Pete Dowson

Only on your main PC? It is only the WideServer.DLL which instals into FS. The WideClient.EXE you use on your other PC(s). Did you look inside the ZIP? There's a document called "WideFS.doc" (and a PDF version which will read in Adobe Acrobat). There are hardly any steps in any case, especially if you are running WinXP on both PCs. Please see the step-by-step guide provided. Look under the heading "Installation" Regards Pete

I'm afraid I know nothing about your hardware. I thought the Hagstrom stuff were keyboard emulators. If it connects to a COM port I assume it has it's own driver software? You'd need to consult the documentation. The "right direction" to find out about controlling PM software is the PM website, http://www.projectmagenta.com. There's a section there with documentation (including FSUIPC offsets for PM, if that is how your Hagstrom driver works). Additionally you will find a Support group there which can operate as a web Forum or an email newsgroup. Try there, I'm sure there will be others using similar hardware. As well as not knowing the Hagstrom stuff, I must admit to know knowing much about PMs "synoptics" -- there are none for the 737. :-( Sorry, I have no idea what drives your serial connection. Certainly nothing of mine. Surely it comes with some driver or other and documentation? If it interfaces only to FSUIPC, then it will to WideFS as well. Regards, Pete

ActiveSky and FSMeteo both run very well over WideFS. I've always used them that way. BTW, in your earlier message you said ... but I'm afraid I've no idea what you mean by that. What has FSUIPC and WideFS got to do with scenery? Why? Just install WideServer.DLL into FS's Module folder, then run WideClient on another PC on your Network. If both PCs are running WinXP and the network is working and not blocked by firewalls then, with the latest version of WideFS, that's all you need to do with WideFS. Why do you want to delve into all the technical stuff? It says right at the beginning what to do. Pete

The firewall on my Internet router should help keep outsiders out. The computers inside are all mine, and i don't want to block myself, at all. ;-) Well, I think the FS process is called FS9.EXE isn't it? Check the process list (ctrl_alt_del). But it still seems most odd to me that you give unlimited permission to all and sundry to interface to a program on your server, rather than saying who is allowed to access it. Surely the latter is a much more normal thing to do? A server services those with permission, doesn't it? It's set by the Port parameter. The default is 8002 I think. Neither if you use IPX/SPX, then it's SPX (sequential). If you default to TCP/IP it is whichever of those is sequentially guaranteed, not the one which allows stuff to arrive in random order. Regards Pete

You should really have told SimMarket beforehand and they would have matched it for you. However, as it is, if you send the receipts for both registrations to me at petedowson@btconnect.com I can replace the older FSUIPC one, then you can start again (delete the FSUIPC.KEY file from the FS Modules folder) and register both with your new address. Regards, Pete

No, not yet. First, have you assigned the axis you want to use a the Reverser lever to the main FS Mixture? Do this is FS's own assignments. Make sure it is working for the mixture first. Only then go into FSUIPC's options and set the Reverser action. As an alternative, if you wish, you can try the latest Interim version of FSUIPC (3.536, available above). In the new version you can actually assign axes directly in FSUIPC. For the Reverser you can choose to assign your axis for direct operation into FSUIPC's Calibrations of the reverser. If you do this, be sure not to also assign the same axis to anything in FS. Regards, Pete

Phew. Strange. Glad you sorted itthanks for letting me know! Pete

What is "expo" please? As far as I know I am saving everything you set in the dialogues? What is this "expo"? I have nothing called that. Maybe that's the problem, you want something not yet implemented? Can you also tell me what version of PFC.DLL you are using? It maybe something already fixed. If not the latest, available above, perhaps you could try that first, please (1.993). Regards, Pete

I don't really know -- I'd need to find out about the firewall in Windows Help. Did you look? I always disable the Windows firewall entirely, as it gets in the way of most of my Network needs. However, I would have thought that you don't enable connections TO something in your PC, but FROM something outside your PC? It doesn't make much sense to me otherwise. It is "specific permission to come aboard" you are granting, surely, not "anyone can come and mess with my Flight Simulator". If Windows Firewall needs specific permissions for programs, then the one asking for access is WideClient.exe. For specific Windows help, especially with Networks, you may be better off asking in the FS2004 Forum. Katy Pluta visits there and has been of great help in these matters before. Regards, Pete

If it was sending data then the calibrations screens would show the movement. If you wish to investigate further, you can enable some of the logging (in the Test page) -- the lowest level actually logs everything sen on the COM port. Alternatively you can get the freeware utility "PORTMON" from http://www.systeminternals.com and actually monitor the serial port at the lower level interface in Windows. It sounds as if you may need support from PFC. Regards, Pete

When you say "I have done that", could you please spell out exactly what you have done? I can't guess, sorry. Tell me what you want to achieve and what you've done and what you see. Regards, Pete

No. FSUIPC doesn't have any affect on instrument panels, or any other graphics come to that. In fact if it isn't even registered it is doing nothing at all until some application wants to use it. Something else has gone wrong with your installation. First of all, check that the VoxATC install hasn't done something strange. Regards, Pete

As I am sure it says on the page where you bought it, I think they aim to send it within 24 hours. Obviously, unlike the other products you have bought, the SimMarket place is actually operated by human beings. ;-) If you are not happy I am sorry, but it isn't any use coming here. This is for technical support. Try the SimMarket 'problem' ticket system, after the 24 hours. Pete

Sorry, what do you mean by "only two values"? I don't know what you are reading which shows the number of "values", whatever that means? The LENGTH I think is 2 bytes -- i.e. it is a 16-bit value, the build number of the MCP.EXE file, when it is running. Pete

Ah, this I assume is your Y-rotation? If it were really 'U' then Joyview, and FSUIPC, could see it. 32767 (hex 7FFF) is a sort of default "not connected" reading, the same would be obtained by an open circuit. It seems that your controller is, instead, using one of the other 2 axes which aren't accessible using this interface. Sorry, but if Joyview can't see it then neither can FSUIPC. Unless you can change the Plasma connections you have, or reprogram it to use 'U', then I'm afraid you will have to continue with FS assignments, at least for that axis. It doesn't hurt to use FSUIPC assignments mixed with FS assignments, but just be sure that the same axes are not assigned in both otherwise you will get conflicts and jitters caused by the double readings and applications. Regards, Pete

For all things Project Magenta you are best off visiting the PM website http://www.projectmagenta.com. In the documentation section you will find a complete list of PM offsets. I think PM uses the Build Number offsets to detect parts that are running -- 5402 for MCP, I think? Regards, Pete

Yes, but that's via DirectInput. The standard Windows API "joyGetPos" doesn't supports more than the six, X Y Z R U V. There is a POV, and it is possible that your rotation axis is coming through on that (rotation being like a point-of-view control as well I suppose). If it is a POV then I could add it (as "axis P") to the FSUIPC facilities. Can you see if it is recognised at all in the Buttons Tab -- that does look at POVs as well, splitting them into up to 8 buttons for the main directions. Eryou have 2 each of X, Y and Z? Is that how they are labelled? Are you sure they are not coming through as two separate joystick numbers if so? The API I am using names them X Y Z R U V. But by what name does FSUIPC see them, please? Certainly not by X Y Z X Y Z, it is either seeing them as X Y Z R U V (with one missing for now -- till we find out why) or as Joy #n X Y Z and Joy #(n+1) X Y Z. If your Y-rotation is acting like a POV it may not give a big enough change in any case for me to see it changing. Just to test that I may send you a test version of FSUIPC with a very low detection threshold. Maybe I need to make it adjustable. Meanwhile, I enclose a little program called "Joyview". This uses the same Windows facilities that I am using and can show us whether we can read all your axes, and even what sort of values we'll get. Just unzip it to the desktop and double click it. You'll see a list of input devices, numbered [01] to [16]. These correspond to my joystick numbers 0 to 15 (just add one). They may or may not show device names -- probably, for generic USB devices, they all all listed as "None". Don't worry about that. Open each device in turn, via the little + button and select its "joyGetPosEx()" entry. Far over to the right there are some checkboxes. Make sure the "JOY_RETURNALL" one is checked. You can look at the calibrated values with "JOY_RETURNRAWDATA" unchecked, or the RAW values with it checked. Leave all the others unchecked. Move the assorted axes around and see the values change. Let me know what you find, please. Regards, Pete Joyview.zip

8 axis joysticks? The Windows facilities for joysticks I'm using only provides 6 axes, 1 POV and 32 buttons per joystick. I believe DirectInput caters for more, but I am not using that -- you'd need to use the normal FS assignments for those axes which aren't part of the standard 6 I'm afraid. Sorry. Regards Pete

The normal way is to "dock" it to a panel piece, then it will come and go with that panel piece. It doesn't have to be on it or near it, but you may have to edit the Panel.CFG file to attach it to the part required unless you dock it after closing all the other panel pieces. (Shift+1 to Shift+9 are assigned to parts of panels by virtue of their numbering in the Panel .CFG files). Pete

I'm not surprised. You defined FS_LatLongTemp as having 3 elements, then try to read the Alt into the 4th one! This is an elementary programming error -- in C/C++ array elements are numbered from 0, not 1. Once you get used to the language you'll never make this mistake again! ;-) Regards Pete

No, not at all true. Where did you come across that? FSUIPC does keep track, for logging purposes and to speed up access permissions, of the most recent 128 internal connections (DLLs and GAUges), but neither it nor WideClient even keeps count of external processes accessing it. That is entirely irrelevant to the way it operates -- each process creates its own link and its own memory resources for the link, so it matters not a whit to FSUIPC/WideClient. WideServer would get a bit confused if there are more than 32 client PCs connected to it. But that's the only limit I have, and even that could easily be extended if necessary, it's just that no one has formed a WideFS network that big (yet). The number of sockets open at any one time can reach 256 before it would crack, but most of those will be connections now gone and awaiting disconnection. Each Client PC would normally only use one of those sockets, and anyway I think Windows (Winsock) would run out of sockets first! ;-) Regards, Pete

I have never guaranteed future versions of any of my programs and I am not going to start now. I am 63 this year and the way FS is programmed is getting more and more difficult to get into. I keep hoping some of the other interface programs that I hear about will rise to the challenge, but that doesn't seem to be happening. I started all this -- not just FSUIPC, but all of my FS-related software, because I needed it, to support my activity in this absorbing hobby. I have lots invested in hardware (you would probably not believe it unless you saw it), and in software, and of course in time. If I were NOT to support future versions of FS, it would render all my own hardware and software investment worthless to me, unless, of course, some alternative, just as good, were to become available. For that reason it is in my interest to at least try to get to grips with each new FS version as it appears, as far as I am able. It may turn out to be too difficult, or even impossible (as, for instance, CFS3 was). But if I am still alive I will certainly be trying, unless someone else is going to provide me with all I need to drive my own cockpit. Any volunteers? ;-) Regards, Pete

Keyboard type connections do this, because they are emulating the keyboard, and the keyboard drivers in the PC operate the repeat whilst the button is held down. This is part of the BIOS I think. No, there's no way any ordinary program can do this, it is part of the low level keyboard mechanics in your PC. I think, if you want the effect of toggle switches (i.e. a lever switch which actually looks up or down when it is off or on, or vice versa), then you may have to find momentary-contact switches -- i.e. ones which never actually make a permanent connection, but send one signal when operated one way, and another when operated the other way. You'd then program this as two buttons of course, assigning an "ON" action to one and an "OFF" action to the other. The Hagstrom and other keyboard encoders handle toggle switches properly, I think, but of course these aren't as cheap as a disused computer keyboard. Regards, Pete

What "A/C" is this? That message must be from something else, as it certainly is not from FSUIPC. By A/C do you mean an Aircraft? Surely, not ALL aircraft, only presumably one you have added which uses FSUIPC? The fact that it runs okay without registering FSUIPC indicates a possibly bad FSUIPC Key. Please Zip up your FSUIPC.KEY file (after registration of course) and send it to me at petedowson@btconnect.com. Also it would help if you gave me, in the email, your real name and the date, approx., that you purchased the FSUIPC key -- presumably from SimMarket? Also please use, if possible, the same email as I cannot find the one you are using here amongst the registered users lists. Regards, Pete

Yes, as 8 knot crosswind isn't nice in such a light aircraft, and I think FS does rather overdo the effects -- make sure your "realism" menu settings have most of the sliders centred. I think things are overdone by quite a bit if you have them all up full. Pedals are, indeed, a lot easier. I assume by "joystick" you mean one with a twist action for rudder? You aren't using auto-rudder to steer with the aileron axis, are you? You actually need to hold the wings down a bit on the windward side, which you do with aileron, but you don't actually want to also steer into the wind with the rudder. You have to use pedals to counter both the into-wind tendency (from the pressure on the tail) and the effect of increasing throttle on what the aircraft wants to do. With auto-rudder enabled that combined trick is almost impossible unless you turn the realism right down. Until you get a set of pedals you could try the FSUIPC option for taxi-wind. this keeps your crosswind low without affecting your headwind, and with wind smoothing turned on too it allows the crosswind back gradually after take-off. Regards, Pete