Setting up two control schemes.

[davidvoogd]

Hello Peter.

I want to try and set up two separate control schemes for my axis controls in FSUIPC. I need one set for the Majestic Simulations Dash 8 (which uses axis 3 for engine 1 and axis 4 for engine 2), and one for everything else (normal setup).

I have a CH Throttle Quadrant, and the Majestic Dash 8 doesn't work with the default setup. For it to work, you have to have Engine 1's controls assigned to engine 3's axis', and engine 2's to engine 4.

So I have to have FSUIPC assign my control axis and not flight simulator, as flight simulator control assignments will intefere with the dash 8 engines.

I want to tell FSUIPC that for all planes to use engine 1 axis for engine 1, and so on. I then want to tell it that just when the Dash 8 is loaded (aircraft specific), to use engine 1 axis for engine 3.

I tried setting this up before but everything went crazy and flight simulator and FSUIPC wouldn't respond to anything, even after a reinstall, so I'm a bit leary in trying this again.

Is there any chance you could help me out when you have some time?

[Pete Dowson]

I want to tell FSUIPC that for all planes to use engine 1 axis for engine 1, and so on. I then want to tell it that just when the Dash 8 is loaded (aircraft specific), to use engine 1 axis for engine 3.

Erand presumably axis 3 for engine 1 and axis 4 for engine 2? What about engine 4?

Why have they screwed up the axes for this aircraft? Why don't they control Engine N with the Engine N axis? Weird!

I tried setting this up before but everything went crazy and flight simulator and FSUIPC wouldn't respond to anything, even after a reinstall, so I'm a bit leary in trying this again.

Hmmm. I don't know what you did but it couldn't have been anything directly to do with axis assignment. Possibly the controls used by this odd aircraft implementation were looping -- maybe it was sending them back to itself and getting into a loop that way. I'm sorry, but there is no way I can tell from here -- it may be something you have to take up with the authors of the aircraft.

I don't know what you mean by "reinstallation", but nothing you do in FSUIPC goes further than the entries in the FSUIPC INI file, so you only ever have to delete that, or, better in this case, merely delete the Axes section for that aircraft.

Is there any chance you could help me out when you have some time?

Yes. Go to axis Assignment. Before you start assigning anything, make it aircraft specific (obviously with the correct aircraft loaded), and move each axis in turn and clear the existing assignments. If you are changing them all you don't want duplicates left just because you forgot.

Then assign as needed -- get each axis recognised and assigned as you want, in turn. Then go to the Joystick Calibrations, make that aircraft specific too, and calibrate them all.

Note that, in the axis assignment you can choose to have the controls sent direct to FSUIPC's calibration, or to FS -- your choice. But one way may be better than another depending upon how this strange aircraft implementation uses these controls. I cannot say which is best, though the direct assignment is generally more efficient (it cuts a couple of paths out).

Regards

Pete

[davidvoogd]

Thanks Peter,

It is certainly a very strange setup. I think the reason the developer does this is to get around some flightsim limitations, it is by far the most realistic turboprop setup you can get. It works very easily if you just have the CH Yoke with a single throttle for all engines, but it gets rather complicated as you can see if you have a throttle quadrant.

Just to clarify, to control engine 1 with a throttle quadrant, it will read the engine 3 axis. You can't have anythign set to engine 1 or it will interfere. To Control engine 2, it reads the engine 4 axis. This goes for throttle, prop and condition lever.

It seems I may, or may not have a virus on this system now though, so I want to get that sorted out first. I have a feeling I'm going to end up formatting both this computer and my laptop, as something wierd keeps happening on both even though virus scanners find nothing :S