Loss of Axis Functionality After HW Change

[Mark Hargrove]

After a recent hardware upgrade of my sim which required a complete re-installation of everything (Windows 10, P3D v3.1, FSUIPC 4.949), I'm having an odd problem I've never seen before.  I have dual-Saitek throttle quadrants installed (via USB) giving me Throttle 1&2, Prop 1&2 and Mixture 1&2.

All six axes are recognized by FSUIPC, assigned as 'direct' axes, and 'Joystick Calibration' proceeds completely normally -- but the two 'mixture' axes are completely ignored by the sim when moved.  Throttle and Prop work normally.  

 

I've used FSUIPC for many years and have done this particular setup with this exact same quadrant hardware many times over the years with no issue.  I've deleted my fsuipc.ini file and redone assignments and calibration.  I've removed and reinstalled FSUIPC and redone assignments and calibration.  I've verified that the P3D controls are disabled. Mixture 1 & 2 are just being not recognized by the sim even though FSUIPC sees them.

 

My next step, I guess, is to try reinstalling P3D itself, but I thought I'd post the issue here too to see if there are any other thoughts about what might be going on.

 

-M.

[Pete Dowson]

After a recent hardware upgrade of my sim which required a complete re-installation of everything (Windows 10, P3D v3.1, FSUIPC 4.949), I'm having an odd problem I've never seen before.  I have dual-Saitek throttle quadrants installed (via USB) giving me Throttle 1&2, Prop 1&2 and Mixture 1&2.

All six axes are recognized by FSUIPC, assigned as 'direct' axes, and 'Joystick Calibration' proceeds completely normally -- but the two 'mixture' axes are completely ignored by the sim when moved.  Throttle and Prop work normally.

 

Is this with default aircraft, or only specifically with some add-ons?

 

You can enable axis logging in FSUIPC's Logging Tab and check that the Mixture controls are being sent. If you temporarily run in Windowed mode and enable the console log you can see the results in real time.

 

Also check that there's nothing conflicting assigned n P3D itself. Best to disable controllers altogether in P3D.

 

Pete

[Mark Hargrove]

This is indeed with an add-on aircraft, the Carenado Cessna 337 Skymaster.  I've been flying it for so many years that I don't really thing of it as an add-on anymore :-)   --but it is.  I'll start first by reinstalling the aircraft because another slightly weird (non-FSUIPC-related) thing is also going on).

 

Looking at axis logging is an excellent next step if re-installing the aircraft doesn't work.  Thanks!

 

-M.

[Pete Dowson]

This is indeed with an add-on aircraft, the Carenado Cessna 337 Skymaster.  I've been flying it for so many years that I don't really thing of it as an add-on anymore :smile:   --but it is.  I'll start first by reinstalling the aircraft because another slightly weird (non-FSUIPC-related) thing is also going on).

 

Looking at axis logging is an excellent next step if re-installing the aircraft doesn't work.  Thanks!

 

Well, check with a default aircraft first. If those axes work then, it is to do with which axis controls your add-on recognises. Perhaps you are assigning in FSUIPC as "direct to calibration" when it is instead expecting and intercepting only the current "Axis mixture ..." controls.

 

Try also with calibration in FSUIPC for those axes disabled.

 

Pete

[Mark Hargrove]

Mixture still does not work, even with a stock P3D aircraft and even after a reinstallation of P3Dv3 (but I didn't do the "clean" installation that I intended; i.e., removing all traces of the previous installation before re-installing).   Console logging shows 'mixture set' messages for the appropriate axis when I move the levers.   Curiously, I also see a continuous 'spoiler set' message scrolling as fast as the display can go -- but I don't have a spoiler axis assigned.

 

I've going to try reversing the assignments of the prop and mixture axes to see if that has any effect, I'll also try disabling axis calibration as you suggested in the message above, and finally I'll do a "clean" reinstall of P3D if nothing else seems to work. 

 

This is very odd.  I've been using this same setup for, basically, years without issue.

 

-M.

[Mark Hargrove]

I found the issue, but I don't really understand it.    As I think I said earlier, I'm completely bypassing all P3D axis processing and setting each axis to 'Send Direct to FSUIPC Calibration'.  I've always done my setup this way since my earliest days of using FSUIPC with FSX.

 

When I initially calibrate the mixture lever axes, I see minimum and maximum values in the -16000-ish to +16000-ish range (as I see with all of the quadrant levers).  The In/Out values on the left side of window seem to reflect the raw values pretty much exactly.

 

When I set the deadzone (which I define as the minimum value to just a little above that, so like -16000, -15900), though, the OUT value on the left changes to 8192.  This happens on both of the lever axes that are assigned to mixture.  I don't recall this happening before, and it doesn't happen when doing exactly the same calibration (and setting exactly the same dead zones) on the four throttle and prop axes.   If I disable processing for the two mixture axes, the levers work correctly. 

 

This is true for three aircraft that I've checked, two stock aircraft (the Baron and the Mooney) and the Carenado Skymaster add-on aircraft.

 

Any idea what might be going on?   I strongly suspect I'm doing something wrong and just not seeing it.

 

-M. 

[Pete Dowson]

When I set the deadzone (which I define as the minimum value to just a little above that, so like -16000, -15900), though, the OUT value on the left changes to 8192.  This happens on both of the lever axes that are assigned to mixture.  I don't recall this happening before, and it doesn't happen when doing exactly the same calibration (and setting exactly the same dead zones) on the four throttle and prop axes. 

 

Unlike the throttle and prop axes, the mixture axes have no negative output to FS -- there's no "reverse mixture".  Instead there's a point which FS sets at 8192 which is the normal "idle" level for turboprops -- 0 is "cutoff". It  is where you'd calibrate your Idle detrente on the mixture if you have one. 

 

This is clearly documented in the FSUIPC user guide -- see the 4th bullet in "NOTES and EXCEPTIONS" on page 50 (though it doesn't actually state what the "idle" value is, i.e. 8192).  And the Mixture calibration has always been like this in FSUIPC! It isn't a change. It was the same back in FS2000 days.

 

Regards

 

Pete

[Mark Hargrove]

That explains things perfectly.  Thanks Pete!

 

-M.