quickie noob question - enable controllers off = no controls

[mark turner]

Hi Pete or anyone, recently you got me set up and one of the bits of advice was to uncheck the "enable controllers" box in the FSX GUI. This was to get smooth control inputs and it worked a treat. However, now when I uncheck this box, my controls are dead. I have unplugged and replugged ( in the same USB port) the controller lead, but no joy. Any ideas please? Or will I have to start again and allocate all the axis etc? I have tried going to each of the axis when in flight and paused and making sure that FSUIPC detects the axis, which it does.

Thank you, Mark

[Pete Dowson]

Hi Pete or anyone, recently you got me set up and one of the bits of advice was to uncheck the "enable controllers" box in the FSX GUI. This was to get smooth control inputs and it worked a treat. However, now when I uncheck this box, my controls are dead.

I'm sure that would have been in some context regarding assignments in FSUIPC. If you uncheck that option in FS and don't have your controls assigned anywhere else, of course they'll be dead! Nothing will be looking at them! You should only uncheck that if you are assigning everything (controls and buttons) elsewhere, as in FSUIPC's Axes and Buttons tabs.

I have unplugged and replugged ( in the same USB port) the controller lead, but no joy. Any ideas please? Or will I have to start again and allocate all the axis etc? I have tried going to each of the axis when in flight and paused and making sure that FSUIPC detects the axis, which it does.

Detects it where? In the axis assignments? Have you actually assigned it too? And if so, to what control and in what manner? If you assign "direct to FSUIPC calibration" you must calibrate in FSUIPC's Joysticks tab too, otherwise it won't do anything.

Unplugging and re-plugging USB devices is not generally a good idea as it could make FS re-detect and re-assign them, and may also make Windows assign them different IDs. FSUIPC does offer a Joystick Lettering facilities, to use letters for assignments instead of the numerical IDs, and then it tries to match them up using the device name.

Please always state the version number of the FSUIPC you are using when posting a question. I does help provide the correct answers.

Regards

Pete

[mark turner]

Hi Pete, its version 4.558. I have been trying to start again, but now seem in a bigger mess than when i started. I tried following the simsamurai tutorial, but it was not easy as this seems to be for a different version and for using FS9. Buut i got the gist. However, after painstakinly disabling all my joystick and button mappings as he suggests and just using FSUIPC to assign and calibrate, my yoke is unusable. In the neutral position the plane pulls a loop and ailerons dont seem to work.

So I have enabled the FSX defaults again.

As I have one of the new Saitek x65 force sticks arriving soon, i think i am going to wait until then before trying to get it all working properly. Meantime, is there anywhere an FSX specific guide for the version i have that I can read up on ?

This is a bit frustrating as was working fine with my old cougar hotas ( no longer in use) and without someone to guide you, you can end up wasting hours and getting increasingly frustrated trying to figure these things out for yourself.`

finally, do I need any of the updates? I could see no mention of version 4.558 in there....

Cheers, Mark

[Pete Dowson]

Hi Pete, its version 4.558.

THat's well out of date now. Please see the Updates announcement above. You should install 4.57 then update to the latest increment in that announcement.

I have been trying to start again, but now seem in a bigger mess than when i started.

I don't understand how you could get in a mess in the first place. There's nothing complicated about anything there.

I tried following the simsamurai tutorial, but it was not easy as this seems to be for a different version and for using FS9.

There's no difference in these areas between FS9 and FSX versions of FSUIPC. The differences are all in the other options -- weather and miscellaneous stuff. All of the assignments and calibrations are identical.

However, after painstakinly disabling all my joystick and button mappings as he suggests ...

Why is that "painstaking" when all it involves is disabling the controllers -- the checkbox in FS Settings-Controls? That's all I ever do.

...and just using FSUIPC to assign and calibrate, my yoke is unusable. In the neutral position the plane pulls a loop and ailerons dont seem to work.

It sdimply sounds as if you've (a) not assigned correctly and (b) not calibrated those you have assigned.

If you do ever try again, and get into a mess again, please do not hesitate to paste here the [Axes] and [JoystickCalibration] sections of your FSUIPC INI file so I can see what you are doing. That would help me greatly to advise you.

Meantime, is there anywhere an FSX specific guide for the version i have that I can read up on ?

Yes, the User Guide supplied with FSUIPC. That has a chapter on assignments and one on calibrations, with step-by-step approaches and pictures too. If you actually follow the steps you can't go wrong. Thousands of other users make it work easily enough, so why not you? If it is just that you don't like my style, then that's why SimSamurai wrote his guide, because he thought mine was too technical. And his is no different for FSX in any detail or essential, as I've said.

finally, do I need any of the updates? I could see no mention of version 4.558 in there....

Please please do browse the Announcements section here in the Forum from time to time. They do actually ANNOUNCE things, like versions, bugs, fixes, etc.

Regards

Pete