EPICUSB VIA FSUIPC

[High-Octane]

Can FSUIPC interact with EPICUSB? If so How, can that woirk, I mean what does iit get sucessful on EPIC? how do I write a code for it? Any tution or referal to websites that has good explaination? Let me know

-Arthur

[Pete Dowson]

Can FSUIPC interact with EPICUSB? If so How, can that woirk, I mean what does iit get sucessful on EPIC? how do I write a code for it? Any tution or referal to websites that has good explaination? Let me know

If your EPIC produces button presses which are recognised in FSUIPC, then you can program them in the Buttons page. FSUIPC does include code for reading EPIC buttons, whether EPICISA or EPICUSB.

The main interface to FSUIPC from EPIC that I produced is in my EPICINFO module, which started off only as a way of getting data out to the EPIC but now also has ways of directly writing to FSUIPC offsets.

However, I do not use EPIC any more and I'm afraid I would find it very hard to support EPICINFO. It is still "current", in that it works, and I may be able to answer specific questions, but really most of the knowledge you need is in programming the EPIC itself. The parameters for EPICINFO etc are relatively trivial in comparison.

These days I think more and more EPIC users have turned to using other software to interface EPIC to FS -- it works through FSUIPC also, as the interface, and is probably easier to use than EPICINFO.

I noticed this on the EPIC Users mail list today, also from an Arthur (coincidence?). It may help:

Guys if you really want big HELP on epic, strongly encourage you pay

visit to http://www.simengineers.com/ there a good forum discussion

about epic hardware at http://www.simengineers.com/yaf/default.aspx. Register yourself there, ask some questions, you would guaranteed be answerered less than days ...

Regards,

Pete

[High-Octane]

Guys if you really want big HELP on epic, strongly encourage you pay

visit to http://www.simengineers.com/ there a good forum discussion

about epic hardware at http://www.simengineers.com/yaf/default.aspx. Register yourself there, ask some questions, you would guaranteed be answerered less than days ...

Ha ha! :lol: that was me, I wrote it.... Few weeks since SIMENGINEERS.COM were established. There were only few members partipating in discussion. So, I thought if I could 'advise' anyone who really need help with EPICUSB to visit this fourm. I personally think this forum is much easier than yahoo discussion goup website. Since in this fourm you could post any of the pictures, notes, information regarding to EPIC, also with question, experience advices, humor stories, maybe even horor stories, and etc. Hope you would prartipate in this fourm discussion one of these day because the question related to FSUIPC/EPIC were brought up and no one knew the answer yet, come along and join there. Answer few question if you can.

However, I do not use EPIC any more and I'm afraid I would find it very hard to support EPICINFO. It is still "current", in that it works, and I may be able to answer specific questions, but really most of the knowledge you need is in programming the EPIC itself. The parameters for EPICINFO etc are relatively trivial in comparison.

.

So that basically All I need to do is write EPIC program and add a liitte part from EPICINFO for some action such as events is that correct? any epl and epicinfo example you could give based on your experience?

These days I think more and more EPIC users have turned to using other software to interface EPIC to FS -- it works through FSUIPC also, as the interface, and is probably easier to use than EPICINFO.

Well probablly so....But I assure there are some EPIC users wanting to do something that the software cannot do. For example, we could program the button using EPIC card without having it send directly to FS system. I could do that if I wanted to prorgam APU since nowdays FSXX program doesn't have the APU function yet.

There are some software that have every interior cockpit function such as PMDG737 or PIC767 much better compared toFSXX . But Unfortunately, they dont interact with FSUIPC and would make it harder to write EPL function on EPIC directly to that software or can never be possible at all.

So how would you recommend to EPIC user who doesn't really have expert in writing program Such as C or C+ based to do if they really want their cockpit to function as real one? Get 3rd party 'EPIC/FSUIPC assistance software ?? OR Just keep on going, learning writing programming everyday will gain a better knowlegde and become expert on controlling functions using EPIC/FSUIPC??

Thanks

[Pete Dowson]

Hope you would prartipate in this fourm discussion one of these day because the question related to FSUIPC/EPIC were brought up and no one knew the answer yet, come along and join there. Answer few question if you can.

Well, I really do have enough on my plate, thanks anyway. Not being an EPIC user and having almost zero experience of the EPICUSB incarnation of EPL would put me at a severe disadvantage in any case.

So that basically All I need to do is write EPIC program and add a liitte part from EPICINFO for some action such as events is that correct?

No, not at all. MOST of the work in in sorting your EPIC programing out. Once you've mastered that I don't think you'll find any of the ways of interfacing to FS, be it EPICINFO or the other (is it FSCommunicator? Sorry I can't remember off-hand) any problem.

any epl and epicinfo example you could give based on your experience?

All my EPIC experience dates back at least six years (more) and is documented in the EPIC95 and EPICINFO packages. There are old EPL examples in the EPIC95 package -- the name shows its age, Windows 95 -- but they are not so good for EPICUSB. They may be partly instructive but best after you've learned the new EPL.

For example, we could program the button using EPIC card without having it send directly to FS system.

Yes, of course. That's part of the whole point of having something as sophisticated as EPIC. You can program whole aircraft subsystems with it and only deal with FS where needed. I started off like that, but this was years and years ago, and none of what I know is applicable any more.

There are some software that have every interior cockpit function such as PMDG737 or PIC767 much better compared toFSXX . But Unfortunately, they dont interact with FSUIPC and would make it harder to write EPL function on EPIC directly to that software or can never be possible at all.

Yes, I'm always complaining about that. This is why I don't use any FS panel at all, and moved over completely to Project Magenta instrumentation. Take a look some time at the Beta Demo of pmSystems -- that certainly looks like it can be used, eventually, to program any subsystem very well, and all through easy text files. The examples at present have 737 and Airbus overheads.

So how would you recommend to EPIC user who doesn't really have expert in writing program Such as C or C+ based to do if they really want their cockpit to function as real one?

That's a problem, really. I don't think I could recommend EPIC to anyone who wasn't going to learn how to program it. It is a very powerful idea and well executed, but you certainly have to work hard at it. You not only have to learn your aircraft systems inside-out, but also hardware, electrical wiring, assembly, AND programming.

Regards,

Pete