For Pete, Nosewheel Control

[Guest FWDixon]

I was wondering if there was any way to seperate the nosewheel control from the rudder using FUIPC, for a seperate tiller control.

[Pete Dowson]

I was wondering if there was any way to seperate the nosewheel control from the rudder using FUIPC, for a seperate tiller control.

Not that I know of. IS there a nosewheel control in FS? I have never heard of one being implemented. Where have you seen one?

Pete

[Guest FWDixon]

No there isn't a seperate nosewheel control, but i was wondering if there was a way to hack FS and make one.

[Pete Dowson]

No there isn't a seperate nosewheel control, but i was wondering if there was a way to hack FS and make one.

Steering is by rudder input, differential thrust, differential braking, or combinations of all three. If you simply want a tiller control to steer like the rudder does then connect it as a rudder axis. I'm pretty sure that's what most cockpit builders will be doing. You'd calibrate it differently of course.

Pete

[CATIII]

Hi Pete,

in the latest FSUIPC 3.85 for FS9 I noticed a new offset at 0x0C08 for the steering tiller. Is it possible to write values there? We have a B737 steering tiller here with a poti which is connected to an EPIC analogue input. Calibrating it in the FSUIPC menu is not an option for us since the EPIC hardware is not connected to the computer running FS9. Everything in FS is controlled via FSUIPC_Write() calls from another host on the network and this would be our approach in controlling the steering. I hope my description is not too complicated :roll:

Best regards,

CATIII

[Pete Dowson]

in the latest FSUIPC 3.85 for FS9 I noticed a new offset at 0x0C08 for the steering tiller.

Yes, and rudder next to it. They are read-outs for indicator gauges. Mainly the rudder one is used to allow checking of the rudder (deflection viewed on the EICAS or lower MFD) even though the real rudder control in FS is being 'stolen' by the tiller axis for steering on the ground.

The steering tiller is not truly a nose wheel control but another rudder. The input is gradually blended with the rudder as ground speed is increased. This depends upon both rudder and tiller axes being calibrated in FSUIPC, as it is the calibration routines which do the blending.

Is it possible to write values there?

No. it's only a read-out. There'd be no point in any case. What would it do?

We have a B737 steering tiller here with a poti which is connected to an EPIC analogue input. Calibrating it in the FSUIPC menu is not an option for us since the EPIC hardware is not connected to the computer running FS9. Everything in FS is controlled via FSUIPC_Write() calls from another host on the network and this would be our approach in controlling the steering.

Since all FSUIPC can do with a tiller input is send it on to FS's rudder, why not simply write direct to the rudder input at 0BBA? If your program also has control of the rudder axis you could do the same sort of gradual cross-blending yourself, as FSUIPC would do if both axes were calibrated in FSUIPC.

FSUIPC has a "crossover" ground speed (defaulting to 60) at which rudder has 100% authority. At 0 knots the tiller has 100%. At 30 knots it is 50:50. the computation is easy enough. You should also check that the aircraft is on the ground, of course, else you ignore the tiller.

Regards

Pete

[CATIII]

Great, your post clarifies a lot to me. If I get you right, the tiller only uses the rudder to accomplish turns on the ground, i.e. the tiller control cannot accomplish tighter turns than with the rudder. I will then write some code as you suggest and use the rudder input 0BBA for the tiller.

Ciao!

--CATIII

[Pete Dowson]

Great, your post clarifies a lot to me. If I get you right, the tiller only uses the rudder to accomplish turns on the ground, i.e. the tiller control cannot accomplish tighter turns than with the rudder.

Correrct, though I normally calibrate the tiller to have a more forceful effect than the rudder (i.e. use a curve which increases effect quickly near centre). It seems to work quite well in my cockpit. Obviously if you are supplying the values directly you can do something similar.

It still won't make a 747 turn on a sixpence, though! ;-)

Regards

Pete