PFC.DLL - request for Avionics power switch support

[blave]

This is a little thing, but it would be neat if the PFC avionics stack's displays could be controlled by FS2004's Avionics Power switch, so that the displays are blanked out when that switch is off.

BTW thanks for the COM2 enhancement in v1.8! It rocks. (However, note that in the PDF file that accompanies version 1.81, there is a misplaced text section that should be with the COM2 discussion, but somehow ended up in the "The Avionics Options" section later on. It looks like a cut/paste error.)

Thanks for listening,

Dave Blevins

[Pete Dowson]

This is a little thing, but it would be neat if the PFC avionics stack's displays could be controlled by FS2004's Avionics Power switch, so that the displays are blanked out when that switch is off.

Er, doesn't it do that? I'll check. I know it works the other way -- the Avionics switch on the Jetliner console blanks the avionics displays AND operates FS's avionics switch too.

However, note that in the PDF file that accompanies version 1.81, there is a misplaced text section that should be with the COM2 discussion, but somehow ended up in the "The Avionics Options" section later on. It looks like a cut/paste error.

Can you be a bit more explicit, please? In "Avionics Options" under "COM Radios" there's the full discussion, including the modes operated by the On/Off switches, then, where it actually discusses the avionics options there's the explanation of the check box labelled "COM2 radio selectable into FS: (Avionics stack)", or "COM on/off swaps COM1/2 display: (Jetliner console on FS2002 and FS2004)".

The former is discussing the avionics generally whilst the latter is going through the specific checkable options one by one. What do you think is wrong? I can't see anything out of place.

Regards

Pete

[Frank.O]

Good morning,

This is a little thing, but it would be neat if the PFC avionics stack's displays could be controlled by FS2004's Avionics Power switch, so that the displays are blanked out when that switch is off.

Er, doesn't it do that? I'll check. I know it works the other way -- the Avionics switch on the Jetliner console blanks the avionics displays AND operates FS's avionics switch too.

that's right Pete, the same applies to the Cirrus2. Dave is probably using a power quadrant cabinet wich doesn't have an avionics master.

But if the Digital Avionics are synchronized to FS's own avionics master and radio stack then there should also be a check that forces FS's avionics master to be sync'ed with a hardware avionics master if one is present (certainly you're aware of that :) ).

Regards,

Frank

[Pete Dowson]

Dave is probably using a power quadrant cabinet wich doesn't have an avionics master.

But if the Digital Avionics are synchronized to FS's own avionics master and radio stack then there should also be a check that forces FS's avionics master to be sync'ed with a hardware avionics master if one is present (certainly you're aware of that :) ).

Well, of course, the Avionics switch on the Jetliner (and I think the Cirrus?) also actually operates the power feed to the avionics board. Once that's off I get no more messages from radios and such like.

I cannot actually cut the power from the PC. I can blank the displays, but then I also have to discard any messages from the avionics. I've had a look at it now, and it a lot messier than I thought it would be, so it will go on my list to put in when I have time.

If the avionics switch in FS is turned off whilst the real one on the Jetliner or Cirrus is on, then they'll get resynchronised only by toggling the latter. Unless of course it's one of the switches which are sent at intervals by the PFC firmware. I don't remember. Anyway, it certainly doesn't say again that it is off when it is off!

Regards,

Pete

[blave]

Thanks for the responses gentlemen.

I don't use the Cirrus II console due to desk space reasons (anyone wanna buy mine?); instead I have a set of GoFlight stuff including two of the T8 toggle switch modules.

I have (amongst other power switches) a "Avionics Master" switch on one of the T8s, which is "tied" to the on-screen av power switch that is in most or all FS2004 aircraft. So what I'm asking for is for all* of the displays on the PFC stack to be blanked whenever that FS switch is off.

(* or perhaps almost all - I believe that autopilots are not wired through the avionics switch in GA aircraft, so perhaps that section should remain lit as it does on the GoFlight MCP autopilot module whenever the Master switch is on.)

That all said, you (Pete) mention in one of your responses that this would be messier than you thought it would be... As I said in the original post it's a minor thing - it adds to the realism and immersiveness, but in the end there are probably more important enhancements to be made. I'm just tickled to death that you've added the COM2 support. There is very little else I could want in the PFC driver, which is why I'm getting down to the niggly stuff 8^) .

---

Pete, regarding what I considered to be a misplaced section in the PDF document -

In "Avionics Options - COM radios" - i.e. the section after the RIC discussion, there is this last sentence before the "NAV radios" part:

"The on/off switch cycles between these two and off."

But then later on when you're talking about the specific avionics option checkboxes, there is a sentence after the "Transponder ident light flashes" portion that seems be be "hung in space", and I believe you meant it to go after the sentence I quoted above:

"However, the complete action of the On/Off button depends on the option labelled “"COM2 radio selectable into FS" (with the Avionics Stack) or “COM on/off swaps COM1/2 display" (with the Jetliner on FS2002 and FS2004).".

That's what I was talking about.

---

By the way, coincidentally I'm still confused about how these on/off buttons on the COM radios work now. In versions prior to 1.8, they could be used to select the active radio. However, in 1.8x I can't quite figure out what's going on. At one point of cycling through the modes by pressing one or the other of these buttons, only one of the displays on COM1 has anything in it. At another point the standby/active frequency sets get swapped between COM1 and COM2.

It's not a big deal for me personally since I'm using some GoFlight buttons to select my current radio, so I don't use those buttons anymore, but it doesn't seem to behave quite like what the documentation describes.

Thanks for the excellent support,

Dave Blevins

[Pete Dowson]

So what I'm asking for is for all* of the displays on the PFC stack to be blanked whenever that FS switch is off.

Yes, that's what I understood. I have added it to my list. Unfortunately, it isn't as trivial as you make it sound. Simply blanking them does not do enough -- the AP LEDs will still be turned back on if the AP is enabled, the radio displays will still show changes if you make them, and so on. It is very different from the avionics actually being OFF, as it is with PFC avionics switches. I have to have a flag saying the avionics are off, and refuse to send anything to the displays whilst they are, and also actually IGNORE any switch, rotary or button signals from them too. It is quite a lot to do and needs to be scheduled to be done when I have enough time to make sure I don't miss anything.

(* or perhaps almost all - I believe that autopilots are not wired through the avionics switch in GA aircraft, so perhaps that section should remain lit as it does on the GoFlight MCP autopilot module whenever the Master switch is on.)

Really? Seems unlikely? Not so sure about that as you are. The avionics include the very NAV radios which some of the A/P buttons connect to and operate from. If the entire stack is a Bendix King, as simulated, then I think you'll find it all gets its power through the same switches.

in the end there are probably more important enhancements to be made

Well, it's on the list. It'll get done. I just can't promise when at present.

there is a sentence after the "Transponder ident light flashes" portion that seems be be "hung in space", and I believe you meant it to go after the sentence I quoted above

Ah, Right! Yes, you are correct. SorryI was only reading the COM sections, not the others. Thanks a lot! I've fixed it here, but it'll have to await another version before it goes out.

By the way, coincidentally I'm still confused about how these on/off buttons on the COM radios work now. In versions prior to 1.8, they could be used to select the active radio. However, in 1.8x I can't quite figure out what's going on.

Exactly the same, if you have that option selected and you are using an Avionics stack and don't have Jetliner selected as the console. The only difference now is that by "selected into FS" is meant "selected as COM1", as the other one is also now selected into FS, but as COM2. Really, for more realistic use of the Avionics stack you should turn the option off and just use COM1 as COM1 and COM2 as COM2. I only left the swapping business in in case folks were using COM2 as a sort of storehouse of additional standby frequencies for use with, say Radar Contact or Squawkbox.

Don't I explain this well enough?

At one point of cycling through the modes by pressing one or the other of these buttons, only one of the displays on COM1 has anything in it.

What, what? Please tell me how to make that happen -- it must be a bug!Here both standby and active frequencies are always both displayed, except in the "off" part of the loop where neither of them have anything displayed. There should NEVER be a case where only half of the radio is on and the other half off!

I will need exact steps to reproduce this please, as I doesn't happen whatever I do here. Maybe I shall need your PFC INI file too.

:cry:

Pete

[blave]

(* or perhaps almost all - I believe that autopilots are not wired through the avionics switch in GA aircraft, so perhaps that section should remain lit as it does on the GoFlight MCP autopilot module whenever the Master switch is on.)

Really? Seems unlikely? Not so sure about that as you are. The avionics include the very NAV radios which some of the A/P buttons connect to and operate from. If the entire stack is a Bendix King, as simulated, then I think you'll find it all gets its power through the same switches.

Ah (after checking a couple of my POHs), I think you're right. Not sure where I got that.

...Exactly the same, if you have that option selected and you are using an Avionics stack and don't have Jetliner selected as the console. The only difference now is that by "selected into FS" is meant "selected as COM1", as the other one is also now selected into FS, but as COM2. Really, for more realistic use of the Avionics stack you should turn the option off and just use COM1 as COM1 and COM2 as COM2. I only left the swapping business in in case folks were using COM2 as a sort of storehouse of additional standby frequencies for use with, say Radar Contact or Squawkbox.

Don't I explain this well enough?

It turns out that I had the "COM2 radio selectable into FS" box checked. I didn't realize that the new "true COM2" functionality doesn't require that. But, see below...

At one point of cycling through the modes by pressing one or the other of these buttons, only one of the displays on COM1 has anything in it.

What, what? Please tell me how to make that happen -- it must be a bug!Here both standby and active frequencies are always both displayed, except in the "off" part of the loop where neither of them have anything displayed. There should NEVER be a case where only half of the radio is on and the other half off!

I will need exact steps to reproduce this please, as I doesn't happen whatever I do here. Maybe I shall need your PFC INI file too.

Here is the behavior I'm seeing:

1. with the "COM2 radio selectable into FS" box unchecked, the ON/OFF buttons do exactly one thing - turn the respective COM/NAV radio display "off". Unlike before, the buttons can't be used to select the active xmit radio. As I said before, this isn't important to *me* since I now have GoFlight buttons for COM1 and COM2 xmit selection, but it's not behaving the way it did prior to the TruCOM2 technology being implemented 8^) .

2. with the box checked, here is the sequence of what happens:

a. press COM1 on/off button - COM1 turns off

b. press COM1 again - standby freq window ONLY is lit, with the standby freq displayed there

c. press COM1 again - active freq display is restored

Then it goes back to "a" when the button is pressed again.

Now, here's the behavior when the COM2 ON/OFF button is pressed - and it gets more interesting since the behavior depends on the state of COM1:

- with COM1 off, pressing the COM2 button turns COM2 (only - not the NAV side) off. Also - the first time it's pressed, the freq sets are swapped between COM1 and COM2

- with COM1 in the "b" state above, pressing COM2 causes the freq sets of the radios to be swapped, and COM1 is lit on both sides. (Pressing COM1's button at this point re-swaps the freq sets again.)

- with COM1 in the "c" state above:

-- pressing COM2 turns COM2's displays off;

-- pressing COM2 again turns COM2 back on *and* swaps the freq sets between the radios;

-- pressing COM2 a third time swaps the sets back again;

-- and then pressing COM2 again loops back to the COM2 displays being off

So it sure seems that something is whacko in this new code.

I am running FSUIPC 3.125 and PFC 1.81. My PFC.DLL is at the end of this message. The aircraft used to determine the behavior described is the stock C172 in the ugly red paintjob.

Oh, and I verified that none of the buttons/knobs in the COM sections have been assigned non-standard functions in FSUIPC.

Let me know if you need any more info.

cheers,

dB

---begin PFC.DLL---

[Connection]

Port=COM1

[General]

OptionsSet=19081423,2

QuadrantSet=P1N

EnabledQuads=1

ADFmode=0

COMactive=1

COMoff=0

Radials=0

ElevatorTrimUnit=16

ElevatorTrimDelay=20

ElevatorTrimMult=8

MaxThrottleForReverser=0

COM1sb=8592

COM1na=8192

COM2sb=6544

COM2na=9072

NAV1sb=4192

NAV2sb=2400

ADFsb=1104

ADFxsb=256

DME=2048

CentredDialogue=Yes

AxisSmoothTime=500

SpoilerFlightPercent=75

[buttonAssignments]

ListAllControls=Yes

ListPMControls=No

List767PICControls=No

Yoke0=0,0,1

Yoke1=0,0,1

Yoke2=0,0,0

Yoke3=0,0,0

Yoke5=0,0,0

Yoke6=0,0,1

Yoke7=0,0,1

Yoke8=0,0,1

Yoke9=0,0,1

Yoke10=0,0,0

Yoke11=0,0,0

Avionics0=0,0,9

Avionics1=0,0,9

Avionics2=0,0,0

Avionics3=0,0,0

Avionics4=0,0,0

Avionics5=0,0,0

Avionics6=0,0,0

Avionics7=0,0,0

Avionics8=0,0,0

Avionics9=0,0,0

Avionics10=0,0,0

Avionics11=0,0,0

Console0=66299,66299,9

Console1=66298,66298,9

Console2=32,32,0

JetLiner0=0,0,0

JetLiner1=0,0,0

JetLiner2=0,0,0

JetLiner3=75,75,0

[ThrottleQuadrants]

P1N-0=5,5,20,20,56,72,108,128

P1N-4=5,13,20,20,56,72,108,128

P1-0=5,31,20,20,56,72,108,108

P1-2=5,5,20,20,56,72,108,108

P1-4=5,13,20,20,56,72,108,108

P1H-0=5,5,20,20,56,72,108,108

P1H-2=5,21,20,20,56,72,108,108

P1H-4=5,13,20,20,56,72,108,108

P2-0=5,5,20,20,56,72,108,108

P2-1=5,6,20,20,56,72,108,108

P2-2=5,21,20,20,56,72,108,108

P2-3=5,22,20,20,56,72,108,108

P2-4=5,13,20,20,56,72,108,108

P2-5=5,14,20,20,56,72,108,108

P2B-0=5,21,20,20,56,72,108,108

P2B-1=5,22,20,20,56,72,108,108

P2B-2=5,5,20,20,56,72,108,108

P2B-3=5,6,20,20,56,72,108,108

P2B-4=5,13,20,20,56,72,108,108

P2B-5=5,14,20,20,56,72,108,108

T2-0=5,9,20,20,28,44,108,108

T2-1=5,10,20,20,28,44,108,108

T2-2=5,25,20,20,40,56,108,108

T2-3=5,26,20,20,40,56,108,108

T2-4=5,17,20,20,54,70,108,108

T2-5=5,18,20,20,54,70,108,108

J2-0=5,30,20,20,35,35,108,108

J2-2=5,5,20,20,56,72,108,108

J2-3=5,6,20,20,56,72,108,108

J2-5=5,32,20,20,56,72,108,108

J3-0=5,30,20,20,35,35,108,108

J3-1=5,5,20,20,56,72,108,108

J3-2=5,6,20,20,56,72,108,108

J3-3=5,7,20,20,56,72,108,108

J3-5=5,32,20,20,56,72,108,108

J4-0=5,30,20,20,35,35,108,108

J4-1=5,5,20,20,56,72,108,108

J4-2=5,6,20,20,56,72,108,108

J4-3=5,7,20,20,56,72,108,108

J4-4=5,8,20,20,56,72,108,108

J4-5=5,32,20,20,56,72,108,108

J2N-0=5,49,0,10,20,88,98,108

J2N-1=5,5,20,20,64,64,108,108

J2N-2=5,46,20,20,64,64,108,108

J2N-3=5,47,20,20,64,64,108,108

J2N-4=5,6,20,20,64,64,108,108

J2N-5=5,48,0,7,2,38,110,116,7,26,38,50,62,74,86,98

[FlightControls]

Ailerons=4,0,20,20,56,72,108,255

Elevator=4,1,20,20,56,72,108,255

Rudder=5,2,20,20,56,72,108,255

LeftBrake=5,3,20,20,56,72,108,128

RightBrake=5,4,20,20,56,72,108,128

--end PFC.DLL---

[Pete Dowson]

with the "COM2 radio selectable into FS" box unchecked, the ON/OFF buttons do exactly one thing - turn the respective COM/NAV radio display "off". Unlike before, the buttons can't be used to select the active xmit radio. As I said before, this isn't important to *me* since I now have GoFlight buttons for COM1 and COM2 xmit selection, but it's not behaving the way it did prior to the TruCOM2 technology being implemented 8^) .

Okay. This had me confused for quite a while. PFC.DLL has no knowledge of the "active xmit radio". It never has selected that or had a button allocated to it. There are none spare for what is basically a row of radio selector switches.

As far as I can tell, with the option unchecked, there is absolutely no difference now to what happened before, except that now you can use the PFC COM2 radio as the FS COM2 radio. Before, COM2 just was not usable without checking the option.

I think you are confusing it with the original (and still intended) action of the on/off button with the option checked. Before I added the support for COM2 you could, with the option checked, select either PFC COM1 or PFC COM2 into FS's COM1. With FS's COM1 as the "active xmit radio" it meant you could effectively have 4 frequencies for transmission.

I didn't mean to take that away, and in fact it is correctly documented in the way I intended it. I did have it working, but it seems that fixes for the Jetliner (which has no COM2) messed things up. Sorry.

In the corrected version, which I will send you to verify for me (please), if you ignore FS's COM2, the action should be the same as it was before. It's just that the inactive (non-flashing, not selected) PFC radio becomes FS's COM2. So this gives the best of both worlds, even if it does seem a little complicated to explain. Try it, play with it a bit, you'll see what I mean. It becomes second nature after a bit.

The Jetliner Console operation is, of necessity, different, as it has no COM2. There, the on/off button changes the single COM radio to be FS's COM1 (flashes) or COM2 (no flashing). The avionics stack COM2 was confusing the issue there, so in the fixed version of the driver, if you select Jetliner (only) operation the stack's COM2 radio is permanently switched off.

Anyway, I think it is okay now. Thanks for all your help -- you INI was useful as it enabled me to find it quicker. Starting with my settings it was more difficult to get it to play up.

I'm sending 1.812 by email attachment for you to play with. Please see if you can break it!

Now I'm back into PFC mode I'll look at adding the FS Avionics switch code before making a proper new release.

Regards,

Pete

[blave]

Okay. This had me confused for quite a while. PFC.DLL has no knowledge of the "active xmit radio". It never has selected that or had a button allocated to it. There are none spare for what is basically a row of radio selector switches.

OK, I guess I was not using the correct terminology - I have always known that your driver doesn't know about the active radio. But, effectively the on-off buttons acted as Active Radio Select buttons, and it worked perfectly in the FS2000 (or was it 98?) single COM radio world, and worked (past tense - see below) fine in 2002/2004 as well if one didn't need to access those versions' COM2 as a true second radio. I just got used to thinking of those buttons as the equivalent to what is found in a real aircraft's audio panel.

As far as I can tell, with the option unchecked, there is absolutely no difference now to what happened before, except that now you can use the PFC COM2 radio as the FS COM2 radio. Before, COM2 just was not usable without checking the option.

I just checked the version you sent me today, and unless I am being incredibly dense it's still not working the way it did prior to 1.8 with the "COM2 radio selectable into FS" option checked. (I noted that you did get rid of the other anomalous behavior where only the standby side of COM1 was lit in some cases, BTW.)

What I mean is that, with the box checked, successive presses of the COM ON/OFF switches will always result in turning off the respective COM radio at some point. In prior versions, if you only ever pressed either button once before pressing the other, then they worked quite well as "audio panel" buttons and neither radio was ever turned off unless you pressed its ON/OFF button more than once in succession. Now, it is impossible to switch from one radio to the other (after the first time) without turning one off.

I think you are confusing it with the original (and still intended) action of the on/off button with the option checked. Before I added the support for COM2 you could, with the option checked, select either PFC COM1 or PFC COM2 into FS's COM1. With FS's COM1 as the "active xmit radio" it meant you could effectively have 4 frequencies for transmission.

I was initially baffled because I forgot to uncheck the box with version 1.8 to get "true" COM1/COM2 radios. That is how I found the behavior which you partially addressed in the new version today. But - as I stated above - it still doesn't behave exactly like pre-1.8 versions. That doesn't really matter to me anymore since you now support FS's COM2, but it might to others.

Now I'm back into PFC mode I'll look at adding the FS Avionics switch code before making a proper new release.

Well once again you're the man of the hour, but please don't trade precious sleep time for this little thing 8) .

Cheers,

dB.

EDIT - upon reading one of my posts earlier in this thread , I realize I got a little mixed up in describing the two modes that now exist in 1.8x. To be perfectly clear, as of 1.812 the Unchecked mode is working perfectly, with full COM1/COM2 support. The Checked mode might need a little more attention if it's to exactly emulate what it did prior to 1.8. But if no-one complains, perhaps it doesn't matter!

P.S. You might be able to help me with one teeny thing - I'm trying to assign a PFC button (the ident button, since it doesn't do anything in FS) to set the transponder to "1200". I spent about a half hour trying to decipher how the Parameter that can be specified on FSUIPC's Buttons tab gets translated into the transponder code, but I just couldn't figure it out. There's some base 2 stuff going on, but when I saw that a parameter of "10" means "2" on the transponder (which makes sense in binary representation) while a parameter of 100 means 64 (huh?) I pretty much gave up. So, what's the magic number that results in "1200" on the display? (BTW not being able to sort this out makes me wonder how I ever got through engineering school. :x )

[Pete Dowson]

[quote name="blave

But' date=' effectively the on-off buttons acted as Active Radio Select buttons, and it worked perfectly in the FS2000 (or was it 98?) single COM radio world, and worked (past tense - see below) fine in 2002/2004 as well if one didn't need to access those versions' COM2 as a true second radio. I just got used to thinking of those buttons as the equivalent to what is found in a real aircraft's audio panel.

Yes, this is why I've retained that same capability.

What I mean is that, with the box checked, successive presses of the COM ON/OFF switches will always result in turning off the respective COM radio at some point.

Yes, it always did. Look back at the original documentation. It said this

"On the separate stack, if both COM radios are in use then the On/Off button cycles between being a COM radio selector and on/off button, thus:

Off -> On -> Selected -> Off

In this mode only the COM receiver turns off, not the complete set. If both COMs are in use, the one currently operating FS’s single COM radio has a flashing decimal point in the active frequency display."

I am only retaining that action and adding more.

In prior versions, if you only ever pressed either button once before pressing the other, then they worked quite well as "audio panel" buttons and neither radio was ever turned off unless you pressed its ON/OFF button more than once in succession. Now, it is impossible to switch from one radio to the other (after the first time) without turning one off.

Hmmm. I don't think that was intentional, and it isn't documented that way. hold on, I'll try an old version ...

... Ouch! It was buggy too. The two radios can get out of phas and BOTH be de-selected (no flashing point)! Ugh.

Seems in fixing it so it works as intended I've removed a facility I didn't even know was there! :) Sorry!

I'll need to think about that. The old code was interacting wrongly and by coincidence gave you that capability. I'll need to work out how to do that properly. It means re-jigging the sequences so they are inter-dependent again. They aren't now, except that if one is off the other simply swaps functions as well as cycling to off.

P.S. You might be able to help me with one teeny thing - I'm trying to assign a PFC button (the ident button, since it doesn't do anything in FS)

You must mean the Transponder IDENT, as the NAV ones operate the NAV radio switch.

to set the transponder to "1200".

Ah, yes, you must mean the transponder IDENT! :)

I spent about a half hour trying to decipher how the Parameter that can be specified on FSUIPC's Buttons tab gets translated into the transponder code

Yeah, most parameters to FS controls need experimentation to work out how they work. Frequencies and radio codes tend to be in BCD (binary-coded-decimal) internally, and the parameters USED to be quite sensible, but some are horrendous in FS2002/2004.

but I just couldn't figure it out. There's some base 2 stuff going on, but when I saw that a parameter of "10" means "2" on the transponder (which makes sense in binary representation)

No, you've got things backwards. The parameter you provide is DECIMAL. The decimal 10 value is binary 1010. Since the transponder only uses values 0-7 in each digit, only the lower 3 bits are used, hence 010 which is your 2.

while a parameter of 100 means 64 (huh?)

No 'huh?' about it. Decimal 100 is hexadecimal 64. Since both groups of 4 bits are valid (0-7), you see 64.

Transponder 7777 would be 7777 in hexadecimal which is 30583 decimal.

So, what's the magic number that results in "1200" on the display?

1200 hexadecimal is needed, which is 4608 in decimal (1000 = 4096, 200 = 512).

(BTW not being able to sort this out makes me wonder how I ever got through engineering school. :x )

You might find the Programer's Guide in the FSUIPC SDK useful. It won't tell you what parameters things take, but once you get an inkling as to how FS sees things inside it makes these more obvious.

Regards,

Pete

[Pete Dowson]

In prior versions, if you only ever pressed either button once before pressing the other, then they worked quite well as "audio panel" buttons and neither radio was ever turned off unless you pressed its ON/OFF button more than once in succession.

Okay, I've sorted that out. It was easier than I thought. Basically, what I had was (where "active" means selected into FS's COM1)

COM1: active -> off -> inactive -> active

COM2: inactive -> off -> active -> inactive

I did this because, with COM2 available in FS, there's really no such thing as "active" and "inactive", so active means "=COM1" and inactive means "=COM2". Written like that (as I did when designing it):

COM1: =COM1 -> off -> =COM2 -> =COM1

COM2: =COM2 -> off -> =COM1 -> =COM2

You'll see this looks entirely sensible and logical. I thought folks would understand it better because of its complete symmetry. However, it does have the result you observed.

I've now changed it to be asymmetrical, as follows:

COM1: =COM1 -> off -> =COM2 -> =COM1

COM2: =COM2 -> =COM1 -> off -> =COM2

or, in "active" terms:

COM1: active -> off -> inactive -> active

COM2: inactive -> active -> off -> inactive

You will see that, then, if you press the On/Off button of an inactive (non-flashing) radio it becomes the active one. This is how it was before 1.81.

The only difference now between operation in FS2000 and before and FS2002 and later, apart from there befing no COM2 in FS before FS2002, is that when one of the radios is off, the on/off button in the other only operates as an on/off button, it doesn't change the "active" states.

On the Jetliner Console, with its single COM radio, things are rather different of course. On this the on/off button does cycle through "off" to swap from controlling FS's COM1 and COM2, and it swaps the frequencies over too. It doesn't have the facility to use 4 frequencies all on COM1.

All this is in Version 1.82 which I shall release later today, all being well. This version alson implements the Avionics Switch, which wasn't quite such a big job as I thought -- most of the avionics stack's buttons and knobs return values all in a group which was therefore easier to bypass than I anticipated. It does mean that avionics buttons which have been re-programmed will also be disabled when the avionics are off, but I don't think that is unreasonable. It already applies in any case to Cirrus and Jetliner users with the hardware avionics switch.

Thanks for your help in this. I think the results are very worthwhile.

Regards,

Pete