"Block" axis from P3D

[shortspecialbus]

Hi,

 

Historically, I've always disabled the joystick in FSX/P3D and used FSUIPC to calibrate and assign everything, as I have a multitude of controllers and what I want as an axis for something in one aircraft, I don't want it in another, or I want it as something else.  FSUIPC has worked great for this!

 

However, because of some add-on aircraft that don't always play nice with that, I'm trying something new.  I took a few axis that are always the same in every aircraft and set them up solely through P3D.  That works fine.  However, I also want to set the throttle levers on my GoFlight TQ6 to be Engine 1 Throttle and Engine 2 Throttle, at least for the PMDG aircraft.  However, I don't want those axis (axes?  How do I plural that anyways?) to be functional on, say, my Cherokee, since I use my saitek TPM for that.  Using only FSUIPC, this is trivial and I've done it for probably over 10 years now.  The problem I'm having is, how do I set the axis in P3D controls, but "block" it somehow, presumably using FSUIPC?  I've tried various axis assignment options for said axis, including ignoring, sending to FSUIPC calibration, setting to <UNUSED> and anything else I can think of, but it always gets through to P3D.

 

Is there any way to block it?  Or am I going about this the wrong way?

 

Really the issue I'm having is that the PMDG planes get squirrely whenever I use FSUIPC to control their throttles.  They advise against it.  Sometimes I'm able to get it to work properly, but on my new build, I don't seem to be able to, so I'd like to try using P3D for those ax(i/e)s.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Thanks,

 

-stefan

 

Brief edit: What I've always done in FSUIPC for joysticks is disable in FSX/P3D, create an aircraft profile, and assign an axis to something by sending it direct to FSUIPC calibration for, say, Throttle/Slew Altitude or whatever. 

[Pete Dowson]

However, because of some add-on aircraft that don't always play nice with that, I'm trying something new.  I took a few axis that are always the same in every aircraft and set them up solely through P3D.

 

It is never a good idea even to have controllers enabled in the sim if you are assigning in FSUIPC. All versions of FS have a habit of doing automatic assignments if at any time they think a controller is newly connected, even if it's ownly due to a USB glitch or hub power problem.

 

Why not have all the common ones defined generically, and simply use those each time you build a profile.

 

And how many profiles do you have in any case? surely not one for every aircraft in your list?

 

 The problem I'm having is, how do I set the axis in P3D controls, but "block" it somehow, presumably using FSUIPC? 

 

There's no way FSUIPC can come between controller axes assigned in the sim and the sim seeing them.  This is why conflicts are so easy to get when using both. 

 

Really the issue I'm having is that the PMDG planes get squirrely whenever I use FSUIPC to control their throttles

 

If you use FSUIPC to assign them to the Axis throttleN set controls and do NOT calibrate them (all in your PMDG profile of course), then this is absolutely no different to assigning in the sim, except that the sensitivity and dead zone sliders aren't used.

 

Pete

[shortspecialbus]

It is never a good idea even to have controllers enabled in the sim if you are assigning in FSUIPC. All versions of FS have a habit of doing automatic assignments if at any time they think a controller is newly connected, even if it's ownly due to a USB glitch or hub power problem.

 

Why not have all the common ones defined generically, and simply use those each time you build a profile.

 

And how many profiles do you have in any case? surely not one for every aircraft in your list?

 

 

There's no way FSUIPC can come between controller axes assigned in the sim and the sim seeing them.  This is why conflicts are so easy to get when using both. 

 

 

If you use FSUIPC to assign them to the Axis throttleN set controls and do NOT calibrate them (all in your PMDG profile of course), then this is absolutely no different to assigning in the sim, except that the sensitivity and dead zone sliders aren't used.

 

Pete

 

As far as your first point, that's what I've historically done.  What's normally on that is the yoke, rudder, and toe brakes.  That's it.  As far as controllers go, out of things that have axis, I have:

a.) PFC Yoke

b.) Saitek TPM

c.) Saitek Cessna Trim Wheel

d.) CH Pedals

e.) GoFlight TQ6

 

As far as profiles, I kinda do have one for a lot of different aircraft, at least in a manner of speaking.

 

The A2A Cub gets a profile with trim set to the wheel and throttle only set to the Saitek TPM.  I disable mixture because while the Cub itself doesn't have a mixture, it will pay attention to the mixture axis.  It also gets an axis to carb heat (which actually works as a toggle in this plane)

The A2A Cherokee and 172 get a profile with trim set to the wheel and throttle and mixture set to the Saitek TPM.  The Cherokee also gets an axis to an offset for a little lua script for Carb Heat :)

The A2A 182 and Lancair Legacy V2 get a profile with trim set only to buttons (annoying desync issues between the axis and the buttons otherwise, and I prefer electric trim on those 2 planes for various reasons) and Throttle, Prop, and Mixture set to the TPM.  The 182 also gets an axis for cowl flaps.

The A2A Spitfire gets trim on the wheel, and throttle, mixture, and radiator flap go on the GoFlight TQ6 as I prefer that style throttle for a spitfire. (I know it makes no sense with a yoke ;) )

The PMDG planes get trim on buttons only, and the Spoilers, Flaps, and Throttles go on the TQ6.  

 

So, yeah, because I like the controls for each plane to be different (or sometimes an axis doesn't really work to have enabled, in the case of the trim and/or mixture in those specific cases) I have a lot of profiles, haha.  There really are few common controls as a result.  Don't even ask me what I do with the Saitek Switch Panel and/or GoFlight LGT-II ;)

 

As far as your last point, that should work for what I'm looking for.  I believe some of the A2A planes will do something funky with the elevator and aileron axis, so I may experiment with that as well.  Addon planes have been getting pretty complex and not always entirely documented as to what they do.  I like that idea, and will go back to disabling joystick in P3D as that's more along what I'm looking for, I think.

 

Thanks much!

 

-stefan

 

Edit: The initial setup isn't that hard, you were gracious enough to do a "based off of" thing quite some time ago for aircraft profiles, which means I load the closest one and work from that.  Also, that list there is the entirety of what I fly, except I still need to configure the A2A B-17 and the Majestic Q400, which I haven't gotten around to on the new computer.

[shortspecialbus]

One more note, upon re-reading my post - when I say "that's what I've done historically," I mean I've always just used solely FSUIPC with those specific common controls as the "default."

 

Is it that weird to have umpteen different profiles for aircraft?  It seems if nothing else, the buttons I use are all very different and they'd need a profile as well.  The saitek switch panel sometimes uses normal things, sometimes LVARs, sometimes offsets, or whatever other craziness I've put in there.  Plus the yoke buttons - sometimes I use the trim buttons as trim, but on the Cherokee, for example, they get assigned to the Yoke Autopilot Buttons.  It always seemed to me to be sort of a necessity to have separate profiles for each aircraft type, but maybe I'm abnormal in the number of physical hardware controls I have and the diversity of addon planes and their custom programming.

 

Either way, as mentioned, I do believe the Axis Set should get me where I want to be with this.  Thanks again, appreciate it as always.

 

-stefan

[shortspecialbus]

As a brief update, after some testing, that worked perfectly for what I wanted.  Thanks, I knew I was going about it backwards.

 

-stefan