periodically getting 0 when reading certain l:vars

[Jason Fayre]

Hello,

In the flight sim accessibility software I'm developing, I want to add support for reading info from the A2A family of aircraft. I'm doing this by reading panel variables with a LUA script, then writing those values to offsets that my software will read.

I'm noticing that some of the readings will periodically show 0. For example, when reading the Engine CHT gauge with the Eng1_CHT variable repeatedly (say once a second), I will sometimes just get a 0 value. 

This is with the A2A bonanza. 

I'm using the event.Lvar function to update offset 66c0 when the var changes.

My question is, is this normal? I don't know if a2a makes these variables fluctuate on-purpose to make the gauges more realistic? 

I'm totally blind, so I can't visually see what the gauges are doing.

 

 

 

 

[Pete Dowson]

1 hour ago, Jason Fayre said:

I'm noticing that some of the readings will periodically show 0. For example, when reading the Engine CHT gauge with the Eng1_CHT variable repeatedly (say once a second), I will sometimes just get a 0 value. 

I think there's another thread reporting this, though I can't find it at present.. I think it is something to do with the way the panels of certain aircraft work.

FSUIPC merely relays your request to the PANELS.DLL interface in P3DDDDDD or FSX and returns the result. There's really not a lot it can do to verify the veracity of the value obtained.

Maybe if it happens relatively infrequently, and 0 is an unacceptable value, you can discard such reads and try again?

Pete

 

[Jason Fayre]

Thanks Pete,

Just so I'm clear, I can also use the offset block at 4200 right? It seems like most people are using 66c0, but 4200 has more space available.

 

[spokes2112]

Here's some notes from my MaddogX lua, also reported by Pete.
Should be no problem if you are not using these programs -

--[[ 
NO USES IN FSUIPC GENERAL USE (0x66C0 - 66FF)
NO USES IN FSUIPC RESERVED 0x6700-0x67FF (JEAN-MICHAEL BISTON "MICHAEL" FOR AIRBUS GAUGES)
INSIDE OF FSUIPC RESERVED 0x6800-0x6BFF (ROBERT FISCHER, FS-COMMUNICATOR)
BYTES GO FORWARD FROM START, OTHERS COME BACKWARDS FROM THE END
]]

Roman

[Ron Kolesar]

Hello to you Jason, from fellow totally blind pilot Ron Kolesar.

Please write me off list at:

kolesar16417@roadrunner.com

I'd like to discuss your project if you wouldn't mind?

You peak my curiosity and wish you well with your current project.

I know myself, if I were sighted, I would have had a career in the air and hopefully a career aboard the STS and or the ISS from NASA.

One project that you still can get you tube videos on is the It's Your Plane project.

Sadly the web page is down and we no longer have access to the AI co-pilot/AI First officer assistant program, but you should get some ideals on how to build your flight simulator for we eager blind pilots.

I wish to have in my private aircraft the successor to the current blind friendly DF7X from Fly Away Simulation's free down load library, and hope to have a blind friendly version of the successor to the DF7X the now currently flight certified DF8X.

My next choice would be a Golf stream 5 or it's successor the G6.

I'm curious to know what kind of User Interface would you have?

I hope that unlike the no longer availible IYP program that your program isn't all voice input.

I hope that it is hand to ear coordination so that we can take advantage of keyboard interfacing and or even better be able to interface with our aircraft with USB external equipment.

Like yourself, I appreciate a program where:

1. Everything is close to the real world as possible

2. with that said, I as a blind pilot, want everything to become blind accessible/blind friendly so that we the blind may have equal access to a program that our sighted counterparts can take advantage of with their normal vision.

Since we have to see through our ears, we can't play on a equal playing field, and a equal playing fieled is all that we too ask for.

Are you subscribed to the new Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 newsletter?

You can find it all over the internet and all over face book these days.

It's still schedule to br released on October 13th, 2020.

I'd also highly recommend the MS FS 2020 you tube page as well.

Two things that look promising.

In audio output, Microsoft is proposing Not only, layered sound effects, so that they too are realistically sounding, but directional sound effects as well.

Just maybe with the directional sound effects, we wouldn't need sighted assistance when taxiing and so on and we too might finally have the equal playing field that we all want.

Currently, until something better comes along, I've been purchasing my sound packages from a company called Skysoung Soundworks.

I'm currently using for my foundation as FSX Steam edition since I never ever could access the x-plane project and I also don't like the p3d project either.

I currently have installed the only hand to ear fully blind accessible flight simulator the military flight simulator called Three-D Velocity.

It still to this date is the only hand to ear program that has force feedback.

This a huge shame.

To bad that none of the other hand to ear companys has come to this company and asked to lease a copy of their program and or to share the license so that it may be written into their programs as well.

I have the old Pipe version two Blast Chamber game and wish that it not only had force feedback, but also have shock feedback as well.

You could find that program out on Git Hub, at it's web address, which is at:

www.github.com

You will need to create a free account to be able to down load the program.

I'm also looking for a USB plug and play set of handheld controls with a twistable throttle and a matching set of USB petals as well.If you're looking for a beta tester to stress test your product?

Please think of shipping me a link to stress test your product out.

Will you have a ground support add on program?

I know there's two to choose from.

Ultimate Ground Crew X and Ground Support X.

I found out on you tube a tutorial for UGCX that allows audio output from the ground crew and voice input to reply answers to the ground crew.

Also, at least for the sighted, there's texts that one can read to interact with the ground support crew, but I wonder if that feature could be accessible for we who have to see through our ears?

I wish you well with your project and I also once again hope you'll contact me when your ready to release the project and or if you're looking for a fellow blind person to tress test out your project.

Very Thankfully Yours,

Ron Kolesar AKA Th e Blind Pilot and Emergency Communicator Station adn Ham Radio Station, both by the call sign of KR3DOG

[Jason Fayre]

Ron. This message doesn't belong in the FSUIPC support group. 

The software I'm writing is Talking Flight Monitor, formerly called Flight Following. I believe you are familiar with it. I'm not writing a simulator. The software is an add-on for Prepar3d and FSX.