PMDG 737NGX Fuel valves

[michael-t]

I am trying to assign the fuel controls (FSX mixture commands CTRL + SHIFT + 1, 2, 3 or 4; see control stand setup in the 737 FMC) to the mixture axes of my Saitek quadrant. It simply does not work. I have tested and changed the control stand setup - no success. When I test and assign any other FSX command to the mixture axes, it works. Somehow the fuel valves specifically do not respond. Any idea?

I have FSUIPC 4.719a

Michael

[Pete Dowson]

I am trying to assign the fuel controls (FSX mixture commands CTRL + SHIFT + 1, 2, 3 or 4; see control stand setup in the 737 FMC) to the mixture axes of my Saitek quadrant. It simply does not work. I have tested and changed the control stand setup - no success. When I test and assign any other FSX command to the mixture axes, it works. Somehow the fuel valves specifically do not respond. Any idea?

This confused me for a while. You talk about "FSX mixture commands" but then list keypresses, not commands, none of which are either FSX commands or anything to do with the mixture even on default aircraft -- the mixture keypresses are Ctrl+Shift+F1 to F4, not 1-4.

Can you expand upon your statement "When I test and assign any other FSX command to the mixture axes, it works.". Do you mean "FSX command" or merely "keypresses"? (I'm not sure why you are mixed up on this). What works?

I suspect with most of the 737NGX functions it'll be a matter of detective work to work out how to connect hardware. However, please do check the pinned thread at the top of this Forum, where, in a reply to my post, it is confirmed that the LINDA developers have mapped out several hundred of the 737NGX's functions for assignment. Maybe this solves your problem?

Regards

Pete

[michael-t]

Pete,

excuse me for not being clear. I mean the FSX keyboard commands

Mixture (idle cutoff) CTRL+SHIFT+F1

Mixture (lean quickly) CTRL+SHIFT+F2

Mixture (enrich) CTRL+SHIFT+F3

Mixture (full rich) CTRL+SHIFT+F4

I have tested and assigned i.e. the key command for flap extension (F4) to an axis of the quadrant: it worked and the flaps extended. However, assigning one of the above mixture key commands to the same axis would not operate the fuel valves. Thats what puzzled me.

Thank you,

Michael

[Pete Dowson]

excuse me for not being clear. I mean the FSX keyboard commands

Mixture (idle cutoff) CTRL+SHIFT+F1

Mixture (lean quickly) CTRL+SHIFT+F2

Mixture (enrich) CTRL+SHIFT+F3

Mixture (full rich) CTRL+SHIFT+F4

Those are keystrokes. The FS "commands" are Mixture cut, Mixture decr, Mixture incr and Mixture Rich, respectively, and work with FSX aircraft, not necessarily add-ons which do their own thing.

i must correct what i said in my first reply, where I got confused by your use of 1, 2, 3, 4 instead of F1, F2, F3, F4. I've now done further tests:

PMDG seems to have assigned the same keystrokes as follows:

Ctrl+Shift+F1 = Engine 1 cutoff

Ctrl+Shift+F2 = Engine 1 idle

Ctrl+Shift+F3 = Engine 2 cutoff

Ctrl+Shift+F4 = Engine 2 idle

I have tested and assigned i.e. the key command for flap extension (F4) to an axis of the quadrant: it worked and the flaps extended. However, assigning one of the above mixture key commands to the same axis would not operate the fuel valves. Thats what puzzled me.

The above keystrokes can be assigned to buttons and operate fine. I've just done it. What exactly are you assigning, and how can you do it on an axis? FSUIPC does have a means of sending keystrokes from axis assignments, but it isn't easy and I'd like to know how you are doing it. I suspect you have it wrong.

Regards

Pete

[michael-t]

Now I am getting the difference between commands and keystrokes.

How I tried to assign to an axis: first I defined the range into which the lever has to travel, then I picked a command i.e. "mixture lean" from the list "control to be sent when range entered". My idea was, that the "mixture lean" command would be transferred into CTRL+SHIFT+F2 which then acts the fuel valve.

Michael

[Pete Dowson]

How I tried to assign to an axis: first I defined the range into which the lever has to travel, then I picked a command i.e. "mixture lean" from the list "control to be sent when range entered". My idea was, that the "mixture lean" command would be transferred into CTRL+SHIFT+F2 which then acts the fuel valve.

It is the other way around. Keystrokes are like buttons. They are assigned, either in FS's own assignments or in FSUIPC. The "controls" or "commands" are what they get translated into. The controls are the things which FSX understands, not the keystrokes which can easily be changed. Try visiting the FSX control assignments and you'll see -- keystrokes and buttons and axes are all treated alike, they are all assignable.

The 737NGX uses keystrokes, not the FSX controls. You CAN make your axis ranges send those keystrokes, but you'll need to assign to the FSUIPC added control for key strokes, and encode the key combination to be sent as the parameter. Details are in the dox.

Regards

Pete

[michael-t]

Forgot to continue... Now, here is how I could solve it:

This is the content of a textfile named "PMDG 737NGX.mcro" which goes into the modules folder:

[Macros]

1=NGX Fuel 1 off=K112,11

2=NGX Fuel 1 on=K113,11

3=NGX Fuel 2 off=K114,11

4=NGX Fuel 2 on=K115,11

This file is loaded with the following statement in the MacroFiles-section of the FSUIPC.ini:

[MacroFiles]

1=PMDG 737NGX

Thereafter, one can assign the fuel valve commands to two analogue axes. In case of the Y and Z axis of my Saitek quadrant, the assignment in the Axes-section of FSUIPC.ini reads as follows:

0=1Y,256

1=1Y,B,-16384,-9752,M1:1,0

2=1Y,B,256,16383,M1:2,0

3=1Z,256

4=1Z,B,-16384,-9752,M1:3,0

5=1Z,B,256,16383,M1:4,0

Michael