Pete Dowson

No, it is completely impossible. FS's gauges are simply data management routines which use the graphics power of FS itself to display. They cannot run outside of FS. You would need to install a full copy of FS on the other PC and link the two installations of FS with WidevieW. I suggest you investigate third party cpckpit offerings such as Project Magenta, and maybe FreeFD. There may be others. Links are provided on the right-hand side of the http://www.schiratti.com/dowson page. They interface to FS via FSUIPC and will therefore also work through WideFS. Regards, Pete

Okay, I looked at the log. There's no terminating zero in what you write to 8001, so the comparison check being done by FSUIPC will depend on whatever other rubbish might be there before. when that is zero, it'll work, when not, it won't. If you still have problems after correcting that, let me know, with the same sort of data please. BTW for DLLs, FSUIPC automatically also makes an entry in the KEY file, so you should check that next time too. It does this because it renews the accreditation scan every time an aircraft is loaded -- GAUges of course load with aircraft. Since the same mechanism is used by Gauges and DLLs, but DLLs may write 8001 only once at the start, it has to remember the details (which it does in the KEY file, as it has to check that in any case), so it can check without the 8001 write recurring. Regards, Pete

Values. All things are values unless it specifically says that the variable consists of a set of bits. Of course in this case it doesn't really make a lot of differnce. The value is a BOOLEAN. In C/C++ a boolean "TRUE" value is anything non-zero, whilst "FALSE" is zero. However, the normal "TRUE" value used is consistently '1'. Regards, Pete

Of course you are rightI thought FS2004 complicated it by allowing payloads (see for instance the FSUIPC variables at offsets 1400 ff.) but of course they will be included in the ZFW. Won't they? Pete

:D Well, when I get back to my model railway (N-gauge filling a 16' by 12' room), it will be to convert my Amiga 500 based controller software to run on a PC Notebook. Regards, Pete

Which one is that, please? I can see here if it has been given a Key. Does it register itself, or did you register it manually? Please run that with both IPC reads and writes logged. Send me the LOG and also the KEY file, zipped please, to petedowson@btconnect.com. Perhaps if you include the DLL so I can reproduce it here, it will be quicker. That effectively means the same thing -- 0's are suppliied if it thinks the DLL is not accredited. The warning message normally only occurs at some stage at most once in an FS session in any case. I suppress it at other times to avoid multiple message boxes and/or filling the disk up with log entries because the unaccredited DLL keeps retrying. Also, whether the DLL access is accepted without a Key is random -- the whole area is deliberately complex to dissuade piracy, you see. :wink: Regards, Pete

Evidently. For each of the (11 I think) possible tanks there's a capacity value and a percentage value. The fuel level in each is therefore calculable, and the total is obtained by adding them all up. The capacity variable is right next to the percentage value in each case. How could you have not seen them? Regards, Pete

Sorry, I have no idea what they've done. PFC.DLL only handles the FS spoilers. If they've invented their own, then there's nothing I can do. I can only suggest you find a spare button and program it to send the appropriate keypress, assuming they have one. For PMDG support I'd really recommend you check with PMDG. Perhaps there's something in their documentation? Regards, Pete

AhI did wonder when you were calling it "FliteStar" not "FliteMap", but since you clearly thought it had the moving map capability I naturally assumed you were simply using the FliteStar/Map naming interchangeably. After all, except for that feature, I think they are identical. No problem. Sorry it turned out not to be quite what you wanted, but at least we understand it now! Regards, Pete

Sounds feasible. You'd need to write a program to drive the output you need, interfacing to FS through FSUIPC. If you download the FSUIPC SDK from http://www.schiratti.com/dowson you will find all the documentation you need (sorry, in English only), plus parts for different programming languages. Regards, Pete

If it is the latest version, and installed into FS's Modules folder, there's nothing which will stop it sending sentences out to the selected COM port, assuming that is available. If it is an old version you need to install FSUIPC as well. And did you edit the GPSout.ini to tell it this was the one to use? Did you plug the cable into COM1 and not another? Did you ensure that the speed is set the same in GPSout.ini and FliteStar? Isn't there a Test option in the Connection menu, where you can see the data arriving, even if it isn't liked? There's really very little to go wrong with GPSout, it just sits there sending stuff out. You just need to get the ports and speeds matched. If the sentences aren't those that FliteStar likes, that can be changed, but first you have to see sensible characters arriving in the "test" window. Regards, Pete

Hey, thanks! I've downloaded it -- I'll enjoy it later today! :D Pete

Ah, when I have a little more time perhaps :wink: Meanwhile there's quite a bit of background about, in bits and pieces. Try the threads "How was FSUIPC possible", and "Will the real Pete please stand up". I'm sure there are others. As for "steam railways", they are still about you know, though diminishing. Have you none in your part of the world? There are many running here in the UK as preservation or museum lines, but my wife and I like to travel to parts of the world where they are still used, albeit not a lot these days, for 'real'. :D Regards, Pete

Well, I have added offsets for Prop De-ice and Structural De-ice, both of which are documented in FS's Panels SDK for FS2002 and FS2004. However, there is no mention of how to get an aircraft to actually implement the structural de-ice facility. It doesn't appear to be an AIRCRAFT.CFG file option. Maybe it can be enabled only in the AIR file, but at present I am unable to test this offset because I cannot find any aircraft which implements it. As far as the Prop de-ice is concerned, the default King Air implements this and it does appear in its AIRCRAFT.CFG file. However, the Toggle Prop Deice control doesn't operate it -- only the usual anti-ice switch. I can read the setting of the prop de-ice for the offset, but since writing to it uses the control, which doesn't work, it's pretty much useless. All in all it was a futile waste of time I'm afraid. I'll leave the code in, and hope it becomes useful in a future version of FS. Regards, Pete

Sorry, you'll have to do that yourself, or ask the author for an automatic running version. Regards, Pete

What's a context menu? I don't think I do any of those. I don't use tooltips either -- do you mean the "connected" message in the title bar? Ugh. There's something wrong there all right, but no specific failure reported from Windows. Very odd. All I know about Networks, and more (thanks to other's contributions) is embodied in the WideFS DOC. Once you've gone through all those possibilities and there's still something wrong I'm afraid I've had it. I hope some Netwrok expert can help you out here. You could try Katy over in the FS2004 Forum, she's helped me a few times. Incidentally, the ONLY time I've ever seen blocks actually being corrupted, as this indicates: 4492109 LAN data received: PREQ ulSize=1116, ulTime=146968, uSum=46782, fUsed=0 CC 02 00 FE 05 00 9A D0 2A 13 94 60 30 00 FE 17 4492109 --> Sumcheck error! was when I most definitely had a bad Network Card. No, it can't be the application, and it can't be WideFS either -- as you yourself can attest with 7 other PCs happy. It's going to be hardware or software drivers, more likely hardware. Possibly the Network card, or the PCI socket it's in (if not on-board) or the on-board Network chippery (try a Network card instead -- they are cheap these days in any case), or possibly just the specific port on the Switch (try swapping it with one of the others). I would also have suggested cables, but you say you've tried that already. Regards, Pete

Full screen display of windows over FS is very precarious in FS2004. When I asked Microsoft about this (I thought it was a bug) they said it was down to the way DirecX had changed, and nothing could be done excepting using the FS display system -- i.e. like a gauge. I don't even know how you have managed to make your window display okay when activated by menu. I got flickering. The FSUIPC dialogue gets around that by preventing the FS window from re-painting -- i.e. it intercepts the WM_PAINT and validates the paint area without doing anything. You could try something like that. There is a side effect -- if the user moves the FSUIPC window multiple copies of it will be left behind, because FS is prevented from repainting them. Regards, Pete

Six -- three with Run and 3 more with RunReady. That should be perfectly clear in the WideFS documentation. Isn't it? FSUIPC allows a further 16 -- up to 8 by Run and another 8 by RunIf. That too is explicitly stated in the documentation -- in fact in the first paragraph about the Programs facility in the Advanced User's Guide. Pete

Sorry, I didn't even know there were FS-controllable operating doors until recently -- I thought those were fiddled special graphics effects using things like spoiler or flap settings. Inside FS I have found just one indicator for doors -- for the main doors only. This may simply be the usual trouble with the interference of multiple controls being sent every second by complex panels -- I assume it is complex panels you are using? The same problem causes difficulties like the acceleration of changes to the heading, speed and other settings (for which I provided a "work-around" in FSUIPC). The difficulty is easily seen if you try to use FS's pushback. You press Shift+P to start the pushback. That's fine. But then you press 1 or 2 to turn you left or right (or whichever way it is). If any other control comes between the Shift+P and that 1 or 2, then you are sunk -- it will not be directed to the correct part of FS. The Shift+P mode is closed, finished, not taking any more input. I think the Doors are controlled by something like Ctrl+E (or is it Shift+E?) then the door number (1, 2, 3 ...). Isn't that right? This will be working the same way as the pushback -- and if any other control is seen by FS between the Ctrl E and the number, that's it -- the selection is done. (The result should then be that the default, the main doors, are operated -- is this so?). I really don't know what the answer is unless you dispense with the panel. It's not really a fault in FS -- though a design that needs a follow up like that is bit flawed in my opinion. For the pushback I did experiment with setting the 1 or 2 as a parameter (programming it in FSUIPC's Buttons or Keys), but that doesn't work. When MS were questioned about this sort of thing, in relation to the unwanted acceleration of A/P values, they did imply that the panels which are doing this continuous sending of controls are really not designed correctly. Of course they didn't outright condemn them as "bad". Regards, Pete

I don't know how the "Flight Keeper" tool is causing FS to crash -- they may be two separate problems, but the "timed out all retries" problem is almost inevitable if the program is loaded before FSUIPC is running -- and FSUIPC isn't running until FS is running and ready to fly. Some FSUIPC applications can be run before FS and sit around waiting till they can connect (and this is good design), but unfortuately many can only be loaded when FS is ready. You can get FSUIPC to load them for you with the stipulation to only load them when FS is fully ready -- see the FSUIPC Advanced Users guide for information on editing FSUIPC.INI, or try the "Run Options" program by Jose Oliveira, also available on http://www.schiratti.com/dowson. Regards, Pete

I have it listed for the next version. Regards, Pete

Yes, you are. The FSUIPC programmer's guide shows what is currently implemented by FSUIPC. As I said, I can consider providing offsets for these, but they won't appear in the Programmer's Guide until I do! How can they? :wink: I referred you to the lists of FS controls I provide. See http://www.schiratti.com/dowson. Alternatively just load up FSUIPC, go to the Buttons or Keys page, and assign a button or key to the controls I mentioned (hint, look for 'T' for 'Toggle' -- they are all in alphabetical order). Pete

How are you trying to copy it in? The way Windows Explorer works, if you try to move or copy a file into a folder where there is already a copy present, it just asks you whether you want to replace it or not. Just say yes, you want it to be replaced. There's no rocket science here, it is just one simple file to be placed in one simple folder. No complications, no registry, nothing further to do. The installation cannot be simpler. What 'game' is this? FSUIPC is desgined to run with Microsoft Flight Simulator, not with any game at all. What is "create game"? Erwhat program are you actually running in the first place, please? Then what do these three lines say? It doesn't sound like anything of mine, to be honest. What other planes? FSUIPC has nothing whatsoever to do with showing planes at all. Are you confusing it with Multiplayer? Ah, so it is Flight Simulator. There's no "create game" in that. You need to install FSUIPC. I don't know what else you have in there or what this 3-line thing is, You need to give more details. Never try to install files whilst the program (FS2004) is running -- it won't let you do that. But at any other time just copy the DLL into the Modules folder. Say "yes" if it asks for confirmation. That's all. Regards, Pete

There are separate Engine Anti-Ice switches already available. Looking at the Panels SDK it looks like both FS2002 and FS2004 also have provision for: PROP_DEICE_SWITCH STRUCTURAL_DEICE_SWITCH but I don't know if they actually do anything. I could "expose" these through FS offsets in the next release if they may be useful. There are controls to operate these too -- check the list in my FS2002 and FS2004 controls document. Look for TOGGLE_STRUCTURAL_DEICE TOGGLE_PROPELLER_DEICE so you can already program these through FSUIPC as it stands, though you cannot read the current setting. Regards, Pete

It is not possible using my VXD which only works with Win95/98/Me. I know that Ralph of R&R (EPIC makers/designers) was intending to extend the Windows driver he developed for the USB EPIC to handle the ISA version too, but I've not heard that he did actually complete this yet. You need to inquire directly to him, or at least to Flight Link, the distributors. There is also an EPIC web section in Avsim, called bluesideup I think (try http://www.avsim.com/bluesideup) which may help. Regards, Pete