ELITE Throttle Quadrant and FSUIPC

[Arts]

Hi,

ELITE driver cant interact with FSUIPC

http://forums.simflight.com/viewtopic.p245#145245

Long time ago this Problem was Discussed.

ELITE released a new Driver Version but the Problem still exist...

I have a huge Problem in this area. im not able to use my expensive Throttle Quadrant and the ELITE Support just tells me to reinstall and to try with a clean new installd FS9 -LOL-

If i can use it it is concidence.....

Is there a Workaround?

Thomas

[Pete Dowson]

ELITE driver cant interact with FSUIPC

Seems they have a bug then? Unless you are trying to use it without paying for and registering FSUIPC? I think that is needed.

Elite have never contacted me, never asked to use my program nor requested any support. I'm afraid they need to sort their own problems out.

Regards

Pete

[Arts]

Hello,

Yes, i have a registred copy.....

ELITE released a driver update, but the problem isnt solved.

With the old Version a Error Window poped up... with the new Version they moved the Msg into the FS9 --> ELITE Menu... Waiting for FSUIPC.... when u click on this, the old Errormsg windows pops up

Greetings

Thomas

[Pete Dowson]

Yes, i have a registred copy.....

ELITE released a driver update, but the problem isnt solved.

With the old Version a Error Window poped up... with the new Version they moved the Msg into the FS9 --> ELITE Menu... Waiting for FSUIPC.... when u click on this, the old Errormsg windows pops up

Is their driver an external EXE program you execute manually, or a DLL inserted into the Modules folder?

I have no idea what they are doing, but if you want me to look at it from the FSUIPC side please do this:

1. Make sure nothing else is using FSUIPC -- i.e. no other external programs, no add-in DLLs other than FSUIPC, and only default aircraft. If you don't do this the information I need to look at gets completely muddied.

2. Edit the FSUIPC.INI file and add two lines to the [General] section: "LogReads=Yes" and "LogWrites=Yes".

3. Run Fs till you know the Elite driver has failed, noting down what you are doing step by step.

4. Close FS, find and Zip up the FSUIPC.LOG file and send it to me with your description of what you did and what happened. Send to petedowson@btconnect.com.

I don't guarantee to be able to help, especially if it turns out to be something entirely unrelated to its dealings with FSUIPC.

Regards,

Pete

[Arts]

Hi Pete,

Thank you to look on it.

Sent you the requestet Information right now

Greetings

Thomas

[Pete Dowson]

Sent you the requestet Information right now

Thanks.

Two things only to note from what you sent.

Following the link in your first post in this thread, I found one message from someone in Elite, who said

The current version is: v1.0.11c (10/31/2003) available for download here (no installer): http://www.flyelite.com/flightsim/downlLITEFS.zip

What version is your EliteFS.dll? (right click on it and check Properties-Version). The date on it in the listing you sent says "25.09.2006" but I can hardly believe they have updated it so recently.

Second, in the FSUIPC Log these are the only parts relevant to the Elite driver:

42531 Client Application: "fs9" (Id=1836)

42531 C:\Programme\Microsoft Games\Flight Simulator 9\fs9.exe

42531 Product="Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 - A Century of Flight"

42531 Company="Microsoft Corporation"

42531 READ0 [P1836] 3304, 4 bytes: 00 00 00 37

42531 READ0 [P1836] 3308, 4 bytes: 07 00 DE FA

42531 WRITE0 [P1836] (failed, read-only!) 330A, 2 bytes: EC 03

Now the first 4 lines above show that the driver is written using the EXTERNAL application interface to FSUIPC, i.e. as if it is an EXE program. This is pretty bad. The tools for accessing FSUIPC efficiently from a DLL or Gauge have been provided in the FSUIPC SDK now for over six years. It is why FSUIPC identifies the client application as FS9 itself -- that's the EXE in which the DLL is running!

The other three lines are standard -- they are part of the FSUIPC_Open and are fine. It shows that the Elite DLL did issue an FSUIPC_Open call.

But that's itit NEVER then tries to access FSUIPC at all.

The main likely reason for this is that those three lines identify the version of FS as being FS2004. It seems likely to me that the Elite driver you are using actually checks the version of FS it is being used with and doesn't like FS2004. Perhaps it was intended to operate with FS2002 or FS2000 only.

There is a "fiddle" available in FSUIPC to tell lies to programs and say that it is FS2002. You can try that, to see if will get any further:

MakeItVersionFS2002=Yes

This goes into the [General] section of the FSUIPC.INI. Note that is may make other add-ons not work, or at least not work the way they are supposed to on FS2004.

Really you ought to report all this to Elite and get it sorted!

In a second email you asked about the sequence above occurring twice -- this will simply be a timed retry by the Elite driver I should think.

I really cannot do anything more. Even if the fiddle I mention does work, if you ever want to upgrade to FSX you will certainly need to get Elite to sort this problem out -- there's is really no way I can allow FSUIPC4 to lie to its clients about FSX being FS2002. It is simply not on.

Let us know how you get on.

Regards

Pete

[Arts]

Hi Pete,

thanks a lot, but still doesnt work.

The date u mensioned... the driver is from here:

http://www.flyelite.ch/Flightsim/downloads.html

Im in contact with ELITE but the just tell me that it has to do with my installation, that the Hardware isnt conectet well, that i should reinstall my FS2004. But i think this will not fix my Problem.....

I keep u tuned

Greetings

Thomas

[Arts]

Hi again,

Ok, The driver i've installed is from 25.9. ELITE confirmed this to me....

But its incredible what they say.

I told them that even with this driver it wont work and about the asumptions... and they told me that they have nothing to deal with you. And that the Problem is my Installation.

Here the ELITE FS Hstory

***********

ELITEFS.DLL

***********

Version history:

v1.0.13.2 (08/03/2006):

Minor changes made for new ELITE AP4000 USB modules.

Needs EliteFSUSB.DLL v1.1P3 or higher for ELITE USB devices.

v1.0.13.1 (07/28/2006):

Minor optimizations.

v1.0.13 (06/18/2006):

Fixes another problem with detection of FSUIPC.

v1.0.12 (11/30/2004):

FSUIPC detection bug fixed, timing extended to 30 seconds.

v1.0.11c (10/31/2003):

Multi Software selection available (USB, Serial, FS2002 or FS2004)

v1.0.11b (10/30/2003):

Now the installer detects old versions of ELITE FS.

Corrected registry locator bug.

Greetings

Thomas

[Pete Dowson]

Ok, The driver i've installed is from 25.9. ELITE confirmed this to me....

But its incredible what they say.

I told them that even with this driver it wont work and about the asumptions... and they told me that they have nothing to deal with you. And that the Problem is my Installation.

Oh, I am sorry, then. I really don't know what to advise. This company doesn't seem very sympathetic, does it? I suppose it is too late to demand your money back for the hardware?

Did you buy it directly or from a dealer? In the UK it is the retailer who is responsible to you for the "fitness for purpose" of the product, but I suppose if you have been using it well for a period and now it doesn't work it comes under chargeable repairs as far as they are concerned.

Regards

Pete

[Arts]

HI,

This is my next step, money back, i know this will be a problem since im using the Quadrant 3 years :)

But will see.

i thank you a lot for youre time. May i ask u a last question. I would like to try with a old FSUIPC Version. a Version befor the Problem Occured...

3.1 or older

can you provide me a older version?

tnx

thomas

[Pete Dowson]

i thank you a lot for youre time. May i ask u a last question. I would like to try with a old FSUIPC Version. a Version befor the Problem Occured...

3.1 or older

I'm sorry, I keep archives for a year, but that's about three years ago!

Anyway, I can't see how that could make any difference. As the Log shows, it doesn't even try to talk to FSUIPC except for the Open. If it is related to FSUIPC it will be something wrong with its checking of what the open returns.

We've already tried changing the FS version number. Maybe it also checks the FSUIPC version number, and doesn't like later versions?

The best I could do is to look to see if that is what it does, and try patching it for you. Zip up the DLL and send it be email.

Regards

Pete

[Pete Dowson]

The best I could do is to look to see if that is what it does, and try patching it for you. Zip up the DLL and send it be email.

I looked at the EliteFS DLL (which is the only bit relating to FSUIPC), and traced its FSUIPC actions right through. It is not, in any way, a problem related to it and FSUIPC. It gets through all of its FSUIPC checks and sets an internal flag to say it has done so.

It must be falling over interfacing to your hardware somehow. Sorry, I cannot do any more. Maybe your USB subsystem is wrong. Are you using WinXP? Are you connecting it through a USB hub or direct to the PC's own USB ports. If not, do that. Also go into the System control panel facility, Device manager, and make sure you have power management switched off for that USB device.

Apart from trying things like that, I'm sorry, but it starts to sound like hardware.

Regards

Pete

[Arts]

Hi Pete,

Lot of thanks for your help,

ELITE says it has nothing to do with theyr driver, it has to do with Services/Firewall or something...

I figured out what the Problem is.....

If i start my FS in Windowmode it works fine.... i have to end and start in Windowmode.... after the start i can change to Fullscreenmode and it works fine... befor i close FS i have to change to Windowmode again (like this FS will startup in Windowmode next start)

My conclusion.... it ist somehow a Driverproblem (ELITEFS)

OK, i can live with this solution.. but it isnt as it should work :)

Greetings

Thomas

[Pete Dowson]

I figured out what the Problem is.....

If i start my FS in Windowmode it works fine.... i have to end and start in Windowmode.... after the start i can change to Fullscreenmode and it works fine... befor i close FS i have to change to Windowmode again (like this FS will startup in Windowmode next start)

That is really weird.

My conclusion.... it ist somehow a Driverproblem (ELITEFS)

OK, i can live with this solution.. but it isnt as it should work :)

Well, I'm glad you have a work-around, but I wonder what on Earth it could be? I don't even know how to detect which mode FS is in! Unless they come up with a Window you have to respond to, and that is hidden in full screen modecould that be it? I get one when I try the driver, but then I've got no Elite equipment, so it is bound not to like it.

Regards

Pete