O0")
+  set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_DEBUG "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_DEBUG} -O0")
 endif()
 
 if((NOT WIN32) AND FOX_FOUND)
diff --git a/radio/src/targets/simu/simpgmspace.cpp b/radio/src/targets/simu/simpgmspace.cpp
index 0c98ac870..89b4d1841 100644
--- a/radio/src/targets/simu/simpgmspace.cpp
+++ b/radio/src/targets/simu/simpgmspace.cpp
@@ -34,7 +34,6 @@
 
 #if defined(SIMU_AUDIO) && defined(CPUARM)
   #include <SDL.h>
-  #undef main
 #endif
 
 #if defined(TRACE_SIMPGMSPACE)
@@ -939,11 +938,7 @@ FRESULT f_getcwd (TCHAR *path, UINT sz_path)
   }
 
   // remove simuSdDirectory from the cwd
-#ifdef _MSC_VER
-  strcpy(path, cwd + sdlen + 2);  // account for drive name
-#else
   strcpy(path, cwd + sdlen);
-#endif
 
   if (path[0] == '\0') {
     strcpy(path, "/");    // fix for the root directory
diff --git a/radio/src/targets/taranis/bootloader/CMakeLists.txt b/radio/src/targets/taranis/bootloader/CMakeLists.txt
index 32f0945ee..43851a3f8 100644
--- a/radio/src/targets/taranis/bootloader/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/radio/src/targets/taranis/bootloader/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -69,9 +69,10 @@ set(CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS "-mcpu=${MCU} -mthumb -nostartfiles -lm -T${RADIO_SRC
 add_executable(bootloader ${BOOTLOADER_SRC})
 add_dependencies(bootloader ${BITMAPS_TARGET} firmware_translations)
 
-add_custom_command(
-  TARGET bootloader POST_BUILD
-  COMMAND arm-none-eabi-objcopy -O binary bootloader.elf bootloader.bin
-  COMMAND python ${RADIO_DIRECTORY}/util/bin2lbm.py bootloader.bin bootloader.lbm
-)
-
+if(PYTHONINTERP_FOUND)
+  add_custom_command(
+    TARGET bootloader POST_BUILD
+    COMMAND arm-none-eabi-objcopy -O binary bootloader.elf bootloader.bin
+    COMMAND ${PYTHON_EXECUTABLE} ${RADIO_DIRECTORY}/util/bin2lbm.py bootloader.bin bootloader.lbm
+  )
+endif()
diff --git a/radio/src/translations/CMakeLists.txt b/radio/src/translations/CMakeLists.txt
index 79f5aa15e..5736578d6 100644
--- a/radio/src/translations/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/radio/src/translations/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -6,11 +6,13 @@ foreach(translation ${translations})
   if(NOT(PCB STREQUAL HORUS) AND language STREQUAL "cz")
     set(language cz_reduced)
   endif()
-  add_custom_command(
-    OUTPUT ${target}
-    COMMAND python ${RADIO_DIRECTORY}/util/translate.py ${translation} ${target} ${language}
-    DEPENDS ${translation}
-  )
+  if(PYTHONINTERP_FOUND)
+    add_custom_command(
+      OUTPUT ${target}
+      COMMAND ${PYTHON_EXECUTABLE} ${RADIO_DIRECTORY}/util/translate.py ${translation} ${target} ${language}
+      DEPENDS ${translation}
+      )
+  endif()
   list(APPEND translations_files ${target})
 endforeach()