Spoiler Axis - a peculiar behaviour

[Anders Persson]

I’m using FSUIPC version 3.21 and I’m having a CH Yoke USB.

In FS I have assigned one of the joystick axis to the Spoiler and with FSUIPC I’m trying to calibrate that axis.

I have no problem with setting the calibration values but every time I return to the “Joysticks” page in FSUIPC I always get the same maximum value of 512. The minimum value seems to be correctly “remembered” but never the maximum value. I could not find anything in the documentation about this, even tried to search this forum but with no success.

Is this a feature or a bug? :?:

I usually fly the PMDG 737NG and there is usually no problem for me to fully deploy the spoilers, however I’m having problems with retracting them. The spoiler level is “jumping” back and forth and can hardly settle at the fully retracted position. This is maybe not a problem that is connected to the FSUIPC but as try I would like to ventilate it here.

Any suggestions from anybody would be appreciated.

Best regards

Anders Persson

[Pete Dowson]

In FS I have assigned one of the joystick axis to the Spoiler and with FSUIPC I’m trying to calibrate that axis.

Did it work in FS first, before "Setting" it in FSUIPC? Proper joystick calibration should be done in the normal way for good results. FSUIPC merely provides extra accuracy in setting end or null zones (and centres).

I have no problem with setting the calibration values but every time I return to the “Joysticks” page in FSUIPC I always get the same maximum value of 512. The minimum value seems to be correctly “remembered” but never the maximum value.

It's working here and has been since introduced some years ago. There's been no changes for a long time. The spoiler axis is just like most of the others. When you click on the "Set" button just above the maximum value display, that's the value is remembers -- it is written to the FSUIPC.INI file. Check it there if you like.

It is misleading to try calibrating spoilers on the ground. Just above the "stowed" or "down" position there is an "arm" position. FS seems to automatically deploy 100% spoilers when it is already on the ground if it sees any value on that axis corresponding to its idea of the "arm" position.

However, I have experimented here and can see no way that this action can interfere with or prevent a decent true maximum being stored and recalled in FSUIPC.

Please check your INI file, see what that says. Give me, step-by-step, exactly what you are doing and what you are seeing (and where you are seeing it), and possibly I can spot what is going on.

I usually fly the PMDG 737NG and there is usually no problem for me to fully deploy the spoilers, however I’m having problems with retracting them. The spoiler level is “jumping” back and forth and can hardly settle at the fully retracted position. This is maybe not a problem that is connected to the FSUIPC

Most of the spoiler problems I have heard about are related only to its behaviour on the ground. Try sorting this out in the air. And to eliminate FSUIPC from your investigations, just go to the relevant FSUIPC page and press "Reset" on the spoilers calibration section -- doing this will take FSUIPC entirely out of that loop. When you are happy and want more precise dead zones (though these are hardly so important with the spoiler axis), try FSUIPC again.

Regards,

Pete

[Anders Persson]

Hi Pete,

Thanks for your quick reply and thanks a lot for FSUIPC

I'm currently not in front of my PC with the FlightSimulator but I have some quick replies so far. (I have to come back later with som more facts thou)

Did it work in FS first, before "Setting" it in FSUIPC?

If you are refering to the "jumping back and forth". The answer is No. That's why I think this has nothing to do with FSUIPC but maybe a proper calibration through FSUIPC could eliminate it.

Proper joystick calibration should be done in the normal way for good results.

That has been done.

When you click on the "Set" button just above the maximum value display, that's the value is remembers -- it is written to the FSUIPC.INI file. Check it there if you like.

Yes, I did check the FSUPIC.INI file (should have mentioned that in the first post) and I can clearly see that the value is correct there. The correct value is beeing stored by FSUIPC. However, so far I have never got that value back when I'm returning to the "spoiler page".

A quick thought. I have the axis reversed for the particular joystick level (fully up gives the minimum value and fully down gives the maximum value). Can that be part of the problem?

Again, I have to come back to you with more facts and also all the steps I'm doing. So stand-by for some more info.

Best regards,

Anders Persson

[Pete Dowson]

A quick thought. I have the axis reversed for the particular joystick level (fully up gives the minimum value and fully down gives the maximum value). Can that be part of the problem?

Shouldn't be. All FSUIPC requires is that the number in the maximum column is numerically greater than the number in the minimum column, using signed numbers. In all of its joystick facilities, the numbers increase left to right, no matter what this actually does in the simulator.

When you re-check the INI file, ensure that the calibration line reads something like:

Spoilers=-16193,16192

i.e. two numbers only, not like, say, a specific Throttle line which may be like this:

Throttle1=-2295,-430,135,2295

i.e. four numbers, with the middle two defining a "centre" zone (idle in this case). (These two examples are from my test installation).

Regards,

Pete

[Anders Persson]

Hi again Pete,

I have done some further investigations regarding the spoiler axis peculiar behaviour. Here is a step-by-step documentation of what I’m doing.

1. I start of with a calibration of all the axes of my CH FlightSim Yoke USB.

2. Next I’m starting FS and assigning the spoiler axis to one of the Yokes levers I’m also the reversing the order of the axis.

3. Now I take off and while in the air I start to experiment. (Thanks Pete for your hint of not being on the ground – I have never thought of that before.)

4. The first test I’m doing is without having the spoiler axis being “set” by FSUIPC. All signals being bypassed FSUIPC. Now I have almost perfect functionality of the Spoiler. I can deploy it gradually and I can also retract them without any problem.

5. Next step is to enable the calibration functionality of FSUIPC. I press “Set” and set the minimum (-16193) and the maximum (16192) values. I am also closing the FSUIPC interface.

6. I check the FSUIPC.INI file and can recognize the following settings:

Spoilers=-16193,16192

7. I return to FS and continue my flight. Now I’m getting the peculiar behaviour of the spoiler. I get some stutters but I manage to deploy it gradually but only “randomly” retract it to the unarmed position. The spoiler is jumping up and down when I’m getting close to the fully retracted position.

8. Again, I’m opening up the “spoiler” page in FSUIPC (page 6 of 8 ). The maximum value is now 512, not 16192 anymore.

9. I’m making a new calibration and I’m setting the maximum value to 16192.

10. I’m moving to the next page (7 of 8 saying: Reverser and other trims) and then immediately back to page 6 of 8 (Trim, spoilers and flaps). Again 512 is being displayed as the maximum value.

It looks like FSUIPC is loosing the maximum value!

Hope this can give you some info about what I’m doing and perhaps what’s going on behind the scene.

Best regards

Anders Persson

[Pete Dowson]

Hi Anders,

Thnaks! Following exactly your procedure I can reproduce this now -- excepting I get -512 not +512.

I thought it might be the reversing of the axis that is screwing something up, somewhere, but I'm at a bit of a loss. If I start all over again, from a fresh load, and do everything as per your list EXCEPT reverse the axis, it now still does the same bad thing! Yet I couldn't get it to do any such thing before!

Now that I know how to make it happen I can trace it through and fix it. Thank you very much.

Please use the standard FS calibration for now. I will get back to you when I've sorted it out -- it may be a few days.

Regards,

Pete

[Anders Persson]

Hi Pete,

I am definitely the one to thank you and I'm glad that I could be of at least some help to you. There is no hurry at all with the fix. I sure can wait. Just take your time.

Regards

Anders :D

[Pete Dowson]

There is no hurry at all with the fix.

I did some more checking into this, as it was quite worrying. I found that I made an error when adding the Cowl Flaps axes to 3.21, some time ago (actually soon after the preceding release went out)!

It was quite serious. Calibration values were getting mixed between axes and between centres and maxima -- only the minimums were safe. The symptoms could be quite odd and misleading, or it may not affect anything at all. Quite nasty in fact.

So, I've had to make a rush interim bug-fix release. It is version 3.211 and should be up on the usual places some time in the next 24 hours.

Sorry for the problems and thanks again for the help.

Regards,

Pete