FSUIPC 4.07 and Simkits bug ??

[awhitlock]

Hi,

I have a twin piston engine sim built with Simkits instruments and interface electronics. It has been working fine with WinXP,FS9 and FSUIPC 3.x.

I just upgraded to Vista, FSX and FSUIPC 4.07 and whilst all the instruments work fine and some of the switches, I now have a strange problem with magneto switches and starter switch. Whenever the mag switches are set on, or the starter activated, the mixture control associated with that engine moves immediately to idle cut off (in FS of course , not my hardware lever), and cannot be put full rich until the mag switches are turned off. This happens with either engine.

If I look at FS panel then I can see the correct swithes moving with my hardware mag switches and starter,so they are programmed correctly, and I can see the mixture immediately move to idle cut off if any of the hardware switches are turned on.

If I start FS with aircraft engine set started, it immediately dies if my hardware mag switches are turned on.

The other switches like battery master, altenator etc seem to work normally and fine.

I can see no reason for there to be a link between mag switches/starter and mixture so I am really puzzled.

I went back to my FS9 software and everything still works fine with exactly the same hardware, so its not an obvious hardware problem.

I contacted Simkits who suggested that as everything works fine in FS9/FSUIPC 3.x it sounds like a problem with FSUIPC 4.07 or maybe FSX.

Do any of you experts, (or Peter when you are back) have any ideas if it is possible this is a bug in FSUIPC 4.07/FSX somehow ??

Thanks for any help

Alan

Using Simkits CCU2 controller

Multicontroller

6 port USB controller

[awhitlock]

Well, I've been looking again at this problem and using FSInterrogate I can see that it is associated with the engine starter control.

With Simkits MCU software closed everything works as one would expect, i.e. using on screen starter, starts the engine normally.

With Simkits MCU running, AND the starter switch programmed as one of its controls, then using either the on screen starter or the mechanical switch button causes the engine to turn over but at the same time the mixture moves to idle cutoff even though physical mixture lever has not been touched.

If I look in FSInterrogate , I can see that address (mixture position engine one) 3AF0 has value of .99 with mechanical mixture lever rich, and .003 with mechanical mixture lever at idle cutoff. So this is working normally. With the mixture set rich and mags on "both", if I now press either the starter button physically or the on screen one, then engine turns over and mixture on screen moves to idle cutoff. Using FSInterrogate, address 3AF0 now has had a value of zero (which is mixture idle cutoff) forced in it from somewhere, just by operating the starter.

If anyone has any ideas on where I can look next to find where this value is coming from I would appreciate some help as I am not an expert in troubleshooting this interface or using FSInterrogate.

As this only happens with Simkits MCU connected, running and with starter programmed I'm swinging back to it being a Simkits issue, but as previously mentioned this same set up works fine with FS9 and FSUIPC3.7 so hard to understand what has changed.

regards

Alan

[awhitlock]

Have been looking at FSUIPC addresses 0890 (mixture lever), 0892 (starter switch), 0894 (Eng 1 combustion flag).

From looking at these whilst trying to start the engine and the mixture going to idle cut off, I can see that it is not the actual pushing of starter switch causing the mixture to go to idle cut off, it looks like it is the combustion flag or similar that causes the mixture to idle cut off. I can see a definite delay after pushing starter before both the combustion flag and mixture position number change simultaneously.

As a matter of curiosity address 0894 is listed twice in the FSUIPC variables list; the second entry calls it "Eng 1 throttle,switchable input". No useage description is given so I don't know if this is a mistake or if it is significant in my problem.

Hope someone, or Peter Dowson on his return may be able to shed some light. It's driving me crazy !

Just rechecked and the sim still works fine with FS9 and FSUIPC 3.7 so it must be something in this later release causing the problem.

regards

Alan

[Pete Dowson]

As a matter of curiosity address 0894 is listed twice in the FSUIPC variables list; the second entry calls it "Eng 1 throttle,switchable input". No useage description is given so I don't know if this is a mistake or if it is significant in my problem.

Where are you reading that second use of 0894? The documewntation shows only one use, -- the switchable throttle input is at 089A and has an extensive description.

Just rechecked and the sim still works fine with FS9 and FSUIPC 3.7 so it must be something in this later release causing the problem.

Can you turn on FSUIPC's IPC write logging (see Logging tab), and also set up the Monitor (Logging page, write hand side) to monitor to the normal Log offsets 0890, 0892 and 0894, all as S16 types, and do your test again, please, then show me the Log.

Regards

Pete

[awhitlock]

Hi Peter,

welcome back, hope you had a good holiday. Thank you for your prompt response to my difficulty.

I was using a program called FSInterrogate v2.01 build 0051 to look at what was going on in FSX. It was in the list of offsets in this program that I noticed the duplicate so maybe it is an error in this interrogate program.

Here are the logs you requested, the first is with a Baron started and just pressing the starter button. (yes I know you wouldn't do this on a real aircraft !!). You can see the mixture offset go to 0.

********* FSUIPC4, Version 4.070 by Pete Dowson *********

User Name="Alan Whitlock"

User Addr="awhitlock@hotmail.com"

nterestingly, the efFSUIPC Key is provided

WIDEFS not user registered, or expired

Running inside FSX

Module base=61000000

LogOptions=00000001

DebugStatus=15

125 System time = 11:17:15

125 FLT UNC path = "C:\Users\Alan\Documents\Flight Simulator X Files\"

125 FS UNC path = "E:\FSX\"

1843 SimConnect_Open succeeded: proceeding to initialise interface!

6984 Running in "Microsoft Flight Simulator X", Version: 10.0.60905.0 (SimConnect: 2.0.60905.0)

7750 Monitor IPC:0890 (S16) = 0

7750 Monitor IPC:0892 (S16) = 0

7750 Monitor IPC:0894 (S16) = 0

74078 SimStart Event: Initialising SimConnect data requests

74078 FSUIPC Menu entry added

74250 C:\Users\Alan\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\FSX\Previous flight.FLT

74250 E:\FSX\SimObjects\Airplanes\beech_baron_58\Beech_Baron_58.AIR

74343 Monitor IPC:0890 (S16) = 16320

74343 Monitor IPC:0892 (S16) = 3

74343 Monitor IPC:0894 (S16) = 1

74343 System time = 11:18:29, FSX time = 11:17:22 (11:17Z)

74562 Aircraft="Beech Baron 58 Paint1"

75171 Advanced Weather Interface Enabled

143406 Monitor IPC:0892 (S16) = 4

143515 Monitor IPC:0890 (S16) = 0

143515 Monitor IPC:0894 (S16) = 0

144953 Monitor IPC:0892 (S16) = 0

145062 Monitor IPC:0892 (S16) = 4

145109 Monitor IPC:0892 (S16) = 0

179062 System time = 11:20:14, FSX time = 11:18:38 (11:18Z)

179062 *** FSUIPC log file being closed

Memory managed: 50 Allocs, 50 Freed

********* FSUIPC Log file closed ***********

This second log file is with the aircraft engines stopped and mixture rich, then trying to start it.

********* FSUIPC4, Version 4.070 by Pete Dowson *********

User Name="Alan Whitlock"

User Addr="awhitlock@hotmail.com"

FSUIPC Key is provided

WIDEFS not user registered, or expired

Running inside FSX

Module base=61000000

LogOptions=00000001

DebugStatus=15

110 System time = 11:40:25

110 FLT UNC path = "C:\Users\Alan\Documents\Flight Simulator X Files\"

110 FS UNC path = "E:\FSX\"

1828 SimConnect_Open succeeded: proceeding to initialise interface!

7391 Running in "Microsoft Flight Simulator X", Version: 10.0.60905.0 (SimConnect: 2.0.60905.0)

8172 Monitor IPC:0890 (S16) = 0

8172 Monitor IPC:0892 (S16) = 0

8172 Monitor IPC:0894 (S16) = 0

21485 SimStart Event: Initialising SimConnect data requests

21485 FSUIPC Menu entry added

21641 C:\Users\Alan\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\FSX\Previous flight.FLT

21641 E:\FSX\SimObjects\Airplanes\beech_baron_58\Beech_Baron_58.AIR

21735 Monitor IPC:0890 (S16) = 16319

21735 Monitor IPC:0894 (S16) = 1

77907 System time = 11:41:43, FSX time = 11:24:29 (11:24Z)

78094 Aircraft="Beech Baron 58 Paint1"

83610 Monitor IPC:0894 (S16) = 0

84063 Advanced Weather Interface Enabled

122516 Monitor IPC:0892 (S16) = 1

123703 Monitor IPC:0892 (S16) = 2

124657 Monitor IPC:0892 (S16) = 3

135610 Monitor IPC:0892 (S16) = 4

137172 Monitor IPC:0894 (S16) = 1

137250 Monitor IPC:0890 (S16) = 0

137250 Monitor IPC:0894 (S16) = 0

137703 Monitor IPC:0892 (S16) = 0

137844 Monitor IPC:0892 (S16) = 4

137907 Monitor IPC:0892 (S16) = 0

154563 Monitor IPC:0890 (S16) = 379

154719 Monitor IPC:0890 (S16) = 1894

154782 Monitor IPC:0890 (S16) = 8108

154844 Monitor IPC:0890 (S16) = 11594

154891 Monitor IPC:0890 (S16) = 15989

154953 Monitor IPC:0890 (S16) = 16384

159610 Monitor IPC:0892 (S16) = 1

160453 Monitor IPC:0892 (S16) = 2

161485 Monitor IPC:0892 (S16) = 3

165860 Monitor IPC:0892 (S16) = 4

167422 Monitor IPC:0894 (S16) = 1

167469 Monitor IPC:0890 (S16) = 0

167469 Monitor IPC:0894 (S16) = 0

168922 Monitor IPC:0892 (S16) = 0

169032 Monitor IPC:0892 (S16) = 4

169078 Monitor IPC:0892 (S16) = 0

181703 System time = 11:43:27, FSX time = 11:25:46 (11:25Z)

181703 *** FSUIPC log file being closed

Memory managed: 58 Allocs, 58 Freed

********* FSUIPC Log file closed ***********

Hope this might throw some light as to what is going on, as I say, if I just change my hard drive back to XP/FS9/FSUIPC3.72, everything works perfectly as it should with no changes to sim hardware or software.

regards

Alan

[Pete Dowson]

I was using a program called FSInterrogate v2.01 build 0051 to look at what was going on in FSX. It was in the list of offsets in this program that I noticed the duplicate so maybe it is an error in this interrogate program.

Sounds like a typo in the data file (FSUIPC.FSI). I'll edit it here if so.

Here are the logs you requested,

...

Hope this might throw some light as to what is going on

Unfortunately, whilst you did enable the monitoring for the values, so we can see the RESULTS of whatever is going on, I needed IPC Write logging enabled as well, as I mentioned, so that I can see the inputs from the SimKit driver and how those relate to those changes.

You will find the IPC write checkbox on the left-hand part of the Logging tab.

Thanks,

Pete

[awhitlock]

Hi Peter,sorry about mix up, I'm not so familiar with the clever bits of FSUIPC.

Anyway have enabled read, write and button options in logging, so hope this gives you something sensible. I only did one log where engines were running at start and I pressed the starter after a few seconds which caused mixture to lean and engine to stop. If you need more or different, let me know.

I've sent it as file attachment this time as its pretty long

Thanks for your help

Alan

[awhitlock]

Peter, I thought I added log file as attachment to last post, but I don't see it.

Did you get it OK ?? or am I being stupid and not attaching it.

regards

Alan

FSUIPC4.zip

[Pete Dowson]

Anyway have enabled read, write and button options in logging, so hope this gives you something sensible.

Aha! The SimKits driver is writing 4 bytes to 0892, trying to operate the Starter. The starter is only 2 bytes, so the other two bytes (which are zero) write to 0894, which is the combustion flag.

Evidently FS2004 ignored writing to this flag -- it was only an indicator, not a control.

SimConnect, however, seems to allow engines to be stopped (at least) by setting the combustion to 0. This might be to simulate engine failure or flame out. I don't know. Whether they can be started by writing 1 here I don't know, but I might experiment with that.

But it seems that it is an error in the SimKit driver. They should never write values using the wrong size.

Will you contact them and get it put right?

Pete

[awhitlock]

Wow, what quick service, I'm impressed.

Thanks Peter, I will contact Simkits right now and inform them of your findings.

Thanks

Alan