Saitek Switch Panel & PMDG 737 NGX

[Steve Cox]

Hi,

I have FSX Acceleration Pack installed on XP 32bit, FSUIPC current version 4.84 (registered).

I recently purchased the NGX having previously used the Wilco Evo Vol 1 (A319, A320 & A321) without issue. The only thing that I can see to use is the Landing Gear which works perfectly.

None of the lights switches work, Pitot Heat doesn't work and engine starter switch doesn't work at all.

Though I consider myself reasonably minded in regards to technical issues, I am at a complete loss as to where to go to try and sort this. People keep posting about using FSUIPC, but I am not sure how FSUIPC picks up the Switch Panel switch movements?

If anyone can offer any simple guidelines as to how I can sort this I would be really grateful.

Before anyone says about a google search, there are thousands of posts and I just don't have enough time to read them all.

Steve

[Pete Dowson]

I have FSX Acceleration Pack installed on XP 32bit, FSUIPC current version 4.84 (registered).

The earliest current supported version is 4.853, and there's a 4.858 version now available too. 4.84 certainly isn't "current" I'm afraid.

Though I consider myself reasonably minded in regards to technical issues, I am at a complete loss as to where to go to try and sort this. People keep posting about using FSUIPC, but I am not sure how FSUIPC picks up the Switch Panel switch movements?

I don't know if it does. If the panel is not a standard joystick type device, it won't. And I'm afraid i cannot support Saitek devices.

Before anyone says about a google search, there are thousands of posts and I just don't have enough time to read them all.

You'll need to narrow your searches then. There are very specific contributions for the NGX, including by PMDG themselves in the NGX SDK. I expect there are some for Saitek panels too. I have even less time than you, especially for Saitek. Sorry.

Regards

Pete

[Clutch Cargo]

If I may chime in, Steve the Saitek switch panel uses what is standard for default aircraft and does not always work with 3rd party aircraft. One being the PMDG 737. However, you are in luck. If you use a 3rd party program called SPAD (stands for Saitek Panels Advanced Driver), it includes special code to work with the NGX. Check their site, the program is freeware, and the developer, Massimo, has really done an outstanding job creating new interfaces for each of the Saitek panels.

http://fstools.weebly.com/

Hope that helps,

Clutch

[Steve Cox]

If I may chime in, Steve the Saitek switch panel uses what is standard for default aircraft and does not always work with 3rd party aircraft. One being the PMDG 737. However, you are in luck. If you use a 3rd party program called SPAD (stands for Saitek Panels Advanced Driver), it includes special code to work with the NGX. Check their site, the program is freeware, and the developer, Massimo, has really done an outstanding job creating new interfaces for each of the Saitek panels.

http://fstools.weebly.com/

Hope that helps,

Clutch

Hi Clutch,

I've already downloaded it, but despite me sending Massimo a PM via the SPAD Forum and posting there, I've not had any response and I still only have Landing Gear and Landing lights (did manage to get that to work with SPAD). Nothing else seems to work.

I've tried Mouse Macro's and got nowhere, tried Virtual Joystick buttons and then used FSUIPC to pick that up and then send to the control and still nothing.

At the point of almost just giving up.

Did you manage to get everything working using SPAD, if so, would you be able to give me step by step to get the switches working?

Steve

[DanW]

Hi Steve,

Massimo's special programming with SPAD for the NGX is more about the multipanel and autopilot functions, the switch panel doesn't do much for the NGX in particular the top row because the top row is GA focussed.

By default you should find the gear and the lights work however, although NAV and STROBE active different things on the same 3 position switch but the rest of the lights are good. Watch the overhead panel when pushing your light switches, you should see them toggle.

This is assuming you don't have the default Saitek drivers, I never installed them so I don't know if they would conflict but it's likely they would. With SPAD you don't have to use Saitek drivers at all if you don't want to.

If you still want to map the top row, you need to go into SPAD (double click the taskbar icon) and click setup on the switch panel tab.

Then pick the switch you want, change the event to "FSUIPC Virtual Button"

For example for battery on/off you could assign the first two buttons and it would look like this:

Since NGX doesn't use default commands, you need to create macros to connect to:

1. Go into FSUIPC, buttons tab

2. Click create mouse macro, call it "NGX". Every time you do this for the NGX controls, ensure you give it the same name so they are grouped.

3. Click OK

4. Go to the 2D panel for where the switch is that you want. 2D panels are more likely to give you a result.

5. Click the switch, give it a name, and hit enter. See the FSUPIC manual for more information about mouse macros and testing them etc.

6. Go back into FSUIPC and End mouse macro and it will save to disk. Click OK.

Then go back in FSUIPC, you would go into the buttons tab, push the button/switch on your Saitek, and assign the control, script, or mouse macro. Here is where you select the mouse macro you created earlier.

Note some macros only allow you to toggle, where others might give you an ON and an OFF.

Because the macro only allows you to toggle, and no specifically ON/OFF, you can just assign the toggle to one way of the switch. Then to turn the battery on flip it up, to turn it off flip it up then down again.

[DanW]

ps before you do any of this, create a custom profile in SPAD for the NGX, because you don't want to change the default stuff that works for other planes.

Then anytime you fly the NGX, just pick this profile.

Eg these are the profiles I have in use

Also go into SPAD general options, and select "when a new aircraft is detect", pick "ask for a profile to bind", then it will remember your profile selcetion