Pete Dowson

I don't accept PMs here because when I did it was regularly used for normal support questions. This is also why I don't generally provide my email, which, nevertheless, folks seem to find all the time. petedowson at btconnect dot com. Okay? Pete

Okay. Evidently I'm answering your first questions, in that post, and the subsequently arising question in your second post, which I had not noticed properly that you had in fact answered for yourself. Sorry. Maybe next time it would be quicker to just ask the actual question you really wanted answering? I do try my best, I assure you. Please show me the INI file. There's evidently something wrong with it, because if the aircraft concerned is not listed at all it cannot possibly be assigned to any Profile. Tell me also the exact name of the aircraft (the title) and the profile displayed in the title bar of the assignments tab when you get the Profile Specific checkbox greyed out. Regards Pete

As I explained in my last reply, the aircraft is only assigned to the profile by being listed in the section headed [Profile.<name>] where <name> is the name of the profile. If you want to use an aircraft listed there to create another profile, just delete the line with the aircraft name in the [Profile.<name>] section. That makes the aircraft unattached to any existing profile. Regards Pete

Your throttle axis shouldn't cause any interference at all if it isn't being moved, because neither FS nor FSUIPC (depending where you've assigned it) takes any notice of it until and unless it provides a changed reading. So, it appears that, at least in the place you have it parked, it is "jittering" -- i.e. sending varying values to FS or FSUIPC. The normal and best solution for that is to park it in a place where it won't jitter. Hardware-wise that's normally at one of the extreme ends. If you calibrate in FSUIPC it can also be one of the dead zones at either end Well, if it is truly a button you'd need to hold it down for the entire period you are on A/T. A toggle switch would be okay. Otherwise you'd be better off with a Lua plug-in set to do it every 5 or 10 seconds. If it is doing that then it's down to the way the add-on aircraft is controlling the throttles for A/T. It must be sending the axis controls to do so, the very ones you are disconnecting with 310A. So I'm afraid there's no answer that way. I think you need to park the throttle lever instead. Regards Pete

Okay, easy enough, but it means editing the FSUIPC configuration settings file, FSUIPC4.INI. For every Profile you created there will be a section entitled [Profile.<name>] where the <name> part is the name of the protifle you see in FS options. Withing that section are the names of all the aircraft which are using that profile, in lines numbered 1=... 2=... and so on. the aircraft names are usually the whole Title of the aircraft from its CFG file, but you can abbreviate them, for instance, to "PMDG 7372 or whatever -- some part which matches part of many names -- if you have "ShortAircraftNameOk=substring" set in the [General] section. To move an aircraft from one profile to another just delete it in the one [Profile ...] section and add it to the other. Yes, that's the example for aircraft-specific options instead of Profiles, and "not greyed out" is only true when the aircraft isn't already assigned. Hopefully you can follow what I told you in the first paragraph? If not come back. Regards Pete

Yes. Of course programs like Project Magenta do that sort of thing, even from an outside process and even over a Network (as in my cockpit). So with Lua, in process with FS, it shouldn't be a problem. You should also note that FSUIPC also already offers an experimental set of A/P and A/T controls of its own. I say "experimental" because they need tuning for different aircraft -- which I think you'd have to do too. No, 02BC is the measured IAS -- that cannot be the target speed, it is the actual speed. The target speed is one you set to try to attain. you can aither use the A/P target speed at offset 07E2, or set your own, held internally to your Lua. The A/P one has the advantage that you can use standard FS controls to change it. For a Lua variable you'd have to have some control (button, knob or key) to change it by Lua programming. Yes, that would be easiest. You could operate it in a loop, or maybe using event.offset for those two offsets - IAS and Target speed, because you need to do something when either of them changes. Note that you have to try to anticipate future IAS changes based on past ones, like a trend, otherwise you tend to overcontrol or undercontrol and the aircraft behaves badly. This is why it generally needs tuning for each different aircraft. And maybe different attitudes, climbing and descending. It's interesting though very time consuming. Regards Pete

Okay. That's good then! ;-) Pete

Can you give me a reason? Pete

First off, please make sure you are using a cirrent version of FSUIPC -- 4758 or later. See the Download Links subforum. Assignments and other settings made in FSUIPC are always saved in the INI (configuration file) in the FS Modules folder, as soon as you OK out of the settings. I expect you've set them for a specific aircraft or profile and then you are loading a different one. There's no way the settings will be lost -- not unless you are actually deleting the file, or loading a different install of FS. If you are still confused about what is going on, please find the FSUIPC INI file and paste its contents here, into a message. I'll check it for you. Regards Pete

You shouldn't ever need to run FS9 "as administrator". If you do, and you are using any FSUIPC-interfacing add-ons, they will have to be run "as administrator" too. Without seeing the logs I cannot hazard even a guess as to what is happening on your system. I've never heard of such an occurrence. Pete

SimConnect is installed by FSX as part of the Windows "side by side" library system, in the Windows winsxs folder. It is essential for FSUIPC operation as well as a lot of other FSX add-ons. Did you install FSX properly, including its updates, after re-installing Windows? I think the correct way it to install the base version, from the DVDs, run it once, then install SP1, run it once, then install SP2 or Acceleration. I suspect that if you omit to run it between updates something can get messed up. If you have Acceleration, try just reinstalling that. Else try installing SP1 and/or SP2 again. SimConnect problems are notoriously difficult to fix. Last time I had such problems I had to reformat my disk and reinstall everything. Regards Pete

Yes. You can assign up to four uses to any one axis in FSUIPC's axis assignments -- the only restriction is that they all need to be of the same type (i.e. all to FS or all to FSUIPC calibration), which isn't a problem in this case.. You'd then calibrate the two differently to suit their different use. (If you calibrate them identically there'd be no point -- you'd then might as well use the rudder not the tiller). Regards Pete

FSX uses FSUIPC4 and WideFS7.. You need to go to SimMarket abd purchase new keys. They are not the same products. Regards Pete

Did you run the installer "as administrator" as instructed? If you are not using the current version of the installer, 4.758, please get that and retry. If you still have a problem I need to see both the Install log and the FSUIPC log, from the FSX modules folder. Regards Pete

What "LUA Vars"? Do you perhaps mean "L:Vars" instead -- gauge local variables? The easiest way from an external program already interfacing to FSUIPC would be use read/write FSUIPC offsets. There are 64 free bytes 0x66C0 to 0x66FF reserved for general use such as that. Alternatively you could use a file on disk, or a pipe (at type of file but with a special name -- read/written using file functions though), or use TCP/IP protocols. FSX's SimConnect itself uses pipes and TCP/IP for its data exchanges with clients, so you'd be in good company. Files are supported by the standard Lua libraries built into FSUIPC and WideClient, and TCP/IP is supported by the Sockets facilities, which are partially built in plus support from external parts. There's an example of the use of sockets included in the Lua package installed with FSUIPC, running two PCs with master and slave copies fo FS. Regards Pete

Being logged on as an administrator is not enough! Pretty much anyone using a PC at home is their own administrator. You must run the installer by right-clicking on the program and selecting "run as ... administrator". It gives the installer extra ("elevated") administrator privileges, enough to do its job. Please follow the instructions and it will be okay. If you still have any problems I would need to see both the Installer log and the FSUIPC log, both from the FS Modules folder. Pete

If you mean that when you use the modules menu and open FSUIPC's options then if it goes blank, it is ALWAYS a video driver problem. FSUIPC doesn't get a look in until after the dialogue is drawn as it is a standard Windows dialogue drawn by Windows before FSUIPC's code gets a look-in. If you can't find a driver which works I can only suggest that you switch to windowed mode before changing optinos, then change back. ALT + ENTER. Regards Pete

Okay. So what value does it have? 0 when off, 1 (or anything non-zero) when on? Try this (assuming that variable is 0 when off) [bTW you seem you have lost some "end"s in your Lua above). function throttle1(offset, val) if ipc.readLvar("ngx_switch_380_a") == 0 then ipc.control(66420,val) end end function throttle2(offset, val) if ipc.readLvar("ngx_switch_380_a") == 0 then ipc.control(66423,val) end end event.intercept(0x089A, "SW", "throttle1") event.intercept(0x0932, "SW", "throttle2") [/CODE] Regards Pete

You need to read the last part too: What exactly needs elaborating for you? Pete

There are currently no facilities in the Lua libraries to intercept or act on keypresses (except of course by being assignerd to a keypress). The need has never come up before. Mostly Lua is used in hardware type scenarios rather than keyboard us for flying. However, I can see that hooking the keyboard in the same way that FSUIPC does could be useful, so I'll put it on the list. Not sure what priority it should have compared with FSUIPC assignments and hotkeys. What do you think? Lua to hook first? Then of course if passed on (by "ipc.keypress") I'd need to avoid the loop. I can't get to such things for a couple of weeks. My code signature expires in a week or so and I'm trying to update all the documentation for FSUIPC so I can make a complete replacement release before then, with the new 3-year signature. I suspect that, in most cases, you'd be better using the event.control function instead. In your example, for instance, you'd hook the Gear Toggle or Gear Down controls instead of just the keypress -- then it would work for buttons and switches too. (However, at present the event.control facility only calls the Lua function when that control is seen. It doesn't stop it, so maybe a different facility is needed -- if such stopping is possible. I don't know offhand). Regards Pete

You do not buy a version 4.70, only FSUIPC4. That covers all versions 4.xxx. The current one is 4.758 and there's a 4.761 also available in Download Links subforum. you get a black screen when yuo "run FSUIPC"? Do you mean you cannot load FSX with FSUIPC installed? Or do you mean you get a black screen when opening the Add-Ons FSUIPC menu? If you mean the latter, and you see no FSUIPC options dialogue, then it is a video driver problem. maybe you are running the default video drivers which come with Windows? Update to the latest drivers for your video card. You might also find it works okay in Windowed mode -- use ALT+ENTER to change FSX to Windowed mode before using the options. That isn't what the mouse macro facility is for -- it to allow some add-on cockpit switches to be controlled from a joystick button. For just doing mouseclicks with buttons I think you want "Key2Mouse" by Luciano Napolitano. You then program a button to press the key which moves the mouse and clicks it. (Ugh). Regards Pete

Sorry, I don't seem to be able to work out what you are saying there. Could you express it differently? Yes, but only because FSUIPC uses the controls which provide a reverse zone. FS does not. I've told you this several times, please do refer back. If you want a reverse zone on the throttles then the controls which have to be sent are different, and those are the ones you don't like because of the auto-throttle interaction. I've told you what the possible solutions are. In summary: Don't use reverser throttles -- use a button programmed for "throttle decr" instead (like pressing F2), OR have reversers but park the throttles somewhere where they don't interfere when using A/T, OR program a button to use the throttle disconnection control, and use that when setting A/T, OR find a way to detect A/T on the PMDG so it can be programmed in the Lua. That's all. Pete

Normally FS disconnects throttles when the A/T is on. PMDG implemented it more accurately, with the A/T automatically cutting out if you move the throttles very much. I thinkk you can adjust the sensitivity for that (but I'm not sure). If you really want it to operate like FS's A/T and ignore the throttle input then you have to tell FSUIPC to stop sending the throttle values. There is an FSUIPC control to do that for you -- but you'd have to program it on a button or key and remember to press it before waggling your throtles with the A/T engaged. Personally I would have thought it better if you simply left the throttles alone whilst the A/T is engaged. Why don't you do that? Since you are using Lua plug-ins to send the throttle values to FS you could modify those plug-ins too, to test if A/T is engaged and not send the control if so. However, I don't know how to test PMDGs A/T. they don't use the FS one, so you'd need to find out how to read it. It might be an L:Var. I'm not sure you are correct about what "should" happen or not, but the difference is not in the Lua but whether you calibrate with a reverse zone or not calibrate at all, like before. If you calibrate in FSUIPC then it converts the AXIS controls to the older type FS controls which support reversers. If you don't calibrate, or calibrate with NRZ set (No Reverse Zone) and "UseAxisControlsForNRZ=Yes" then it doesn't change them. Evidently the PMDG aircraft does different things from AXIS controls to the ones with reverser zones, but which action is truly correct is debatable. Pete

Okay. Have you resolved, or at least understood, your problem? Pete

If you move the throttles whilst using A/T it should disconnect the A/T. Is that what you mean-- it is affecting the A/T but not disconnecting as it should? If you don't want it to disconnect the A/T, then you'd need to disconnect the throttles instead when on A/T. There's an FSUIPC control you can assign for that. Pete