calibration readings

[vgbaron]

Hi Pete - I'm getting some data from FSUIPC that I don't understand. Using registered version, latest downloaded from the link in your message above. Using CH Yoke, I calibrated - SET boxes showed 0,0 and after calibration of the ailerons the deflection was +- 16something. All was well. During a flight I noticed that the controls were sluggish so I went back into FSUIPC calibration - in the aileron set, instead of a 0,0 it was about 5100,5100 and the deflections would range from 11000 to -13000. I'm pretty positive that there is no issue with the pots in the yoke so what else could have the 0,0 setting change to 5100,5100.

fwiw, I moved the yoke left/right rapidly a few times and the set jumped to 0,0 and I recalibrated.

I realize this is not a FSUIPC issue but hoping you can point me in the right direction to determine what caused the change.

This behavior has repeated itself.

Puzzled.

Thanx,

Vic Baron

[Pete Dowson]

Using CH Yoke, I calibrated - SET boxes showed 0,0

What "SET boxes"? There are 6 boxes showing values for every centred axis. I've no idea which ones you mean. IN/OUT, Min, Centre/Centre, Max?

... and after calibration of the ailerons the deflection was +- 16something.

That sounds like you are talking about the "OUT" value. But that doesn't relate at all to what you say next:

All was well. During a flight I noticed that the controls were sluggish so I went back into FSUIPC calibration - in the aileron set, instead of a 0,0 it was about 5100,5100 and the deflections would range from 11000 to -13000.

Now this is totally confusing, meaningless without saying where tyou see what. If "after calibration the deflection was +-16something" why did you expect it to be "0,0", wherever you might be looking for that? Where are you reading these values and ranges?

I'm pretty positive that there is no issue with the pots in the yoke so what else could have the 0,0 setting change to 5100,5100.

fwiw, I moved the yoke left/right rapidly a few times and the set jumped to 0,0 and I recalibrated.

Sorry, I still cannot imagine where you are seeing either of these pairs of values. If you could describe them rather more accurately than "SET boxes", which is meaningless -- there are 6 "set boxes", or rather boxes with values in. Each has a defined purpose, a defined name or heading. Can you find that and use it, please? Thanks.

Regards

Pete

[vgbaron]

Sorry about that - it's easy to forget that you're not looking at my screen.

I am mainly interested in the Ailerons - in the calibration screen 1 of 11. With the yoke centered the REset in/out values are 0,0. After calibration the reset values are 0,0 and the SET values for MIN, Centre & MAX are -16193,0 +16065. Filter is checked. After flying a bit I notice sluggish controls and go back into the FSUIPC Calibration screen one

Now, with the yoke centered the RESET in/out values are 5100,5122 if I move the yoke full left the values are 14287,14511 and full right -14257,14296 rather tyhan the +-16000 during the initial calibration. Now if I rapidly turn the yoke left/right a few times the RESET in/out will return to 0,0 and the max deflections will return to +- 16000 and the controls get crisp again. My first thought is sticky or dirty pots in the yoke but wonder if, in your experience, there might be other factors that could produce this type of change.

Just to clarify, I do NOT have FSUIPC doing the Axis assignment, I am merely using it for calibration and the reading of values in this case.

I hope that is a tad clearer.

Thanx!

Vic

[Pete Dowson]

With the yoke centered the REset in/out values are 0,0. After calibration the reset values are 0,0 and the SET values for MIN, Centre & MAX are -16193,0 +16065.

Whoa. Let's go back on that first. There are TWO (2) central values but you only give one here. Are they both 0? They should not be the same! You should always calibrate with a little bit of leeway in the centre. i have not yet found a yoke, and few joysticks, which always give exactly the one same value every time they are allowed to return to their central position! Similarly you should always set the minimum and maximum calibration values to something less than the full extremes you can reach with the yoke, just to be sure that, with some variation, you can still get there.

I'm pretty sure it does clearly tell you to do these things in the numbered steps in the User Guide. They are quite important for good calibration for consistent use of any analogue input.

Filter is checked.

Why? Filtering is a last reort for badly behaved controls, ones with lots of jitter brought about, usually, by poor unsmoothed power supplies in far off places. In fact the filtering was first added specifically for a user somewhere in the wilds of some South East Asian jungle I seem to recall! .

Filtering does tend to slow response down a tad. It shouldn't be noticeable, but I suppose it could sometimes become so depending on other things. It works be reading several values and trying to eliminate blips. The values you get out are actually computed based on the last so-many values.

If you are assigning axes in FSUIPC and have the default "Delta" set then filtering could be worse because the Delta stops similar values being sent through to the filter mechanism, so it cannot smooth so quickly in any case.

Tell me why you enabled filtering and I'll maybe suggest an alternative solution for whatever problem it was which caused you to do it.

After flying a bit I notice sluggish controls and go back into the FSUIPC Calibration screen one.

Now, with the yoke centered the RESET in/out values are 5100,5122 if I move the yoke full left the values are 14287,14511 and full right -14257,14296 rather tyhan the +-16000 during the initial calibration.

Not sure why that would create "sluggish" controls (after all, the range 28553 is a good 89% of the full range 32000 you had in any case, surely hardly enough to make then feel "sluggish"). So maybe there's more than one thing going on -- few or feeble data arriving from the device.

Now if I rapidly turn the yoke left/right a few times the RESET in/out will return to 0,0 and the max deflections will return to +- 16000 and the controls get crisp again. My first thought is sticky or dirty pots in the yoke but wonder if, in your experience, there might be other factors that could produce this type of change.

Not so extreme, no. All devices give some variation, and you should allow for it in the calibration (which i fear you have not). Certainly do that, and turn off the filtering, and try again. But I can't see how any of the things you can do in software can deal with such an extreme variability.

The "IN" values you see are the actual values being read -- or they would be if you turn off the filtering. So the cause has to either be the axis, the device, or possibly the USB port -- or its power supply? Most analogue axes are measured using a DtoA system which is very voltage sensitive. If you are using a hub, could that be a problem? If it is a USB port on the motherboard, could your loading, from all the simming and graphics and cooling fan activity, be pulling down any of the voltages? And when you pause, relieve the loading, they creep up again? Do you have any way of checking it?

Outside of the device itself, the PC's power supply would be my first thoughts. Maybe as the voltage drops slightly some things are affected first -- maybe the aileron axis is affected first or more than the others simply because of the order and timing of things.

I'm guessing here, just trying to suggest things that might be worth looking at.

Just to clarify, I do NOT have FSUIPC doing the Axis assignment, I am merely using it for calibration and the reading of values in this case.

Okay, so that makes some of what i say above less severe, but possibly more puzzling, as the filtering should therefore not have such an impact. Switch it off in any case when measuring, so you KNOW the IN value is the value you are truly getting (in this case, from FS, not from my readings).

Also, of course, make sure FS's sensitivity slider is at max (full right) and its null zone slider at min (full left).

Regards

Pete

[vgbaron]

WHen I first tried the calibration, a slight movement of the control would cause the aileron to fully deflect, sort of an on/off rather than a range. Tried the filter and problem resolved so I left it that way. Must have been something else because I turned off the filter for my last tests and everything worked as expected. I did change one thing, did not use max ranges for calibration. All in all, I've been trying all sorts of things and a/c and everything is working. I did reseat all the USB connectors so it's quite possible it might have been that also.

In any case, for now, the problem seems resolved.

Appreciate your time!

have a good day.

Vic