Wanting to have a flaps lever, small problem

[Thralni]

Hello,

Since I got Saitek throttle quadrants today, I'm very busy turning it all into something productive. Part of this is making a flap lever. I have found the instructions in FSUIPC's manual, but I have a very silly problem: when I move the relevant lever, the numbers do not change in the Flaps box of page 6 of the joystick calibration tab. Now, i suppose I should be setting up the lever I want for the flaps so that FSUIPC knows it is this specific lever that I want to use for the flaps. However, I have no idea where to even start looking. This is my very first time of seriously using FSUIPC.

Could somebody help me out? So in short, the lever I want to use for flaps does not generate a response in the Flaps box of page 6 of the joystick calibration tab (numbers do not change). What could/should I do to make that happen?

[Thralni]

EDIT: I thought I had figured out, but I still have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. I did get something woprking by choosing the relevant lever as the Flap axis in the FS assignments windows, but it doesn't behave at all like I want it too. What the hell should I be doing... I really have no understanding of all of this... For some reason, the throttle's 50% position is what is seen as Flaps 0, while FSUIPC clearly seems to say that Flaps 0 is at -16383, which is the way it should be (and Flaps 8 is at 16384, which is also why it should be). I just can't figure out why in the sim itself, what sould be flaps 4 is seen as flaps 0, and both flaps 0 and flaps 8 are seen as flaps 8...

[Pete Dowson]

Since I got Saitek throttle quadrants today, I'm very busy turning it all into something productive. Part of this is making a flap lever. I have found the instructions in FSUIPC's manual, but I have a very silly problem: when I move the relevant lever, the numbers do not change in the Flaps box of page 6 of the joystick calibration tab. Now, i suppose I should be setting up the lever I want for the flaps so that FSUIPC knows it is this specific lever that I want to use for the flaps. However, I have no idea where to even start looking. This is my very first time of seriously using FSUIPC.

FSUIPC can only calibrate aircraft controls assigned to do something. You must assign your axis first.

Why try to run before you can even toddle? Try doing things in FS itslef, first. Assign the flaps lever in FS, check that it works. THEN, maybe, try using FSUIPC to get specific positions calibrated, or other desired results. FSUIPC cannot work magic, it cannot read your mind!

Assignment of axes, like button and key presses, is a subject which you need to deal with in FS first. If you don't understand it in FS you've no chance in anything more sophisticated. So try FS first, eh?

Your second message (though labelled "EDIT" it was actually a separate post!):

EDIT: I thought I had figured out, but I still have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. I did get something woprking by choosing the relevant lever as the Flap axis in the FS assignments windows, but it doesn't behave at all like I want it too. What the hell should I be doing

If you cannot understand how to do things in FS I'm afraid FSUIPC is not for you. It doesn't make FS easier, it makes it more flexible and more powerful in what you can do. That's the last thing you want to get involved in. I suggest you first take several steps back and read some of the Microsoft Help for FS. Maybe ask questions over in the FS Forum.

.. I really have no understanding of all of this... For some reason, the throttle's 50% position is what is seen as Flaps 0, while FSUIPC clearly seems to say that Flaps 0 is at -16383, which is the way it should be (and Flaps 8 is at 16384, which is also why it should be). I just can't figure out why in the sim itself, what sould be flaps 4 is seen as flaps 0, and both flaps 0 and flaps 8 are seen as flaps 8...

All that is sorted, eventually, by calibration. I think you may be getting ahead of yourself, but if you calibrated the lowest value from your axis as the minimum, that would equate it to -16383 and therefore to flaps 0, of course, and similarly calibrating the maximum would take care of full or maximum flaps. That IS what calibration means -- matching the input values from your axes to the desired range within FS.

If that is truly beyond you, which I don't believe for one minute, then I'm afraid I can't really help. I can't explain it any simpler really.

Try just following the numbered calibration steps in the User Guide. It surely can't hurt to try using the documentation now and then? ;-)

Incidentally, I'm really rather loathe to assist Saitek is doing support which they should really do in any case. They are not my 'flavour of the month' -- or even of the year. I am even thinking of removing support from FSUIPC for their devices.

Pete

[Thralni]

Thanks for the reply Pete. A number of things:

First things first. The second post I made was about the flaps axis in FS itself, but it is here where my current problem started. I eventually found that there is a flaps axis, because I hadn't seen it before (I must be blind - I searched the axis assignment screen at least four times). I then assigned the lever I wished to use with it in FS, but then the current problem started: the parabolic way of flap movement (middle is fully retracted, fully extended at both ends)

So, it boils down to correct calibration? I have done that multiple times via the FS way, making sure that 0% is indeed 0% and 100% is indeed 100%, so that I use the full range of the lever, just like the 4 throttle levers I have. However, the 4 throttle levers work absolutely fine (and the spoiler lever too, by the way). 0% is engines idle, 100% is full thrust. The flaps lever, however, does not work. I mean, it works, but it works in a parabolic way, as I explained. On the middle it reads flaps 0 and at both ends it reads flaps full. this is also what is beyond me. I have done the calibration - and I think I did it correctly - at least three times, but it doesn't work as it should. I guess I'll try to calibrate again.

You also speak of the user manual, but what manual exactly do you mean? The FS2004 help files, the FSUIPC manual or the Saitek manual? Because the Saitek manual does not explain these things (and why should it?) and I did look at the FSUIPC manual (otherwise I probably would have never thought of the possibility of assigning a flap to an axis so easily). I'll look at the calibration steps if the FSUIPC manual, though. See if that can help me out.

By the way, the second post started out with edit, simply because I had edited that post... I posted, then came to the conclusion that what was in the post was wrong, and edited it. Then I did a second edit. The reason I edited was that I thought that I had understand what was going wrong. However, I didn't, so I edited the post.

[Pete Dowson]

the parabolic way of flap movement (middle is fully retracted, fully extended at both ends)

Really? I don't know how that is possible unless somehow you axis is giving larger input values at each end compared to the middle.

Note that, for flaps (and spoilers too, in fact), you usually want to REVerse the axis, so that flaps up (and spoilers down) are at the full forward position, as on the aircraft, not full back as with throttle levers. If you want this, be sure to select REVerse before calibrating. With FS assignment you can select reverse in the FS assignments dialogue. If calibrating in FSUIPC you can use the checkbox there. Just don't reverse it in both places (obviously?) and calibrate after reversing, not before, or the numbers will be wrong.

On the middle it reads flaps 0 and at both ends it reads flaps full. this is also what is beyond me. I have done the calibration - and I think I did it correctly - at least three times, but it doesn't work as it should. I guess I'll try to calibrate again.

Look at the FSUIPC calibration. What are the numbers, both IN and OUT, shown in FSUIPC for each of those three positions? And one intermediate position both ways? And what numbers do you have showing below the Min and Max 'SET' buttons?

I'd like to see some actual information, please.

If you actually calibrated the Flaps 0 position of the lever by pressing the minimum "Set" button when the lever was there, then when you again place the lever there, the OUT value should show 0 no matter what the IN value. That's the whole point of calibration -- to get the desired input values from whatever range of external values your device (or its driver, rather) generates. But it will not (cannot) handle an axis which has a "parabolic response curve"!

You also speak of the user manual, but what manual exactly do you mean?

For FSUIPC calibration, it is the FSUIPC User Manual. Where else? There's a chapter in it about calibration and that contains numbered steps to follow.

Regards

Pete

[Thralni]

Never mind, problem solved. After I jumped once again into the axis settings and joystick calibration of FSUIPC, I finally started understanding how the tabs work together. So, what I did:

1) I disabled the FS axis assignment I had made.

2) I went into FSUIPC, and assigned the relevant lever to flaps axis.

3) I went to the flaps calibration page in the calibration tab, and looked if all was okay

4) tested it out with a variety of default and addon aircraft, and to my satisfaction, everything worked as it should.

5) Went back into FSUIPC, and configrued the spoilers lever in the same way

6) Voila, everything works fine.

Thanks for the help. You prompted me to go back into FSUIPC and try to fully comprehend what it is I'm seeing.