Logging Data with FSUIPC (4)

[andreashitzig]

Dear Mr. Dowson,

as a part of a scientific study we are planning to simulate a remotely controlled UAV with MS Flightsimulator X while the UAV controller is located on board of a flying aircraft. Similar studies were done before by other institutes and their papers indicated, that they were able to 'record' data like flight level, heading, vertical velocity, speed, glide slope deviation with FSUIPC. We purchased a key for your software, installed it and it's working fine, except that we do not find how to log or record the data mentioned above.

Is there a way to do that with FSUIPC4 and FSX?

If yes: How?

If no: Does anyone know a way to record the mentioned data from a FSX flight into a ASCII or other file for use with Excel or statistics software?

Sincerely,

Andreas Hitzig

[Pete Dowson]

as a part of a scientific study we are planning to simulate a remotely controlled UAV with MS Flightsimulator X while the UAV controller is located on board of a flying aircraft.

What's a UAV?

Similar studies were done before by other institutes and their papers indicated, that they were able to 'record' data like flight level, heading, vertical velocity, speed, glide slope deviation with FSUIPC. We purchased a key for your software, installed it and it's working fine, except that we do not find how to log or record the data mentioned above.

All such information and a lot more is available through the programmable interface. FSUIPC is an interface, not a recording or logging utility. To do what you require may need a program asking for and receiving the information through that interface. This is all described in the SDK for FSUIPC, also provided at www.schiratti.com/dowson.

And no purchase is necessary for use of the interface -- the purchase gives you access to many user facilties for filtering the weather and configuring your joysticks and buttons, as described in the User Guide.

Is there a way to do that with FSUIPC4 and FSX?

Yes, of course. You either need to write a program to extract the data you need and log it appropriately, or see if there is one already available. However, I do not see the relationship between all this and some controller on board a flying aircraft. FSUIPC provides information from within FS, not from a real aircraft.

There may be programs already available which will record information from FSUIPC. Check out "FlightKeeper" for instance.

There is also the "GPSout" facility in FSUIPC4 (for which you do need the purchase, so maybe it is appropriate). This outputs a variety of NMEA 0183 and/or Aviation 400 specification data records and special formats, some of which may contain some of the things you need. For example the "RPY" output includes these in a CSV (comm separated value) format, suitable for Excel:

Bank, pitch, altitude, indicated air speed, vertical speed, localiser deviation, glideslope deviation and heading

which sounds much like what you are asking about. The GPSout option is designed to send its output via a Serial Port, for connection to a moving map program or whatever, but it could be to a program to capture the data to a file instead. You could use a pair of virtual serial ports (a free virtual port driver is available -- see the Downloads announcements above) to send the input to any program you can write or find which will accept input from a serial port.

Regards

Pete

[andreashitzig]

Hey Pete,

thank you for your fast reply, that was very helpful for me.

First, a UAV is a Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. We are going to simulate such an aircraft with the FSX and like to gather performance data on a give task (flying the simulated aircraft manually). We are awaiting that conflicting real life visual and vestibular motion cues will effect the performance of the flight simulator task. The more the subject is influenced the more deviations from the given flight path will appear.

I managed to install a "virtual serial port" and a RS232-Logger which is just what you recommended. AndI got a log file with rows like:

$RPY, 498, -107, -999, -999, -999, 6959, 739, -435, -999, -999, 250, 0, 252, -999, -999

The sixth figure is altitudebut I have some difficulties to figure out what the others are and I did not manage to find a code table vor "RPY" or Aviaton 400 (ARNAV/KING). Is anyone able to send me a link or a code table?

Best would be to get code tables for all GPSout-Output-Modes (RMA, GGA, GSV, ...). Is that available in a pdf-file? I didn't find such a file?

Flight Keeper is a very nice tool, but logs only Average, Minimum and Maximum values for pitch, bank, altitude aso.

Thanks for your help, really appreciate that,

Andreas Hitzig

[Pete Dowson]

I managed to install a "virtual serial port" and a RS232-Logger which is just what you recommended. AndI got a log file with rows like:

$RPY, 498, -107, -999, -999, -999, 6959, 739, -435, -999, -999, 250, 0, 252, -999, -999

The sixth figure is altitudebut I have some difficulties to figure out what the others are and I did not manage to find a code table vor "RPY" or Aviaton 400 (ARNAV/KING). Is anyone able to send me a link or a code table?

The used fields are more or less as I said in my last message. Here's what i have, with units:

Bank (degrees x 10),

Pitch (degrees x 10),

? not set (-999),

? not set (-999),

? not set (-999),

altitude (feet),

IAS (knots x 10),

VS (fpm),

? not set (-999),

? not set (-999),

localiser needle, +250 left to -250 right,

glideslope needle +250 up to -250 down,

mag heading (degrees x 10)

? not set (-999),

? not set (-999),

The AV400 format has altitude, latitude, longitude, magnetic track, ground speed and mag.variation. Doesn't sound like what you want.

For NMEA formats Google NMEA 0183.

Regards

Pete