Pete Dowson

Er, is that a USB device using PFCHID or a serial port one using PFC.DLL? If the former I thought everything was calibrated using PFC supplied utilities, or even automatically. If the latter, why not calibrate in PFC.DLL? Sounds like something else is assigned to the mixture. I really can't say without knowing anything about how the device is connected, what software it is using, or why you are calibrating in FSUIPC. Otherwise, sorry, but the same answer as above. As far as I am aware all calibration for modern PFC devices are handled by PFC products. Does PFC support operate for your device at all? Regards Pete

ALL of the files produced by MakeRunways are placed in the FS folder, where MakeRunways is placed and run. NONE are ever placed in any other folder by MakeRunways. The files in the RC folders are those made or used by RC, not by MakeRunways! MakeRunways knows nothing about RC, it is a utility for extracting data from FS scenery files. It is used by many other programs, not just RC. Pete

You mean 4.669? You don't "add" one DLL to another. They both have the same name -- FSUIPC4.DLL. When you copy the DLL into the modules folder it simply overwrites the one there, just like any other file. Windows might just ask you for permission to do so. no error though. If you said "no" it would rename it as a "copy" or something, which wouldn't be any good. There's no "install" for 4.669, it is only a replacement DLL. Where are you getting this stuff from? You aren't making sense I'm afraid. Anyway, the log shows it's fine with SP! SimConnect too. So I guess the problem with the other programs is they need SP1 or the base RTM version of SimConnect and are failing at the Open call. Before doing anything drastic though I'd ask their support what version of SimConnect they use and how to tell why they don't work. Maybe they lodge their errors in a file someplace for you to check. Regards Pete

No but at least I can legitimately help now you are using a supported product! ;-) All versions are installed, and seem to check out okay here. The installer method isn't foolproof though. The problem sometimes arises when the program tries to Open the connection. No run-time log from FSUIPC 4.669? Regards Pete

You do NOT download FSUIPC there, you can get it anytime (without buying it) on the usual site -- www.schiratti.com/dowson, or here in the Download Links subforum. If you mean you cannot access your own account on SimMarket in order to retrieve your purchased registration keys, I'm afraid I am not involved with SimMarket at all. I cannot resolve problems there. You need to log on with whatever account you have and raise a problem ticket, explaining what sort of mess has happened and ask them to resolve it for you. Regards Pete

Oh, sorry, I obviously misunderstood something. I thought you said you could make it work by WiFi, which obviously would be using TCP/IP. So, have you tried a bluetooth adapter on the PC? Wow! How is that done? The iPad interface is non-standard (except to iXXX devices). Is someone making GPS connection cables for it? If so then such a cable connecting from your PC should do the job? Doesn't sound a likely proposition unless someone has written such an app. Would seem easier to use Bluetooth in the first place, don't you think? Regards Pete

You need to update. Version 4.5 is completely unsupported. 4.60 has been out for a year and soon to be superseded by 4.70. I'll have a quick look ... .. You say there "So for now FsEarth and Instant Scenery are the only apps that wom't work". Both are being loaded okay. I'd like to see the FSUIPC Install log (from 4.60) as that will show which versions of SimConnect it sees. Then update to 4.669 (from the Download Links subforum, install that, run FSX again, and show me the run-time FSUIPC4 log from that too (it uses a different method to link to SimConnect). Your out-of-date FSUIPC is using the SP2/Accel version of SimConnect (the latest), but It is likely that the SimConnect version required by those two programs isn't working -- SP1 probably. A lot of utilities stopped at that because they couldn't guarantee folks moving on to SP2. FSUIPC will use whatever it can get hold of. If this is the case I'm afraid I know of no easy solution. I got the same on my test PC -- I deliberately messed it up in order to try and work out a way to fix it, hopefully automatically. I ended up reinstalling Windows to fix it. That was with Win7 though. It used to be easier with XP -- depending on how out of date your XP is. It used to be possible to actually delete the three WinSxS SimConnect folders and then re-run the three SimConnect installers (simconnect.msi) from the FSX SDK.. The fact that the folders were missing seemed to allow it to reinstall correctly. However, that seemed to stop working and only succeeded in wrecking all three SimConnects instead, again necessitating a Windows install. Maybe it's a risk you could take if you make a full restore point first so you can roll back. But don't say you weren't warned! Regards Pete

Good! Thanks for confirming! You can rename the pfc.mcro to, say, pmdg.mcro and name it in a PFDHID.INI section called [Config.<name of aircraft>] where the <name of aircraft> part is the name from FS -- check this in FSUIPC's "aircraft specific" option or look in the aircraft.cfg file. Then you'd have normal control use for other aircraft and just the PMDG overrides for that specific aircraft. Regards Pete

I think it's all fixed now. I needed to try to get it done today so I had the weekend clear. It seems that when I added support for multiple controls (pilot and copilot) I messed up the macro override part completely. I am pretty sure it is all sorted in version 1.21 which you can now download from the Download Links subforum. Regards Pete

The only possible cause of a previously valid key being rejected is that you are not entering all three fields -- name, address, and key, EXACTLY as you originally did and as defined in your registration details. There is absolutely NO change in the software which checks this when you enter the key. It is a simply fixed mathematical relationship between the three entries. Additionally, I have no record of any purchase of FSUIPC4 under that email address. In my records the only time that address was used was for FSUIPC3 on 5th March 2005. Now i only get emailed copies of registrations and this is not a guarantee that one wasn't issued as there are gaps that I've noticed. However, I do suggest you check back with your account at SimMarket and get the correct details. Oh, I searched for "Yates" instead and found a Stephen Yates who purchased FSUIPC4 on 18th December 2010, with a similar but different ISP name (tpbennett.com) and a different prefix to that which I won't give here in case it isn't you. If it is you it seems you have not only changed your email address since purchasing FSUIPC4 but also forgotten when you bought it!? Regards Pete

Hmmm. I didn't see a step which wasn't pretty clear. It even ends with a pic on the iPad showing the sentences it likes -- RMC and GGA. which step is confusing you? Pete

Exactly as I said. Maybe you didn't follow all the points I stated? I'll repeat them:: First, all three parts -- name, email and 12-digit key MUST be exactly correct. Use cut-and-paste if you aren't sure. Second, check that you purchased the right key. FSUIPC3 (for FS2004 and before) uses different keys to FSUIPC4 (for FSX and later). Third, the earliest supported version of FSUIPC for FS2004 and before is 3.98, and for FSX and ESP is 4.60. Prepar3D needs 4.663 at least, available in the Download Links subforum. As you are using FS2004 you MUST install 3.98 or later. If the key worked before it is because you entered the name and email address correctly before too. All three parts make up the registration, not just the 12 character key. There's no way I can check here for you because you are not using your real name. However, at a guess you might be from Hadleigh in Essex? Purchased the FSUIPC3 key on 17th February? If so I can see it is valid and will work fine provided you follow the above guidelines. Regards Pete

When did you purchase the FSUIPC4 registration? There's no sign of any such purchase here. Have you checked with your account at Simmarket? There is a Steve Tanner with a different email address, purchasing FSUIPC today (31st March), and one other long ago (2006). I think you need to re-check what name and email you used when purchasing it. Regards Pete

It's a major part of the essential steps in calibrating any axis, the numbered ones you should have followed in the Joystick Calibration section of the User Guide. If you've never noticed this you've really not calibrated anything properly. Regards Pete

I really wanted you to do the comparison, not I. I already listed all the areas that have any relevance. Okay. That shouldn't affect the Profile-specific aircraft, but it will affect aircraft not assigned to a Profile. Er, wait a minute. This is new. you explicitly said it was the LevelD B 737. so i've been looking in the wrong place all this time? Which settings do you want, the Jets profile ones or the 767 specific ones? If you want the latter just remove the 767 name in the [Profile.Jets] section. If you want it to abide by the Jets profile, delete all the sections with the 767 in the name. Until you've done this and tested it there's no point in continuing. Regards Pete

you posted exactly the same question before, in the thread "Product Key" and I answered you. That was yesterday! Please do NOT keep repeating the same question. Go and read the replies you already have! Pete

Well, I found one of the problems already! It seems that last June I must have re-compiled PFCHID against a new set of definitions supplied by PFC. This added a new analog function ("backlight") which I don't handle, but which affected the length of a list in my code, involved in generating default values for parameters missing in the [Config] section of the INI file. This in turn caused that routine to call the Windows API "WritePrivateProfileString" in order to remove said parameter if it happened to be present. Unfortunately the name of the parameter was left as null (0), because the list wasn't long enough, and this seems to erase the entire [Config] section! I checked, and the function is actually documented as doing that! Wow! I didn't even know that! One learns something new every day. Okay, that's the easy bit (and in your case the inconsequential bit. One down two to go ... Regards Pete

Okay. So the name you used was correct, but for some reason the macro you provided was not recognised. I'm going to have to try some things here. It might be a couple of days. I'm not familiar with this stuff at all at present. It was done at PFC's behest late2009 with only a few minor changes before user release last June. For the most part I was dependent upon them for testing and feedback. Yours is the very first support request (and substantial feedback for that matter) I've had. I have the Cirrus Pro but it isn't something I ever use -- for flying I use a full 737NG cockpit and an Aerosoft Piper Arrow III cockpit. Chase me on Monday if you've seen nothing before then. I'll try and fit things in -- actually tomorrow, Friday, is my best bet as my daughter is here over the weekend and I expect my wife and I with be doing something which will take me away from my PCs for long periods! [LATER] I just checked. It was late 2008, not 2009 when I did PFCHID.DLL. It was user-released as 1.10 in 2009. The only chasnge in 2010 was to bring the codesigning up to date so it wouldn't be rejected. my original codesign had expired. So there's been about 2 years availability to users before yours, the first feedback/query! ;-) Regards Pete

I don't know. We are crossing our fingers! ;-) Pete

No. I do know some folks found some stuff. But I don't know if they found what you are looking for. And a lot of it is encoded. PMDG didn't want anyone using attached hardware without the hardware makers paying for the PMDG toolkit. I never agreed with such a policy, but they never changed it. If you've got enough money and sign appropriate non-disclosure agreements I expect they would reveal all. Regards Pete

Not really. What do you expect me to deduce from that? Why the "edited highlights"? Why the last few lines of the CSV file -- what relevance do those particular lines have, especially as they refer to functions you aren't even trying ot program. The point of the logging was for you to operate your heading knob and to see what the log said about that. The point of looking in the CSV file wasn't to show totally irrelevant lines but to see if the macros you programmed were recognised as being programmed. I told you what to look for! Pete

In that case why are you running FSX with admin rights? It really isn't needed. I've never done so on any system. Pete

Okay. I've looked at the document and it seems all you need is VSPE -- a program I use for a different purpose. Why not try it? The instructions seem very clear and very detailed. Regards Pete

Ah, getting information out of PMDG-programmed subsystems is another matter. There is no published way to do this. Folks having done such things had to hack into the code. You may find results if you search. PMDG programmed their own subsystems for most things. Regards Pete

Ah. So it does. That's a mistake on my part, not updating the dialogue. Sorry. Hmmm. Strange. Yes, I can reproduce that now. That should actually be impossible. Whilst my code can remove bad parameters (by setting their values to null) I don't know how to remove sections (i.e. the [xxxx] lines). I'll investigate that, as it is a puzzle. However, if you are merely trying to set the filename to "PFC" then there's no need in any case as that is the default. Oh, one other thing. Look in the FSX Modules folder. There will be a PFCHID.log there, and also a generated version of the PFCmacroindex.csv file. That will show you if PFCHID recognised your macros, as the last entry for those found will change from 'N' to 'Y', Are you sure it's the one labelled "Hdg"? Try using logging. Probably "LogDecode=Yes" and "LogMacroNames=Yes", to start with. At least one of the logging options will show you the results of using each switch and button. You could set "Console=Yes" too, to see it on screen in real time (but run FSX in Windowed mode for that). I have USB version of the Cirrus Pro here, which looks similar in part to yours. It isn't currently setup or anywhere near a working PC, but if you are still stuck tomorrow (Friday) let me know and i'll see about connecting things up and investigating over the weekend. Regards Pete