Power Control Levers - BK-117

[DaveSimBuildGuy]

G'day, You lot! I'm not even a Padawan level FSUIPC user, folks, my apologies for that. I do intend to grow in the force in such a way that I can be of use to others. Currently, I am having a problem with a simulator I am finishing off for a rescue organisation. The unit is set to model a BK-117 B2 and I am using the freeware Icaro BK-117 Final edition.

The model came with no documentation for the separate systems on the aircraft, And I have NO idea how to get it's power control levers to act as they should in FSX/FSUIPC. I am not a script writer, or Lua programmer. The shameful truth is I have very little time to finish this and I need to b able to do it through the UI or with some snappy ini instruction from an FSUIPC pro. I can't find ANYTHING in the available FS controls that will allow for fuel flow. I need "cutoff," "idle," and "fly" for each of 2 engines. The controls are a twin axis fed to FSX through a Leo Bodnar board. That's the most of it, anything anyone could do to help me will be appreciated most heartily!

Please let me know what further information might be required.

Cheers

Dave

[Pete Dowson]

I can't find ANYTHING in the available FS controls that will allow for fuel flow. I need "cutoff," "idle," and "fly" for each of 2 engines.

 

It isn't FSUIPC information you need, but plain and simple MS Flight Sim help. If you learned to fly in FS, before worrying about adding controls, you would find that FS's jet fuel idle / cutoff is controlled simply by the mixture controls -- mixture rich being idle and mixture lean being cutoff. When you think about it it makes complete sense.

 

I've never heard of a "fly" setting. Sorry.

 

Pete

[Ian P]

Pete,

 

Many turbine helicopters use a similar system to turboprops, with three detents for ICO, idle and full power. FS doesn't support this, though, so if someone has put it into a helicopter, then it will be coded into the model - I can think of quite a large number of models that do this.

 

I think what Dave will need is probably LVars for the power levers, or something like that? As it's a FS9 model, I don't know how you'd access panel/model code or even whether it's possible. If they can be accessed, it does look like this might be a job for LUA?

 

Cheers,

 

Ian P.

[Pete Dowson]

Many turbine helicopters use a similar system to turboprops, with three detents for ICO, idle and full power. FS doesn't support this, though

 

It's a helicopter? I didn't know.

 

Isn't this still to do with the mixture control (as a "conditon" control)? For instance on the King Air you have a full cut-off, a maximum for full rich, and an idle zone. The FSUIPC3 User Guide talks about this on page 49 under calibration "Notes & Exceptions" == the 4th bullet point.

 

It isn't an area I know much about I'm afraid, only that provision was made for it -- assuming of course that the add-on uses standard FS controls. If not, then whether it can be solved with Lua programming or mouse macros or simple keypress assignments, or even some other way, would need more knowledge about the specific add-on's implementation.

 

Regards

Pete

[DaveSimBuildGuy]

Pete and Ian,

Thanks for the responses. I need, quite simply, to learn more about FSUPIC and Lua configurations. Just a bit stuck for time on this. In the previous installation, they had the "Power Levellers," through axis confirmation set to run both "axis prop set," and "axis mixture set," so Pete, you may be on to something there. The problem is that the pilots said it was more of a toy thing and it didn't work properly, anyway.

I tried yesterday using them both as mixture and as the combination mentioned above. I used the joystick calibration menu to set 3 points for closed (I think, forgot the wording), idle, and fully open. They results were interesting, at best, and didn't allow for proper startup (or any startup).

I had a go at configuring a mouse macro, both in FSUIPC3 on FS9 and FSUIP4 on and FSX machine. I followed the pop-up instructions and also instructions from an AvSim post and I came up empty. When I got to the part where I chose to start a macro (information missing in the dialogue here), I ok'd out to the cockpit view and left-clicked for a selection. That's as far as it got with no further intervention from FSUIPC. I tried it several times, to no avail. I put it down to incompatibility between FSUIPC and the flight model.

I'll keep cracking away at it. I guess I was hoping someone had come across something like this.

Cheers

Dave

[Pete Dowson]

Thanks for the responses. I need, quite simply, to learn more about FSUPIC and Lua configurations. Just a bit stuck for time on this. In the previous installation, they had the "Power Levellers," through axis confirmation set to run both "axis prop set," and "axis mixture set," so Pete, you may be on to something there. The problem is that the pilots said it was more of a toy thing and it didn't work properly, anyway.

I tried yesterday using them both as mixture and as the combination mentioned above. I used the joystick calibration menu to set 3 points for closed (I think, forgot the wording), idle, and fully open. They results were interesting, at best, and didn't allow for proper startup (or any startup).

 

How do you accomplish startup with just keyboard and mouse? Do the same thing after enabling Event logging in FSUIPC. If you temporarily run FS in Windowed mode and enable the Console Log, you can see what happens there in real time. If the model is using regular FS controls they will be logged.

 

I had a go at configuring a mouse macro, both in FSUIPC3 on FS9 and FSUIP4 on and FSX machine. I followed the pop-up instructions and also instructions from an AvSim post and I came up empty. When I got to the part where I chose to start a macro (information missing in the dialogue here), I ok'd out to the cockpit view and left-clicked for a selection. That's as far as it got with no further intervention from FSUIPC. I tried it several times, to no avail. I put it down to incompatibility between FSUIPC and the flight model.

 

Mouse macros only work on gauges which are written strictly to the C/C++ gauge SDK -- they rely on specific structures being in place. Many gauges do not do this, even including many default FS gauges.

 

Check into local panel variables (L:Vars). You can log these. There's an assignable FSUIPC control to List them into the log, as a static list with current values, or you can run a supplied Lua plug-in which logs them as they change, both to screen and log. Please see the Lua plug-ins package in your FSUIPC Documents subfolder, in the Modules folder.

 

Pete

[DaveSimBuildGuy]

Pete,

Love the idea of event logging. I had no idea FSX had such a facility, or domyou mean within FSUIPC? Either way, I'll give that a go tomorrow. The model has a fairly decent startup procedure that they only describe using the 3D cockpit.

I'm looking forward to taking your software to the burning edges of awesome. It seems as though it's all there. Oh... I know nothing of code, and I know to achieve what I want I will need to. Any ideas for the best language to start with?

Thanks Again,

Dave

[DaveSimBuildGuy]

Oh... And then I read that the event logging was in FSUIPC. Sweet, I'll,be in that tomorrow.