Throttles and FSUIPC

[strude11]

Hi Pete

I wonder if you can help me re this throttle problem.

I have had both fully registered FSUIPC and WideFS for a number of years and they are a credit to your ingenuity in this field.

I have the Saitek Pro yolk and rudder pedals and have always used FSUIPC to take care of my axis assignments. All assignments in FSX are deleted and up until a few days ago everything worked perfectly well.

Now what has happened is my throttles are now going from idle to full at the slightest touch and I just can’t understand why this is happening. Now in the ini file, the throttles show the correct minus and plus values as follows:-

Throttle1=-16384,-512,512,16383/32

SlopeThrottle1=-4

Throttle2=-16384,-512,512,16383/32

SlopeThrottle2=-4

These are set for FSUIPC calibration, and when first calibrated within FSUIPC, they showed incrementally from minus values to plus values, leaving the values at centre at -512 and plus 512.

But now in FSUIPC when the throttles are at idle, they show values from 0 to 11264, and note that the centre figures of 512 are now missing. (Screenshot Idle)

When I move the throttles ever so slightly, the values move from 0 to plus 16383 instantly with no minus values whatsoever – I had set the slope values to -4 to both throttles. (Screenshot Small Movement)

There is no problem with the throttle calibration in Windows, all sliders are smooth and incremental. I have tried to rescan the throttles again but they will not slide from the minus 16384 to plus 16834, instead just going from 0 to 11264???

When I shut down fsx and go to windows, the calibration is spot on with the entire yolk including the three sliders working smoothly and well. Indeed, I use the third slider for my speedbrakes and sliders and in FSUIPC, they show a smooth transition from minus to plus and works perfectly.

As I say, this has just happened all of a sudden, with no problems occurring. Can you possibly advise me what has happened? Also, I updated to your latest version about three weeks ago but I can’t see why this would upset all the settings.

Any help would be appreciated Pete, - this is driving me crazy.!!!! Many thanks.

[Pete Dowson]

I have the Saitek Pro yolk and rudder pedals and have always used FSUIPC to take care of my axis assignments. All assignments in FSX are deleted and up until a few days ago everything worked perfectly well.

Deleting assignments in FS is generally not the best thing to do. If FS decides, for any reason, that your controllers are newly connected, it will automatically make assignments. Best always to disable controllers. No deletionsd needed, just one click.

Now what has happened is my throttles are now going from idle to full at the slightest touch and I just can’t understand why this is happening. Now in the ini file, the throttles show the correct minus and plus values as follows:-

Throttle1=-16384,-512,512,16383/32

SlopeThrottle1=-4

Throttle2=-16384,-512,512,16383/32

SlopeThrottle2=-4

These are set for FSUIPC calibration, and when first calibrated within FSUIPC, they showed incrementally from minus values to plus values, leaving the values at centre at -512 and plus 512.

But now in FSUIPC when the throttles are at idle, they show values from 0 to 11264, and note that the centre figures of 512 are now missing. (Screenshot Idle)

The centre values are not relevant when you have "no reverse zone" checked, as you have. Without that option the -ve values give reverse thrust, and the central zone is where the idle is. With no reverse zone the whole range from minimum to maximum is for forwad thrust. There's no "centre". The values are ignored.

With the values you show above, which are the default values, it is evident that you haven't actually calibrated your throttles. You should always leave a dead zone at either end -- especially for idle. Joystick devices don't always give the same values and you al;ways need to allow space for variations. Please check the User Guide. The chapter on calibration gives step-by-step instructions for proper calibration. if you don't do this it is really a waste of time using FSUIPC for those axes. Your INI settings are really no different from what would happen in FS by default.

When I move the throttles ever so slightly, the values move from 0 to plus 16383 instantly with no minus values whatsoever

The input values or the output values? For only forward thrust (which is what you have with no reverse zone), the output values should only go from 0 to 16384. But no instantly of course.

It certainly sounds like conflicting assignments to me, with one set reverse of the other.

I have tried to rescan the throttles again but they will not slide from the minus 16384 to plus 16834, instead just going from 0 to 11264???

Where are you reading this? In the Axis assignments tab (as you imply by "scan")? If so, then something's wrong with the Saitek drivers or teir Registry entries. The assignment tab shows the actual input being received from the device.

Regards

Pete

[strude11]

Hi Pete

Thanks for your reply. As I said, everything has been fine for ages and now I get this. After I set up the throttles I always calibrate them but in the calibration screen, I have pressed reset but now cant press the set buttons because I cant get the sliding scale from minus to plus to register the throttles. As for disabling the yolk, I use the many buttons on the yolk for other functions including the hat switch for viewing so I thought it best to just ensure that no assignments would conflict with FSUIPC by deleting them in FSX. As I said, I have had no problems until all of a sudden!!

[Pete Dowson]

Thanks for your reply. As I said, everything has been fine for ages and now I get this. After I set up the throttles I always calibrate them but in the calibration screen, I have pressed reset but now cant press the set buttons because I cant get the sliding scale from minus to plus to register the throttles.

It certainly sounds rather like the Registry problem a lot of Saitek users have complained about. I think you should check the Saitek support forum. If it is that then there's a registry fix for it I understand.

FSUIPC cannot influence the input values, only the resulting output values. Generally you can calibrate any range of inputs, even ones which seem quite short of values, and still get the full range of output values -- but of course mapping, say, a range of 0-10 only onto the desired output of 0-16383 will make adjustment a bit, er, coarse. I hope you see what i mean -- the input range is not always so relavant providing there is one!

As for disabling the yolk

I think you'll find it's actually a "yoke". A "yolk" is the yellow bit in an egg.

I use the many buttons on the yolk for other functions including the hat switch for viewing so I thought it best to just ensure that no assignments would conflict with FSUIPC by deleting them in FSX.

In that case you really should consider assigning the axes in FS as well. You can still calibrate in FSUIPC. The only reason normally for assigning in FSUIPC is so you can have different axes assigned for different aircraft, which FS doesn't support.

Most folks prefer to assign everything in FSUIPC. There's no reason not to -- FSUIPC offers more in the way of button assignments than FS itself does, including for the "hat".

As I said, I have had no problems until all of a sudden!!

Well, obviously something has changed. Maybe there's been some registry corruption or an auto-update? I can't really tell you from here.

If you want me to check anything further, please do not post little pictures which don't really tell me much and which are very difficult to see properly. The best thing to append (paste in actually) is your INI file, for instance.

Regards

Pete

[strude11]

Thanks for your input Pete. As to me posting small pictures, this was due to the fact that the max upload size was 20 kb!!!!!!! - now thats a strange one This is the only forum I have ever seen that stipulates a max upload of 20kb no wonder you couldnt see it.

As for my spelling of the egg thing, my mind was clearly off at a tangent trying to resolve this annoying fault.

Thank you and regards

[Pete Dowson]

Thanks for your input Pete. As to me posting small pictures, this was due to the fact that the max upload size was 20 kb!!!!!!! - now thats a strange one This is the only forum I have ever seen that stipulates a max upload of 20kb no wonder you couldnt see it.

Well, you can do more than me. :-) i don't even know how to include pictures in the first place except by uploading them to some website and placing the URL into the message.

Anyway, that's not really the point. I'd prefer to see the files which make the pictures show what they show. The files are more definitive. Don't try attaching text files, just copy and paste the contents. You can bracket them with the <> code parenthese if you like, makes them retain formatting better (<> button above the editing area, next to the quotes button).

Regards

Pete

[strude11]

Pete

Problem solved. After a lot of mucking about, I dont know what made me do it, I unplugged my saitek rudder pedals and then plugged them in again and hey, all was well again!!!! Throttles were back to smooooth again and my YOKE behaved itself again.

Regards for input and thanks

[Pete Dowson]

Problem solved. After a lot of mucking about, I dont know what made me do it, I unplugged my saitek rudder pedals and then plugged them in again and hey, all was well again!!!! Throttles were back to smooooth again and my YOKE behaved itself again.

Sounds like they got themselves into a strange state and needed resetting.

Regards

Pete