Cannot Assign Throttle and Mixture axis

[ErichB]

Hi Peter

Have been using fsuipc for as long as I've been simming with no issues.  Great piece of software.

I've stumbled across an issue though.  I have a PFC throttle unit with interchangeable jet and TPM quadrants.  I wanted to do some twin piston flying over the weekend, so attached the twin quadrant  (T1T2 P1P2 M1M2) and created a new Twin engined  profile.  For some reason, FSUIPC didnt respond to the T2 and M1 axis assignments.  The UI remained greyed out when clicking 'Rescan' and moving the levers.  

Any suggestions for troubleshooting the issue would be appreciated.

 

regards

erich

[den4]

Are they seen in the Windows Devices application?  If not there may be a fault in the unit.

[Pete Dowson]

On 8/16/2016 at 2:01 PM, ErichB said:

I have a PFC throttle unit with interchangeable jet and TPM quadrants.

Is this the serial port device using my PFCFSX.DLL driver, or some new USB one looking like a standard joystick?

On 8/16/2016 at 2:01 PM, ErichB said:

For some reason, FSUIPC didnt respond to the T2 and M1 axis assignments.  The UI remained greyed out when clicking 'Rescan' and moving the levers.

FSUIPC uses Windows APIs for joysticks which only know certain axes - X Y Z R U V standard axes and sliders S,T and POVs P Q M N. (Some of that nomenclature is probably local to FSUIPC). I know later versions of DirectInput supported 8 normal axes instead of 6, (and 64 buttons instead of 32), but FSUIPC doesn't extend to those extra ones.

If your device is a standard USB joystick device, maybe those two axes are the two FSUIPC doesn't see. Is there any technical information available for it?

Pete

 

[ErichB]

26 minutes ago, Pete Dowson said:

Is this the serial port device using my PFCFSX.DLL driver, or some new USB one looking like a standard joystick?

FSUIPC uses Windows APIs for joysticks which only know certain axes - X Y Z R U V standard axes and sliders S,T and POVs P Q M N. (Some of that nomenclature is probably local to FSUIPC). I know later versions of DirectInput supported 8 normal axes instead of 6, (and 64 buttons instead of 32), but FSUIPC doesn't extend to those extra ones.

If your device is a standard USB joystick device, maybe those two axes are the two FSUIPC doesn't see. Is there any technical information available for it?

Pete

 

I'm using P3D v3.35 and your latest FSUIPC version.

Is this the serial port device using my PFCFSX.DLL driver or some new USB one looking like a standard joystick?

The device is USB .

Actually I think the problem (and solution) is probably a simple one.  I have been able to assign the axes to all 6 levers before under the profile of 'Twin Piston' and switch successsfully to my jet quadrant under the my named profile (737 777).  So I know it works.  I think I probably just need to resinstall FSUIPC again and assign both the jet and twin prop assignments from scratch.    Let me try that and I'll come back if need be.

 

 

 

[ErichB]

I thought I'd provide an update.  It appears that my issue is hardware related.  The PFC throttle unit has six rods to which any type of throttle can be fitted.  The second and fifth rods cannot be calibrated in windows  which appears to indicate something wrong with the inside of the unit.  So not FSUIPC related.

https://kostasfsworld.wordpress.com/pfc-throttle-quadrant-review/

[Pete Dowson]

19 minutes ago, ErichB said:

So not FSUIPC related.

Thanks for letting me know!

https://kostasfsworld.wordpress.com/pfc-throttle-quadrant-review/

It looks exactly like one I used to have, but which then was serial port connected. My driver PFDFSX.DLL was used with it. Basically the same system is also used in my PFC 737NG cockpit. Just the controller in the box is moved into the centre console and drives the radios etc too.

Pete

 

[ErichB]

Thankfully I found these guys in the UK who have agreed to look at it for me.  Sending it back to PFC in the US (via the distributor in Spain from whom I originally purchased it) would be a nightmare.  

http://www.flight-simulators.co.uk/index.html

 

Edited August 22, 2016 by ErichB

[Pete Dowson]

1 hour ago, ErichB said:

Thankfully I found these guys in the UK who have agreed to look at it for me.  Sending it back to PFC in the US (via the distributor in Spain from whom I originally purchased it) would be a nightmare.  

http://www.flight-simulators.co.uk/index.html

Wow! PFC have a UK dealer at long last! Shame they are all the way over in Norfolk. If they were nearer I'd go visit them!

Anyway, I've bookmarked that site -- may come in useful in the future.

Pete

 

[ErichB]

Just now, Pete Dowson said:

Wow! PFC have a UK dealer at long last!

 

That's what I thought...

[ErichB]

Update:

I sent my throttle unit to the company in the above post who could find nothing wrong with the unit.  There were no physical disconnects of wiring which needed resoldering.

Strangely, this weekend my Saitek rudder unit started developing the same issue with the right hand break pedal.  The right brake assignment in FSUIPC was no longer working with a similar nil response in the Windows calibration utility.    I'm beginning to think that this is a Windows issue and not a hardware issue.  

Peter, do you think this is likely?    Have you come across this before?

 

Am using W10 x64

Regards

Erich

 

[Pete Dowson]

19 minutes ago, ErichB said:

 Have you come across this before?

Am using W10 x64

Certainly a lot of folks had problems with Win8, and I've heard some stories about Win10, but really I don't know. I'd ask around in other forums. I'm sticking with Win7 forever now -- best O/S Microsoft ever produced, by a mile!

You might also want to consider that it still isn't  software, but hardware. Maybe the USB section of your motherboard is playing up. It might be worthwhile getting a separate plug-in USB board (if they still exist) and seeing if things work with that.

Pete

 

[ErichB]

3 minutes ago, Pete Dowson said:

Maybe the USB section of your motherboard is playing up. It might be worthwhile getting a separate plug-in USB board (if they still exist) and seeing if things work with that.

Pete

 

Yes that could also be. 

I have alsed on the avsim W10 forum and see what comes up.

Thanks

erich

 

[ErichB]

I eventually got around to reinstalling W10 last night.  Plugged in the PFC controller and all the rods calibrated smoothly in Windows.  It'll be interesting to see whether any subsequent Windows updates screw it all up again.