Pete Dowson

No, this really cannot be anything near the correct explanation. Go tell Damian. You have been programming buttons and keys, yes? This means you have a fully user registered FSUIPC installation. There is NO accreditation checks on any DLLs, Gauges, programs, or anything else for a registered user. That whole part of FSUIPC is completely unused once you register as a user. No, FSUIPC has no idea whether you've just installed anything or not. That really is a straw Damian is clutching at that is totally irrelevant. There is no such thing as Network accreditation, and I haven't the foggiest idea what Damian is on about here. So, something is different in that's software's data when it is initially installed, which it is corrupting thereafter. It is really all in Damian's own hands. There is no way either FSUIPC or WideFS can retain any memory of anythng affecting applications between sessions. That is just plain not happening. It must be something in the data Damian's software is using. Is "installing ActiveRadar" more than just moving in the DLL? If so, see what is being changed in the data files it installs. the answer has to lie there. MR2? What's that? Sorry, I am not in Damian's Beta team, we have only discussed wind smoothing and direct wind control mechanisms. Sorry, Damian has not mentioned a word about this to me before blaming my software in this way. I find that quite annoying and will be asking him what he thinks he means by it. Regards, Pete

I've fixed FSUIPC ready for the next release, but it isn't any help with that GPS power control because, as I say, it doesn't appear to have anything to do, what with the GPSs having no power switches. Regards, Pete

Yes, I get the same. On investigating it seems that this is somehow due to the FS2004 CONTROLS.DLL containing two entries for Add Fuel Quantity, both at number 66601, with the GPS Power control as 66602. My List of FS2004 controls, available on http://www.schiratti.com/dowson, shows this, in fact. FSUIPC doesn't actually contain a list, it gets it from FS each time you access it. It is a bit odd how my encoding is okay ("GPS Power" selected does, in fact, produce the correct control code, 66602, as you will see by looking in the FSUIPC.INI file), but not my decoding. There is evidently a bug in the look-up part, the bit which looks into the list to find the correct name to display when you next go to the Buttons (or Keys) options pages. Obviously the double entry at 66601 wrecks the direct look-up. I will fix that in the next version of FSUIPC. However, that said, even though it is displaying "Add Fuel Quantity", it is in fact sending control number 66602, which is the GPS Power control. This appears to do nothing in the GPS 295 or 500 supplied in FS2004 -- there's no power button on the graphics either as far as I can see. Are you able to power the GPS on and off on your panel? Anyway, thanks for reporting the discrepancy. I've now got to figure out how to deal with duplicates in the Control list! Regards, Pete

Hi José, Shall I ask Enrico to replace the AIBridge package downloadable on his "Dowson" page with a link to yours? Perhaps this will get over these confusions? Thanks, Pete

You seem to have multiplied the threads with the same question. I have answered in the new thread. Pete

The format of the files it needs to read in FS to generate its database changed quite a bit between FS2002 and FS2004, so it won't be able to generate them. If you don't have an FS2002 (or FS2000 even) then it is a problem. Maybe you can appeal to other Nav3 users for their databases? Regards, Pete

My site? This is my only place. Perhaps you mean the Schiratti page containing my modules? As it clearly states there, that is entirely run by Enrico Schiratti. I distribute all of my software to about 30 sites, it is only Enrico who collects them all on one page, and he is usually the fastest with updates. That's why I refer folks there. I am sure that the AIBridge there is supplied by Jose Oliveira, but I don't know how often it's been updated. Certainly the one that was there for many months after FS2004 and FSUIPC was released was compatible with the Key I was asked for (but I'm not sure that it was compatible with FS2004). BTW I can't write to Jose myself at present. I've only just managed to get back onto the Web but the email service is still inaccessible -- my ISP seems to be having difficulties and has been doing so for the last 11 hours! :( Regards, Pete

Okay, you'll have to write to Jose Oliveira about this, or find the actual copy of AIBridge which he requested the freeware key for. The reason it isn't correct is this: The Freeware keys list shows: AIBridge.exe Product: "AIBridge", Company: "Jose Oliveira" KEY = SR2Z PO0O 5L56 The log shows: C:\Programme\AIBridge\AIBridge.exe Description="" Company="José Oliveira" There is no "Product" field at all in the version you have, and Jose's name is spelled differently to the way it was when he registered the program. In other words, this is NOT the version of AIBridge which is registered! I don't know what is going on. here. Jose is normally quite good at this stuff, and really there is no reason why he cannot put the Key into the program, which would save all this hassle. It can go into the code, or into one of two places in his Version Information. I will ask him to look at this thread. I cannot do anything else without him clarifying what is going on. Please, you write to him too. Regards, Pete

I don't support anything earlier than the current official release (3.30 at present), so, yes, it is "too old" in that sense. Even if that version of AIBridge is supposed to work with it, but doesn't, I cannot really look at it until you try it with the current, supported, version of FSUIPC. Also, I cannot tell whether it is a correct version of AIBridge without seeing the part of the log, as it is that which shows the details. I did think that AIBridge automatically registered itself, but I think there are several versions of the program around. Show me the relevant part of the Log and I will know. Regards, Pete

Didn't you keep a copy, either of your notifications or of the FSUIPC.KEY file? Seems odd not to keep anything of something you pay for. Anyway, I'm sorry, but I am not at all involved in the issue of keys. All that is handled entirely by the retailers. If you purchased it from SimMarket I think that, if you go to http://www.simmarket.com and open your account there, you can retrieve your keys directly. Regards, Pete

Yes, that is not a problem. Please check the details of the Access Registration methods in the access registration documentation in the SDK, then write to me at petedowson@btconnect.com with the relevant details of your gauge, module or program. I will return the access key and also the details of the offsets I shall allocate. Regards, Pete

Sorry, this is a mechanised discount operated by SimMarket because it saves them the work of processing two separate orders. It is not applicable otherwise. I don't sell either product directly, it is sold through retailers only. I just try to get on with development and support. Regards, Pete

What is the FS frame rate? That more or less governs it. That plus the latency on your Network -- 15-35 mSecs are typical turn-round times on a 100 Mbps LAN using TCP/IP, so achieving 30Hz regularly is not easy. IPX/SPX is probably twice as fast, but rather more problematic on WinXP (lack of support I presume). There isn't really one. You'll need to spend some months hacking into FS code like the rest of us who write such things. I started back in FS4 days so developed my own techniques. Your best bet would be to first learn how to do gauges (the MS panels SDK) -- GAUs are DLLs too you know. Then you'll presumably need to work out how to bypass all the multi-layered claptrap which handles the standard LAN interchanges. There is no limitation in FSUIPC itself, it works as fast as FS, it is part of the FS execution cycle in effect. There will obviously be overheads in switching processes if you have another process interfacing to FSUIPC on the FS PC, but WideServer works directly with FSUIPC and that is operating at the FS frame rate if it is allowed to do so -- generally, and especially with FS2002 and FS2004, you'd need to limit the FS frame rate to ensure the LAN operating threads in WideServer can operate smoothly too. I tend to run everything at 20 or 25 fps at most, with 5 or 6 clients running PM modules and other things. Then everything runs smoothly at 20/25 Hz. This is with a P4 3.2GHz PC running FS. 30 Hz seems a little ambitious if you want smoothness. Regards, Pete

I said: If all you want is a moving map then almost any mapping software which accepts NMEA input on aa serial port, as if from a GPS, with work with my freeware GPSout installed in FS. Alternatively there is NAV3 by Ted Wright, which is more specifically intended for FS -- it is something like FSNav, but a separate (and free) program, and it will run under WideFS. I don't have a link these days I'm afraid, I've not used it for some time. But a search should find it easily enough. Regards, Pete

Sorry, what is "courseplanner"? What exactly do you want to work with WideFS? I use Jeppesen FliteMap but I send the resulting plan to Project Magenta and Radar Contact. What sort of on-line link to FS do you need? Can you explain? Is QuickMap a course planner? I thought it was a moving map. If all you want is a moving map then almost any mapping software which accepts NMEA input on aa serial port, as if from a GPS, with work with my freeware GPSout installed in FS. Alternatively there is NAV3 by Ted Wright, which is more specifically intended for FS -- it is something like FSNav, but a separate (and free) program, and it will run under WideFS. I don't have a link these days I'm afraid, I've not used it for some time. But a search should find it easily enough. Regards, Pete

If there's an FS keystroke or command which does this, then it can be done through FSUIPC. I'm not aware of one specifically -- the ']' key normally closes additional windows, but you need to select them first, which tends always to be a mouse operation I think. Maybe there's another way, hopefully others may have ideas here. Switching them back on is even more difficult I think -- once the Windows are closed there seems to be only one way to open them again -- via the Menu. If these are only side views, have you considered using the monitors in "stretched" window mode, with just the one widescreen window at a wide-angle zoom setting, like 0.50 or 0.31? I think that works better and the frame rates suffer far less. The Parhelia is being used in the way I just suggested -- three monitors providing one very wide window. The frame rates were limited until the most recent Parhelia drivers, but now I am amazed at them! I was restricting the screen resolution to 2400 x 600 x 32 and limiting the FS frame rate to 20 (the latter is so that my other WideFS PCs running Project Magenta run smoothly at similar rates). But now, still limiting the FS frame rate to 20, I can go right up to 3840 x 1024 x 32 resolution! Phenomenal! If I wanted more that 20 fps (which I am not fussed about -- I am one of those who thinks you only need higher rates gfor fighter or helo flying, not airliners or normal GA aircraft) then I would keep the lower resolution (2400 x 600 x 32) and relax the FS limiter to 30 or so. The reason I went for the Parhelia rather than any other multimonitor solution is that it supports 3 monitors as one screen. I think only 2 monitors are a mistake (no centre, or a centre on the gap), and with two or more video cards you can't make the screen one window, which as far as I can see is the main solution to the performance and setup problems. Regards, Pete

Yes, I don't see why not. I presume you are not using them both for the same things -- obviously there could be conflicts if one wanted to set one radio frequency and the other a different one (for instance). But FSUIPC or EpicInfo wouldn't care, you would simply get confused results in FS. Yes, there's no problem how many applications or drivers are READING a parameter, for display for example. You can only get conflicts arising when different things want to SET the same parameter to different values. But nothing will crash, FSUIPC will allow this, you'll just see odd results, maybe values flickering or a 'random' result occurring depending on who wrote what last. Regards, Pete

Yes, I don't see why not. I presume you are not using them both for the same things -- obviously there could be conflicts if one wanted to set one radio frequency and the other a different one (for instance). But FSUIPC or EpicInfo wouldn't care, you would simply get confused results in FS. Yes, there's no problem how many applications or drivers are READING a parameter, for display for example. You can only get conflicts arising when different things want to SET the same parameter to different values. But nothing will crash, FSUIPC will allow this, you'll just see odd results, maybe values flickering or a 'random' result occurring depending on who wrote what last. Regards, Pete

It sounds like the application is refusing permission for the shutdown. This is possible -- each application gets sent a message by Windows and can refuse permission. I can't really do much about that. Well, it used to happen a lot here because of bad power lines to my house. but i don't expect it is advisable normally. Pete

Since memory leaks can actually give rise to reports of not enough memory even when virtual memory (on disk) is umpteen gigabytes, I don't think a relatively small bit of extra "real" memory makes much difference. Windows is a virtual memory system. Pete

If i do so,the other PCs shut down completely,but the MCDU stays "half running"(as described). Er, sorry, I'm lost. Didn't you try it WITHOUT the MCDU program running? How can it be "half running" -- I don't see you describing something half running? Do you mean Windows has closed down but not powered off? I get that on two PCs. Hmmm. I wonder what that is doing differently? And why WideClient works on all the others but not that. Are you using the same versionm of WideClient on all of them? Sorry. Half-running meaning? Is this with or without the PM CDU program running? You have AllowShutdown=Yes, which is all that can be done in WideFS. It will be sending the same instructions to Windows as it does in the other PCs, exactly -- unless you are using a different Wideclient version, of course. Sorry, I do really have no idea whatsoever. If you find out how to make Windows close down and switch off PCs reliably, please let me know. I have one which sometimes does and sometimes doesn't, and one other which never does. When they don't, they simply end up with some screen telling me it is safe to turn off the computer. currently I just wait till it says that, then power off at the main electric power socket (where all are connected by multiway adapters). Maybe Katy, over in the PM Newsgroup, can help. She does know a lot about WinXP. Regards, Pete

That isn't a message, it's a pathname to a file. Did you check the file? What was the error message? If FS is crashing after a long time is usually means one of two things: 1) you have something causing a slow memory leak. Some sceneries and aircraft add-ons are thought to suffer from such problems. You'll need to mention these details and ask around, on some place like the FS2004 forum. I truly know nothing about these, I am only mentioning what I have heard. (I rarely fly much more than an hour or two in any case. I like take-offs and landings, I find cruising rather boring. :wink:) or 2) something is overheating, most likely the video card. I have two PCs which suffer in this way. I run them with the side covers off all Summer -- they are okay in the Winter. Regards, Pete

Methods of payments are dealt with in the documentation, where there is a re-print of the relevant pages explaining this in the SimMarket site. There's also a link there to the SimMarket site as there is on the http://www.schiratti.com/dowson page and above, in the List of Supported Releases. Simarket offer a service for anywhere in the world, and China is just as much a part of the world as any other places -- there are plenty of existing users from China. You will have no problem. If you prefer to deal in Japan then look for the Intercraft web site instead -- http://www.inter-craft.co.jp. Regards, Pete

If you are not seeing the FSUIPC.INI file as an INI file but as a "config settings" it is because you have Windows set to HIDE filenames from you! However, "config settings" = INI or CFG!!! Unless you are using FS2000 you don't need to access the FS CFG file. You need first to see your trim axis assigned to any other axis, one you are not otherwise using, in the FS Controls - Assignments dialogue. Once it is seen there, you just need to edit FSUIPC.INI to tell FSUIPC what axis you have assigned it on. Unfortunately FSUIPC only understands the numbers by which the axes are known inside FS -- download the List of FS2004 controls from http://www.schiratti.com/dowson and find the axis there. It will probably be one of the AXIS _xxxx_SET controls. You need the numeric equivalent. Regards, Pete

Hmmm. This sounds like a question for PM support. Possibly, on your system, the CDU is causing Wideclient to close before the latter has received the close-down message from the Server. I seem to recall that the PM CDU used to shut down okay on Win98 but not on WinXP, or it may be the other way around. I did mention to Enrico the changes he might have to make, because the same difference occurred to me in WideFS. But this was a couple of years ago or so. AhWideServer will not action the incoming request whilst you are in the menu. Well, the last part is something to do with the way Windows decides whether it can switch off automatically or not. I don't know why it does that on some machines. The first part may be that something in the CDU shutdown process is interfering somehow. Sorry, this seems somehow related to what the CDU program is doing I think. To check that it isn't WideFS or the specific PC, try a different program on that PC, or just close the CDU.EXE first, leaving WideClient running, then use the Shutdown key on the Server. If it seems to be only the CDU program then please ask PM support. Regards, Pete