Pete Dowson

Okay, found and fixed. I'll upload the fixed version later today (3.849). Regards Pete

Please first try the current interim release, 4.331. If still no joy, please show me the [MacroFiles] and the relevant [Keys], [Axes] or [buttons] section of the INI file (i.e, wherever you've assigned the macros). I'm afraid I'm away this weekend (at the Lelystad do), but if you provide the information I'll get to it on Monday if I run out of time today, which is likely. Regards Pete

Sorry, I don't know. I've never had anything to do with the Framework package and not being at all familiar with either that or this "USBFSUIPC" program I'm afraid there is no way I can advise. You really do need to seek SimKits help, assuming it is their program? Regards Pete

That sounds like you were checking them on the ground. With FS, if you move the axis through or near the "Arm" spot (which you have to to reach the raised zones), and the aircraft is already on the ground, FS acts as if it has actually touched down and provides 100% spoiler operation. You always need to calibrate and test the spoilers in the air. This occurs with all the aircraft I know of, so I doubt it is peculiar to the PMDG MD11. Regards Pete

Doesn't the regular spoiler axis work on that? Strange if they've abandoned all connection with FS's facilities. These are assignments to AXES? Hmmm. Sorry, not tested Macro and Lua assignments very much there -- it was predominantly a Buttons and Keys facility. Good job I've got some ambitious users! ;-) Ugh! What a mess! Looks like a confusion with the Lua additions. The missIng "," is very worrying too! Thanks for all the information. I will get onto this and fix it ASAP. I think it must be specific to the Axis assignments part only, as I've been using the Buttons and Keys parts quite profusely with no problems. Unfortunately I am at the Lelystad FSWeekend all Saturday and Sunday, so if you don't see an update tomorrow I'm afraid it'll be Monday or Tuesday. :-( Regards Pete

Very good. I don't know Linux at all, but I'm assuming "Wine" is a Windows emulator running on top? [LATER] I did a search and came up with this, saying it is less of an "emulator" more of a translation layer: "Wine is a translation layer (a program loader) capable of running Windows applications on Linux and other POSIX compatible operating systems. Windows programs running in Wine act as native programs would, running without the performance or memory usage penalties of an emulator, with a similar look and feel to other applications on your desktop." So, it sounds as if it is a pretty good translator! Regards Pete

Good. I am pleased it is coming in so useful! Pete

That means little more than they are getting power. I have never heard of that. There used to be a driver called "TRClink". Is that not used these days? Well not the programming of anything in FSUIPC. I'm afraid I cannot speak for hardware changes. When you say "All the OH switches function o.k.", are they operating through this "USBFSUIPC" driver too, on the same USB link, or are those "BU0836X" boards from a different supplier? If the USBFSUIPC link is working for those but not for your other connected hardware then it must certainly be either the hardware or the driver configuration. Not really, as I cannot support hardware no other folks' drivers. It does sound like a hardware problem. If you want me to check whether FSUIPC is okay, when FS is closed grab the FSUIPC Log file and paste it in here for me to check. Regards Pete

Good! But I would like to know what the problem was if you can figure it out! Regards Pete

Actually it was so easy to fix (just changing a number in two places) that i've fixed it now. Please download WideClient 6.774 from either of the Downloads announcements. Let me know when you have an example you are happy with. It needn't be the "final" one (there's no such thing in this hobby, in any case -- we always tinker ). And please let me know if you mind being credited (by what name?). After all if it wasn't for you none of these new facilities would exist in any case. ;-) Regards Pete

Sorry, but I don't know. I've never tried it. I do not deliberately filter out the IP addresses to match any particular masking, so if anexplicitly supplied IP address (in the WideClient.INI file) refers to an internet-connected PC I don't see why it should not work. Let me know. Regards Pete

This is 277: 277=7G360"N" but where is line 360= to which it refers? The last line appears to be: 348=4G240"G1000\rMFD" It is probably defaulting to "Unused" because the place it is supposed to go doesn't exist. BTW if you post INI examples here could you (a) just post the relevant section (i.e. the ButtonScreen section here), and (b) "code" it (i.e. enclose it as a "code" example, using the button above the editing area). This will do two things 1. Make your message much much more readable, and shorter, 2. Make it much, much easier to extract your parameters for testing. [LATER] I've tried your example after changing line 277 to refer to an existing line (300 or 301), and you are right. It still isn't working. Looks like I've got an inappropriate "288 buttons" check in there. I'll fix it and post an update tomorrow (Thursday). Regards Pete

Yes, I am intending to come (depending upon a lift from a friend). Busy time -- I'm off to the FSWeekend at Lelystad this Saturday. Your stand is Alpine Computers I assume? Regards Pete

Don't you scan the Announcements? Check the FSX Downloads one. That's where it was always destined to go, as it is where all the FSUIPC4 interim updates go! I did actually tell you to look there, and you said you would! Pete

Well that's a sure indication all in not well in the Server PC. WideFS should have no measurable impact on your FS performance. My cockpit runs with at least 8 and often 10 PCs linked via WideFS, all pretty busy with several FSUIPC-interfacing applications on each, and there is no noticeable difference in the frame rates with it enabled or disabled. It sounds as if all the time is being spent deep in the Windows TCP/IP stacks try to recover from some problem or other, and not succeeding. In view of this I would doubt that changing ports will accomplish anything. Something else is wrong. I would really recommend first trying to uninstall and re-install all of the Network components of the system, to try to recover from any corruption. [LATER] I just saw your subsequent message. You went even further than I recommended then! Sowhat's blocking it now? Firewalls again? Regards Pete

Really? Ouch. You've got something really weird going on there. What sort of frame rates are you getting them? Must be down near zero! (Shift+Z twice for frame rates). Are you using fixed IP addresses, or letting a router assign them? Possibly the router has some settings restricting access. If you are using fixed IP addresses and have the Gateway IP address entered correctly in both PCs you sohuld be able to see the Internet on both. It could well be related. When you say "I have full read/write access on both machines from both machines", what exactly do you mean? Just that Windows Explorer can see the folders on the other PC and can read and write to them? Surely only on those you've shared, not on them all? Anyway, we know the broadcast from the Server to the client works. That's on port 9002. I wonder if somehow you have port 8002 closed, either in Vista's settings or in the router. Maybe you could change it to, say, 9003, in both WideServer.INI and WideClient.INI and see if that works around it? I'm grasping at straws here I'm afraid. Whenever I've had Network problems I've had to seek help from folks who know Networks -- Katy Pluta is pretty good. She occasionally visits the FSX Forum here, maybe the FS2004 Forum too. In the worst cases of problems I've had I've uninstalled the complete netwrok, reset the modem/router, and started again -- with success, I might add. I've also had two NIC (Network) cards go down on me. These days all motherboards have Ethernet ports and they do seem more reliable. Regards Pete

No. What do you mean by "refreshes"? There should be no noticeable effect of having WideFS running. I'm sorry, but there is most certainly something blocking your Network. I'm afraid I have no idea what it is, but neither end is seeing anything from the other on Port 8002. In the 12 years of WideFS this has always meant either a broken network or a firewall problem. Pete

If there aren't any functions to assign to, you cannot assign them. It is really that simple. For some add-on panels you may be able to add functions yourself using the Mouse Macro facilities. For other add-on programs which use keystrokes you can assign keystrokes. If they are not susceptible to either but you can operate them with the mouse you may need to purchase Luciano Napolitano's "Key2Mouse" and then program keys to operate the mouse. Have you looked very hard? I don't think so! There are most certainly controls in the lists for all three of those standard FS functions. If you have difficulty searching the lists, just enable FSUIPC's "event" logging (on the Logging tab), operate the controls with the mouse, then look in the FSUIPC Log file to see what control it used, if any. Regards Pete

It isn't anything to do with any application. Your Network isn't working, or at least it isn't only the standard ports WideFS uses. There's no point in doing that -- as you can see from the log you posted, the client is getting those details okay from the Broadcast! Of course not. You've not done anything to change whatever it is that is stopping it. The WideServer log might help. It is never any good withholding half of the information. But it still looks most likely to be a firewall problem. Regards Pete

At least now it is receiving the Broadcasts. Did you make the Workgroups the same? Continual time-outs every 20 seconds or so mean it isn't receiving anything from the Server on its normal (non-broadcast) port. The normal reason for that is a firewall, or else something else is using the same port (8002). You only provide half of the story. Where's the WideServer log from the FS PC? Regards Pete

FSUIPC will be useful in any case. Read the user guide -- I think you should find it well worthwhile. As for "doing something about it" I'm afraid you are probably on a hiding to nothing there. By all means ask SimMarket -- they are the traders, not I. I provide technical support and do all the development work, I have nothing to do with sales. Regards Pete

Compatible? Yes, and FS2000, and even FS98, CFS1 and CFS2 at a push. But I'm afraid I do not re-test each new version on anything earlier than FS2004, so, whilst the intention has been all along to maintain backward compatibility, if it has in some places gone wrong I'm afraid I'm unlikely to be able to fix it now. However, if you do find a problem, let me know. Don't expect many, if any, of the newer offsets and facilities to work, though. The subset which always worked on FS2002 should certainly still work. Oh, one more thing. If you do want to report anything, please always first try the latest increment from the "Other Downloads" Announcement above. That would be the version I would need to test with. Currently it is version 3.847. Regards Pete

Seems so. Really it is best to actually read a little of a program description before buying it. WideFS is nothing to do with screens or visuals in any case. First off, it is for linking programs running on a Networked PC to a copy of Flight Sim running in a server PC -- i.e. it is for Networks. Second, it is not for extending FS visuals like panels or scenery, but for other, external programs, running on their own, outside FS, using the FSUIPC interface. There is a program called WidevieW, by a different author (Luciano Napolitano), which is also for Networks, which links multiple copies of Flight Sim so that different visuals from the same user aircraft can be obtained. That is usually used for extraordinarily wide scenery views. For multiple views on a single PC, using two ports of a single video card, or multiple video cards, or a Matrox TripleHead2Go device, the facilities for undocking panels and windows in FS itself suffice. You need no add-on programs at all for that. However, note that having more that one 3D (scenery) window will cut frame rates dramatically. Dragging undocked panel windows to other screens works quite well, though, especially in FS9 and before (it seems it is a little more difficult in FSX to get them to stay put). Regards Pete

So, what is the question? You've not posed one. If you are simply putting forward an idea, then I think it probably belongs in the cockpit builders forum. If, on the other hand, you want to know if it is supported in FSUIPC, the answer is yes, of course, look at the right-hand side of the Axis Assignments tab, and read the example in the dox of a gear axis driving the Gear Up and Gear Down controls. In your case you'd need several zones of "Incs" going one way and "Decs" going the other, but the principle is the same. it isn't like rotary encoders because the latter have no predefined positions and. more importantly, no limits, so they can keep incrementing one way and decrementing the other. With an axis you have to determine the number of discrete steps you need to support and calibrate it for those. Regards Pete

The broadcasts from the Server aren't reaching the Client. Maybe a firewall? Or you are not using XP or Vista on both PCs? Or they aren't in the same WorkGroup. You may need to provide the ServerName and Protocol explicitly in the WideClient.INI file if you cannot solve these problems. Please do refer to the documentation. No, the failure of IPX/SPX only matters if you wanted to use IPX/SPX. You can use TCP (default) or UDP without installing IPX/SPX. Pete