FSX FSUIPC4 reloading flight erratically no apparent reason

[granathg]

Hello Pete,

I have an interesting issue. I run FSX/FSUIPC4 on a Win 7 system. I have a Saitek yoke, TQ, and pedals. The problem: While flying, FSX reloads the flight repeatedly, resetting the flight in the logbook and map view, without any action on my part. It happened once as I was lifting off the runway.

I was using version 4.57, so upgraded to 4.60 but the failure remains. It seems to occur more often if I am on Autopilot in my C172, occasionally changing heading and altitude during a long flight. In my test case I'm using no add-ons except FUIPC4. If I remove the FSUIPC4 dll file from the FSX Module folder the problem stops. Cockpit and VC modes both fail.

I got desperate and did a complete reinstall of Windows 7 and FSX, but no joy. I even shipped the system back to the builder, who did the same, more professionally. The problem still exists.

I have attached several .png files to show what FSX Map View looks like when this happens. I am able to use Saitek's software without similar failures, but FSUIPC4 offers many more options so I'd love to fix this.

Another oddity - this morning while changing either altitude or heading in VC mode, the yoke chattered as if I were tweaking it rapidly. But I was moving it off-center very smoothly. And just after landing, when I began a taxi the rudder seemed to be jammed left. I could only move in circles. I clicked the key to center the rudder and everything was fine. Then I did Spot View and could see that the elevator was jammed down. I was able to get it moving somewhat well, but just off the center of travel it too would chatter as if I were moving it rapidly. I think I have adequate dead zones defined, spikes removed, and filtering on. The LED on the yoke has what I consider a non critical symptom. It flashes very rapidly. But I don't use it so I've written it off as something not worth fixing. I have a functional Saitek joystick that I could use - to eliminate the yoke/TQ/pedals, if you think it's worth trying.

If I can provide additional information to isolate the cause, please ask. Perhaps there are log, cfg, or ini files or something to explain why it's happening.

Thanks, Gary

[Pete Dowson]

I have an interesting issue. I run FSX/FSUIPC4 on a Win 7 system. I have a Saitek yoke, TQ, and pedals. The problem: While flying, FSX reloads the flight repeatedly, resetting the flight in the logbook and map view, without any action on my part. It happened once as I was lifting off the runway.

Why do you think FSUIPC has anything to do with it?

I was using version 4.57, so upgraded to 4.60 but the failure remains. It seems to occur more often if I am on Autopilot in my C172, occasionally changing heading and altitude during a long flight. In my test case I'm using no add-ons except FUIPC4. If I remove the FSUIPC4 dll file from the FSX Module folder the problem stops. Cockpit and VC modes both fail.

So, either something is using FSUIPC to reset the flight, or you are mistaking a reload of scenery and textures as a flight reload. The latter will be caused by a time correction exceeding one minute. For FSUIPC to do that you must have enabled the option in FSUIPC options to synchronise the time, and also have a time distortion making it go more than a minute out from your system time even though FSUIPC would be correcting it every 50 odd seconds if it can.

A reload of scenery and textures is NOT a reload of a flight, which would move your aircraft back to some previously saved position.

I have attached several .png files to show what FSX Map View looks like when this happens.

None of those are relevant really, or at least I can't make head nor tail of them so they tell me nothing really. Sorry.

Just turn the time sync off. If that doesn't fix it you need to look for other causes.

Another oddity - this morning while changing either altitude or heading in VC mode, the yoke chattered as if I were tweaking it rapidly. But I was moving it off-center very smoothly. And just after landing, when I began a taxi the rudder seemed to be jammed left. I could only move in circles. I clicked the key to center the rudder and everything was fine. Then I did Spot View and could see that the elevator was jammed down. I was able to get it moving somewhat well, but just off the center of travel it too would chatter as if I were moving it rapidly. I think I have adequate dead zones defined, spikes removed, and filtering on. The LED on the yoke has what I consider a non critical symptom. It flashes very rapidly. But I don't use it so I've written it off as something not worth fixing. I have a functional Saitek joystick that I could use - to eliminate the yoke/TQ/pedals, if you think it's worth trying.

Sorry, but I can't tell you openly what I think of Saitek products. Yours are obviously misbehaving. I'd get them fixed under warranty if I were you.

Regards

Pete

[granathg]

Would you care to send me a brief PM regarding the merits, or otherwise, of the most popular FS hardware?

[Pete Dowson]

Would you care to send me a brief PM regarding the merits, or otherwise, of the most popular FS hardware?

GoFlight, VRi?

No, not really.

Pete

[granathg]

I think FSUIPC has something to do with this failure because if I run FSX with no add-ons I have no problems. If I install any addons other than FSUIPC, I have no problems. But if FSUIPC is the only add-on, I have problems. A reasonable person might suspect FSUIPC is involved and investigate further.

As you said, I'm probably seeing a scenery reload, not a flight reload. You said a scenery reload is caused by a time correction exceeding one minute. "Keep FS clock synced" was ticked. I think that's what you're referring to. So it's possible that a "time distortion" occurred, by which I think you mean the system clock differs from the FS clock by more than a minute. But then you say that FS normally syncs on a 50-second cycle if it can, thus there should never have been a scenery reload. Why might FS be unable to sync on a 50-second cycle?

Page six of the Advanced User's Guide defines ClockSync and ClockSyncMins (see next paragraph). It could be written more clearly and an example would help. Do these two options permit me to avoid the sync problem by going into FSUIPC.ini and manually setting ClockSync to Yes and ClockSyncMins to 1? Or am I just as well off to simply set ClockSync to No?

ClockSync: This facility synchronises the seconds values with that of your PCs system clock. It is defaulted off (=No). Note that the synchronisation can only operate when the seconds = 0, and then it also has to set the miunte. Consequently, it will only attempt to make an adjustment when the minutes difference is less than that set by the next parameter:

ClockSyncMins: The minutes difference within which FSUIPC4‘s ClockSync facility will operate. This defaults to 5, but note that if you want to reduce the occasions that FSX reloads textures, you will need to set this less. Conversely, if you want the exact minutes value to be maintained as well as seconds, set this to 59 or 60.

I'm incredulous that you can't make head or tail of the screenshots. They clearly show that the flights had been interrupted and then restarted in midflight, with all evidence of the earlier portion of the flight obliterated. That seems easy to understand.

I investigated GoFlight and VRi. Thanks for mentioning them. Their physical size and pricing make them impractical for the casual simmer such as myself. If I had $3,000+ USD burning a hole in my pocket, I would find a way to spend it that includes my dear wife. I think the type of simming done by most of us is not serious enough that we'd buy that expensive gear, use most of a room to build a 5-screen flight deck mockup with overhead instruments and who knows what else. At some point pretending becomes unreasonable. Many of us don't want to go that far.

Anyhow, you haven't addressed the rudder and elevator going full limit and chattering. If you have any ideas about that, I'd be pleased to hear them. Perhaps I'll increase the dead zones for those controls and see what happens. The Saitek software, which I abhor, may be my best option. Too bad, I really like FSUIPC.

[Pete Dowson]

I think FSUIPC has something to do with this failure because if I run FSX with no add-ons I have no problems. If I install any addons other than FSUIPC, I have no problems. But if FSUIPC is the only add-on, I have problems. A reasonable person might suspect FSUIPC is involved and investigate further.

You missed the point. Apart from the few user options, one of which I pointed out to you, FSUIPC's only real purpose, stemming right from its origins back in FS895 and FS98 days, is its provision of an interface for all sorts of programs, add-ons and add-ins, into FS. It really doesn't actually do anything by itself. It's a tool. When it is running other things can do things through it.

As you said, I'm probably seeing a scenery reload, not a flight reload. You said a scenery reload is caused by a time correction exceeding one minute. "Keep FS clock synced" was ticked. I think that's what you're referring to. So it's possible that a "time distortion" occurred, by which I think you mean the system clock differs from the FS clock by more than a minute. But then you say that FS normally syncs on a 50-second cycle if it can, thus there should never have been a scenery reload. Why might FS be unable to sync on a 50-second cycle?

Good question. It didn't really happen in FS9. I'm not sure why it happens occasionally in FSX with the same mechanism, but I'm prwetty certain it has to do with the asynchronous SimConnect interface -- the fact that the reading of the clock and the writing of the correction are both executed by messaging and queuing between three parts -- FSUIPC, SimConnect's DLL interface, and the routines in FS itself. When FS is pretty busy I think it may be possible for such lower priority needs to get delayed slightly.

Page six of the Advanced User's Guide defines ClockSync and ClockSyncMins (see next paragraph). It could be written more clearly and an example would help. Do these two options permit me to avoid the sync problem by going into FSUIPC.ini and manually setting ClockSync to Yes and ClockSyncMins to 1? Or am I just as well off to simply set ClockSync to No?

Given the above explanation, unless you want ot try unloading FSX a bit or upgrading your processor or overclocking it more, I suspect the only solution is to turn it off. I have it enabled, not to correct the minutes (which would be risky), only the seconds, and i don't have any scenery reloads being caused by it, but then I am using an i7-980X overclocked to 4.65GHz and with almost nothing else running on that PC, and no complex aircraft add-on and no panel.

I'm incredulous that you can't make head or tail of the screenshots. They clearly show that the flights had been interrupted and then restarted in midflight, with all evidence of the earlier portion of the flight obliterated. That seems easy to understand.

I'm glad they mean that to you. Sorry, but you'll have to remain incredulous. I've really never used the FS map facility and do not know what you are showing me there.

Anyhow, you haven't addressed the rudder and elevator going full limit and chattering. If you have any ideas about that, I'd be pleased to hear them. Perhaps I'll increase the dead zones for those controls and see what happens. The Saitek software, which I abhor, may be my best option. Too bad, I really like FSUIPC.

From everything you said it soundded most definitely like a hardware fault. Especially since you have a LED on the yoke flashing, which sounds very suspicious indeed. Have you bothered to actualy see if you get tohse symproms without FSUIPC being involved, like with FS assignments. Why are you assigning in FSUIPC in any case? And why do you like FSUIPC is you think it is responsible for all these ills?

Regards

Pete

[granathg]

Hi Pete,

Good enough. Thanks for the information. With the FS Clock Synced unticked FSX runs smooth as silk. I am going to disable my AV and use alacrityPC to suspend some other apps and services and see if that will help too. My processor is only a i7 930 quad overclocked to 3.36 GHz. but it does a super job. Thanks again for your comments.

Regards, Ga;ry

You missed the point. Apart from the few user options, one of which I pointed out to you, FSUIPC's only real purpose, stemming right from its origins back in FS895 and FS98 days, is its provision of an interface for all sorts of programs, add-ons and add-ins, into FS. It really doesn't actually do anything by itself. It's a tool. When it is running other things can do things through it.

Good question. It didn't really happen in FS9. I'm not sure why it happens occasionally in FSX with the same mechanism, but I'm prwetty certain it has to do with the asynchronous SimConnect interface -- the fact that the reading of the clock and the writing of the correction are both executed by messaging and queuing between three parts -- FSUIPC, SimConnect's DLL interface, and the routines in FS itself. When FS is pretty busy I think it may be possible for such lower priority needs to get delayed slightly.

Given the above explanation, unless you want ot try unloading FSX a bit or upgrading your processor or overclocking it more, I suspect the only solution is to turn it off. I have it enabled, not to correct the minutes (which would be risky), only the seconds, and i don't have any scenery reloads being caused by it, but then I am using an i7-980X overclocked to 4.65GHz and with almost nothing else running on that PC, and no complex aircraft add-on and no panel.

I'm glad they mean that to you. Sorry, but you'll have to remain incredulous. I've really never used the FS map facility and do not know what you are showing me there.

From everything you said it soundded most definitely like a hardware fault. Especially since you have a LED on the yoke flashing, which sounds very suspicious indeed. Have you bothered to actualy see if you get tohse symproms without FSUIPC being involved, like with FS assignments. Why are you assigning in FSUIPC in any case? And why do you like FSUIPC is you think it is responsible for all these ills?

Regards

Pete