FSUIPC, EPIC button scanning

[737SimGuy]

Hi Pete,

I am investigating the simplest way to trigger a FSUIPC button event from Epic USB *without using a traditional joystick interface with Game Controllers*. I am experimenting with offset 3340 also, but I have a question regarding how you get the switch data from Epic.

Does FSUIPC or EPICINFO.DLL get switch data from the Epic event queue (i.e. - Enque16(BtnOn,0x0100) etc) or do they require a joystick device to be recognized in Game Controllers, either HID or other?

Thanks,

James

[Pete Dowson]

I have a question regarding how you get the switch data from Epic.

Hi James,

Phew, you are stretching my memory nowthat stuff is many years old! ;-)

Does FSUIPC or EPICINFO.DLL get switch data from the Epic event queue (i.e. - Enque16(BtnOn,0x0100) etc) or do they require a joystick device to be recognized in Game Controllers, either HID or other?

FSUIPC3 still includes code for reading buttons direct from the EPIC.VXD I wrote in the FS95 days. Unless you are still using WinMe or earlier then that's not active.

Oddly FSUIPC4 still has that code in... even though FSX only runs in WinXP SP2 or later, which cannot support EPIC.VXD! Thanks for reminding me... that's one chunk of code that can come out! ;-)

WideClient has the same code, still relevant for FSX because folks can be using old Win98 PCs as clients.

ButEPICINFO? It doesn't actually contain any button reading code of its own now -- hasn't for a long time. It is dependent upon FSUIPC, calling a routine there to get button states (and they don't have to be from EPIC). Long, long ago, when EPICINFO was independent of FSUIPC it used to read them from the VXD.

Of course, as far as AXES are concerned, EPICINFO provides the option to read stuff via the VXD or R&R driver (EPICIO.DLL), or only through Windows (HID), or even both. This part of the doc is relevant:

If you are using the more recent EPICentre and EPICIO.DLL to drive the EPIC card (whether ISA or USB connected) you can choose whether EPICINFO reads “soft” or “virtual” joystick axes and POV data values via the Windows joystick API, or by reading “Enque16” events through EPICIO.DLL, or both. Which one you choose will depend on how you’ve coded your EPL and what options you are using there.

AxisReads=Joy to read values through Windows

AxisReads=Enques to read values through EPICIO.DLL

AxisReads=Both to read both (last change wins!)

Does this help?

Regards

Pete

[737SimGuy]

Hi Pete,

Phew, you are stretching my memory nowthat stuff is many years old!

Yes, I guess we go back a long way ;-) And some of us still use it!

I am indeed using AxisReads=Enques in EpicInfo to read axis values through EPICIO.DLL, and I guess I was hoping the Epic switch events were captured also. Apparently not :-(

Ok, I will continue the offset 3340 route.

On another topic, I'm sorry I have not had a chance to test the new Epicinfo4, as I do not use FSX yet. But hopefully in the future...

Thanks Pete!

James