Throttle and parking brake problem since 4.026 in FSX

[Tony Goswell]

Pete,

I have a registered version of FSUIPC4/wideFS and I'm having problems with the throttle and parking brake since version 4.026. I have a flight Yoke and pedals with toe brakes connected via USB with a single throttle control, mapped in FSUIPC to 4 engines and reverser on my 747 (In fact I use the same configuration on FS9 as well).

My FSX startup puts me at the end of the runway, parking brake set on and engines running.

This has worked fine until Version 4.026 (4.023 is OK). Now when I start FSX the parking brake is off, differential brakes are applied and the engines are at 2/3 power and the plane starts pulling to the right. I have changed nothing between FSUIPC builds.

If I reinstall 4.023 all is ok again. I've tried removing the stick_sensitivity_mode entry and recalibrating and also tried 4.03 but with no luck. Could you please help me out on this I'm at a loss as to the cause.

My configuration file is as follows please note, I have the stick_sensitivity_mode=0 also set in FSX.cfg

[General]

History=E9GR4SEZEMKV06QE8ZTEN

TCASid=Flight

TCASrange=40

AxisCalibration=No

DirectAxesToCalibs=No

ShowMultilineWindow=Yes

SuppressSingleline=No

SuppressMultilineFS=No

GraduatedVisibility=No

LowerVisAltitude=0

UpperVisAltitude=25000

UpperVisibility=10000

MinimumVisibility=0

MaximumVisibilityFewClouds=0

MaximumVisibility=0

MaximumVisibilityOvercast=0

MaximumVisibilityRainy=0

SetVisUpperAlt=No

VisUpperAltLimit=0

ExtendMetarMaxVis=No

OneCloudLayer=No

ThinClouds=No

ThinThunderClouds=No

CloudThinness=1000

ThunderCloudThinness=10000

CloudTurbulence=No

CloudIcing=No

GenerateCirrus=No

SuppressCloudTurbulence=No

MaxIce=-4

MinIce=-4

ExtendTopWind=No

UpperWindGusts=No

SuppressWindTurbulence=No

WindTurbulence=No

SuppressAllGusts=No

MaxSurfaceWind=0

WindLimitLevel=200

WindDiscardLevel=400

WindAjustAltitude=No

WindAjustAltitudeBy=2000

DisconnTrimForAP=No

ZeroElevForAPAlt=No

ThrottleSyncAll=No

WhiteMessages=No

ShowPMcontrols=No

MagicBattery=No

RudderSpikeRemoval=Yes

ElevatorSpikeRemoval=Yes

AileronSpikeRemoval=Yes

ReversedElevatorTrim=No

ClockSync=Yes

ClockSyncMins=5

ClearWeatherDynamics=No

FixWindows=No

OwnWeatherChanges=No

TimeForSelect=4

LoadFlightMenu=No

LoadPlanMenu=No

PauseAfterCrash=No

ShortAircraftNameOk=No

WeatherReadFactor=2

AdvDisplayHotKey=65,11

WeatherReadSeconds=1

[WideServer]

ProtocalPreferred=UDP

WideFSenabled=Yes

AdvertiseService=No

Port=8002

Port2=9002

[ClientNames]

1=PHOENIX

[GPSout]

Port=

Speed=4800

Interval=1000

PosTo6Decimal=Yes

Sentences=

GPSoutEnabled=No

[AutoSave]

AutoSaveEnabled=No

[JoystickCalibration]

FlapsSetControl=0

ReverserControl=66292

MaxThrottleForReverser=0

AileronTrimControl=0

RudderTrimControl=0

CowlFlaps1Control=0

CowlFlaps2Control=0

CowlFlaps3Control=0

CowlFlaps4Control=0

Aileron=-5150,0,0,5150

Elevator=-5150,0,0,5150

Rudder=-5150,0,0,5150

LeftBrake=-5150,5150

RightBrake=-5150,5150

ExclThrottleSet=No

SepRevsJetsOnly=Yes

Reverser1Control=66422

Reverser2Control=66425

Reverser3Control=66428

Reverser4Control=66431

MapThrottle=Yes

Throttle1=-5150,0,0,5150

ApplyHeloTrim=No

FlapDetents=No

MaxSteerSpeed=60

thanks

Tony

[Pete Dowson]

I'm having problems with the throttle and parking brake since version 4.026. I have a flight Yoke and pedals with toe brakes connected via USB with a single throttle control, mapped in FSUIPC to 4 engines and reverser on my 747 (In fact I use the same configuration on FS9 as well).

But according to the INI file settings, none of your controls are calibrated correctly in FSUIPC. Simply mapping them isn't any good, you need to go through the process of calibration! Follow the steps in the documentation.

Look at your "calibrations":

Aileron=-5150,0,0,5150

Elevator=-5150,0,0,5150

Rudder=-5150,0,0,5150

LeftBrake=-5150,5150

RightBrake=-5150,5150

Throttle1=-5150,0,0,5150

They are too uniform. There are no neutral centre zones for any of the three main flight controls, zones absolutely essential for ensuring a neutral hands-off setting, there are no end zones on the brakes to ensure the brakes are off till pressed, and no neutral centre "idle" zone on the throttle to ensure a proper idle.

The difference between 4.023 and 4.026 is that, due to an error, 4.023 didn't process any of the axes by default. When this was fixed in 4.026 your lack of any sort of sensible calibration in FSUIPC led to the results you are now experiencing.

Show me the INI file calibration section settings for your FS9 setup. It doesn't look like you copied them over.

I've tried removing the stick_sensitivity_mode entry and recalibrating and also tried 4.03 but with no luck.

There's no sign that you've calibrated anything in this file.

Could you please help me out on this I'm at a loss as to the cause.

As far as I can see, the problem is 100% down to a total lack of any real calibration in FSUIPC. Please try to do that properly first -- even copy the section across from your FS9 installation if they work properly. If you still have problems, come back, but currently there's no other explanation, and that INI file explains all your symptoms.

Regards

Pete

[Tony Goswell]

Pete,

Thanks for such a quick response on this, first let me confirm that calibration is not the issue here. I'm processing the axis through an extenal interface before hitting the PC which accounts for the clean ranges you are seeing and in any case the controls work fine (it is also my joystick config from my FS9 FSUPIC).

I did find a minor problem after recalibration again last night and that has cleared things as far as the differential brakes and pulling right, however the throttle and parking problem still remains.

Further investigations this morning has revealed a possible problem area. If I start FSX by choosing the startup saved flight using the load button on the Free Flight dialog all works fine. If I then run the same flight (which I also made default), by selecting Fly now, I have the problem. It seems to me that there could be a timing issue at work here. What do you think ?

thanks

Tony

[Pete Dowson]

Thanks for such a quick response on this, first let me confirm that calibration is not the issue here. I'm processing the axis through an extenal interface before hitting the PC which accounts for the clean ranges you are seeing

I'm sorry, then. I'm out of my depth. I do not really understand why you are using FSUIPC for joystick calibration if the calibration is effectively doing nothing (just stretching the values by the look of it -- something which should be done by Windows calibrations in any case, if you did it properly there). Just press the "Reset" buttons on each axis in FSUIPC and allow the values to go directly through.

If I start FSX by choosing the startup saved flight using the load button on the Free Flight dialog all works fine. If I then run the same flight (which I also made default), by selecting Fly now, I have the problem. It seems to me that there could be a timing issue at work here. What do you think ?

I am lost herethere's no "timing" issues in FSUIPC4 itself -- if it is asked to calibrate an axis it intercepts the value, modifies it and sends it on. Unless you engage the "filter" option (where timed samples are taken and computed values sent on), there is no timing coming into it. Or are you thinking of the build-up of delays reported by several folks, which appears to be related to the TCP/IP processing in SimConnect, the one I warn about in my Read-Me?

If it is this, then it sould be occurring whether or not you calibrate in FSUIPC -- so that would be a good test. If you still have problems with FSUIPC not calibrating, then, until we get a solution from Microsoft, I'm afraid the only thing you may be able to do is to tell FSUIPC to stop intercepting axes altogether (NoAxisIntercepts=Yes in the [General] section of FSUIPC4.INI). Unless, that is, you can manage to eliminate the cause of the delays, which must be down to some security or privacy hooks in the TCP/IP stack (probably still there even with software disabled).

Altenatively, could there be something wrong with the saved flight instead? Try renaming it before loading FSX, to stop it loading by default. Then make yourself a new one.

Oh, one other thing. Please use the Axis logging facilities (Logging options page, left-hand side) to see what values are being used, and when. Maybe there will be a clue there. You should be able to understand the Log well enough. If you also want to see the Events transmitted on to SimConnect, for comparison, then you will need to add these lines to the [General] section of FSUIPC4.INI before loading FSX:

Debug=Please

LogExtras=16

The number in "LogExtras" can be adjusted in the Logging options once "Debug=Please" is present.

Try to keep tests with such logging short, else you will be rather swamped with the amount of information. Concentrate on one axis at a time.

Regards

Pete