Gear Lever

[Rafal]

Dear Pete!

Sorry if this has already been discussed. I couldn't find an answer via the search engine.

My question is concerned with the gear control axis. Namely, is this now or would it be possibe to control the gear position via a lever?

In the FS default assignments menu we only have the "Landing gear up / down", normally operated by the G key. I have assigned it to one of my CH Yoke's two-positioned switches. So UP means GEAR UP and, respectively, DOWN means GEAR DOWN.

However, since I have the CH Throttle Quadrant too, my CH Yoke's three levers are now useless and unoccupied. Is there a way to operate the landing gear via one of them?

Could FSUIPC help programming the lever (I know there is no special axis for gear in FS9) to recognize GEAR UP and GEAR DOWN (and, most hapilly though not necessarily, GEAR OFF)? Would be great!

Thanks in advace, Pet!

Best regards,

Rafal

P.S. I know some guys have the gear lever in their HMCs (Home-made cockpits) and there even are special modules from GF / Elite. So... possible?

[Bob Church]

Hi Rafal,

I'll leave it to Pete to answer WRT FSUIPC, but if you're using the Control Manager and a Map with the Yoke and Quad, it's easy enouth to set up one of the levers to activate gear up and gear down. I can show you how to do it if you're interested.

Best regards,

- Bob

The StickWorks

http://www.stickworks.com

[Pete Dowson]

My question is concerned with the gear control axis. Namely, is this now or would it be possibe to control the gear position via a lever?

FS doesn't make any provision for positioning the gear to anything other than Up or Down, but it would be possible to assign a lever for use like a switch for this, instead of an axis. But at present there isn't a way in FS or in FSUIPC to assign axes to non-axis events like Gear.

I am working on an Axis assignment facility in FSUIPC which to reach more axis and parameter-sensitive FS controls than those supported by FS's own assignments facility. Axis and similar controls ("_SET" controls, by name) take parameters to tell them what to do. For GEAR there is actually a "GEAR_SET" control, but whether it is connected inside FS or not I don't know at present -- I will try it.

If it does work then the next version of FSUIPC will allow you to do what you want quite easily. It isn't imminent, however -- maybe late February. I may release an interim version before then in this Forum, so keep an eye out on the Announcements above.

If it doesn't work then there is another part of the same facility I have planned, but may be even later. That is to allow any controls (FS or FSUIPC) to be assigned to operate on axis values in separate calibrated ranges, possibly different moving up or down through them. This would certainly do what you want as it would allow you to calibrate a region of the lever for "GEAR_DOWN" and another for "GEAR_UP".

P.S. I know some guys have the gear lever in their HMCs (Home-made cockpits) and there even are special modules from GF / Elite. So... possible?

I think most such levers actually use microswitches -- in other words they are effectively a pair of ordinary buttons operated by a big lever. I know the lever in my PFC cockpit is like this.

Regards,

Pete

[Pete Dowson]

For GEAR there is actually a "GEAR_SET" control, but whether it is connected inside FS or not I don't know at present -- I will try it.

Just tried it. It doesn't appear to be hooked up inside FS after all -- so I'm afraid, for an FSUIPC implementation, it will have to wait till I've done the axis-to-controls facilities.

However, I see that Bob has offered to show you how to do it with the CH software!

Regards,

Pete

[Rafal]

Gentlemen!

Big thanks to both of You.

Bob, sure I'm interested! :D

If You could drop me a line at: vorjab@wp.pl

Thanks a lot!

Best regards,

Rafal

[Bob Church]

Hi Rafal,

>> If You could drop me a line at... <<

Done! Let me know if it doesn't arrive.

Best regards,

- Bob

The StickWorks

http://www.stickworks.com