Pete Dowson

Yes, that's fine. but then you said: A software emulator won't have a wire connecting it to your COM1 like your real GPS, which is why expecting it to see data pouring out of COM1 was a little, how should I say? Optimistic? ;-) No documents? no support either? Seems odd providing an emulator that cannot be used to emulate the real thing excpt by guesswork? Sorry, I guess you need help from Lowrance. Or do as the original successful poster did and use a real wire and try sending the GPS stuff to each of your real ports in turn. As I said, the most likely default it uses is COM1 -- though that often used to be taken up by a Mouse, so COM2 is another possibility. You cannot make the virtual port use real ports. I suppose you could try to remove the real ports in the BIOS of your PC and then see if you can make the virtual port program use the COM1 and COM2 addresses. Regards, Pete

What did you have on COM1 though? Sending the data OUT of COM1 will accomplish nothing at all unless there's a wire from it leading to something which can receive it. You can't just set up one half of any communications -- it takes a Receiver as well as a Transmitter, and of course a piece of wire for "real" serial ports!! I would seriously doubt that the emulator would be pre-programmed to look for input on COM12! I suspect that, if it has a default setting at all, it would be COM1. I suggest you look to set the COM port on the emulator. There's no alternative. As I said already, unless you can tell it which COM port to look at you cannot possibly use it. Why not see if it has any menus or options, or even documentation? Pete

That's what someone said, check back a few messages. You need WideFS as well. Follow the instructions. It must do otherwise it wouldn't have worked with GPSout. Please review the messages. If it can't I can't see how you can use it. Look at the program, I don't have it. Pete

The FSUIPC interface provided by WideClient is identical to the one provided by FSUIPC directly. That's the whole point. So something else is wrong. Can you try again, then close FS and WideClient down, and show me the FSUIPC and WideServer Log files from the FS Modules folder, and the WideClient LOG file from the Client. If they are large, Zip them up and send them to petedowson@btconnect.com. Regards, Pete

Which one is that? This only says "Post error"? What is that? Pete

If they have not bothered to provide keyboard controls for these switches, only mouse, then the only way I know of would be to operate the on-screen switches using something like Luciano Napolitano's Key2Mouse program. Regards, Pete

When you download the current supported FSUIPC from the site I gave you, you'll see a link for the registration. If not, it's in the first few pages of the documentation. If you don't see that either, check the Announcements here. There's one entitled "PAYING FOR FSUIPCthe Why and How". Please do keep an eye on the announcements here in any case. They are designed to help you. Regards Pete

Really? And it's in the shops is it? I must be living in a bomb shelter, I really didn't know. Most of what I've read merely advises to stay clear for now, even wait for Vista. Maybe I should get out more!? :-) Regards, Pete

No, FSNav does not use FSUIPC. In any case almost all payware add-ons, and most freeware add-ons, which use FSUIPC incorporate their own access codes which grants them access automatically. This doesn't mean your program has access. Yes, it seems so. Developers normally (100% so far) purchase a user access key for FSUIPC. This enables them to write programs, use debuggers, and so on, with FSUIPC. If you like, the payment sort of helps justify the programming support I provide (which can be extensive for languages I understand) and the upkeep of the SDK. Freeware programs can be provided with an application access key on request, but by that time they are usually mostly developed. Before that, most debugging environments wouldn't work with an application access key in any case because they'd actually be running as a different process. If you haven't got a valid access key, and haven't registered FSUIPC as a User, the initial connection to FSUIPC still works, but the data you get will not be valid, other than things like the FS and FSUIPC versions. This connection stage has to happen, as the automatic registration from your program consists of writing a Key to offset 8001 AFTER connection, but before anything else is done. If you check the FSUIPC log file you should see this. You can even (without paying!) enable IPC read and write logging in FSUIPC's options so you can see EXACTLY what transpired. I'm rather surprised you haven't actually been prompted by a message box saying there's an access error. Maybe you are trying to use an invalid user key? Please look again at the FSUIPC SDK, and in particular find the document therein on Access Registration. Regards, Pete

You are using a 64-bit operating system? This will have all new drivers for all the bits and pieces in your system, presumably mostly in Beta? Are you a Beta tester for Microsoft, or do you just like living dangerously? Really, that would be my main concern here. Nothing of mine has been tested on WinXP 64 in any case, so if its 32-bit support is iffy then that could generate problems. and, those drivers, they must all be version 1's or earlier, or Betas, surely? Isn't 1Gb RAM rather low for WinXP 64 Pro, with FS and so on? I don't really know, but I'd recommend 1Gb to anyone using FS on a WinXP 32 bit system, and MS always grow their systems bigger and hungrier, never smaller and leaner. The WideClient log shows nothing wrong, by the way. Regards, Pete

No, the airspeed has been provided in the same place since FSUIPC version 1.00, and is the same in FS98, FS2000, CFS1, FS2002, CFS2 and FS2004. However, I cannot possibly support a version which is so old! So, first please go to http://www.schiratti.com/dowson and download the currently supported version. The one you have doesn't even work with the current version of FS2004, released 18 months ago! Second, did you purchase an FSUIPC access key? Regards, Pete

Transparent is like clear glass, translucent is like cloudy glass. Pete

Does the PMDG aircraft not use the FS light operation controls? Did you try those in the Buttons FS controls drop down? You'll find controls for: * Landing lights * Panel lights * Toggle beacon lights * Toggle cabin lights * Toggle logo lights * Toggle nav lights * Toggle recognition lights * Toggle taxi lights * Toggle wing lights If these work, you can assign them to your T8 easily in FSUIPC's Buttons page. Unfortunately, the "Toggle" type controls would need synchronising with your switch positions when you start -- the others have On and Off variants so you can program them to be always in sync. In fact, using FSUIPC "Offset" controls you can implement specific on/off actions for all of these, but it is a little more complicated. I can explain more if you need me to, after you check whether these controls actually work. If they do not work, then it means PMDG have "done their own thing". Your only option is then to look and see if they have provided a way of having keyboard short-cuts for the switches. I think they do that for many things. If so, then you can assign suitable keypress combinations and program your T8 switches through FSUIPC's Buttons section, but using the left-hand side, to program the correct key presses. The other thing to look for is whether GoFlight have themselves published an interface module to work the PMDG aircraft directly. Regards, Pete

Attached. Oh, one of the problems, when the window is transparent, is that right-clicking on it to get the menu and change options is almost impossible -- the transparency means the mouse is really clicking the window below! the same seems to apply to the FS windows too, so it isn't just me. I found that if you have thick enough font characters you can, with care, right-click on one of then (just!) and get the menu, but it can take many tries! As I said, it also seems to swap between transparent and translucent all by itself, on occasion, when anything else is changed. I couldn't find out why, and I'm afraid I lost interest when I saw what it was like in full screen mode! :-( Regards, Pete Advdisp2151.zip

The interface WideFS uses into FSUIPC hasn't changed at all, not for many years. It looks like you have some performance or, more likely, reliability problems. Do you think it is possible that there are so many axes being scanned that the FS PC is overwhelmed? Ir possibly you've set the "Delta" so low that every little jitter in each axis creates many FS messages? Perhaps you ought to show me the [Axes ...] sections of your FSUIPC.INI file, just in case? You could also temporarily remove them (just make a copy of FSUIPC.INI and delete those sections frmo the one in FS Modules folder), and run FS and wideFS again, for comparison? There is a parameter which can change the polling frequency FSUIPC uses, so we can try adjusting that, but let's see if it is anything to do with the axis assignments at all first. Some other information is relevant to, please: * FS PC's operating system and version * FS PC's Processor type & speed * FS PC's main memory size * FS's frame rate limiter setting * Whether FS joysticks are enabled or disabled However, whilst it would be a good idea to check them all, now looking at the WideServer log I really don't think it can be any of the above. Sumcheck errors mean that the data arriving from the Client is certainly corrupt. I have never seen such errors without there being something wrong with the network somewhere, and in fact I've never seen such a bad example -- even on a faulty Network card I've only seen the odd sumcheck error from time to time. I really think this is more likely to be due to one of: * faulty network card or driver * faulty hub or switch if you are using one * bad cable * main memory faulty * IRQ or DMA conflicts in the FS PC, possibly with the video card The network may look to be working fine for other things, but in my experience this is an illusion, as Windows doesn't appear to check things -- it takes it on faith that the Network subsystem guarantees data integrity. Last time I had a faulty network card things like file transfers from Explorer appeared to go well, but when doing file comparisons afterwards (using the binary file comparer "FC /B" or Directory Toolkit) nearly all the files (and certainly all of the large ones) contained differences -- a crucial problem when such files are supposed to be programs! Incidentally you did not show me the WideClient Log, though you appearently intended to. If you look it seems to be another copy of the FSUIPC Log, which in fact isn't relevant in any case. Regards Pete

I'm afraid I am unable to help with C#, which is really quite alien to a C programmer (I have no idea why MS called it C anything :roll: ). The C# part of the SDK is undergoing a serious overhaul with new tools being added, but I don't think a release is imminent. Meanwhile, you could direct you questions to its author, one Pelle Liljendal. I think you should find his details, even his website, via the Sticky above about FSInterrogate. Two things I do find rather odd, but it may be my non-understanding of C#: 1) You seem to have a thing called "fsuResult" which somehow has a dual purpose. For example, on an error you treat it as a result code: TranslateResultCode(fsuResult) but then, just after that, you treat it as if it receives the Air Speed itself: Surely if it were to contain the result code, a zero for success would be what you'd expect? 2) The value in 02BC is, as documented, the airspeed in knots * 128. In other words the units are 1/128ths of a knot. Yet here you are multiplying it again by 128. Do you really want it in 1/16384ths of a knot? Regards Pete

The most likely reason is that you have something else also displaying things. Try right-clicking on the window and selecting the "multiline" option. Then only multiline messages will go to this window, the others will go to FS as usual. RC is either the only, or one of very few, programs using multiple lines. Incidentally, for RC you can make the window a bit shorter (the number of lines never exceeds what you see above), and it looks much neater if you "dock" it or "lock" it, at your choice. If you have space on your panel you can make it look more like a panel instrument -- change the font and colours to match as you wish. For Windows XP (only) I can make transparency and translucency work in FS's Windowed mode (I have a version here which does this). But I can find no way of making it work in FS full screen mode (on FS2004) without an horrendous flicker (at the frame rate I think) making it not only unusable but very annoying. I've not released this version because I think most folks use FS in full screen mode. If you don't, you can certainly try it if you like, let me know. It isn't fully working the way I like (sometimes after changing an option is isn't repainted in the right transparent/translucent mode, and I have no setting at present for varying the amount of translucency). I'm afraid I've never found a way into the parts of FS which do windows like the ATC one. I wish I had managed to do it, because it would be great to divert the FS default ATC messages to a separate program for appropriate responses or actions, possible automatically. Regards Pete

I am sorry, but there is no possible way WideFS, can have any affect on your graphics or on any cockpit in FS. WideServer simply provides a service to any Wideclients on other PCs. If nothing connects from those, WideServer does nothing whatsoever. However, if you are using WideFS or FSUIPC with a bad user Key, then things can go wrong in FSUIPC, and this can most certainly affect FSUIPC users such as the PMDG 737NG. Please Zip up the FSUIPC.KEY file from the FS modules folder, and send it to me at petedowson@btconnect.com, along with details of your purchase of the WideFS key from SimMarket (or wherever). I will check it out here for you. Regards, Pete

I am sorry, but there is no possible way WideFS, can have any affect on your graphics or on any cockpit in FS. WideServer simply provides a service to any Wideclients on other PCs. If nothing connects from those, WideServer does nothing whatsoever. Regards, Pete

Ah, by reading the WideFS document, and finding this section: You still need to run and configure the twin virtual ports, of course, using the other freeware provided in the GPSout ZIP. Regards, Pete

I am sorry you feel this way. I really don't see how you bring "courtesy" into it. I have tried extremely hard, to the point of answering specific questions with specific answers, and trying to understand what it is you cannot fathom. But you should appreciate that trying to deal with someone who doesn't appear to actually read things and doesn't follow simple advice is not only unfortunate but it is very very unproductive. This will probably come across now as a "rebuff" but I honestly cannot see how you can possibly say that any of my previous efforts on your behalf were. There's only so much one can do with some folks, and I have tried all I can. Gargantuan? Verbose? Most folks complain I don't explain enough. I don't like doing dsocumentation as it is, maybe I shouldn't bother in future? I know most don't read any of it in any case. And I am not sure what you actually mean by the "interface", but if you mean the easy-to-use FSUIPC options one, to assign controls, I assure you that is used a lot by many without any trouble. I did tell you exactly which control it was, even if you had missed the sections about it in the WideFS dcumentation. As for WideFs, well, there is no "interface" which normally concerns most folks. It is primarily an extension of the FSUIPC interface for applications. that is what you get. the extras, being able to actually do "KeySend" stuff and have remote buttons and so on are all additional frills requested by and used by cockpit builders who are relatively knowledgeable both about aircraft and technical things. I know this from experience in this field over many years. But it is not what it is provided for, nor indeed sold as. And you did have all the opportunities you needed to read the documentation and ask questions even before parting with any cash. I hope SB3 gets the original problem fixed as for PTT, then you will be able to continue. Otherwise I wish you a fond farewell. Regards Pete

KeySend1=123,16 ; Press F12 KeySend2=123,24 ; Release F12 Look at this (from the wideFS document): So, 16 = 8 + 8, so this is "key on its own", and "press the key". 24 = 8 + 16, so it is "key on its own", and "release the key". There. What is hard about that? Please tell me, because I've never had to explain it at this level at all in the 8 years of WideFS! Evidently my English isn't as good as I thought and maybe I've just been lucky all these years? Help me improve the documentation! Oh dear. I'm sorry, but it is very hard for me not to lose a little patience now. As I've said twice before, you just don't! FSUIPC has no facility to send keystrokes to clients. You evidently entirely missed this part of the WideFS document: You simply program your button to send the KeySend control (it is in the list of controls you can assign -- please go and look!). The parameter for the Keysend control is the number N in the "KeysendN=..." in the WideClient INI parameters you've just quotes examples of. If this is still beyond you, I really do suggest you wait until Joel has looked at the SB3 PVT system. I don't think I can possibly explain this at any lower level than this. I'm very sorry. Regards, Pete

Possibly. Sorry, I don't know SIOC. Pete

No, not at present. I have been thinking of adding it, with the new Axis Assignment facilities, but it isn't easy. I have to work out a way of making it efficient, only scanning those axes which are actually calibrated in FSUIPC. You can use the buttons of course. Pete

No. I think those offsets are used both for output to PM as well as by PM itself. If you want some offsets, best to apply as suggested in the documentatin. If you don't need much then 66C0-66FF (64 bytes) are available for general use by anyone. Regards Pete