spoilers and saitek throttle quadrant

[bberendts]

I am using a registered version of FSUIPC 4.53 and saitek's throttle quadrant, fsx sp2 with acceleration, windows vista:

i have assigned the spoiler to the z axis in fsx and I have tried all sorts of calibration combinations in fsuipc. currently the Spoiler box on page 6 reads as follows:

Reset (unchecked) Set Set Set

Filter

0 In -16380 0 16380

0 Out (checked) 0 0 [slope](0)

Rev

What is occuring is that the Spoilers arm when I retract them to the 75% mark (from the 100% position fully pushed forward) - this is good. However, as soon as I retract the lever slightly past that point the actually spoilers immediately jump to fully extended. Then I am unable to retract the spoilers as the lever no longer effects anything. I have to use the '/' key to retract the spoilers. I am trying to get the spoilers to slide through a range from 25% to 0% (on the lever) that would effect the spoiler to go from fully retracted to fully extended over that range respectively.

Any help on this matter would be appreciated.

Happy New Year,

Brian

Cincinnati, Ohio USA

[Pete Dowson]

What is occuring is that the Spoilers arm when I retract them to the 75% mark (from the 100% position fully pushed forward) - this is good. However, as soon as I retract the lever slightly past that point the actually spoilers immediately jump to fully extended.

Don't test them on the ground. As soon as the value is in the region of the "Arm" detente on the lever, with the gear compressed through being on the ground, they deploy as in landing.

I am trying to get the spoilers to slide through a range from 25% to 0% (on the lever) that would effect the spoiler to go from fully retracted to fully extended over that range respectively.

There's no such range on the spoilers. The Arm position is around value 4800 (29%). Below that is full down (0%), above that the speed brake range applies from control values 5619 (34%) to full 16383 (100%), though you shouldn't extend to more than the flight detente when in flight. that's around 60-65% I believe.

Regards

Pete

[mr.crocodile]

Hi Pete, I discovered this old post and because of the fact I have a similar problem with the spoiler axis configuration I try to explain it hoping to reach a possible solution:

 

I assigned the Y axis of my throttle quadrant to the function of Spoiler lever. I went to Axis Assignment page of FSUIPC Option and Settings. The Delta value is 256, I set Send direct to FSUIPC Calibration option and then I selected Spoilers from the drop down menu. Then I set a range to configure the Spoiler OFF (down detent position) and a range to configure the Spoiler Arm.

 

So the range 1 is FROM 9729 TO 16383 with UP and DOWN option checked, and the control sent when range entered is Spoiler Arm Off (parameter is left to 0). Control to repeat whilst in range and Control sent when range exited are unchecked.

 

The range 2 is FROM 5120 to 9728 with UP and DOWN option checked, and the control sent when range entered is Spoiler Arm On (parameter is left to 0). Control to repeat whilst in range and Control sent when range exited are unchecked.

 

Then in the Joystick Calibration page 6 in the Spoilers (direct!) section I have the following parameters:

Filter is unchecked, Rev is checked, -5119, -512, 16384 and the second center set value is again -512, Slope is 0.

 

So I think that all the range is covered with 3 zones without any overlapping. The problem is that when I move the axis inside the Spoiler Arm zone in some cases (more or less ramdomly) the spoiler lever moves in the ARM position and immediately come back to DOWN position. If I move repeatedly in some cases the lever stops in the ARM position but not always.

Did I make some mistake configuring the axis?

[Pete Dowson]

Hi Pete, I discovered this old post and because of the fact I have a similar problem with the spoiler axis configuration I try to explain it hoping to reach a possible solution:

 

I assigned the Y axis of my throttle quadrant to the function of Spoiler lever. I went to Axis Assignment page of FSUIPC Option and Settings. The Delta value is 256, I set Send direct to FSUIPC Calibration option and then I selected Spoilers from the drop down menu. Then I set a range to configure the Spoiler OFF (down detent position) and a range to configure the Spoiler Arm.

 

DO NOT mix range options with axis assignments!  You'll just get a mess!

 

FSUIPC's calibration will handle the OFF/ARM settings if you assign to spoilers. If you really do want to use the ranges instead then do NOT assign to the axis on the left as well. But it's a complicated way of doing something made easy by calibration.

 

Pete

[mr.crocodile]

DO NOT mix range options with axis assignments!  You'll just get a mess!

 

FSUIPC's calibration will handle the OFF/ARM settings if you assign to spoilers. If you really do want to use the ranges instead then do NOT assign to the axis on the left as well. But it's a complicated way of doing something made easy by calibration.

 

Pete

 

Ok, I tried again with the indication I found on your FSUIPC user guide where at page 41 (I have the guide dated 7th november 2006 for version 3.71 of FSUIPC.dll but I have version 3.999z9a installed on my FS2004) I read

 

If you do calibrate with a centre zone, then the values from “minimum” (the left most value), or lower, up to the lowest of the Centre values will all select spoilers down (i.e. parked). The centre zone will arm the spoilers, and the range from the higher of the two centre values up to the maximum (the right-most value) will actually operate the full range from 0% to 100% deployed.

 

So I have Axis Assignment page of FSUIPC Option and Settings. The Delta value is 256, I set Send direct to FSUIPC Calibration option and then I selected Spoilers from the drop down menu. On the left of the same page I have nothing.

Then on Joystick Calibration page I went on the Spoilers (direct!) section, I pressed on RESET button and started again:

REV checked, then I started from down detent position (full forward position) and pressed the first (on the left) SET button and I obtained -16383, then I moved the lever towards the ARM position and I selected the center SET button one time to obtain -8643, then I moved again till -5676 and then I pressed again the center SET button, then I moved the lever all way down (full back position) to obtain 16384 and then I pressed the right side SET button.

Then I pressed OK and with my IFly 738 (version 3.2.1) at 20000ft 230kt I make some test moving the lever.

This is the result:

In the range from -16383 to -5676 (so both in the OFF and in the ARM zone) the lever does not move and remains fixed in the position you can see in the Clipboard01

When the lever exits from the ARM zone and enters the deployed zone the lever moves from the above position to the flight detent following the axis movement. (clipboard02, clipboard03)

If I push back to down detent the axis, the lever does not come back to down detent position but stops where it was at the start of the test.

I attach a couple of images to show you in case I was not so clear in my explanation.

 

I would clarify that I configured an other axis for FLAPS using your guide and all works perfectly.

 

Another note is that the configuration I explained in my last 19 February 2015 post, seems to work well using the throttle quadrant with PS/2 connector. The problem I noticed appears with the throttle quadrant with USB connector.

Instead the configuration described just above in this post works bad even using PS/2 and USB throttle quadrant.

[Pete Dowson]

So I have Axis Assignment page of FSUIPC Option and Settings. The Delta value is 256, I set Send direct to FSUIPC Calibration option and then I selected Spoilers from the drop down menu. On the left of the same page I have nothing.

 

On the left you have nothing? Where are you assigning to Spoilers, then? It is on the RIGHT you should have nothing!

 

Then on Joystick Calibration page I went on the Spoilers (direct!) section, I pressed on RESET button and started again:

REV checked, then I started from down detent position (full forward position) and pressed the first (on the left) SET button and I obtained -16383, then I moved the lever towards the ARM position and I selected the center SET button one time to obtain -8643, then I moved again till -5676 and then I pressed again the center SET button, then I moved the lever all way down (full back position) to obtain 16384 and then I pressed the right side SET button.Then I pressed OK and with my IFly 738 (version 3.2.1) at 20000ft 230kt I make some test moving the lever.

 

Okay, that all sounds good, and exactly what I do.

This is the result:

In the range from -16383 to -5676 (so both in the OFF and in the ARM zone) the lever does not move and remains fixed in the position you can see in the Clipboard01

 

Is this with a default aircraft? If not, test with default aircraft, not with Add-Ons. Add-on aircraft may do their own thing, ignoring the FS values for the Arm position. Also always test with the aircraft off the ground. The way FS is written makes the spoilers deply on the ground if armed.

 

Another note is that the configuration I explained in my last 19 February 2015 post, seems to work well using the throttle quadrant with PS/2 connector. The problem I noticed appears with the throttle quadrant with USB connector.

 

I've no idea how a such a device works through a PS/2 connector -- isn't that just for keyboards?

 

Pete

 

[mr.crocodile]

 

On the left you have nothing? Where are you assigning to Spoilers, then? It is on the RIGHT you should have nothing!

 

Sorry Pete, my mistake, I was thinking RIGHT but I wrote LEFT. So on the right I have nothing.

 

 

 

Is this with a default aircraft? If not, test with default aircraft, not with Add-Ons

 

Ok, I just tested the configuration using a default aircraft and you are right, all seems to work great. So it could be a problem related with the IFly aircraft. Obviously it is a bad news, I hoped it could be an error on my configuration procedure but I think it is not the solution.

 

 

 

I've no idea how a such a device works through a PS/2 connector -- isn't that just for keyboards?

 

Yes, the Saytek Proflight Yoke has a little USB hub with 3 USB ports and a PS/2 port at which connect the throttle quadrant with a PS/2 connector provided in the package (http://www.saitek.com/uk/prod/yoke.html). The additional Throttle quadrant I bought to have more levers, instead has a normal USB connector. This one seems to be affected by the problem I tried to solve till today.

 

Anyway, I have to thank you for the time spent to explain me the situation. I will keep you updated in case I could solve the problem