Pete Dowson

Yes, but the way FS works with that "BRAKES" control is quite versatile. You "feather" it -- press it for a short time, on off, quickly. The longer you press it each time, the more the brake pressure builds up. When you release it, it decays. By repetitive presses you can maintain a particular desired level of braking. When you get used to how to work such brakes you won't really find analogue brakes that much more useful. You certainly shouldn't lash out on pedals just for the toe brakes -- the rudder control is usually more important. Regards Pete

If the Windows game controller can see the axes, then so can FSUIPC4. It uses the same mechanism. Aha! Now you tell me (or I missed this crucial point earlier)! Neither FSUIPC nor WideFS can see any axes on a Client PC, only on the FS PC. I never implemented remote axis input simply because the delay inherent in using a network connection makes controlling an aircraft too difficult and unrealisitc. This most particularly applies to the sorts of aircraft you'd use a HOTAS with as they should be exceedingly responsive. It's an old GamePort device? Phew! You can get USB Game Port connectors quite cheaply. It would be your best solution. Regards Pete

Evidently the XHotas driver is not sending the data from the axes as normal DirectInput joystick axes, then. It is presumably sending the FS controls instead? You can find out by seeing if the Windows Game Controller recognises the axes -- or does Saitek replace that with its own program in any case? Why modify the INI direct? Haven't you tried simply gong to FSUIPC's options, in FSX, and selecting the Joystick tab? Calibrate there. If the Saitek driver is doing the assignment directly, why do you need to assign in FSUIPC in any case? Regards Pete

Mounting it? What does that mean, and why would you want to do it? Neither WideFS nor FSUIPC need folders shared. They don't access folders over the Network. What is it you want to share, and why? Perhaps you should explain what you are trying to do? Also, be aware that if you let FSX install into its default location, in windows' "Program Files", then by default all of its folders will be protected against being written to by anything without elevated privileges (like Installers, or programs run "as administrator"). The exception is the Modules folder, as the FSUIPC Installer makes sure that is read/writeable by everyone. However, this restriction usually doesn't matter, because FSX doesn't keep any changing data in Program Files, only in the My Documents, AppData and ProgramData folders. This is a Windows standard for modern applications. Regards Pete

Good. One last thing which worries me slightly. You said "I have a little input on all 3 Axis. Aileron, Elevator, Rudder" (my emphasis). Did you really mean that you don't seem to get a good variety or range of input values? Check the sliders in FS -- you should have the Sensitivity slider full right and the Null zone slider full left. You might also want to consider editing the FS CFG file and adding: STICK_SENSITIVITY_MODE=0 to the [CONTROLS] section. Regards Pete

Yes, and that was true with FSUIPC3 because of the way it used the old Windows joystick API. But in FSUIPC4 I updated to directInput and can handle the POV input either way. As an Axis it returns a value in degrees or even hundredths of degrees (depending on driver I think). Yes, the same as in FS. Regards Pete

Okay, that does happen -- seems the Gauge writer is only using the L:Var as a graphics flag not as the actual system status flag. Regards Pete

Doesn't Barrie's method do it the way you want? The only difference appears to be in the release action -- PAN_VIEW instead of RESET. What's the problem with it? You can program it differently for different aircraft, so one solution is to rename aircraft for VC use as opposed to 2D cockpit use. But I don't understand why you'd keep swapping modes -- doesn't it get confusing? If you want it to operate like FS's Hat Switch just program it in Axis assignments, as just PAN VIEW. It'll be smoother too, one advantage of FSUIPC4 using DirectInput unlike FSUIPC3. Regards Pete

Since you always want a definite centre it should be a region, one press slightly left or below centre, another slightly right or above centre. Otherwise sometimes you won't actually get a true centre. It does explain this in the step-by-step instructions -- you must have missed the whole of Step 6 which explains what to do in detail, and even says why. If you don't need this level of accuracy in your controls, why not simply stick to FS defaults? You seem to have decided to use FSUIPC. Why did you make this choice? Obviously not, since you managed to calibrate them. If they weren't assigned they could not possibly be calibrated. You'd see no numbers changing! (You are using FS assignments, not FSUIPC assignments). Regards Pete

The "SET" word in the Macro implies that you will pass a parameter in the assignment you make. Both the Keys and Button assignments pages in FSUIPC options have "parameter" fileds. You put the value to be "set" there.. I think in the reference you quoted the parameter needed was "1" or "0" (1= TRUE or ON, 0= FALSE or OFF). Some L:Vars might need other values -- this is why you might want to use the Logging facility first, so you can see what values you need to Set. Rehards Pete

You evidently missed part of my post? Here is what I said a few days (?) ago: Now even though you seem to find the signature okay now according to windows file properties, there's no escaping the fact that the error 80092026 has been caused by a Registry security setting for others. Maybe it only affects applications trying to check the signatures rather than Windows or Explorer itself. Surely it is still worth following up? There's no other relevant information I've seen about this particular error. Google it yourself if you like. Pete

No, I don't think the video driver affects mouse operations. Pete

You could try writing to those L:vars using a Lua plug-in. You can find out how L:vars behave by using the facility to Log L:Vars in FSUIPC -- there's an added control for that function. Or use the supplied Lua plug-in for a real-time on-screen log. 69900 and 69907 are way beyond the assigned FS control numbers, so they are presumably added by the aircraft designer. To use those in FSUIPC assignments you'd need to assign your button or keypress to "Offset Dword Set" with the offset set to x3110 and the parameter set to 69900 or 69907 (same as x1110c or x11113). Regards Pete

There is absolutely no difference for FSUIPC whether you use Windows98, Me, 2000, XP, Vista or widows 7. I use Windows 7 on my main FS PC and Win XP on others. No problem. What does FSUIPC say? Have you looked at its Log file, in the FS Modules folder. That's where information is provided, that's why it makes a Log file. Close FS and paste the FSUIPC log into a message here. Regards Pete

Yes, of course. Each is processed as it is seen in the data structure transferred. You could do it that way if you wished. Phew! Isn't that somewhat of a performance problem, with three drivers and three data transfers all via the same bus? Maybe with FS2004 you have enough leeway with modern hardware, but have you yet tried that with FSX? 160 degrees in one wide view would certainly give serious non-verticals at the edges. Regards Pete

Yes, of course. I don't know, but probably neither. The window to be affected by normal controls is always the one with focus. There are quite a lot of FX controls named "VIEW ..." and I don't know what they all do, so you could experiment with those. If you need to use FSUIPC offsets, any FS control can be sent via offset 3110. Is this with FSX (you don't mention which sim). Have you experimented with Cameras? I really don't know, but if it is it will be via cameras and/or FS controls. You'd need to experiment I'm afraid. Wouldn't the best bet be to use a Matrox TripleHead device to make all three views part of the one very wide forward view? Or are you striving for such a wide view that the side distortion is too great? Regards Pete

That is always down to a video driver bug. Either find a video driver update to fix it, or revert to Windowed mode. It isn't in FSUIPC's control. When you select the FSUIPC menu it merely calls upon Widows to display a standard dialog. Some buggy video drivers have problems doing this correctly in full screen mode. FSX uses a later version of the DirectX interface to FS9 and evidently that isn't buggy in the video drivers you are using. Regards Pete

You've not calibrated it in FSUIPC, yet you've told FSUIPC to handle it for you! In fact looking at the Pic you attached it seems you've pressed "Set" on all 4 controls, to ask FSUIPC to handle them, yet you've not bothered to calibrate any of them. That is a fatal error and a waste of time. Why? If you don't want FSUIPC calibration, simply press the Reset button, so it changes back to "Set", exactly as documented. Then those axes are not handled. But if you do you are wasting probably the most useful and most used facilities in FSUIPC, for good control handling. If instead you decide to use FSUIPC and get your money's worth, why not look in the User Guide and follow the simple numbered steps towards good calibration? If you don't want to use FSUIPC what difference does it make? But as it says in the User Manual, un-installation is merely a matter of removing the DLL from the Modules folder. There's no way to lose any license, it's yours forever. How can you lose it? Since it appears you've never calibrated any of the controls I find it hard to believe anything was working well, and certainly no better than not using FSUIPC at all. :-( Regards Pete

Ah, yes. Some of the older free-standing throttle quadrant control units they made have such a switch. Pleased you got it sorted! Regards Pete

If it checks out there it should check out in FS. Did you run FS to see? Else did you try that registry trick? Pete

Not necessarily. The anti-piracy code is complex because pirates are clever. If everything is okay there is absolutely no reason for any interference whatsoever with any aircraft's radios. FSUIPC neither cares about them nor touches them. Do they work in default aircraft? If so then it really sounds like you need support from the specific aircraft maker. Does the aircraft actually use FSUIPC? Is is designed for use in FSX? If you want further help from me please close down FS and find and paste the complete FSUIPC log file into a message here. You'll find it in the FS Modules folder. Pete

There's no difference between "registered" and "unregistered" except the presence of a valid KEY file in the Modules folder. If FSUIPC works without that file but not with it then either your registration is invalid, or your system date is set before the purchase date, making it look invalid. Pete

Unfortunately Hat switches aren't treated like axes in FSUIPC3, which uses the old Windows "joy" API instead of DirectInput -- much as FS did before FS2004. I changed over to DirectInput in FSUIPC4, which was a complete re-write in any case, but there is no way I could do this for FSUIPC3. As an axis input, assigned in the same way as in FS, it is smoother -- depending on the polling frequency. You could try increasing that in FSUIPC3 to see if it helps, but generally, if you are using the hat for panning rather than view selection (which I prefer) you'd be better off assigning it still in FS. You could try increasing the polling rate (decreasing the polling interval). See PollInterval in the FSUIPC Advanced Users guide. Don't set it to 0 as this disables button polling altogether. Too high a rate will impact FS frame rates. Regards Pete

If it is old it might only support the Elite protocol, to work with the Elite simulator, not FS. No. Purchasing FSUIPC4 would give you more ways to assign buttons and switches or even the yoke and quadrant axes, but the PFCFSX.DLL module, installed into the Modules folder alongside FSUIPC4 works the same whether FSUIPC4 is registered or not. It does sound like it is using the wrong protocol, but to be sure you'd need to ask PFC, quoting the serial number or some other identification. Regards Pete

Sorry, but that tells me nothing. What number is the "last version" of FSUIPC? Folks have said this and been using a year-old version! When I ask for a version number I do really mean a number, please! You should not close the Console Log unless you want to close FS -- it is an FS window and closing it does the same as closing FS. If you use the console log, use the button in FSUIPC's Logging options to open and close it, nothing else. I tried to get windows to remove the title bar buttons in the console log, but it doesn't allow it. No, Notepad is safe. Don't use Wordpad or any word processor. Pete