Toe Brake Negative Values

[cfelix]

I am having a problem getting the toe brakes on my CH Pedals (USB) to work properly. When I try to calibrate them in FSUIPC, there is usually a 0 value when the pedals are at rest. However, when I rest my feet of the pedals with pressure in the brake-off direction, the value goes to -1598. If I calibate for 0, I get diff. brakes when I put my feet on rhe pedals or change rudder position. If I calibrate for -1598, I get diff. braks on nearly all of the time. Is there anything I can do to limit FSUIPC from recognizing negative values for this axis? BTW - I am using a registered version 3.70.

[Vortex]

I had the same problem and got around it by using the CH Control Manager to calibrate the pedals rather than FSUIPC.

[Pete Dowson]

I am having a problem getting the toe brakes on my CH Pedals (USB) to work properly. When I try to calibrate them in FSUIPC, there is usually a 0 value when the pedals are at rest. However, when I rest my feet of the pedals with pressure in the brake-off direction, the value goes to -1598. If I calibate for 0, I get diff. brakes when I put my feet on rhe pedals or change rudder position. If I calibrate for -1598, I get diff. braks on nearly all of the time. Is there anything I can do to limit FSUIPC from recognizing negative values for this axis?

I don't understand you. Whether the INPUT values are negative or positive simply doesn't matter. ALL that matters is that the maximum is higher than the minimum. Many joystick inputs actually give ranges from -16380 or so to +16380 or so, yet FSUIPC's calibration will still give zero from wherever you want the "no braking" limit to be!

I think you must be misunderstanding something fundamental about how FSUIPC calibration works. Perhaps you should read the documentation again?

Please follow the calibration instructions. In the case of brake pedals, press your foot lightly on the pedals just a little so that you would, without calibration, be getting a bit of braking. Set that as the minimum. Set the maximum to something off the real maximum.

Then the braking will be proportional between those two points, and anything outside won't be -- the output will remain zero below the slight touch point, no matter HOW negative things get, and maximum beyonf the max point you set.

It really is that easy. I don't understand how you could make such a meal out of it. :-(

Pete

[Pete Dowson]

I had the same problem and got around it by using the CH Control Manager to calibrate the pedals rather than FSUIPC.

You also don't understand FSUIPC's facilities at all? What is wrong with the documentation -- where are you misunderstanding the calibration?

Pete

[peterhayes]

Pete

I may be wrong on this but you get the behaviour described by cfelix if you don't tick the "reverse" box in FSUIPC when calibrating the brakes. (These values for left and right brakes are set as "reverse" in FS2004 default assignments.) Just a thought!

PeterH

[Pete Dowson]

I may be wrong on this but you get the behaviour described by cfelix if you don't tick the "reverse" box in FSUIPC when calibrating the brakes. (These values for left and right brakes are set as "reverse" in FS2004 default assignments.) Just a thought!

Thanks. Obviously FSUIPC cannot guess whether the inputs it is seeing are reversed or not. You always need to set the Maximum higher than the Minimum. Then it will smoothly spread the needed range between. If the pedals work in reverse, that is give max braking with feet off and zero braking with the toes pushed firmly down, then they are reversed and need the "REV" option checked, BEFORE calibrating.

However, the gentlemen here seem to be saying their input values were normally zero with feet off, going negative when pressure in "brake-off" direction (not sure how they accomplish that, mind). This does seem to imply that they are not reversed.

Maybe they aren't explaining themselves well enough. Even so, it certainly seems to be a gross misunderstanding as to what FSUIPC does.

All of the test joysticks I have here give ranges from values like -16k to +16k, so if I calibrate one of those for brakes I have the minimum brake input set at something like -16000 or less, and the max at +16000 or more. If I reverse them, it still seems right if I turn the joysticks around so the back faces methat really should be flexible enough! ;-)

Regards,

Pete

[cfelix]

Thanks for you help. I re-tried the calibration on both toe brakes settting the low value to approx. 300 (slight brake pressure) and the high to 14500 (just short of full on). The reverse setup seems to be correct. But I still have the problem of the Diff. Brake message coming on momentarily when I take my feet off the base of the pedals. I also tried various null and sensitivity setting with no luck. I'm thinking that I may be having a hardware problem with the equipment or my recent instal of the FSX demo is causing a problem. I'll keep trying.

Charlie

[Pete Dowson]

But I still have the problem of the Diff. Brake message coming on momentarily when I take my feet off the base of the pedals.

It does sound like there may be some sort of spike occurring at one end of the potentiometer. Possibly a slight hardware adjustment will be necessary. I don't know. I've not heard of such a problem before. At least it isn't a flight-spoiling problem Maybe you could get some advice from Bob "Sticky" Church who's a CH joystick guru. Try http://www.ch-hangar.com.

Regards

Pete

[Bob Church]

Hi cfelix,

The toe brakes can be a bit of a mystery, but this is what seems to work for most that I've talked to (I'm assuming you're not using the Control Manager).

The toe brakes are the X and Y axes and so Windows assumes they're centered axes. When you calibrate the center position with your feet off the pedals, Windows makes the assumption then that released toe brakes are "centered", any backward pressure on the pedals causes the negative values you reported.

What I'd try is this. First, go through Windows calibration for the pedals and click the "Reset Defaults" button. That clears Windows calibration completely. It's not a problem since the toe brakes typically cover the whole 0..255 range that they're expected to and Windows just makes the assumption that center is 128, which is fine.

Next, go into the FS Control Assignments dialog, seems to me it's:

Options -> Controls -> Assignments

and find the Toe Brake axes. Make sure the "Reversed" boxes are checked. Then go to the Sensitivity and Null Zone dialog in FS, I think that one is:

Options -> Controls -> Sensitivity

and set the Null Zone slider fully to the left and the Sensitivity slider fully to the right. It's a good idea to check the "Reversed" boxes back in the Control Assignment dialg once you've done that, sometimes they'll get unchecked in the process of playing with the Sensitivities.

That seems to set the maximum Null Zone on the pedals (CH USB Pedals only), typically you have to move them maybe 30% of the way to the bottom before the "BRAKES" light comes on. Once they're working, you can move the Null Zone sliders to the right and bring the activation point back as close to the top as you like.

That only leaves you with the rudders themselves. Since they're the Z axis, Windows won't even try to center them. You should be able to calibrate them with the FSUIPC calibration and bring it into line though, and that should set things up for you.

Anyway, that's what I'd try first, see how it works out.

Best regards,

- Bob

The StickWorks

http://www.stickworks.com