Main axis not smooth while using FSUIPC 4.92 for joystick control

[antonvs]

Hi, I have been using FSUIPC for a long time now, even bought and registered the payed version even although I was not using many of its features. Now I have set up FSUICP4 to fully control my Joystick since I have progressively lost the joystick from within MS FSX in the last week.

There are many people reporting the same or related problem on both ORBX FTX forum and on AVSIM. Seems to be related but no evidence yet that the problem started with the last Windown 8 updates.

 

I started having just the odd drop out of the joystick when I swapped out of FSX and back. Initially the joystick would only drop out on the odd occasion but before long it started doing it almost every time and some times it would not be enabled when FSX first loaded.

 

Following other advice I tried using FSUIPC4 as an alternative to FSX. This solved my lost joystick problem 100%. But after many hours of trying to calibrate the Joystick I find it very jerky. I have disabled the joystick in FSX and also deleted any reference to the joystick asignments in FSX.

 

I use a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro joystick and have got the throttle and rudder quite smooth. However not so for the Ailerons, which just seem to have two positions to Port or Starboard and the controls just jerk between these two positions. I have set filtering on. I have experimented over many hours trying different centre null "sets", just still always end up with two position in either direction.

 

The Elevators are a bit jerky but not as bad as the Ailerons.

 

Can you give some advise please.

 

Cheers Anton.

 

My system is a ASUS z87 sabertooth with an Intel 4770K, 16 GB RAM and 2 Gb Geforce 770 video card. I run Windows 8.0 64bit.

 

[Pete Dowson]

But after many hours of trying to calibrate the Joystick I find it very jerky. I have disabled the joystick in FSX and also deleted any reference to the joystick asignments in FSX.

 

There is absolutely no reason whatoever what any axis can be "more jerky" in FSUIPC that in any other way.  It sounds exactly like dual asignment. If you assign axes in FSUIPC you MUST disable all controller assignments in FS.

 

Pete

[antonvs]

There is absolutely no reason whatoever what any axis can be "more jerky" in FSUIPC that in any other way.  It sounds exactly like dual asignment. If you assign axes in FSUIPC you MUST disable all controller assignments in FS.

 

Pete

Thanks Pete. I had seen previous posts suggesting this but even although I had previously turn off the joystick in FSX, I checked this morning and it was set on again. However when I disabled it, I still get the same result

 

Here is a link showing screenies of both my FSUIPC settings and three photos of my c210m that shows the ailerons at rest and then the only two other positions the ailerons jump to.

 

http://www.evernote.com/shard/s77/sh/2e806502-98a8-4c6f-895b-67e3fed60b00/7e04f3bbe5d9af51fd3766de14bb0f7a

 

I also wanted to ask if it is possible to map a key to the "spot plane" which is normally mapped on the keyboard as F11. I have not been able to find it in the list.

 

Cheers Anton.

[Pete Dowson]

Thanks Pete. I had seen previous posts suggesting this but even although I had previously turn off the joystick in FSX, I checked this morning and it was set on again. However when I disabled it, I still get the same result

 

Yes, FS does automatically reassign axes IUNLESS you disable the controllers in its controls options. This sets "joysticks=0" in its CFG file, and then it normally does not do its automatic reassignment. Simply unassigning axes in its assignments options does not work -- each time you run FS without telling it thus, it  assumes the controls are newly attached and does its automatic reassignments. I'm pretty sure this is expalined in the FSUIPC user guide someplace. It has always been the case, for all FS versions as far as I can remember.

 

I assume you do realise that you do NOT have to actually assign axes in FSUIPC just to calibrate in FSUIPC? The calibration works for the control surfaces and so on no matter how you assign them. If you cannot fathom out how to stop dual assignments, just don't assign in FSUIPC.

 

 

I also wanted to ask if it is possible to map a key to the "spot plane" which is normally mapped on the keyboard as F11. I have not been able to find it in the list.

 

It is quite easy to determine the names of FS controls asigned by default -- just enable event logging in FSUIPC logging, use the control, then look in the Log file to see what it did. I think in FSX F11 does something like "VIEW_CAMERA_SELECT_3". (If not it is certain to be one or other of the camera selections).

 

Of course you can always use F11 assigned to a button instead of the controll itself. FSUIPC does actually allow both keypress and control assignments to buttons and switches.

 

BTW I do not support old versions of FSUIPC. Please update before posting again.

 

Pete

[antonvs]

Yes, FS does automatically reassign axes IUNLESS you disable the controllers in its controls options. This sets "joysticks=0" in its CFG file, and then it normally does not do its automatic reassignment. Simply unassigning axes in its assignments options does not work -- each time you run FS without telling it thus, it  assumes the controls are newly attached and does its automatic reassignments. I'm pretty sure this is expalined in the FSUIPC user guide someplace. It has always been the case, for all FS versions as far as I can remember.

 

Pete

Thanks again Pete.

 

First I have updated to 4.927a. See here again:

http://www.evernote....d3766de14bb0f7a

 

I checked fsx.cfg and joysticks=0.

 

Here you can view my fsx.cfg -- http://www.evernote.com/shard/s77/sh/ad50154b-4a10-4adf-8bee-61799fb00967/d5e9282de1ab700b29c731c0c5af1400

 

I assume you do realise that you do NOT have to actually assign axes in FSUIPC just to calibrate in FSUIPC? The calibration works for the control surfaces and so on no matter how you assign them. If you cannot fathom out how to stop dual assignments, just don't assign in FSUIPC.

 

Pete

I need FSUIPC to totally take control of the joystick because of the problem that has crept in (to Win8 I am guessing) whereby the USB port the joystick is attached to looses focus when swapping out of FSX and back again. An example of this is while flying I swap out to view Plan-G and then return to the flight only to find no joystick.

(This BTW is now a major issue with P3D and the quys there are working on a fix for that SIM). The Guys at SkyPilot have claimed to have a fix in thier FSAssist product and I tried that but it did not prove to be a lasting solution. The only 100% stable way I now have of running my joystick with FSX is to fully asign it via FSUIPC.

 

So now with the latest ver of FSUIPC installed I ran FSX and checked that the joystick was still showing disabled in config and it was. I then re calibrated the Ailerons and tried another test flight. The Ailerons still only jump to two positions in each direction (like half and full extenstion). However the Elevator, rudder and throttle are great and very smooth.

 

So what can it be that just affects the Ailerons? Is there perhaps something that FSAsist has done, maybe in fsx.cfg that effects FSUIPC. I don't know what FSAssist does, if it has a latent prosess running in the background or if it just tries to tweek FSX.CFG.

Edited December 21, 2013 by antonvs

[Pete Dowson]

So now with the latest ver of FSUIPC installed I ran FSX and checked that the joystick was still showing disabled in config and it was. I then re calibrated the Ailerons and tried another test flight. The Ailerons still only jump to two positions in each direction (like half and full extenstion). However the Elevator, rudder and throttle are great and very smooth.

 

So what can it be that just affects the Ailerons? Is there perhaps something that FSAsist has done, maybe in fsx.cfg that effects FSUIPC. I don't know what FSAssist does, if it has a latent prosess running in the background or if it just tries to tweek FSX.CFG.

 

Does the aileron axis exhibit this behaviour in Windows' own Game Controllers calibration window too? If so then it must either be a setting or problem in the joystick driver, or an actual fault in the device itself.

 

What are the specific numeric values you read in the Assignment tab? In that tab check both the input and output values seen.  Oh, and the 'Delta' value, in case that has been changed.

 

Pete

[antonvs]

Does the aileron axis exhibit this behaviour in Windows' own Game Controllers calibration window too? If so then it must either be a setting or problem in the joystick driver, or an actual fault in the device itself.

 

What are the specific numeric values you read in the Assignment tab? In that tab check both the input and output values seen.  Oh, and the 'Delta' value, in case that has been changed.

 

Pete

OK. I'm quite confused by what I have just seen. First of all prior to a few days ago while using connected directly with FSX I never had an issue and specifically the ailerons were smooth. So just to prove to myself that the joystick had not gone faulty I pressed reset in FSUIPC calibration (don't know how or if it is possible to disengage FSUIPC without uninstalling it. I then ticked (enabled) FSX joystick control as well as set the asignment of the ailerons to the joystick within FSX after running a test flight. Swapped to outside spot view and found the joystick was perfect. smooth and moving from one extreame to anther. I then disabled the joystick again in FSX and removed (unticked) the aileron asignment. Looked outside and the ailerons were still working fine. Then I re assigned them to FSUIPC and imediately they were back to two extremes and one position half way between.

 

If it helps here are the settings

 

Fully left: In 16383, out 9984, delta 7520

Centered: in 128, out 1280, delta 7520

fully right: in -16384, out -14360, delta 7520

centered again: in 128, out -6746, delta 7520

 

Does this give you any more clues. We at least know the joystick is still OK.

 

Cheers Anton.

[Pete Dowson]

Fully left: In 16383, out 9984, delta 7520

Centered: in 128, out 1280, delta 7520

fully right: in -16384, out -14360, delta 7520

centered again: in 128, out -6746, delta 7520

 

Does this give you any more clues. We at least know the joystick is still OK.

 

The problem is that Delta value. The Delta specifies the smallest change in the input value which will be used. It defaults to 256, giving 128 distinct values in the full range -16384 to +16383. with a value like 7520 you are limiting the possible values to the 4 you get!

 

Please do read the sections of the FSUIPC User Guide which describe the facilities you are using, and especially before messing with something which you evidently didn't understand.

 

Just set the delta back to its default.

 

Pete

[antonvs]

Thank you Pete for your help and product. And my apologies for not reading the manual sufficiantly. All is good now. Setting the Delta correctly was all I needed and I have now had a wonderfully controlled test flight around YSCB in FTX scenery with my Carenado C210M which I find is a good test bed. If FSX works here it will work anywhere. All is good, I'm off to log some flight time. What a lovely Christmas present.

And I would like to wish you a Happy Christmas Pete.

Cheers Anton. (case closed)

p.s. To statisfy my curiosity and to learn more of the options available I will do as you say and read the Manual in more depth.