Auto-Restart due to lack of incoming data

[J.C.]

Good day Pete,

I'm using the PFC Beech Yoke and Throttle Quandrant combo(Turbo Prop Quandrant installed). Here's my problem. Every so often, my controls become "lifeless", i.e they don't respond to inputs. This lasts for a few seconds, and then control is restored.

I checked the PFC log file in my modules folder, and the above message pops up a few times in the log file (auto-restart due to lack of incoming data).

The most recent log file is as follows:

********* PFC DLL, Version 2.307 by Pete Dowson *********

218360: Refesh initialisation to synchronize switches

731578: Auto-Restart due to lack of incoming data

750703: Auto-Restart due to lack of incoming data

869531: Auto-Restart due to lack of incoming data

1015672: Auto-Restart due to lack of incoming data

********* PFC Log file closed *********

Any assistance in solving this issue will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Jermaine Clarke

[Pete Dowson]

I'm using the PFC Beech Yoke and Throttle Quandrant combo(Turbo Prop Quandrant installed). Here's my problem. Every so often, my controls become "lifeless", i.e they don't respond to inputs. This lasts for a few seconds, and then control is restored. I checked the PFC log file in my modules folder, and the above message pops up a few times in the log file (auto-restart due to lack of incoming data).

It may simply be that you have Windows set to cut power to USB devices (its attempt to be "green"). Check in the Device Manager. Find the Power management part of every USB item and uncheck any options which allow Windows to remove power.

If this isn't it, then there's something wrong with the COM connections between the device and the PC. Are you by any chance using a relatively cheap USB serial port adapter? You can get them down to about $10. I found those to be a false economy -- you need a good quality one. I've now changed over to using serial port cards rather than USB adapters -- the one made by Brainboxes is very good, and works very well on my Windows 7 64 bits systems too! ;-)

http://www.brainboxes.com/category/pci_rs232.aspx

Regards

Pete

[J.C.]

Hi Pete,

I'm using the original COM connections that PFC shipped (my stuff is around 7 years old). Maybe I need to look at switching over to the USB adapters then? I'll recheck the connections when i return home. Thanks again

Jermaine Clarke

[Pete Dowson]

I'm using the original COM connections that PFC shipped (my stuff is around 7 years old).

You still have a PC with a motherboard serial port? Wow! That IS old! ;-)

There's nothing that should be going wrong with that. I assume it hasnb't always done this over 7 years? What's changed.

It is possible i suppose for hardware and cables to deteriorate, but less like that a software problem -- any thing you've changed recently, for instance? You might want to contact PFC support in case its down to some problem developing on their controller or in the power supply. Overheating could do that sort of thing, for instance.

Regards

Pete

[J.C.]

Hi Pete,

Just to provide a quick update as to where I'm at with this issue. As per your suggestion, I contacted the folks over at PFC to see what sort of assistance they might be able to provide. After a few back and forth e-mails with their tech folks, they suggested that I mail them the throttle quandrant console in order for them to inspect the unit.

Since this won't be practical for me right now (I'm using the controls to assist me with an upcoming IPC in late December), I decided to do some more checks in hopes of ruling out the controls as the source of the problem. Here is what I have discovered after further testing:

1. I usually begin flights with the default C172 in a power off mode (everything shutdown, as in cold start). In this mode, the controls work fine (throttle inputs, and control inputs), with no intermittent loss of response. I did this for a few minutes, and everything seems to be ok.

2. I turned the sound "off" (pressing Q), and started the engines. With the engines started, the intermittent loss of response from the controls begins. Pressing Q to turn the sound on produces the same results (intermittent loss of response).

3. I alternated back and forth with engines off/engines off for a few minutes in each condition, and the results were as before.

4. I tried with different default aircraft, along with the flight 1 C172 (the aircraft i normally fly), and the results were the same.

So it appears that the problem only manifests itself with the engines on.

I'm at a total loss to explain why this would only happen with the engines on.

Before I bite the bullet and do a complete re-install, is there anything else that you might suggest that I can try to resolve this issue?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Jermaine Clarke

[Pete Dowson]

I'm at a total loss to explain why this would only happen with the engines on.

Me too, unless it is just pure loading on the PC and it can't do so many things at the same time -- which seems rather unlikely. There's no relationship between FS simulating engines running and any exchanges going on along serial ports.

However, one possibility springs to mind, if it is related to the sound. Are you using on-board sound, or a sound card? Are the sound device and the on-board serial port using the same IRQ (interrupt)? If so, that may well be the problem -- they are interfering with each other. If your stuff is 7 years old, is it possible you are still using Windows 98 or Me? Those older operating systems were very poor at sharing IRQs well. Even early versions of XP weren't so good.

Check in the BIOS settings, which is where you may also be able to assign IRQs differently. If both devices are on-board you might be out of luck, but if the sound is on a sound card, maybe plugging it into a different PCI (or ISA?) slot would work.

Regards

Pete

[J.C.]

Hi Pete,

I'm using Windows Xp Professional edition (service pack 3 installed). Yes, I'm using onboard sound, but, as I alluded to in my post, I tested with the sound off and it still produces the same results( with engines started).

I have just assigned a hot key in FSUIPC for restarting the PFC driver, and, when I've lost response, pressing my hotkey(A on the keyboard), immediately restores control response. I tested this for a few minutes and it works pretty good (however, this is not a feasible long term solution as I would be doing this continuously during flight, which would add to the rigours and fatigue of a typical IFR flight in a C172, lol).

Is there any way of cutting down the default auto-restart time of the PFC driver? Maybe that might be a permanent work-around to my dilemna.

Thanks again

Jermaine Clarke

[Pete Dowson]

I'm using Windows Xp Professional edition (service pack 3 installed). Yes, I'm using onboard sound, but, as I alluded to in my post, I tested with the sound off and it still produces the same results( with engines started).

I don't think having sound off stops the sim addressing the sound card. I've had problems before, with sound drivers, and they didn't lessen with the sound "off".

I have just assigned a hot key in FSUIPC for restarting the PFC driver, and, when I've lost response, pressing my hotkey(A on the keyboard), immediately restores control response. I tested this for a few minutes and it works pretty good (however, this is not a feasible long term solution as I would be doing this continuously during flight, which would add to the rigours and fatigue of a typical IFR flight in a C172, lol).

Yes, but these symptoms are certainly indicative of intermittent hangs or dropouts somewhere, and a sound card/serial port conflict seems the most likely. Or at least a serial port conflict somewhere. I will still be worth your while, I think, to investigate the possibility of changing IRQs, or at least checking them.

Is there any way of cutting down the default auto-restart time of the PFC driver? Maybe that might be a permanent work-around to my dilemna.

Of course. It's in the documentation, in the section about INI file parameters towards to end. But I'm really not sure that's a good solution.

Regards

Pete

[J.C.]

Hi Pete,

It seems like the serial port was the cause of my problems all along :) I purchased a serial to USB adapter, and, viola, no more issues.

Thanks much for all your assistance.

Regards

Jermaine Clarke

Nassau Bahamas