Pete Dowson

The PM Manual? Or the PM FSUIPC Offsets List? Sorry, can you explain what you mean there? Value "8 = 1.35281670201088E-291"? What does that mean. Where do these floating point values come from? If offset 0510 is 2 bytes, the maximum unsigned value is +65535, and the signed range is -32768 to +32767. There's no possibility of any floating point value being stored there, nor of a value like 5046273. You are evidently reading something completely wrongly. Same again. No way can you get such values from a 16 bit number. It is absolutely and utterly impossible. Sorry, but 0510 has nothing whatsoever to do with FSUIPC. It is all dealt with by PM. You need PM support, or by all means stay on 3.915 and don't ask me for support. I don't mind helping where something may be related to my software, but 0510 is not at all related, and the analysis you submit is nonsensical in any case. Sorry. Regards Pete

Yes, but you misunderstood. I don't fly on-line at all. I wanted to and installed SB4 ready, but it isn't suitable for cockpits. I never had SB3, I only know how it treated the Transponder stuff via FSUIPC offsets. Regards Pete

Sorry, I don't understand that part. But does it allow for in-cockpit control, nothing involving dialogues, gauges, on-screen stuff? Pete

0510 offset is part of an area which is local and specific to PM. Nothing in FSUIPC is involved. You'll need to localise it more I'm afraid. There's been no changes to anything other than those listed. Regards Pete

FSUIPC doesn't see multiplayer aircraft in any case, unless your VATSIM program injects them (as, for example, AIBridge used to do for older Squawkbox versions). Then, the callsign would have to be supplied as something you'd normally get with AI aircraft -- flight number, tail number, or airline. Regards Pete

Not via FSUIPC. There are no facilities. You can manipulate objects via SimConnect, but rising smoke would be an effect, not an object. You may want to ask questions about objects and scenery in a different forum. If not here in SimFlight, there will be an appropriate one in AVSIM. Regards Pete

But you have clicked the "Set" entry for the brakes in FSUIPC's Joystick Calibration, which is the first step in calibrating. If you didn't mean to you should go there and press the button again -- it will be labelled "Reset" now. In fact, though you say you never had to calibrate the pedals, it seems you've done all three -- elevator, aileron and rudder, in FSUIPC: For these you have definitely calibrated, as the values are certainly not defaults, and you've even used the slopes on them for varied response. I know that -- I think I tried them here, long ago, as part of the TSR complete 737 package, but I don't remember having to mess with offsets on the toe brakes. I had trouble with the TSR package messing with my fuel quantities during pre-flight, and the 6-pack indicators, so I don't use it at present. Thanks -- but if it works then it would appear to be an unintentional mistake on my part in any case, so maybe it is I who owes you a beer! ;-) Regards Pete

Yes, I know -- it is part of the 737 package Thomas makes too. I have used parts of this, but never disabled my proportional manual braking in favour of only autobraking. That doesn't seem right to me, somehow. Are you sure you shouldn't assign the brakes AS WELL as those additional controls? It isn't "Axis" but Axes. I see you are calibrating your toe brakes in FSUIPC: LeftBrake=-16380,16380/16 RightBrake=-16380,16380/16 though not correctly, as those look like default values. You should always leave a null area at each end. If you aren't assigning toe brakes, how are you calibrating them? Are your axes assigned in FS, not it FSUIPC then? Can you actually try assigning a real axis in the Axes assignments tab, please? It looks like there's something missing in what you are doing. Is the ONLY thing you are using the Axis assignments tab for this weird Setbits/Clrbits action? I'll try just that here. It may be that with no axes actually assigned as axes, the [Axes] section is not written -- it probably counts as being empty. You are likely the first person ever to try such a thing. The right-hand side assignments you are using are really an "addendum", a useful extra, to the main job of efficiently assigning all of your axes for direct use via FSUIPC, bypasssing all the problems of FS. Regards Pete

Strange. Looking at the range he wants you to set (-12223 to 16383), that is nearly the whole movement of your toe brakes. With those settings, nothing happens when you press the toe brakes except once when you push them slightly, and again once when you release them. Makes the use of pedals a bit of a waste of time, if you ask me. Two buttons would accomplish that, one for each brake! Won't you be using toe brakes normally, proportionally -- for example whilst taxiing? Having the control repeat al the time, setting the same bit, wouldn't accomplish anything, unless of course the TSR Autobrake program is clearing that same bit when it sees it. But if this were the case, why bother with assigning the ClrBits control at all? As soon as you are out of the range again, the bit would be cleared by TSR in any case. It's a mystery. Maybe Thomas can explain what he's attempting to do here? You appear to have forgotten to include the information I asked for, the [Axes] section of the INI file? No it doesn't. The filename is FSUIP4.ZIP. The label on the Schiratti website is "FSUIPC4 4.53", meaning "FSUIPC4 version 4.53". He's left the word "version" out, but he has left a space in! You get the version number from the main front tab in FSUIPC options, or from the Log file, or by right clicking on the DLL and selecting Properties-Version. Regards Pete

To link automatically you have to have both PCs in the same WorkGroup -- otherwise the Broadcasts from the Server, to tell the Client where it is, don't get through. This the way broadcasts work -- to every PC in the current workgroup. Likely you not even bothered to name the workgroup at all. Unfortunately XP and Vista use different defaults, so you need to attend to it. So, your best bet is to change one or the other or both, to match. I always set mine to "PETES", for instance. You can change the workgroup name in the same place as you change the Computer name, in "My Computer" properties. Alternatively, and as documented, you can forget about the Server's automatic links, and its broadcasts, and just tell WideClient your ServerName and the Protocol you want it to use (e.g. TCP or UDP). This is done as described in the User documentation, editing the WideClient.INI file. Regards Pete

Version 44 already? ;-). No, you mean 4.53. Not sure what that means. FSUIPC doesn't issue reports. Erare you talking about the range setting, on the right-hand side? For getting specific controls sent when the axis passes through any of up to 10 ranges, in either direction? Why are you wanting to do that? That can be useful for some very specialised purposes, but i cannot think of anything useful for it with brakes! What range did you set? How many ranges? Up or down? What bits are you trying to set to what offset? Are you merely discarding the brake value altogether -- you aren't using proportional braking, but specific bits in specific offset at specific points on the axis? Can you show me the [Axes] section of the INI file. that might help me understand what you are trying to do. You checked the [Axes] sections of the INI file? Why not show me them, then? I'm really puzzled as to what you are trying to do. Why have bits in an offset being set when an axis passes through a specific range? Please, explain what you want to do or explain what it is you are trying to do. It sounds like you are misunderstanding something quite fundamental. Regards Pete

Why, what are the symptoms from FSC? What does it say? If it cannot connect it would surely say so? If you merely want me to check if FSUIPC is running okay, please show me the FSUIPC.LOG file, from the FS Modules folder. You can paste its contents here, in a message. Ugh. Why? Regards Pete

Yeah, but most of the folks I know are on VatSim. Does the IVAP software have provisions for controlling everything via programmed buttons and switches? Nothing on the FSX screen? I only have the scenery projected outside the cockpit on that screen. All my ancillary programs (including the installed Squawkbox) are on a separate PC, operating via WideFS or SimConnect. Whatever software I use must not depend upon menu displays, mouse or keyboard presses. SB3 for FS9 allowed this -- PTT, PVT, SB mode, SB ident, all by Registered messages or FSUIPC offsets. SB4 provides the PTT and PVT messages, but nothing for the transponder inputs. Regards Pete

Checklists, checklists, checklists. :D Only way to make sure you forget nothing! ;-) I am as guilty as the next for forgetting things. It is a good job I don't fly on-line -- I almost always forget to switch my Transponder to mode C. I was quite interested in trying on-line flying, and downloaded and installed Squawkbox 4 for that purpose. Even registered and got an ID. But I've never actually flown on-line yet because I am still waiting for Squawkbox to provide a way of setting the transponder mode from inside my cockpit (i.e. my transponder switch, which I can program to do whatever is needed) -- much as they've always done with PTT and PVT (private talk PTT). They provided the mode settings etc via FSUIPC offsets in SB3, but with SB4 and FSX, where FSUIPC isn't used by SB, it would be best via messages as done for the PTT/PVT actions. I first asked for this simple mod a year ago, but it seems the developers don't develop any more. Do you use SB or FSInn? Regards Pete

So the empty cockpit in the PMDG 747 isn't a problem? This now really sounds like a question for FSCommander support. I don't have the program and have no idea what you expect to see. I think FSCommander has much more to interface to FS than merely via FSUIPC. If you have installed it and got it working for FSX, will the same installation work with FS2004? This is a question for FSC support. One thing to check, first, though. Are you perhaps, for some reason, running FS2004 in "elevated administrator" mode (i.e. "run asadmin.", or set to run in that mode in its Properties)? If so you will need to run FSC in that mode too -- or perhaps vice versa? There's no communication allowed by Windows between programs running at different levels. Regards Pete

FS Commander is a program which links to FS, not to any specific aircraft. Let's deal with the two issues separately. What do you think you mean by "hook up to FSUIPC". There is no such facility as a hook for you to hook up to. As far as you are concerned, when using programs like the PMDG aircraft and FS commander, the actions of FSUIPC are invisible to you, they happen behind the scenes. So please explain the part "when i go to hook up to fsuipc": what exactly is this action you do? You also say you follow some tutorial "to the letter". What tutorial is that? Whilst you are following it, is the FS2004 cockpit screen "empty", or is it okay then becoming empty when you do this mysterious "hook up"? And what precisely do you mean by there being "nothing in the cockpit screen"? Really, there is absolutely nothing you should need to know about FSUIPC at all, even whether it is there, to use these two add-ons. They use FSUIPC invisibly. Pete

Using the offset facilities, FSUIPC has always handled all this by continually pressing the starter (i.e "latching" it for you, until you change the starter switch yourself. It is documented that way -- you watch the "combustion flag" offset and when it sets, you write 0 or 2 back to the starter offset. That works in FS98 through to FSX/ESP. This actually applies the same way to props, where the Starter position on the mag switch is spring loaded and you do have to hold it -- no solenoid catch. I think that may be related to the problem I've just fixed -- assuming you are using FSUIPC offsets, that is. Regards Pete

Hmm. Not sure about "skipping" a layer -- that doesn't happen. You move the scaling from one place to another, is all. I'm sorry you found the documentation wanting in this regard. I do try to improve it based on feedback, and in fact this is the very first time, in the 8 years this facility has been available, that anyone has done what you have done. So, whilst I'll will certainly look at the wording and see how it can be improved, you will understand my surprise after all this time. Yes, I will do that. Here's the relevant passage as it is at present: I think that the main change since I wrote that, probably 8 years ago, is that many modern joystick devices now supply values already in the higher ranges, i.e anything from +/-6000 to the full +/-32767. When used for analogue control axes in FS, FSUIPC scales the raw values from their 8-bit assumed values to the normal 16bit values. It is this which causes the grossly erratic behaviour when the input values are already over 8 bits. I shall therefore change the wording to read: However, revised documentation is only released when new versions of FS are released. It is most unfortunate that this clarification just missed the recent releases of 3.93 and 4.53. It may be another six months now ... thanks Pete

I have just yesterday located and fixed a bug in FSUIPC4 which may have been responsible for some of your problems. If you would like to download 4.531 and try it, I'm sure you'll find it no worse and maybe better. Regards Pete

Yes, but make it the GS. The IAS could easily get to 30 knots when stationary if facing into a 30 knot wind. BTW, why do you want this done automatically? Isn't operating these things part of the fun of flight simulation? Regards Pete

I use FliteMap, same base software, and that shows altitude too. You need to select the correct NMEA sentences and Garmin NMEA connection in FliteStar. Regards Pete

Well, you can compute the correction to make for the datum height by seeing how high it is when the On Ground flag is set. Maybe you should then store that and use it until the aircraft is changed? (And in any case the radio altitude is not "correctly" 0 when on the ground -- that is always an adjusted value, as the radar emitter will bot be built into the tyres! ;-) ) Only by using the coordinates of the aircraft and working it out using a runway database, such as that produced from your scenery files by my MakeRunways utility. Regards Pete

Why on Earth are you using raw mode? As described, this is specifically provided for axes which are being software controlled (eg. by a programmable control like an EPIC) to do things like set radio frequencies, or headings etc -- applications where you certainly do not want any calibration ruining the actual values! In a normal control axis case, the use of raw mode will, through scaling, get wildly changing values. It is totally incompatible with any normal axis application. Please, change all joystick axes to normal, default, not RAW, mode and recalibrate them all. By all means play around and experiment with all of the assorted options FSUIPC has to offer, but in the end follow the instructions for what you want to do, rather than create problems for yourself you then don't understand. Regards Pete

There isn't one. You can subtract the ground altitude from the aircraft altitude above sea level, but since this will be measured to the aircraft's "datum" point (defined by model), the result will only be zero if you are sunk into the ground up to the datum point. You can calculate it if you know the height of the datum point above ground whilst the aircraft it standing on its gear. Why do ou want such a thing? Real aircraft don't have them except by adjustment of the altimeter or radar altimeter whilst on the ground to compensate. Regards Pete

No and no. Sorry. Regards Pete