Work around for keyboad selection of throttles

[Bobby9768]

Hello Pete,

I have just installed FSD's new O2-A. However as I am using a Thrustmaster Cougar, I only have one throttle to control both engines. This means I have tried to program a button with E + 1, E + 2 and E 1 2. However this is not working. Regardless of whether I press E + 1 or E + 2, it gives me control of engine 1 (this is the case 49 times out of 50. The last time I may be lucky and actually get control of throttle 2), and once this has happened I cannot regain control of both throttles using the E + 1 and 2 command.

I have looked on your website where you explained that this often happens with add-ons due to "noise" between the E and 1 keypresses. I have tried the keypresses with the default FS Lear Jet and got no problems there, although it happened with the default DC3.

I asked on the FSD website, where they told me that there is a fix for it in FSUIPC. Having read the manual I only seem to be able to find a solution for chossing both engines. Have I not read the manual well enough? Is there a way to get control of the engines using keypresses?

Thanks and best regards

Bobby

[Pete Dowson]

I have just installed FSD's new O2-A. However as I am using a Thrustmaster Cougar, I only have one throttle to control both engines. This means I have tried to program a button with E + 1, E + 2 and E 1 2. However this is not working. Regardless of whether I press E + 1 or E + 2, it gives me control of engine 1 (this is the case 49 times out of 50. The last time I may be lucky and actually get control of throttle 2)

This must be because the aircraft panel gauges you are using are continuous sending controls to FS -- FS needs the very next control after the E to be the 1 or 2 keypress, but many add-ons are sending controls every few milliseconds, defeating this. The same sort of thing happens to pushback (Shift+P then 1 or 2), and to aircraft door operation (Shift+E then 1, 2, etc).

FSUIPC does have an option "control acceleration fix" on its technical page which, since FSUIPC 3.45, gets around this. It works for engine selection -- there's a time limit on pressing the numbers though, defaulting to 4 seconds.

and once this has happened I cannot regain control of both throttles using the E + 1 and 2 command.

There's a Hot Key provision for restoring control to all engines -- it is called "Resume all engine control" (Hot Keys tab).

I have looked on your website where you explained that this often happens with add-ons due to "noise" between the E and 1 keypresses.

Not "noise" so much as other controls being sent to FS's sim engine.

Having read the manual I only seem to be able to find a solution for chossing both engines. Have I not read the manual well enough?

Well, it sounds like you were looking for the wrong thing. Read the paragraphs in the bit about "Fix control acceleration" (on the Technical tab window). Especially the NOTE about additions made back in version 3.45 of FSUIPC.

Is there a way to get control of the engines using keypresses?

Apart from the easier "switch it on" option mentioned above, you could actually program it on a keypress or button, using information gleaned from the FSUIPC advanced user's guide and the table of FSUIPC offsets found in the Programming guide (part of a separate package called the FSUIPC SDK). It would be done by using special offset writing controls added in FSUIPC for just such complex needs. But unless you are a programmer, or at least pretty computer literate, I'd stick to the easy option already mentioned if I were you.

Regards,

Pete

[Bobby9768]

Thanks Pete for your fast response. Not being a programmer (or anything resembling one) I shall go for your control accelleration fix.

Once again thanks for your help.

Best regards,

Bobby