Pete Dowson

You have to use the multiplayer interface to FS2004. Offset 0x1F80 in FSUIPC merely allows you to add data to FSUIPC's TCAS tables, exactly as documented. You can certainly use that to put false images on an FSUIPC-using TCAS display. What made you think you could actually create the aircraft in FS that way? Regards Pete

You DID say your FSUIPC was registered, didn't you? That's a pretty serious Windows problem anyway, which really should be sorted. Something you have running (some service most like) is doing that. Meanwhile, if you have FSUIPC registered okay, with the same name and email/address values, certainly simply adding the WideFS key should work. If you want me to check, Zip up your FSUIPC.KEY file, and send it to me as an Email attachment, to petedowson@btconnect.com, and I'll check here. Regards Pete

Please do note that there are "Offset Word", "Offset Dword" and others, for different parameter sizes. Those fuel valve offsets are actuall listed as 4-byte values, but sunce they should only ever be "0" or "1", only one byte (well, one bit really) actually gets used. Just take care with some of them needing larger values setting or clearing. Shropshire? Maybe not far from me then (near Biddulph, north of Stoke, halfway to Congleton). Maybe you'd fancy copiloting in my 737 cockpit sometime? Best Regards Pete

As Jim says, get the FSUIPC SDK from the Schiratti website. The Announcements above also say this. Almost anything written for FSUIPC3 should work with FSUIPC4, though there are some offsets not working. The only difference between interfacing to FSUIPC for any of the supported Sims (FS98, FS2000, CFS1, FS2002, CFS2, FS2004 or FSX) is in the actual data supported, not in the interface itself which is maintained for compatibility. The currently released SDK includes all the information you need. For FSX there's an extra guide showing the current status of the offsets as applicable to FSX, with highlighting for new ones and notes on differences and whether they are yet proven to be okay. SimConnect offers more than FSUIPC in some areas, less in others. For most of what FSUIPC does it uses SimConnect in any case, so you could consider it as a "compatibility layer". The FSUIPC interface for applications has not changed. Regards Pete

Ah, the "Toggle Fuel Valve Eng#" FS controls? I didn't know they operated on the PMDG. Most aircraft, and certainly all default aircraft, use the "Mixture Lean" and "Mixture Rich" controls for Cutoff and Idle settings, respectively. You can do it yourself, now, by manipulating the FSUIPC offsets for the fuel valves. Referring to the "FSUIPC for Programmers" document, from the FSUIPC SDK, you'll find these offsets: 3590 Engine 1 fuel valve, 1 = open, 0 = closed 3594 Engine 2 ... 3598 Engine 3 ... 359C Engine 4 ... In the Buttons or Keys drop-down, assign to the "Offset Byte Bet" control, offset x3590 (for Engine 1) etc, Parameter 1 for "idle", 0 for "cutoff"and you're there! For cockpit builders and anyone with a load of buttons and switches to spare, the Programmer's guide is a mine of useful information. All those offsets can be manipulated using a series of "Offset ..." controls in the Buttons option. Regards Pete

Oh, good to know! Good flying then! ;-) Pete

Ouch! Why did you do that? You just needed to REPAIR FSX, using the original DVD! :-( Regards Pete

They are folders. Each contains a file. Yes, you should have three -- the base RTM version (60905) is missing, as reported by the FSUIPC4 installer. Just run FSX repair off the original DVD -- I think it's an option when you insert it. An alternative, which may be more reliable, exists if you have the Deluxe edition and have installed the SDK from it. In Core Utilities you should find a SimConnect.msi which will install Simconnect properly -- if you've also installed the updates to the SDK for SP1, Acc/SP2 the original one will be in a subfolder someplace. Regards Pete

Well, not quite. I know ASX needs SimConnect SP1, but most need the base version RTM. FSUIPC4 and the latest TrackIR actually use the latest SimConnect they can find -- RTM, SP1 or Acc/SP2. The problem for FSUIPC in your installation is that, since FSUIPC4 has to be loaded INTO FSX, as a module of it, it has to rely on SimConnect to get it there. The side-by-side library mechanism implemented in Windows only allows ONE version of a needed DLL to be explicit in any one DLL or program. FSUIPC4 has to have an explicit relationship, visible to Windows, with just one of the three SimConnects it can use. There's the rub. The only SimConnect version I should be able to rely on as ALWAYS being there, always installed, is the RTM version, as that comes with the DVDs and is installed first. SP1, ACC and SP2 are all optional. So, FSUIPC4 declares in its file that it needs RTM SimConnect simply so it can get itself loaded. Once it is loaded it actually connects to the latest one installed, instead. I cannot make the Installer patch the binary of the DLL according to the installed SimConnects, because so doing would wreck the Code Signature, and that would stop it loading for sure. Regards Pete

Is this FSUIP3 or FSUIPC4? It should be perfectly smooth in FSUIPC4 (well, as smooth as FSX is) since it is obtained at the FS frame rate. In FSUIPC3 it is obtained by a call to PANELS.DLL (much as a Gauge would), but because all such calls are an overhead, this is one of a large number which are performed every few FS frames -- 4 I think, in this case. Would that explain your problem? I have gradually been "promoting" assorted offsets to faster updating, on request. For today's PCs it won't be such a noticeable performance overhead, though I'm not willing to do a wholsale update on them. This is the first request for this one, but I will promote it to every frame with the next increment (probably 3.809 on Monday or Tuesday -- look out for it in the "Other Downloads" announcement above). I don't calculate it, I read FS's own result. I used to compute it, long long ago (version 2.??), but it never exactly equated to FS's computation. I did find out what values they were using once, but I've long forgotten, sorry.. Regards Pete

Right. So you are all sorted in this regard? Erthis is confusing. You say you have added these using the "internal FS commands" (I assume you mean Mixture Lean and Mixture Rich controls?), so what else could FSUIPC do for you? Why? I'm evidently missing something here. Please explain. Regards Pete

Really? Is that with ActiveSkyX on the same PC as FSX? You've somehow destroyed the RTM installation of SimConnect. You should be able to repair that following the notes I provide in the "FSX Help" announcement. Don't change any SimConnect file. Just follow the instructions. So are a lot of folks I think. Microsoft really made a mess of the installation/uninstallation process for FSX. It is all related to the "side by side" library facilities in WinXP and Vista, which seem to have been rather insufficiently throught out. vista is worse than XP in this as it is almost impossible to get rid of a bad side-by-side installation so getting it replaced is a nightmare. Uninstalling and re-installing FSX is usually the cause of more problems that it ever solves. Regards Pete

There are several flags, one "ready to fly" (3364 = 0), one "in menu" (3365 bit 0) and another "in dialogue" (3365 bit 1) . Their setting and clearing hasn't been changed in all the time they've existed. This is not the same as the ability for an application to actually connect to FSUIPC -- it can do the latter soon after FS starts -- though in very early versions of FSUIPC there was an imposed delay (the parameter for that is still there -- it is called "initdelay" I think). However, the purpose of that was merely to change the order in which different intercepting add-on DLLs subclassed the FS window, and in recent software that's never been needed. It certainly wouldn't stop connection during the FS opening dialogue, if you have FS stopping there. Anyway I've just double-checked, and the "ready to fly" indication is most certainly not given (3364 changing to 0) until FS is genuinely "ready to fly" -- the "in dialogue" flag (3365 bit 1) is, however, cleared after you click the "fly" button and FS starts its loading progress bar. That's as it is supposed to be. Hmm. I've been an AS user for many years and I've NEVER had to restart it to make it update to the current position correctly. I'm afraid you need to get back to HiFi Simulations about that. Incidentally, I'm checking with the current version (3.80x). I'm afraid I can't check any old unsupported versions, though, as I say, this is not an area where there's ever been any change. Regards Pete

There's absolutely nothing you can do in FSUIPC which would result in such a mess. Sorry, you most certainly have got something completely unrelated going on there. To force FSUIPC back to default settings simply delete the FSUIPC.INI file from the Modules folder. Everything you ever set is saved there. The only other part which you will have made is the KEY file, but that only holds your Registration details. Pete

Hmm. Strange. What does "one ad" mean -- is this "one add-on"? FSUIPC4 uses directInput, just like FSX, but it associates the joystick with a normal Windows joystick number (0 - 15). You said buttons on the same unit were recognised. What joystick number? If they see it with a joystick number, so should FSUIPC, so it is a puzzle. Sorry, I don't know what that means.. both enabled and disabled with FSX? What about FSUIPC4? What does "Spoilers have to move with a button" mean? What have you changed to stop it working, please? Is this a new PC, a new Windows installation, or something? I've not changed FSUIPC, so it is something in your system I think. Well, it certainly creates a lot more questions, doesn't it? Regards Pete

Where doesn't it react? You haven't answered any of my questions! I cannot help without knowing more. Have you tested your axes in FSX itself, first? Never try to use FSUIPC before getting basic things working. You need to read my replies properly, please. I cannot help with the information you provide. Regards Pete

Do you mean FSUIPC's "Axis Assignments", or only the Calibrations facilities? If assignments, FSUIPC4 uses the same method for reading joystick axes as FSX. Does FSX see them okay? If calibrations, make sure you don't have the sensitivities in FSX turned right down. The slider for sensitivity should be all the way up (to the right), for null zone it should be all the way down (to the left). Regards Pete

Well one answer is in the documentation supplied with FSUIPC. Yes, you can assign more than one axis directly to the same FSUIPC "direct" function. But there's only one place you can calibrate, so you need to make sure the two are not completely unlike each other, and you may need to calibrate with a bigger "dead" zone at each extreme and a larger centre part too, where that applies. Note that by doing it this way the last change in either axis will move the control, so if either axis suffers from jitter, you will likely get very variable results. The only way around this, using this method, is to make sure the currently unused axis is "parked" in one of the dead zones -- i.e. centre or min or max, hence the need for possibly more generous zones for these. The way which is generally recommended, but which means either assigning axes in FS, or at least not direct to FSUIPC calibration, is described in the section called "Multiple joysticks" in the Advanced User's document. This is a bit better in that the most extreme value of the multiple inputs is the one which "wins", rather than the last one which changed (or jittered). Regards Pete

Okay. Strange that it didn't affect many folks, all this time! Regards Pete

No problem, just concerned as to how the confusion arose. Glad it is clear now, and little threads like this no doubt help others. Regards Pete

The WideServer code is built into FSUIPC4, rather than being a separate DLL, that is all. There's no other difference. It just makes it more efficient. I would have done this with WideFS6 and FSUIPC3 if ever I had to rewrite either -- WideServer actually preceded FSUIPC development by about 2 years and the need / opportunity to rewrite everything didn't arise until FSX. You still need to pay for and register WideFS7 so that you can enter your Key and enable it. It is no different to the previous version in that respect. If you recall, you entered the WideFS6 registration into FSUIPC3. No it doesn't. You purchase FSUIPC4 and WideFS7. You enter both keys, and both are enabled. WideClient stays the same, that's all -- you don't have to change your Client PCs. There are lots of folks using both FSX and FS9, so it would make it really messy having to keep interchanging WideClients according to which FS you were running, don't you think? Especially when there's absolutely no need! I'm not aware of anyone else coming here so confused as you. How did this arise? These products have been available in this form now for over 18 months. Maybe you should review the documentation which comes with them and explains things, or even look at the Announcements in this Forum? Try, for instance, the "FSUIPC4 and WIDEFS7 AVAILABILITY" section in the Announcement entitled FSUIPC4 and WideFS7 ready for FSX: IMPORTANT NOTES! Regards Pete

Nor most of the 737 overhead, I would think? Or has GoFlight provided special drivers for the PMDG 737? I know there was a special SDK on sale for hardware developers -- expensive I think. Not till I release this new mouse macro stuff, no. None of it? Maybe they didn't go for the 747 SDK, or one was never produced? Regards Pete

I just programmed the GF module via the software that comes with it. It works for using it together with PMDG 737 I'm even more confused now. You are using software for the PMDG 737 which comes with the GoFlight unit, right. So where does Key2Mouse come in, and why did you have any problem in the first place? Why post the message here? What, exactly are you thinking of mapping via FSUIPC? Something is being omitted in all this, and it is puzzling me. Sorry. Yes, but I am not specifically talking about mapping actual keys or buttons for every function, only adding FSUIPC controls which can be so mapped by whomsoever desires. This is what the file for the 737 I have produced enables. Regards Pete

So, are these via Key2mouse? For the FS9 737NG overhead I do have my new mouse macros working very well now, and they work whether or not the overhead is visible. But i cannot release it yet. Since i am still not clear what you've done, I don't know what "doesn't work". Can you explain? Do you mean Key2Mouse doesn't work? Is this the FS9 747? If so, yes, the mouse macro facilities I am working on should enable you to add a full set of dedicated controls for the 747 too. I've not found any yet no amenable, but I've not tried so many yet. I am not very familiar with the 747 so I am not the best person to build a file with decent control names. Maybe when I have the facility ready and documented you could build the file and I would host it for other PMDG users? I've not yet tested anything on the FSX PMDG 747that's for tomorrow! Regards Pete

Most of the EFIS panel controls are purely panel functions and only usable with the mouse. I have long complained to MS about the number of default panel facilities with no keyboard or button configurability, let alone any way to them via "offsets". I've always maintained that anything switchable by mouse ought also to have a way of driving it directly via FS controls or events, and feedback via token values, but still both default and add-on panels feature some such switching. The EFIS panel functions which can be assigned (with names to match) are: Increase decision height Decrease decision height Barometric std pressure Kohlsman inc (i.e altimeter pressure setting inc) Kohlsman dec (i.e altimeter pressure setting dec) I'm afraid the others are only mousable, and I have no solution for them. You could use Lucian Napolitano's Key2Mouse program, to assign keypresses to make the mouse move and click, then program those keypresses to joystick buttons in FSUIPC's "Keys" tab. I don't know any other way. Even the "mouse macro" facilities I've added and am still developing won't work on those. Regards Pete