How To Invoke the FS Controls (eg TOGGLE_WATER_RUDDER)

[BAW019]

Hi Peter,

Realise this is quite a basic question but how do I invoke the FS Controls like TOGGLE_WATER_RUDDER (66482)?

I understand the offsets and have successfully built a hardware interface that maps switches to various offsets such as the autobrake (&H2F80) and I've knocked up a little EICAS form in VB that displays lots of graphical info (as you'd expect!) from the offsets listed in the FSUIPC4 Offset Status.PDF doc.

Some of the offsets don't appear to work (eg Water Rudder Handle Pos at &H2A88) and I'd like to invoke the relevant TOGGLE_ control from the List Of FS2004 Controls Word Doc. Is this possble with FSUIPC4 and is it as straight forward as programming the offsets?

For info, I've tried monitoring this offset with FSInterrogate and although the value does indeed get changed by my hardware mapper the change isn't 'obeyed' by FSX and nothing appears to happen. Just to confuse matters the offset for this handle is listed as &H2A9E in FSInterrogate so I've been testing with both addresses.

All the best

Ian

ps I noticed in one of your other posts that you have your own cockpit - was that you in the 'Kings Of Sim' documentary I saw a few years back?

[Pete Dowson]

Realise this is quite a basic question but how do I invoke the FS Controls like TOGGLE_WATER_RUDDER (66482)?

First, you look in FS's Options-Controls-Assignments, and see if what you want is there. If it is, assign it there. If not, then it MAY be assignable in a Registered copy of FSUIPC, but if it isn't listed by FS it may well be because it doesn't actually work. All FSUIPC does is list all of the controls tabulated in FS's "CONTROLS.DLL".

I understand the offsets and have successfully built a hardware interface that maps switches to various offsets such as the autobrake (&H2F80) and I've knocked up a little EICAS form in VB that displays lots of graphical info (as you'd expect!) from the offsets listed in the FSUIPC4 Offset Status.PDF doc.

Ah, you mean from a program, not from the keyboard or joystick buttons? You should have said.

Some of the offsets don't appear to work (eg Water Rudder Handle Pos at &H2A88)

I think that's just a read-out -- the water rudder stuff was a late addition to the FS2004 offsets following a specific request. No one asked for it to be controlled via the offsets too, though I think I have implemented this for FSX (untested as yet).

... I'd like to invoke the relevant TOGGLE_ control from the List Of FS2004 Controls Word Doc. Is this possble with FSUIPC4 and is it as straight forward as programming the offsets?

FSUIPC4? Not with FS2004 -- FSUIPC4 is for FSX. But either way, of course, all controls can be sent via offset 3110. That's been availble for nigh on 7 years.

For info, I've tried monitoring this offset with FSInterrogate and although the value does indeed get changed by my hardware mapper the change isn't 'obeyed' by FSX and nothing appears to happen.

Hold on. You are now talking about FSX, whereas above you are referring to FS2004? Why on earth use the list of FS2004 controls for FSX when the list of FSX controls is installed in your FSX Modules folder?

Anyway, are you actually confirming that writing to 2A88 does not operate the Water Rudder? No one has returned any information about this water stuff yet, as indicated by the yellow-shading against these in the FSUIPC4 Offsets Status document.

Just checking, I think that, despite my current FSX document, that value should be a percentage not a BOOLEAN. However, judging from what was written for FS2004 is should be scaled so that 100% = 16384, or close. I don't think I'm doing that in FSX at present, so that needs fixing. Can you tell me what values you are seeing there, please?

Also, according to my notes it should be writeable, but probably at present you'd need to write 100 (for 100% to get it activated -- that will be 16383 or 16384 when i've fixed it. What did you try writing to it?

Just to confuse matters the offset for this handle is listed as &H2A9E in FSInterrogate so I've been testing with both addresses.

The definitive guide to offsets is the FSUIPC for Programmers document in the SDK, updated for FSX by the FSUIPC4 Offsets Status document. I'll check the FSUIPC.FSI file to see why there's a mistake there, but you need to always check the official documents, not some data file which everyone has had a go at.

[LATER]

Okay I see several errors in the issued FSI file. Even 2A50 is about a "folding wind", and the offsets for the left and right water rudder positions are omitted. Sorry. I'll fix that ready for the next SDK update (don't know when that will be though). But please please always use the official reference documents.

ps I noticed in one of your other posts that you have your own cockpit - was that you in the 'Kings Of Sim' documentary I saw a few years back?

It was a much younger me -- that film was made about 5 or more years ago. It was really rather off-base. The guy only wanted to know about my EPIC software -- by then I'd stopped developing it and wasn't using it. He was not all that interested in what I was doing then.

My cockpit is the PFC 737NG (see http://www.flypfc.com), here now for nearly two years but under frequent enhancement and modification. I haven't built my own. I'm okay at programming and even electrical wiring with a bit of electronics, but anything I actually build looks awful. :-)

Regards

Pete

[BAW019]

Hi Peter, thanks for the reply. That was what I needed - the 3110 offset. I wasn't aware of it - but I've only been dabbling with FSUIPC programming for a little while so I don't feel too guilty :roll:

I've tried a few different values from -13383 to -100 to 100 to 13383 but can't write to the Water Rudder offset at all. Also having similar troubles with the Fuel Valve offsets 3950/4/8/C so if anyone else has a bored moment perhaps they could have a go?

Thanks again for the help!

Ian

[Pete Dowson]

I've tried a few different values from -13383 to -100 to 100 to 13383 but can't write to the Water Rudder offset at all.

Well, the values get written to FSX, but the current version probably converts them incorrectly. I'll take a look. As the error in the documentation indicates I falsely assumed it would be a BOOLEAN, not an extension amount. I've changed that here for the next version.

In my original tests FSX doesn't raise an exception when this is written to, so really it should do something. Maybe it is really fussy about the values -- the FS2004 notes have quite odd values.

Also having similar troubles with the Fuel Valve offsets 3950/4/8/C so if anyone else has a bored moment perhaps they could have a go?

Last time I tested those directly, writing gave SimConnect exceptions. FSUIPC4 should detect that then, thereafter, send TOGGLE_FUEL_VALVE_ENGn controls on your behalf (assuming the value you write is different from the value FSUIPC last read). Please use the Event logging to see if they are being sent. If they are and they don't do anything at all, that's another matter of course.

Regards

Pete

[Pete Dowson]

I've tried a few different values from -13383 to -100 to 100 to 13383 but can't write to the Water Rudder offset at all.

Okay, I've fixed this in the next interim release, probably 4.084 tomorrow, in the FSX downloads above. The values are 0 for 0% and 16384 for 100%. It doesn't look like it has any other settable positions, like the Gear. The problem in the current version was in the scaling internally in FSUIPC4.

Oddly it defaults to -16383 for aircraft like the 737-800 (-0.99% before scaling). Guess that's the same as "ain't got one, guv!" ;-)

Also having similar troubles with the Fuel Valve offsets 3950/4/8/C so if anyone else has a bored moment perhaps they could have a go?

Good catch, that. However, you mean 3590/4/8/C not 3950/4/8/C which are assorted Engine 4 data.

For 3590-C a typo in my code caused the section dealing with these (via FS controls) to be skipped! Fixed in 4.084.

I need feedback like this to get everything fully working -- it's an almost impossible job testing every possible offset for read and write. I don't even know what they are all supposed to do myself even! ;-)

Regards

Pete

[BAW019]

Thanks again Pete. If I bump into any other 'funnies' with untested offsets I'll let you know.

All the best!

Ian