Pete Dowson

Freezing? If, as they found out, you never told WideClient how to contact the Flight Sim PC (the Server), it would never have started at all, so how could it freeze? that doesn't make sense. The WideFS ZIP package comes with documentation. Please take a look at that some time. There's both a "DOC" and "PDF" version so it will be easy enough to open and rwad, or even print. The "info" I presume you need, so you can give it to WideClient, is the name of your Server. This is the name you gave it, the name it is seen as by other PCs on your Network. If you've no idea what you called it you can find out easily by looking for the file "WideServer.log" in your FS Modules folder (it will be there once you have run FS once with WideServer installed). Look in that file for the line near the top showing as, for example: Date (dmy): 21/07/05, Time 14:00:29.578: Server name is NEWLEFT Here the Server Name is actually "NEWLEFT", because that's what I called it. Yours will be different. If this is all still too difficult for you (though I assure you it is all a lot easier than flying an aircraft properly -- you just need to read some short documentation first, not many manuals) then please wait for a few weeks when I shall be releasing version 6.50 of WideFS, which has clients which find the Server for themselves. I have worked out how to do this recently from a new book -- but it can only be done if everything is running on Windows 2000 or Windows XP. Regards, Pete

It can't be done with FSUIPC, or anything of mine. You need WidevieW by Luciano Napolitano, http://www.wideview.it Pete

Sorry, neither VB.NET nor C# are any use to me. I would not know what to do with them. Don't you have a debugger with the compilers so you can find your errors? How do you manage else? It sounds like you are corrupting your own data areas. Trace it through, work out where it is going wrong. I provide as much in the way of tools as you should need to verify the FSUIPC part of this. If FSUIPC logs the values correctly or displays them on screen (using the monitor) correctly, and if FSInterrogate shows them correctly, then they are certainly correct --- and will give you something to compare with. I am very sorry, but I simply cannot undertake to develop and debug other folks programs as well as my own, and most certainly not in languages with which I am not familiar. Regards, Pete

The language DLLs are simply resources. You can read the strings using the Windows LoadString API with the appropriate module handle and string ID. You can use something like ResHacker (a freeware program) to obtain the string IDs you need. Check what you are reading against a well-known working program such as FSInterrogate, or simply use the real-time monitoring provided in FSUIPC (Logging options, right-hand side). You evidently have a bug which you will need to fix. I assume VB.NET and C# come with Debuggers just like the MSVC and C++ compilers? Regards, Pete

If you mean programmatically, you can find the FS process by finding the top level window with Class Name "FS98MAIN". So far, since FS98, all versions of FS use this as their main top level Class. The only way I can think of for identifying the labugage is to look at the DLLs in the main FS folder. Older versions used different names, like "English.fll", but now the different languages are obtained by different Language.dll's as you have said. Regards, Pete

You mean via WideFS, or are you talking about two completely separate installations of some Microsoft Flight simulator (FS98, 2000, 2002 or 2004)? Aha! 262145 is hex 00040001. It is too large a value for the 16 bit values you are reading -- the maximum 16 bit value is 65535. It sounds like you are reading 2 bytes into a 4 byte variable which you have not previously initialised to zero. The higher 16 bits will be unpredictable. This is an elementary programming error which you should easily find by the part of the programming process known as debugging. In any case, please use the tools provided to check things. FSUIPC has extensive logging and real-time Monitoring facilities (see the Logging page in the Options), and there's a program called FSInterrogate supplied in the SDK. These things are there to help you. ALWAYS but always check things against something separate, such as these, first. That's why I provide them. If you are not initialising values which you are only partially loading into you must expect them to vary considerably, as they will pick up any rubbish left in memory on that PC. That could happen on any PC, it just depends on what happened before. As I said, please use the tools you have to find out what you have done wrong. Even think of using the debugger which presumably comes with your compiler. If you really still need my help, I need more information, like logging results, actual version numbers, and even simple things like whether you are talking about a WideFS configuration, a version of FS or CFS, and actual version numbers of my own modules. Regards, Pete

That is not an FSUIPC function, except insofar as you Register WideFS via FSUIPC. FSUIPC is used by WideFS but it certainly does not have anything to do with any Network connections. What does the WideServer LOG say? It is the Server's Windows Sockets which is refusing the connection after all. Perhaps you haven't even remembered to install WideServer into FS2004? Regards, Pete

Yes, but we should discuss it when it exists I think! Hopefully you will get enough to cover your initial outlay for suvh things as a compiler and of course FSUIPC registration! ;-) Regards, Pete

Okay. Glad it is sorted! Pete

The values are entirely meaningless. Every axis you use needs calibrating as every instance of the hardware will vary to some extend. Please just calibrate ALL your axces, including trim, following the instructions provided. Pete

Yes, until you have a program ready to attach a key too, then it depends whether it is freeware or not. Regards, Pete

Yes. Search the Programmer's Guide and you will find the pathname of the current AIR file. See offset 3C00. "Reload aircraft" is an FS control. They are listed in the FS2004 controls list, and can be sent via offset 3110. Yes, if by "station" you mean the fuel tanks. Obviously changes to fuel levels in tanks not fitted to an aircraft will make no difference. The fuel levels are expressed by values representing proportion filled, so for absolute values you need also to read the capacities. All this stuff is listed in the tables in the Programmer's guide in the SDK. Regards, Pete

Yes, I also found out that this can happen. It is usually because one of the add-in gauges or DLLs in your FS installation is hung (i.e. waiting for something which will now never happen). I think this can only occur with modules running with multiple threads. When FS closes it terminates all of its own threads tidily, but doesn't know about threads created by other add-in programs. And Windows cannot unload the process until everything has finished running in it! One DLL once known to cause this was, I believe, ActiveCamera. It was fixed fairly quickly once discovered, however. I think it was related to differences between FS9.0 and the 9.1 update. If you ever get this happening, check that all your add-in modules are up to date. As well as my own (which in fact only scantily use multiple threads and do apply forcible deletion of those if waiting for them doesn't help) look at FSNav, ActiveCamera, PMDG, Squawkbox3, etc. Regards, Pete

I received one good result with PFC 1.942 anyways, though it may not be relevant to your query, depending how the trim wheel works on your Cirrus. This is from a message mistakenly (I hope) sent to me privately: Thanks for the quick feedback. As you are talking about trim units I assume that you have a similar Cirrus to me, and not an analogue trim wheel? You do know you can have two speeds for the trim, based on how long you press the button for? I tend to prefer fine adjustments with quick short presses, but still need major adjustments at times so hold the button down. Since the days I wrote that part of the code I found out that on airliners such as the 737 the electric/autopilot trim actually operates at twice the speed when there are any flaps down. This is something I may look at doing in PFC.DLL one day. Regards, Pete

On the contrary, TrafficLook is a program which provides a tabular display of AI or MP-injected aircraft positions in a manner which is completely unrealistic. It is only a test/development program provided to show the sort of information which can be obtained. You seem to be a little confused. TrafficLook (the free program included in the FSUIPC.ZIP) is not "used" by anything else. Other programs, like TrafficBoard and FlightKeeper, may use the same information from FSUIPC -- as do some (but not all) TCAS radar type display gauges and programs. I think the F16 gauge is one of the latter. Neither I suspect. It's just that although the author has been provided with free access keys so that his TCAS displays will work with FSUIPC, he has never actually amended the gauges to build them in and so make life easier for his users. This means you have to register the gauges manually yourself. You will find the key for that one in the Freeware Keys list above. Note that others have had difficulties with that gauge, however (it seems to conflict with some other things in some systems), and I would recommend that, if you don't want to pay for an FSUIPC user registration, you look for a replacement gauge. The Lee Hetherington gauges (ILH-TCAS or something similar) seem to work well from what I've been told. Regards, Pete

Hmm, no it doesn't, for me, sorry. The odd thing here is that you have a trim wheel on the Cirrus console? I've not got one of those. Is it an analogue input? The only analogue trim inputs I've programmed are for the 737NG cockpit, which has analogue trim inputs for all three axes -- elevator, aileron and rudder. That works okay. You calibrate in PFC.DLL just like any other of the axes. I assume you have done some calibration? If the trim axis behaves like any other it should work fine, but I don't know the hardware and have never seen this Cirrus modification (is it the "Professional"? Is that still called a Cirrus?). So, I'm afraid I will have to refer you to PFC support. Maybe it's a hardware problem in any case, I really can't understand what you are seeing. By all means try my latest internal version of PFC.DLL, attached, just in case it helps. Let me know how you get on, either way, please. Maybe a pic of your modified Cirrus would be interesting? Regards, Pete PFCDLL1942.zip

It won't make any difference what version of FSUIPC you use. FSUIPC just provides you with the value from FS. It doesn't do anything with it. It knows nothing about it. I suggest you search for FS Real Time. It includes BGLs to correct most if not all of the time zone bugs in FS. Also be aware that the seasonal differences will change this. It isn't a Zone offset, as you seem to be interpreting it as, but a local time offset, so it will change in areas where there's a Summer Time difference too. Possibly your FS2002 and FS2004 were set for different seasons? Regards, Pete

Ah, you mean FSUIPC offsets? Where does "TRC#" come in? I have no idea what the lamp illustrates, but it is presumably related to the starter switch simulation in FS. Go to http://www.schiratti.com/dowson and download the FSUIPC SDK. Search the table in the programmer's document for "starter". There's one for each possible engine of 4, but of course only the #1 engine applies to the helos. Incidentally, I think FS models the Robinson as a prop aircraft, not a real helo like the Bell. Regards, Pete

Sorry, what is a TRC# code? What warninglight and switches? Please clarify, I don't understand the question. I provide technical support for my programs here, including FSUIPC and WideFS. Are you sure you are in the right place? Does your question relate to any of my programs? Regards, Pete

Are you using PFC.DLL? Which version? What exactly do you mean by "calibrating the elevator trim"? On my Cirrus console the trim is by buttons on the left yoke handle. It operates incrementally. It is not an axis, there is no calibration to perform. Please clarify what software you are using and what sort of trim control you are attempting to "calibrate". Pete

Have you lost all the details which were sent to you to register FSUIPC? You can simply use them to re-register FSUIPC on the new PC. The same would apply if you had to re-install Windows on the first PC. It is always best to keep details of things you actually pay for! If you still have the old PC, look in the FS Modules folder. There is an FSUIPC.KEY file there. It is an ordinary text file and you can read the details there. When re-registering, use the same Name, Email and Key -- all three parts need to be exactly right. It doesn't matter if you changed your email address, or your name, use the ones you used when buying the key. Regards Pete

I assume you are using WideFS 6.47? Does the WideClient Log file record the shutdown notification being received? The only incidence I've seen which is a little like this actually results from timing problems, and in fact the applications often close but start again directly, so look like they never closed. If this is what is happening then it should be okay using the interim version I released here to fix that. Please check the thread "Problem with shutting down apps on the clients" from a couple of weeks ago -- just scroll down a bit. Let me know. Regards, Pete

The only easy way is to use the FS PARKING BRAKE control (see drop down list in FSUIPC's Buttons page). It is a toggle, so first you'd need to synchronize your toggle switch with the FS PB setting. Then you'd assign the Parking Brake control to both "press" and "release" -- the "press" means "off to on" and the release meanse "on to off". If you wanted it to always synchronize, it is more complex because there is no FS control for Parking Brake on and a separate one for off. You need to program the switch to send values to the parking brake offset. This is a word at xBC8. Write 0 to it for off, 32767 (x7FFF) for on. Use the Offset Word Set control in the dropdown. Regards, Pete

Surely you didn't pay before downloading it? How do you know whether you want to pay for it? All the documentation is in the download. You don't to pay for it if you don't need any of the facilities described. Which site are you trying to use? FSUIPC is distributed to about 50 websites, though not all may put it up. The main one is http://www.schiratti.com/dowson, but only because it is the only one which displays all of my FS programs, and is also usually the quickest with new versions. Whichever site it is you were trying, please send a note to the site manager. There should be a link for that on the page somewhere. If it is the Schiratti site then I really don't think that the problem can be their end as it is being downloaded many times a day without problems. Regards Pete

I tried it recently because there is a freeware program being made which will link to it from FlightSim using the FSUIPC interface. Sorry, I wasn't aware that it took a COM port interface too. I'm afraid for that you'll need to get support from Google to see what sentences they need. If they are standard NMEA ones which I don't currently support I can add them, but I think you'll find I already support all of those which include the Latitude and Longitude. I don't support any specific map software, only specific standard NMEA or Aviation format outputs. That is what you need to ascertain. I'm not terribly interested in looking specifically at this way of doing it when there will be the better (more direct) way provided soon from a third party author. I'll ask him if I can yet release details, or else get him to write to you. Regards, Pete