Elite ProPanel + FSUIPC - any help possible here?

[andypl]

I've asked for help over at Elite, and they don't seem able to help.

I am using FSUIPC + Elite Pro Panel. The ProPanel is installed correctly and works with Elite software.

When running FS2004, the Elite Pro Panel works fine upon starting, but the first time I go to any dialog box (change weather, airport, airplane, map, etc.), the ProPanel has stopped working. It is still shown in the Elite Configuration dialog as installed.

Might this be a problem with FSUIPC? or is it definitely the Elite side of things?

Andy

[Pete Dowson]

I've asked for help over at Elite, and they don't seem able to help.

I am using FSUIPC + Elite Pro Panel. The ProPanel is installed correctly and works with Elite software.

When running FS2004, the Elite Pro Panel works fine upon starting, but the first time I go to any dialog box (change weather, airport, airplane, map, etc.), the ProPanel has stopped working. It is still shown in the Elite Configuration dialog as installed.

Might this be a problem with FSUIPC? or is it definitely the Elite side of things?

There's really nothing in FSUIPC which will "stop" just because you go into a dialogue box. Certainly it will be less responsive whilst you are in a dialogue box, because Windows simply doesn't direct messages to it so often. Maybe the Elite driver gets a timeout on one of its requests and then never bothers to try again? I really couldn't say.

It seems odd that they won't support you with this. If this is at all a general problem you'd think they'd be deluged with support requests. Assuming they are not, I can only think there's something specific going on in your system.

If you'd like me to look at what it looks like from inside FSUIPC, you'll need to generate and send me some logs. Make sure you are using FSUIPC version 3.44. Switch on the IPC read/write logging (FSUIPC logging page), then close down and reload FS, and try to make this happen as soon as possible after FS starts, then close down FS. Try to keep the session as short as possible, else the Log will be very long and make it more difficult to see anything useful. Zip up the FSUIPC.LOG file (from the FS Modules folder) and send it to me at petedowson@btconnect.com.

This is something Elite should be doing in any case -- they have written their interface to FSUIPC without any contact or consultation with me, and have never offered to take out any sort of license for accreditation, so I really don't owe them any support at all. If I do find out anything useful I will try to describe it to you, but then you'll have to fight with Elite yourself.

Regards,

Pete

[andypl]

Haven't gotten around to creating the logs yet, but thanks for the offer to review them.

fyi- additional information

Everything works perfectly if I use FS in Window mode. It is only if I am in fullscreen mode and I go to a dialog that the hardware stops working.

I sent this to Elite, and they wrote back "It is a problem with FSUIPC, we recommend using it only in Window mode". Geez, thanks for nothing from them!

Anyways, perhaps this might spark something in your mind related to fullscreen mode.

Thanks

Andy

[vdkeybus]

It might be the Elite communications thread that got a timeout on one of its I/O operations to the panel and stops working. The I/O operations may include the timed SendMessage() call to FSUIPC if they have used a separate process (not a module) for the panel driver.

This can be due to the Elite program being suspended temporarily because the FS process needs more processing time (as might happen during loading of a menu window). If in windowed mode, Windows task swapping and thread processing is a bit different and the interruption might be shorter.

Depending on whether or not you use the COM or USB version of this panel, check the interrupt and handshake settings on the COM port (and verify you have the correct cable if you're using hardware handshake - NOT a 3-wire type; you might lose data from a packet that doesn't fit in the UART FIFO).

You might also want to start an application (e.g. Word with a big .doc file), minimize it and run your FS setup (in windowed mode). Then Alt-Tab to Word (which is bound to suspend the FS and Elite driver tasks for a while) and see if the problem is reproducible.

In any case, I don't think FSUIPC is to blame here. IMO, it is the responsability of a driver program to properly deal with timeouts.

J.

[Pete Dowson]

Everything works perfectly if I use FS in Window mode. It is only if I am in fullscreen mode and I go to a dialog that the hardware stops working.

I sent this to Elite, and they wrote back "It is a problem with FSUIPC, we recommend using it only in Window mode". Geez, thanks for nothing from them!

Anyways, perhaps this might spark something in your mind related to fullscreen mode.

No, nothing. FSUIPC is not aware of what screen mode is used in FS, and doesn't care at all because absolutely nothing it does is remotely concerned with screen modes. Sorry.

It is starting to sound like a problem with your screen drivers.

Regards,

Pete