basic questions with Auto-TQ

[Balázs Rozgonyi]

Hi all

 

My dad and I are building a full cockpit and have recently bought a used motorized TQ. Its a Simulatory TQ but it has been rewired to a ProSim board and I cannot make it work. Our pit is mostly based around Opencockpit cards so worst case I can rewire to a couple of OC cards, but that would 1, cost money, and 2, possibly more time. I would like to try to see if I can keep the ProSim board, which communicates thru its own hardware and FSUIPC. I have no direct experience with FSUIPC, so I am starting from the beginning.

 

I am sunning W7 64bit, FSX accel, and PMDG NGX. The OC cards are working thru OC4BA.

 

So I have all my cards connected. I connected the USB from the Prosim and started logging the FSUIPC.

 

now there are confusing results. For example the Flaps work with the basic FSX 737NG, but not with PMDG. I know PMDG uses some extra offsets but I cannot find any difference with Flaps.

 

Parking Brake works, and as I move it, I can see a line saying Control 65752, which I can look up to correspond to Parking Brake. I can then see the 0BC8 offset modified, and bam, parking brake is on.

 

However, if I move the flaps lever, I can see an Axis 65698, which is Flaps_Set. I can also monitor 0BDC, and that is changed, however the sim doesnt change. When I manually change the flaps, I can also see a Control 65758.

 

This confuses my a bit. I thought the ultimate goal is to set the offset - and in this case, the offset is changed but to no avail? And what is the difference between the Axis and Control? is Axis (Flaps_Set) just an answer from the computer (like an output) and Control is an input? am I missing my input? but in that case, how can it work with the stock 737? I thought the PMDG has different offsets but it seems they are the same.

 

I have been playing with the reversers which work not as expected. If I putt the throttles all the way back, I can see the reverser levers in the sim move. Then I cannot move them forward again. it seems the reversers are sort of negative throttle axis, which I think is incorrect.

Also if I point my mouse to the reverser lever, FSUIPC log is filled up with 66162 messages which I dont know what is it?

 

I have a lot of messages regarding 70258 and 70301 and these are numbers I cannot find. Can someone tell me what are these?

 

Thank you

Balazs

[Pete Dowson]

but it has been rewired to a ProSim board and I cannot make it work.

 

ProSim? I thought Prosim was cockpit software? That's what I use -- Prosim737. I've never heard of them doing hardware.

 

 I am sunning W7 64bit, FSX accel, and PMDG NGX. The OC cards are working thru OC4BA.

 

Sorry, I don't know what OC4BA means. I assume this is specific to the OC cards?

 

For example the Flaps work with the basic FSX 737NG, but not with PMDG. I know PMDG uses some extra offsets but I cannot find any difference with Flaps.

 

Almost none of the normal controls work with PMDG. PMDG aircraft are probably the worst choice for anyone building a cockpit because thery implement all of their own subsystems, not using many of the default systems at all.

 

The additional PMDG 737NG offsets supported in FSUIPC are READ ONLY, -- they are for switch states, readouts and so on. All of PMDGs controls are custom controls. I think they provide a list in the .h document in their 737NGX SDK.

 

Mind you, flaps should be controllable by an axis. Does it work assigning in FSX itself?

 

However, if I move the flaps lever, I can see an Axis 65698, which is Flaps_Set. I can also monitor 0BDC, and that is changed, however the sim doesnt change. When I manually change the flaps, I can also see a Control 65758.

 

 

 

65758 is FLAPS INC. Seems you have another assignment as well as the flaps axis one. If not in FSUIPC, then in FSX (if assigning in FSUIPC you MUST disable all controllers in FS), or maybe in some other software drivers you are using -- maybe to do with those OC cards or whatever software comes with the quadrant?

 

This confuses my a bit. I thought the ultimate goal is to set the offset 

 

 

No. You are mixed up. Offsets reflect changes in FS. The goal is to change things in FS. Offsets are local to FSUIPC. When you write to an offset, FSUIPC communicates the change to FS by whatever means is needed, by control or some other way. If something else changes values in FS, FSUIPC reflects those changes in the offsets so programs can read them.

 

And what is the difference between the Axis and Control? is Axis (Flaps_Set) just an answer from the computer (like an output) and Control is an input?

 

 

Oh dear.

 

Axes are the joystick levers, the things which prtvide varying input data to FS. You assign axes to controls. Controls are just messages or events which change things (i.e. control things) in FS. Axis controls are controls which have a parameter which is normally the input axis value (maybe after calibration). Many other controls, like FLAPS INC, just do something without a parameter. PAUSE TOGGLE for instance is a control which pauses the sim, or releases the pause when on.

 

In FS controls are also called EVENTS, or KEY EVENTS. You assign to them in FS or in FSUIPC.

 

 it seems the reversers are sort of negative throttle axis, which I think is incorrect.

 

 

You are wrong. FS natively does not support reversers on an Axis. That's a facility provided by FSUIPC, and it uses the negative values for the old FS98-style axis controls "ThrottleN_Set". Those controls still exist in FSX but not assignable in FSX, only in FSUIPC.  They are the only way to get a proper reverser axis action. Otherwise you have to use repeated "throttleN decr" controls (which is what most if not all PMDG 737NGX users do I think).

 

But PMDG throttles cannot be controlled by the sorts of axis controls FSUIPC has to use to provide reversers. You cannot even calibrate throttles in FSUIPC and have success with the PMDG 737NGX, because they do things completely differently. I really doubt you'll ever have success with a lovely motorised throttle quadrant with the PMDG 737NGX. It really is not suited in any way.

 

FSUIPC log is filled up with 66162 messages which I dont know what is it?

 

 

66162 = COWLFLAP1 SET. I've no idea why PMDG use these contorls. You'd need to ask them.

 

I have a lot of messages regarding 70258 and 70301 and these are numbers I cannot find. Can someone tell me what are these?

 

 

I'm pretty sure they are PMDG custom controls. You can find them all in the PMDG 737NGX SDK document, the one with a .h filetype. FSUIPC allows custom controls to be assigned to, by number.

 

Pete