PMDG 737NG Spoiler Arm and Mouse Macro

[aua668]

Hi,

Maybe this has been discussed already here (I have not found a reference) but I have a question concerning the spoiler of the PMDG 737-600/700/800/900 under FS 9.1/WIN XP. You can assign the spoiler axis via FSUIPC to an axis on the throttle quadrant (I use the Saitek). By doing this, you can control the spoiler and depending on the calibration you will have a zone, where the spoiler is armed and a zone, where you can adjust the spoiler extraction linear. This is documented on the web and works fine ...

... BUT: By doing so you lose one feature. PMDG has "improved" the FS spoiler functionality by internal coding and you get the standard spoiler behaviour of FS, if you arm it via the axis. This means: If you arm the spoiler on the ground (e.g. before takeoff) the spoiler will extract. PMDG has an armed position for the spoiler handle, which you only can set via the mouse in the 2D cockpit. If you are using the FS internal key commands, you will again get the FS standard behaviour. This can also be found in the forums. So I thought, it would be nice to move the spoiler handle with the mouse as concepted by PMDG by using a mouse macro. So I tried to create two mouse macros: One for arming and one for disarming the spoiler. The recording was easy ...

... BUT: It did't work completely as I thought. The mouse macro were only able to disarm (if you manually armed the spoiler by using the mouse) but never to arm the spoiler. The reason behind is simple: PMDG has created only one mouse sensitive region (R1) for the spoiler handling and they seem to check on a mouse click, at which coordinates within the region you are clicking. If you click in the upper area, then the spoiler is disarmed and if you click within the lower part of the same region, then the spoiler is armed. If they would have created two seperate regions, it would have been easy. And it seems, that the generated mouse event from the macro always hits this region in the upper area (maybe at 0,0 as nothig may be defined - just an assumption).

So after this long description of my problem I want to ask, if there is any possibility to provide coordinates in addition to this simple region R1 which is addressed by the mouse macro. With this additional information I would be able to create two different macros addressing the same region but doing different actions ?

Rgds

Reinhard

[Pete Dowson]

PMDG has "improved" the FS spoiler functionality by internal coding and you get the standard spoiler behaviour of FS, if you arm it via the axis. This means: If you arm the spoiler on the ground (e.g. before takeoff) the spoiler will extract.

Why do you arm the spoiler on the ground? Seems to me quite dangerous. As you accelerate for takeoff the bouncing on the gear switches could surely activate the spoilers in any case, with disastrous consequences?

The mouse macro were only able to disarm (if you manually armed the spoiler by using the mouse) but never to arm the spoiler. The reason behind is simple: PMDG has created only one mouse sensitive region (R1) for the spoiler handling and they seem to check on a mouse click, at which coordinates within the region you are clicking. If you click in the upper area, then the spoiler is disarmed and if you click within the lower part of the same region, then the spoiler is armed. If they would have created two seperate regions, it would have been easy. And it seems, that the generated mouse event from the macro always hits this region in the upper area (maybe at 0,0 as nothig may be defined - just an assumption).

The mouse macro facility doesn't know anything about screen regions. It simply traps the place in the Gauge code which is called when you operate the mouse click, and sets things so it can call that code directly.

So after this long description of my problem I want to ask, if there is any possibility to provide coordinates in addition to this simple region R1 which is addressed by the mouse macro. With this additional information I would be able to create two different macros addressing the same region but doing different actions ?

No, because I've no way of using the coordinates in any case. As I say I am calling the resulting code directly, I am not emulating a mouse click. Additionally it does spoil the whole point of the mouse macro system which is entirely independent of the screen -- you don't even need the relevant part to be visible.

What you want to do is already very capably done by "Key2Mouse" by Luciano Napolitano. You program your button or switch to send the keystroke to move the mouse and click the button.

Regards

Pete

[aua668]

Why do you arm the spoiler on the ground? Seems to me quite dangerous. As you accelerate for takeoff the bouncing on the gear switches could surely activate the spoilers in any case, with disastrous consequences?

You are right - arming of speedbrakes for takeoff is only at the Airbus - at the Boeing they have to be down according to the checklist. So this is no factor anymore. Thanks for the hint.

No, because I've no way of using the coordinates in any case. As I say I am calling the resulting code directly, I am not emulating a mouse click. Additionally it does spoil the whole point of the mouse macro system which is entirely independent of the screen -- you don't even need the relevant part to be visible.

What you want to do is already very capably done by "Key2Mouse" by Luciano Napolitano. You program your button or switch to send the keystroke to move the mouse and click the button.

Regards

Pete

Thanks that's exactly the answer I expected and so now the case is clear. Great support btw!

Rgds

Reinhard