Extracting gauge informations from FSX

[marios]

Hello

I am able to do some programming in C and C++ and hopefully i am improving my skills.

I am building my Bell 206 simulator and i want to use real gauges. I do not have money to spend on ready gauges but i have time to try making them. So i do not intent to buy ready gauges and interface cards.

After spending some time in the forum and Google i could not figure out how the gauge information can be extracted. I do have the fscuipc software but i never played around with the SDK. Also i believe the gauge information can be found in FSX software if i have the SDK installed isn’t it or directly from FSUIPC software or both or i am wrong :?: . Actually i prefer to use the FSUIPC bcause from these i read the simconnect option may give me more problems.....

I am asking for some help, tutorials or relevant information. I thing if i can understand how values can be extracted and work i can design a PCB that will drive a small servo motor (like Futaba or similar) to get the gauge needle spin. Did anyone tried to make real gauges as well.

Thank you very much

[Pete Dowson]

After spending some time in the forum and Google i could not figure out how the gauge information can be extracted.

For gauges in FS panels you need the FSX SDK which is on the DeLuxe FSX DVD (with SP1 and SP2/acceleration updates on-line). For external software, maybe driving hardware, you can either use the built-in interface (SimConnect), or FSUIPC. That's your choice. For SimConnect again you need the FSX SDK. For FSUIPC you need the FSUIPC SDK.

Actually i prefer to use the FSUIPC bcause from these i read the simconnect option may give me more problems.....

Well, i'm not sure about that. FSUIPC has the advantage of compatibility with older versions of FS, but FSUIPC4, the version which runs in FSX, uses SimConnect itself for almost everything.

I am asking for some help, tutorials or relevant information. I thing if i can understand how values can be extracted and work i can design a PCB that will drive a small servo motor (like Futaba or similar) to get the gauge needle spin. Did anyone tried to make real gauges as well.

Lots of folks do that sort of thing. There's an excellent book about it, with help on the software side too. It is by Mike Powell -- see http://www.mikesflightdeckbooks.com

Regards

Pete