Robinson R22 Offsets

[rafalbrz71]

Hello everyone,

First I'd like to thank you for all the wonderful, and helpful information this forum provides. It has been an enormous help in developing my project. I'm currently building a real cockpit based on the Robinson R22 helicopter, which brings me to the problem at hand. FSUIPC doesn't seem to contain offsets for some of the warning light on the main panel. Precisely the ones for main, and tail rotor gearbox chip. I've done searches (in FSUIPC offset list) for transmission, gearbox, rotor, chip and warnings to no avail. It must be possible to access those points, because SimKits.com were able to make a warning panel that contains the mentioned warning lights. However, spending $600 for just eight warning light seems ridiculous to me. I've been searching for the answer for a long time. Can anyone please help? Any information on the subject will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance,

Rafal

[Pete Dowson]

FSUIPC doesn't seem to contain offsets for some of the warning light on the main panel. Precisely the ones for main, and tail rotor gearbox chip. I've done searches (in FSUIPC offset list) for transmission, gearbox, rotor, chip and warnings to no avail. It must be possible to access those points, because SimKits.com were able to make a warning panel that contains the mentioned warning lights.

What version of FS are you talking about?

Are you sure the SimKits implementation didn't derive these warnings from whatever values are measured to sgnal them? That's how most warning lights are driven in the FS gauges themselves. If you can be more descriptive I might be able to help -- I don't really know what "main, and tail rotor gearbox chip" means nor what the warning is telling you. Some measurement going too high or too low, I would guess, and that is probably the only way to detect it.

Pete

[rafalbrz71]

Thank you for the quick response. I'm using FS-X. The warning lights indicator panel program I designed uses the various values of of the different components like main rotor RPM percentage, alternator amperage, and engine oil pressure to indicate the cautions and warnings to be displayed. Figuring that part was fairly easy. The "m.r. chip" and "t.r. chip" caution lights indicate a possible gearbox failure. The main rotor, and tail rotor transmissions have a magnetic switch built into their oil pans. Upon the possible grinding of gears, the magnetic switch collects metal shavings, and shorts two contact points that turn on the warning lights. Other than the main rotor transmission oil temperature offset, which would provide similar but incorrect indication, I've been unable to find anything else that is a usable value for this purpose. As far as I know, Robinson is the only helicopter company that implements such system of warning on the main panel, and no other flight simulator information is available online. Hope this help to narrow it down.

Thank you,

Rafal

[Pete Dowson]

Thank you for the quick response. I'm using FS-X. The warning lights indicator panel program I designed uses the various values of of the different components like main rotor RPM percentage, alternator amperage, and engine oil pressure to indicate the cautions and warnings to be displayed. Figuring that part was fairly easy. The "m.r. chip" and "t.r. chip" caution lights indicate a possible gearbox failure. The main rotor, and tail rotor transmissions have a magnetic switch built into their oil pans. Upon the possible grinding of gears, the magnetic switch collects metal shavings, and shorts two contact points that turn on the warning lights. Other than the main rotor transmission oil temperature offset, which would provide similar but incorrect indication, I've been unable to find anything else that is a usable value for this purpose. As far as I know, Robinson is the only helicopter company that implements such system of warning on the main panel, and no other flight simulator information is available online. Hope this help to narrow it down.

Okay. These are the variables I can get for the R22 through SimConnect:

ROTOR BRAKE HANDLE POS *** Percent actuated 	 Percent Over 100
ROTOR BRAKE ACTIVE Active Bool
ROTOR CLUTCH SWITCH POS *** Switch position Bool
ROTOR CLUTCH ACTIVE 	 Active Bool
ROTOR TEMPERATURE *** Main rotor transmission temperature Rankine
ROTOR CHIP DETECTED Chip detection Bool
ROTOR GOV SWITCH POS *** Switch position Bool
ROTOR GOV ACTIVE 	 Active Bool
ROTOR LATERAL TRIM PCT *** Trim percent 	 Percent Over 100
ROTOR RPM PCT *** Percent max rated rpm Percent Over 100
[/CODE]

If what you need is amongst those I can add them. Currently I supply those I've marked ***. No one has asked for the others before, and they weren't availbalbe in FS9.

Regards

Pete

[rafalbrz71]

Wow! You're the greatest! I should have become a member here long ago. It would help out immensely if you could help with the ones below. Thank you so much!

ROTOR CLUTCH ACTIVE Active Bool

ROTOR CHIP DETECTED Chip detection Bool

[Pete Dowson]

Okay. I've added all 4 remaining values, in spare offsets as follows:

081E, 1 byte, Boolean, ROTOR BRAKE ACTIVE

081F, 1 byte, Boolean, ROTOR CLUTCH ACTIVE

0820, 1 byte, Boolean, ROTOR CHIP DETECTED

0821, 1 byte, Boolean, ROTOR GOV ACTIVE

These are in version 4.861: download it using this link: FSUIPC4861

Regards

Pete

[rafalbrz71]

Thank you very much. You have been great help :razz:

[rafalbrz71]

Hello Pete,

A new issue has developed. I use two computers for FSX. One has windows XP 64-bit, the other windows 7, also 64-bit. Programming is a new concept to me, so I started with something simple like Visual Basic 6, which works great on older operating systems ( like win XP ). However, on windows 7 it will not work at all. Therefore, I began learning C++ with the Code::Blocks 12.11 compiler, and here's the issue. When using the library finder plugin to ad the FSUIPC_User.lib to my project, the program pulls a Homer Simpson ( DOUGH! ). Is there a way to add and reference the library manually? Sorry to bother you with such a trivial issue, but I've been trying to do this for two days now with no luck. Thanks for any help you can provide.

Rafal

[Pete Dowson]

Therefore, I began learning C++ with the Code::Blocks 12.11 compiler, and here's the issue. When using the library finder plugin to ad the FSUIPC_User.lib to my project, the program pulls a Homer Simpson ( DOUGH! ). Is there a way to add and reference the library manually? Sorry to bother you with such a trivial issue, but I've been trying to do this for two days now with no luck. Thanks for any help you can provide.

Sorry, no idea. But LIB file formats are often different for different compiling systems. You will probably need to build your own, or simply include the source in your program. Everything is there, in the SDK. The LIB is just a convenience for those using Microsoft C/C++ -- and it may not even be compatible with all versions of that!

Pete

[rafalbrz71]

OK

Which compiler do you recommend for C++?

[Pete Dowson]

Which compiler do you recommend for C++?

I don't. I use MS Visual Studio 2003, 2005 and 2010, depending which programs I am compiling. But they are all possibly incompatible with that LIB as MS keep changing formats too.

Pete

[mgh]

If you have the .dll file it's possible to create a new .lib file. Google "create .lib from .dll"

[rafalbrz71]

Pete,

Thanks. I have MS Visual Studio 2008, but it's a complex program and I'll have to devote some time to understanding it's use.

MGH,

Thanks for the reply. I don't have a .dll, only the files included in the FSUIPC SDK.

Rafal

[Pete Dowson]

Thanks for the reply. I don't have a .dll, only the files included in the FSUIPC SDK.

The source of the LIB is provided, though, and you can simply include that source in your own program if building a LIB is too complex (though I think it is only a matter of degining that as the output format, and possibly declaring the exports). The end result, in your program, will be the same. The code is included one way or the other.

Regards

Pete

[rafalbrz71]

Pete,

Thanks again for all your help. I had some issues with Win XP, but decided to use Windows 7, and everything works great. :razz: Now I've been trying to initiate a failure of the main rotor transmission to test the main rotor chip active offset ( 0820 ). FSX doesn't provide a transmission failure, so I thought reducing the transmission oil pressure, offset 0900, would simulate the grinding of gears and activate the main rotor transmission chip on the warning panel. However, the oil pressure offset is read only. Do you have any ideas how to initiate the loss of transmission oil?

Thanks,

Rafal

[Pete Dowson]

Thanks again for all your help. I had some issues with Win XP, but decided to use Windows 7, and everything works great. :razz: Now I've been trying to initiate a failure of the main rotor transmission to test the main rotor chip active offset ( 0820 ). FSX doesn't provide a transmission failure, so I thought reducing the transmission oil pressure, offset 0900, would simulate the grinding of gears and activate the main rotor transmission chip on the warning panel. However, the oil pressure offset is read only. Do you have any ideas how to initiate the loss of transmission oil?

No, sorry. I've tried in the past to generate oil leaks and so on, to no avail. If you were controlling your own complete cockpit you'd program you own systems to allow all sorts of things lie this, and just manipulate other factors in the FS simulation to generate the end effect. This is what completely separate systems do like Project Magents pmSystems, SimAvionics and ProSim -- possibly also some add-on aircraft like those by PMDG. But the internal systems of FS itself aren't complete and not very manipulatable.

Regards

Pete

[Bill Hunt]

I am building a similar panel - I am curious about the MR TEMP, LOW FUEL and LOW RPM lights. Does anybody know what the thresholds from rotor transmission temperature, fuel level and rpm are before these lights become active?