Saitek Throttle

[UC1]

I have been trying to set up the reverse thrust,on my saitek throttle...I have it working,but it uses about half of the throttle travel..where as I would like to get it to cut in after the indent...ie at the bottom..keep going back to try and figure it out but no joy..I have read John's tutorial,but both my numbers..top and bottom are the same + and -,and it doesn't explain how to set the reverse...

FSX..WINXP SP2...Leonard.

[Pete Dowson]

I have been trying to set up the reverse thrust,on my saitek throttle...I have it working,but it uses about half of the throttle travel

You can set that point wherever you like, within the useful travel of the lever. That point is around where you should calibrate the "idle" zone -- the central two numbers in the calibration screen. Evidently you've not been following the numbered steps in the FSUIPC User Guide?

..where as I would like to get it to cut in after the indent...ie at the bottom.

I think, from what others have said, that the Saitek throttles are fitted with a button forward of the indent, and that you don't actually get any variation in the values sent by the lever there, so there's no way to calibrate a reverser in that zone. I think folks simply program the button there to send either the key F2 or, better, the control "Throttle Dec", repeating, which will engage reverse just like the keyboard would.

but both my numbers..top and bottom are the same + and -

They are NOT the same, then, are they?! if one is + and the other -, they are opposites, completely different numbers, and as far apart as they can get! The largest negative value will need calibrating to the full reverse, the left-most figure, and the maximum positive value to max forward thrust, the right-most position. The idle zone is wherever you calibrate it to be via the central two values. It most certainly doesn't have to be in the middle of the lever movement!

The FSUIPC user guide, if you simply followed the numbered steps for calibration, would establish this for you. It doesn't need to explicitly state "reverse" -- the calibration of the centre area (idle in this case) is identical for ALL centering axes -- aileron, elevator, rudder, throttles 1-4, prop pitch 1-4, and mixture/conditioning 1-4.

Just follow the steps, if your throttles allow. If they don't, just program them as Saitek apparently intended, using the button for reverse. In that case you'll probably want to check the option on the 4 throttles page to have no reverse zone (a facility added to the current latest versions of FSUIPC, available from the Downloads announcements above).

Regards

Pete

[mtjoeng]

your FSX Controls Disabled? is necessary

or you'll have very weird controls

reverse(s) on Saitek indeed are Buttons

find the button in the Button+Sw menu

then

"Select for FS control" (right upper chkbox)

and

'when button pressed'

"Throttle (1,2,blank) Decr" from the dropdown list [like a F2 press]

and

chkbox repeat while send [holds the button down]

and

'when button released'

"Throttle (1,2 or blank for all) Cut" from the dropdown [like a F1 press]

this to make sure your throttle doesnt get stuck in Reverse

do this for 2 sliders if 2 throttles, of course you wont have proppitch then

my setup is Throttle1 Throttle2 PropPitch, with PropPitch 'reverse' doing PropPitchDecr, that makes my props put in feathered position (f.i. to control taxi speed) thus no Mixture

[UC1]

Thanks for the replies..still don't grasp it all,guess I'm getting to old!!..so will just go back to the normal FS controls.L

[mtjoeng]

thats a pity, it's not that hard

do some 'define' something in the Fsuipc interface, and than window to the fsuipc.ini in the \modules folder

and see what that does

and you'll figure out how it works

else you waste opportunities of this utility

[John Veldthuis]

You will be unable to use the range after the detent at the bottom as there is no readings from there. After this there is just a switch. What I have done is to map each switch to the decrease function (cant remeber exact name at present) so as it is held there the reverse thrust comes on and builds up. I have mapped the release to set the throttle to zero for that engine. Not truly how reverse thrust is suppose to work but works well. Only way to get true reverse is the way you have done it but then extremely hard to get idle.

[nirgal76]

one solution for the reverse on saitek or ch product is to modify the fsx config file manually

find your standard.xml file in c:\Documents and Settings/yourname/Application Data/Microsoft/FSX/Controls

this is the file containing the input controllers mapping.

in this file, find the button corresponding to the reverse position of the axe on the saitek quadrant

and type this (for example, the button is the number 20 for 1st axe reverse if i remember) (if you don't know how to do, ask me and i will explain)*

Saitek Pro Flight Yoke{........}

....

......

and finally the right button (to find it, assigned in fsx in-game commands menu a function you can identify easily in this file)

20 <= button identifier (already exists if already assigned)

THROTTLE1_DECR <= added or modified line

1 <= added or modified line

THROTTLE1_CUT <= added or modified line

it's for engine 1 of course, do it for all axes controlling engines.

the effect is the following :

1 - by going to reverse position, the button is down => THROTTLE1_DECR => the throttle are decrease to reverse (because of the repeat (1...)

2 - by comng back to the idle position, the reverse button is up => THROTTLE1_CUT => the throttle back to 0%

i use these parameters at home and it works (on a ch quadrant product) . but it works only if your have one axe by engine. it's not a solution for multi engine on 1 axe

i didn't have tested but by replacing THROTTLE1_DECR by THROTTLE_DECR and THROTTLE1_CUT by THROTTLE_CUT, perhaps you can control all the engines on 1 axe

the THROTTLEx_DECR like many others functions can not be assigned by fsx in-game menu, that's why you have to do it manually. you will find in the fsx sdk all the functions you can use (SDK\Core Utilities Kit\Variables\Event IDs.htm)

if you want to do the same with the pitch of the 1st engine (on button 21 for 2nd axe reverse,...always if i remember) :

-

21

PROP_PITCH1_DECR

1

PROP_PITCH1_HI

and finally, sorry for my language but i'm not english native :)

good fly

[lightplane]

Just to jump in here.

Yes, you can program the throttle decrease for each throttle as follows:

THROTTLE1_DECR

THROTTLE2_DECR

THROTTLE3_DECR

THROTTLE4_DECR

and for throttle cut:

THROTTLE1_CUT

THROTTLE2_CUT

THROTTLE3_CUT

THROTTLE4_CUT

I've programmed these to the button at the bottom of the Saitek throttle axis, so when I go below idle, I get reverse thrust on that engine.