Cirrus Yoke - Please Help!

[CGTHX]

Hello there!

I just got in the mail today an ASA OnTop Personal Computer Advanced Training Device, complete with Cirrus USB yoke, Cirrus USB pedals, throttle console, and AV-1 avionics. After trying to get Windows to recognize them and failing, I decided to turn here, and I'm afraid I made a terrible mistake! Please tell me that what I bought is compatible with FS2004. I was under the impression that PFC had fixed the issues with FS, and that the yokes are compatible with it. Is this the case? Please tell me I didn't just waste a whole lot of money. Thanks!

Jeff Sargent

[Pete Dowson]

I just got in the mail today an ASA OnTop Personal Computer Advanced Training Device, complete with Cirrus USB yoke, Cirrus USB pedals, throttle console, and AV-1 avionics. After trying to get Windows to recognize them and failing, I decided to turn here, and I'm afraid I made a terrible mistake! Please tell me that what I bought is compatible with FS2004. I was under the impression that PFC had fixed the issues with FS, and that the yokes are compatible with it. Is this the case?

Sorry, I have no idea. You need to check with your suppliers, or PFC. The PFC devices supplied for use with Microsoft Flight Simulator most certainly do work splendidly with Flight Simulator, but PFC also make similar devices for other people who use their own protocols. Isn't "OnTop" a different flight simulator?

For PFC FS devices you would install FSUIPC and my PFC.DLL driver, into FS. It takes care of all of the PFC devices that I know about and which use the standard PFC protocol.

Regards,

Pete

[CGTHX]

Hi Pete!

Thanks, I finally got the yoke and rudders working with FS. I'm not sure about the throttle console or avionics yet. I'm positive the throttle console will work, as it is a PFC product, but the avionics stack, called AV-1, is made by ASA I believe, and so far they say that it is not compatible with FS.

I'm having trouble getting my computer to even recognize that the throttle console is plugged into the back. I have it plugged into the COM1 port, but it doesn't seem to recognize that it's there in any way.

Does anyone have any suggestions about this, or about the AV-1 compatibility? Thanks very much!!

Jeff

[Pete Dowson]

Thanks, I finally got the yoke and rudders working with FS. I'm not sure about the throttle console or avionics yet. I'm positive the throttle console will work, as it is a PFC product

You mean you are not connecting the yoke and rudder through the console? If they connect direct to a game port or USB then I really know nothing about them. I only deal with the COM-port connecting PFC gear (or USB-COM port simulation, using a COM driver for the USB). Everything goes through the PFC controller board inside the console.

but the avionics stack, called AV-1, is made by ASA I believe, and so far they say that it is not compatible with FS.

The PFC Avionics stack is not independent, it connects to the rear of the console and gets its power from there too.

I'm having trouble getting my computer to even recognize that the throttle console is plugged into the back. I have it plugged into the COM1 port, but it doesn't seem to recognize that it's there in any way.

It is is running standard PFC protocol then you simply need to install both FSUIPC and PFC.DLL into the FS modules folder, and tell the PFC driver it is a COM1 connection. It doesn't search for it, you have to tell it.

Regards,

Pete

[CGTHX]

Hi Pete.

The way the setup is is that the yoke and the rudders are both plugged directly into the computer via USB ports, and the avionics and throttle console are tied together via Db25 port, and then the avionics stack connects to the computer via the COM1 port. I believe there is an adapter so that I can plug the throttle quadrant right into the computer via COM1 and just completely bypass the avionics stack. This may be the way I will have to do things in FS, but I will tie the avionics in when using OnTop. Sounds good in theory, now I will just have to test it! Thanks a lot!

Jeff

[Pete Dowson]

The way the setup is is that the yoke and the rudders are both plugged directly into the computer via USB ports

They'll need normal Windows joystick drivers and Game Controller calibrations then. They are not the PFC controls I am familitar with, which connect to their consoles using a 15-pin D plug or socket.

... and the avionics and throttle console are tied together via Db25 port, and then the avionics stack connects to the computer via the COM1 port.

That's the other way around to the PFC system then. The PFC controller in the throttle quadrant is the bit of hardware my PFC driver talks to. The PFC avionics connect to that.

It sounds very much like the firm you have purchased this from have made their own controller, presumably in their own avionics stack, and programmed that to also handle the PFC throttle console, possibly with the PFC protocol but also possibly with the Elite or some other proprietary protocol.

I believe there is an adapter so that I can plug the throttle quadrant right into the computer via COM1 and just completely bypass the avionics stack. This may be the way I will have to do things in FS

That may indeed work, losing the avionics stack facility, but only if the throttle console is using the PFC protocol. On some models there's a switch behind the removable 6-lever unit to allow the protocol to be changed.

Regards,

Pete