Master Battery Control

[Skittles]

Hopefully someone other than Mr. Dowson can answer this because I don't want to bother him with something so silly.

I'm sure the answer is obvious, probably so obvious it eludes me.

I'm running: FSX SP1 | FSUIPC 4.520 9JUN09 | GFConfig 1.90 | GFDisplay 1.24

I've been through the FSUIPC for Programmers in the 28th Release of SDK and the FSUIPC4 offsets Status files. I even took a re-look the the fs2004 controls file.

I try to configure everything with FSUIPC. I'm trying to use GFConfig as little as possible, because I just don't like it, but will use it if I have to.

So, with the prelude out of the way... I can't find an FS9 or FSX control for the Master Battery. I did find a "toggle" but that's not what I need. I tried using the Offset control but there is no selection to "set" an Unsigned 16bit word. I played around with some of the other offset word selection, but didn't get the correct results.

There is an Avionics Master Set selection, why not a Battery Master and Alternator Master?

Thanks in advance for smacking me around and getting me pointed in the right direction.

Joe

[Pete Dowson]

Hopefully someone other than Mr. Dowson can answer this because I don't want to bother him with something so silly.

Don't worry, I don't see many actually silly questions! And then I'm entitled to a good laugh, aren't I? ;-)

I can't find an FS9 or FSX control for the Master Battery. I did find a "toggle" but that's not what I need. I tried using the Offset control but there is no selection to "set" an Unsigned 16bit word. I played around with some of the other offset word selection, but didn't get the correct results.

The "Offset Word Set" sets a 16-bit value -- whether it is signed or unsigned isn't relevant. Signs only become relevant when you interpret the value or use it arithmetically. When just setting a value there's no difference -- that's what all the Offset Set controls only have one variant per value size, whilst the increments and decrements has both signed and unsigned variants.

Anyway, the Master Battery Switch is listed in the Offsets document at offset 281C as a 4-byte value (doesn't even say signed or not) -- that's 32-bits, or a "DWORD". So, just assign to the control "Offset dword set" with an offset of 281C and a parameter of 1 to switch it on, 0 to switch it off.

There is an Avionics Master Set selection, why not a Battery Master and Alternator Master?

Most of these non-FS-assignable controls were added in FS98 days by Tim Gregson (aka "Beatle"), one of the FS team in Microsoft, when he and I were bashing things about trying to make cockpits and FS work together with hardware add-ons such as those programmable EPIC cards (ISA ones, driven by a VXD of mine back in 16-bit days when such things were easy!). What actually got implemented and what fell by the wayside was largely a matter of luck, timing, and the randomness of bean-counter interventions. There's no logical explanations for many of the choices as to what controls are there and what controls are not!

Regards

Pete

[Skittles]

Don't worry, I don't see many actually silly questions! And then I'm entitled to a good laugh, aren't I? ;-)

Yes you are,

Anyway, the Master Battery Switch is listed in the Offsets document at offset 281C as a 4-byte value (doesn't even say signed or not) -- that's 32-bits, or a "DWORD". So, just assign to the control "Offset dword set" with an offset of 281C and a parameter of 1 to switch it on, 0 to switch it off.

Thanks... you fixed two problems of mine.