19 replies to this topic

[philldant]

I am attempting to set up my Saitek Proflight yoke and peddals. I am reading the manual but must be doing  something wrong. When I step on the left toe brake the ailerons also move, step on the right the elevator move. Going to make for some fun roll outs on landing. Ideas??
Thanks

[Ian P]

Check that you don't have the assignments for the pedals also set in FS default controls panel.

Whenever you attach a new device, FS gives it default properties: X = pitch, Y = roll, rotation = rudder, etc. (Buttons as well as axis - even though pedals have no buttons usually!)

You'll need to go through and delete the default settings if you want to calibrate using FSUIPC.

Cheers,

Ian P.

[Pete Dowson]

Ian P, on 10 February 2012 - 10:19 PM, said:

You'll need to go through and delete the default settings if you want to calibrate using FSUIPC.

Just a small correction to this. You only need to delete FS assignments (or disable the controllers altogether) if you are ASSIGNING in FSUIPC. the FSUIPC calibration facilities operate on the controls resulting from assignments whether they be in FS or FSUIPC.

Regards
Pete

[philldant]

Pete Dowson, on 11 February 2012 - 12:04 AM, said:

Just a small correction to this. You only need to delete FS assignments (or disable the controllers altogether) if you are ASSIGNING in FSUIPC. the FSUIPC calibration facilities operate on the controls resulting from assignments whether they be in FS or FSUIPC.

Regards
Pete

Thank you Pete, you are correct I have not cleared out the FSX settings. I am experimenting with the configuring because at this time I am waiting for my second quadrant so that I can have a 737 (two throttle) and 747 (four throttle) profiles.

[Ian P]

Sorry. I did mean assigning not calibrating.

Ian P.

[philldant]

I must be dumb as a box of rocks. I am reading and re-reading the manual but I am not getting very far. I have cleared all axis in FSX, tried setting the axis in fsuipc but it just isn't sinking in. I do not want to use FSX so trying not to give up, so what is the order in programing.
Set buttons
set axis
calibrate

or something else??
Take pity on an old man.

[Pete Dowson]

philldant, on 11 February 2012 - 10:02 PM, said:

I must be dumb as a box of rocks. I am reading and re-reading the manual but I am not getting very far. I have cleared all axis in FSX, tried setting the axis in fsuipc but it just isn't sinking in. I do not want to use FSX so trying not to give up, so what is the order in programing.
Set buttons
set axis
calibrate

You can do whatever you like in whatever order you like. Obviously you can't calibrate an axis which isn't assigned however, as there's nothing to calibrate.

Unless you ask specific questions I can't help further. I've written everything into the documentation. That's what it's for.

And what's all this about being old? Whenever's that been an excuse? Older = wiser. I'm 69 this year. Is that so young?

Pete

[philldant]

Thanks Peter, I have been successful in programimng most of the axis so far, practice practice. I am stuck on flaps though. I set the up position with the left set and then full with right set.But I do not get anything in the centre, it just says No centre.

[philldant]

OK getting there, I have up and full, just not getting the intermidiates

[Pete Dowson]

philldant, on 11 February 2012 - 11:12 PM, said:

Thanks Peter, I have been successful in programimng most of the axis so far, practice practice. I am stuck on flaps though. I set the up position with the left set and then full with right set.But I do not get anything in the centre, it just says No centre.

Flaps don't have "centres" like ailerons, elevators and rudders. Flaps have angles, set by notches on the lever, and a different number for each aircraft -- eg 9 positions for a 737. Unless you are intending to only fly one aircraft type, it is usually best to either program a two-way switch or two buttons to gibe FLAPS INC and FLAPS DEC controls, or, if you really want an axis, to simply find the right position for each notch by moving the lever a little at a time and seeing it get set on screen, in the flap position indicator or via the graphic version of the lever.

FSUIPC does provide a facility to calibrate notches for flaps, but where are you going to put those on your lever? Has it got any? If you want to calibrate a fixed set of notches, for a specific aircraft, you need to follow the instructions given specifically for this in the documentation.

Regards
Pete

[philldant]

Pete Dowson, on 12 February 2012 - 12:01 AM, said:

Flaps don't have "centres" like ailerons, elevators and rudders. Flaps have angles, set by notches on the lever, and a different number for each aircraft -- eg 9 positions for a 737. Unless you are intending to only fly one aircraft type, it is usually best to either program a two-way switch or two buttons to gibe FLAPS INC and FLAPS DEC controls, or, if you really want an axis, to simply find the right position for each notch by moving the lever a little at a time and seeing it get set on screen, in the flap position indicator or via the graphic version of the lever.

FSUIPC does provide a facility to calibrate notches for flaps, but where are you going to put those on your lever? Has it got any? If you want to calibrate a fixed set of notches, for a specific aircraft, you need to follow the instructions given specifically for this in the documentation.

Regards
Pete

Maybe I am chasing my tail, I am using the quadrant that came with Saitek yoke. So no real detents, I have been trying to follow the instructions on pages 52 - 53 of the manual but as it says without detents I may be SOL.

[Pete Dowson]

philldant, on 12 February 2012 - 12:18 AM, said:

Maybe I am chasing my tail, I am using the quadrant that came with Saitek yoke. So no real detents, I have been trying to follow the instructions on pages 52 - 53 of the manual but as it says without detents I may be SOL.

What's "SOL"?

Are you planning to only ever fly one aircraft type?  If so you could certainly modify the slot on the Saitek quadrant to have little detents made of bits of rubber or flexible plastic. But it's a lot of bother, and generally on the normal retail throttles there's simply not enough range/room to allow enough for some aircraft, like the 737 for example.

I'd recommend either simply calibrating a reliable flaps up and full flaps down position, and leave the intevening movement to set by normal feedback, just like steering where yo can't see the wheel angle but know by the effect on the car. Flap positions can be seen on screen. Use such indications to determinate where you are placing the lever.

Alternatively, it is actually far easier to use the INC/DEC arrangement for flaps, via a two-pole centre-sprung switch, preferably, or failing that two buttons or two positions on a spare hat.

Anyway, it's getting late here and I'm off to bed. I'll check in here in the morning.

Regards
Pete

[philldant]

Pete Dowson, on 12 February 2012 - 12:31 AM, said:

What's "SOL"?

Are you planning to only ever fly one aircraft type?  If so you could certainly modify the slot on the Saitek quadrant to have little detents made of bits of rubber or flexible plastic. But it's a lot of bother, and generally on the normal retail throttles there's simply not enough range/room to allow enough for some aircraft, like the 737 for example.

I'd recommend either simply calibrating a reliable flaps up and full flaps down position, and leave the intevening movement to set by normal feedback, just like steering where yo can't see the wheel angle but know by the effect on the car. Flap positions can be seen on screen. Use such indications to determinate where you are placing the lever.

Alternatively, it is actually far easier to use the INC/DEC arrangement for flaps, via a two-pole centre-sprung switch, preferably, or failing that two buttons or two positions on a spare hat.

Anyway, it's getting late here and I'm off to bed. I'll check in here in the morning.

Regards
Pete

SOl = Sh*&&)t out of luck. No problem I am using a switch on the yoke. Thanks for your time.I will be using the PMDG 737's and 747's so really it is more important to me to use the two and four throttle settings when the second quandrant arrives. Have a good weekend.

[philldant]

philldant, on 12 February 2012 - 01:02 AM, said:

SOl = Sh*&&)t out of luck. No problem I am using a switch on the yoke. Thanks for your time.I will be using the PMDG 737's and 747's so really it is more important to me to use the two and four throttle settings when the second quandrant arrives. Have a good weekend.

I do have one more question, how do I program the HAT switch??

[philldant]

philldant, on 12 February 2012 - 01:14 AM, said:

I do have one more question, how do I program the HAT switch??

Got it, disregard

[Pete Dowson]

philldant, on 12 February 2012 - 01:14 AM, said:

I do have one more question, how do I program the HAT switch??

FSUIPC can treat Hats (more technically "POVs" = Point -Of- View controls) as either a set of 4 or 8 buttons (depending on the hat), or as a single Panning controller. For the former program it in Buttons, for the latter, assign it as an axis to PAN VIEW.

Quote

Got it, disregard

Answered in any case for others to benefit.

Regards
Pete

[philldant]

Thanks for the rely on the HAT (POV). I still have problems with the toe brakes though. No matter how many times I do a rescan after tapping the toe brakes it shows up as an axis that I have assigned for the ailerons or elevators. The one time I was semi successful resulted in the "differential braking" message being left on. The only way to clear was to set the parking brake and release with a button I programed for brakes. I am sure that this is my unfamilararity with the program.

[Pete Dowson]

philldant, on 12 February 2012 - 12:51 PM, said:

No matter how many times I do a rescan after tapping the toe brakes it shows up as an axis that I have assigned for the ailerons or elevators.

I don't think you are reading the user documentation at all, are you? That sort of thing often happens with jittery controls. All you need to do is click the Ignore button for the axis you don't want to see, then ReScan. That's why there's an Ignore button! Pressing ReScan by itself doesn't do any good if the same axis is continually sending changes!

Quote

I am sure that this is my unfamilararity with the program.

No, only with the documents. Maybe you forgot about them? They are all in the Modules \ FSUIPC Documents folder, as you are told in the Installation and Registration guide.

Pete

[philldant]

Pete Dowson, on 12 February 2012 - 01:24 PM, said:

I don't think you are reading the user documentation at all, are you? That sort of thing often happens with jittery controls. All you need to do is click the Ignore button for the axis you don't want to see, then ReScan. That's why there's an Ignore button! Pressing ReScan by itself doesn't do any good if the same axis is continually sending changes!



No, only with the documents. Maybe you forgot about them? They are all in the Modules \ FSUIPC Documents folder, as you are told in the Installation and Registration guide.

Pete

I actually printed them out, but you are right I forgot about the ignore part. It was a long day yesterday but I do appreciate your help!!

[Pete Dowson]

philldant, on 12 February 2012 - 02:05 PM, said:

I actually printed them out, but you are right I forgot about the ignore part. It was a long day yesterday but I do appreciate your help!!

Okay. Also note that most toe brake axes need reversing (the REV checkbox in calibration), otherwise they are on when released and only off when fully pressed. Reverse BEFORE calibrating.

Regards
Pete