Using FSUIPC and 2 Hat Switches

[Juergen2]

Hi,

1. Some background:

In order to make the flight experience more realistic I have (or will have) flight controls for Boeing aircraft (from Honeycomb - Yoke and Throttle Quadrant) as well as for Airbus aircraft (from ThrustMaster - Sidestick and Throttle Quadrant).

Now the problem arises that ChasePlane (camera utility program) only recognizes one control unit to assign buttons to; so at the moment I use a ThrustMaster joystick to control views (inside / outside) and a hat switch for pan. If I fly a Boeing aircraft I use that joystick/side stick to control ChasePlane and a Honeycomb Alpha Flight Yoke to control the aircraft.

Since the flight yoke has a hat switch, as does the Airbus side stick I would like to use either (depending on the aircraft I am flying) to control the pan motion of the ChasePlane camera.

 

2. Youtube video from AviationPro:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5chiseBYH34 (starts at 2:33 min)

In this video it is explained how to use FSUIPC to send aircraft specific keyboard commands to the simulator (in my case P3Dv4.5) to control the ChasePlane camera. He also edited the FSUIP.ini file to achieve the diagonal movements as well as the up/down and pan up/pan-down movements.

 

So I purchased FSUIPC6, installed it, however I can't find the/a FSUIP6.ini file. FSUIPC6 is installed in Documents>Prepard3D v4 Add-ons>FSUIPC6.

 

Any help to clarify the problem would be appreciated

Thanks

Juergen Mader

[Thomas Richter]

Hi,

FSUIPC6 installs where you told the installer to.

To find the location if you don't remember or just pressed Ok is to open FSUIPC when P3D is running and go to Logging tab, in bottom center press the button Open Folder. It will open FSUIPC6 installation folder where all files are located in Explorer.

You can also check the FSUIPCInstaller log file, located in the folder from where you did run the installer.

Thomas

[Juergen2]

Thanks Thomas, that's it.

I was wondering if you could do me another favor and look at that video where the guy shows his .ini file (approx. 3:19 min). I assume the l/h numbers are generated when you assign buttons in FSUIPC. So these numerical values on the left are buttons/switches assigned in FSUIPC and written to the .ini file?

Thanks for your help

Juergen Mader

[Thomas Richter]

Hi,

the l/h numbers, left of '=', are generated with any button or key assignment. Just a sequence, not important for the function but needed to identify the function and next.

So when you define buttons/ keys those numbers are the related to the number of definitions you have and in which order you defined them. You can ignore his numbers. At the time 3:19 his numbers 47 & 47 could be as well 20 & 21 in the upper position what has no effect to the result.

Thomas

[Juergen2]

Thomas,

That's what I thought. I do understand the programming of the flight controls buttons. But here I am in particular interested in the hat switch, since that is the button that I use in ChasePlane to look around in the virtual cockpit. In his video he programmed the tilt up & down and pan left / right (= P0/P180/P270/P90 in ChasePlane) with Ctrl+T/G/F/H. However, what I don't understand is the "diagonal" movement programming he talks about, where he edits the .ini file to have 2 buttons working at the same time, e.g. P0 & P90 should be a 45 degree diagonal movement. If you look at the .ini file, line items 42 thru at least 59 are hat switch commands.

Again, I just can't figure out how he programmed the diagonal movement with 2 (two) hat switch buttons pressed simultaneous. I hope you could shed some light on this mystery, since quite a few simmers have the same problem and there is not a ready made solution available. According to ChasePlane, a differentiation of several controller profiles is NOT in the near future / not in the present version of ChasePlane.

Thomas, I hope I am not imposing on you, but I would greatly appreciate if you could give me some idea how the guy did that.

Brgds

Juergen Mader

Location: KTPA

[Juergen2]

Hi Thomas,

I believe my light bulb went of:

I have enclosed a brief Excel sheet documenting what I believe is happening to get the diagonal movement of the hat switch working.

Again if you could take a look at it and let me know if I am correct, I would appreciate it

Brgds

Juergen Mader

Location: KTPA

FSUIPC Assignment.xlsx

[Thomas Richter]

Hi,

it is very simple. When you define a function to the hat position, i.e. hat-up I defined the Num-8 key (view-up) and save. Open FSUIPC6.ini file and go to your new definition that should then look like (4= is the fourth definition here)

4=PA,32,K104,8     -{Key press: Num8}-

Now in case you want two definitions for the diagonal Hat-up/--right, switch number 33 for hat-diagonal then you add the following lines, where Num- 6 (view-right)

5=PA,33,K104,8     -{Key press: Num8}-
6=PA,33,K102,8     -{Key press: Num6}-

Now when move the hat to diagonal up-right it will trigger both key-presses at the same time. Just use the key-presses you need instead.

Then here to right (7) and diagonal right-down (8, 9)

7=PA,34,K102,8     -{Key press: Num6}-
8=PA,35,K102,8     -{Key press: Num6}-
9=PA,35,K98,8     -{Key press: Num2}-

. . .

Make sure you DON'T re-use the same sequence number left of '='. I hope that makes it clear.

Thomas

Edited July 11, 2020 by Thomas Richter
Typo by copying lines

[Juergen2]

 Hi Thomas,

Thanks for speedy reply.

I am pretty sure I understand, however why does your button 35 (diagonal right - down) have the same definitions as button 33 (diagonal right - up)?

Here it would seem like the view would go diagonal right-up?

Thanks for clarification

Juergen Mader

 

 

[Pete Dowson]

13 minutes ago, Juergen2 said:

I am pretty sure I understand, however why does your button 35 (diagonal right - down) have the same definitions as button 33 (diagonal right - up)?

I think there are some typos in Thomas's contribution, that is all.  Just use the keycodes for the keys you want to press. Thomas was just illustrating how to make one button send two keypresses.

The keycodes are listed on page 20 or thereabouts in the FSUIPC Advanced guide. You'll see these in the list:

96 NumPad 0 (NumLock ON)
97 NumPad 1 (NumLock ON)
98 NumPad 2 (NumLock ON)
99 NumPad 3 (NumLock ON)
100 NumPad 4 (NumLock ON)
101 NumPad 5 (NumLock ON)
102 NumPad 6 (NumLock ON)
103 NumPad 7 (NumLock ON)
104 NumPad 8 (NumLock ON)
105 NumPad 9 (NumLock ON)

I'm sure you can figure out what you need to do from this.

I seems very odd to me that something as sophisticated as Chaseplane does not provide a diagonal pan facility instead of having to use a combo job.

Pete

 

[Juergen2]

Hi Pete,

Thanks for clarification; I just wanted to make sure I understand the logic. I know now how to program the hat switch properly.

As for the diagonal movement in ChasePlane - you certainly can move diagonal w/o problems. My problem is that it does not recognize 2 different joysticks (for me Alpha Flight Yoke for Boeing and ThrusMaster side stick for Airbus). Each one of these controllers has a hat switch, which I can program in FSUIPC to send the correct commands to ChasePlane.

Hope that makes sense

Again Thank you and Thomas for help

Juergen Mader

[Thomas Richter]

Hi,

as Pete said it was a typo by just copying lines and reuse.

For using different controllers for different planes you use Profiles, for AC type or specific one AC. Best is to check the manual for that as it is clearly described.

Thomas

[Juergen2]

Thomas,

Thanks very much. With the typo I just doubted myself, but I completely understand now how to program the 2 controllers.

Until my next problem

Brgds

Juergen

[Juergen2]

Hi Thomas,

Well I overstated my ability I guess, since I can NOT figure out why my Diagonal Pan's don't work.

I have 2 controllers, R2(Alpha Flight Yoke) and R3 (Airbus Side Stick) and I programmed R3 to include diagonal movement. I know the hat switch is capable of it, since it shows up in FSUIPC as button 33, 35, 37 and 39.

These are my button definitions:

0=R2,32,K68,10     -{Key press: ctl+D}-
1=R2,34,K72,10     -{Key press: ctl+H}-
2=R2,36,K75,10     -{Key press: ctl+K}-
3=R2,38,K70,10     -{Key press: ctl+F}-
4=R3,32,K68,10     -{Key press: ctl+D}-
5=R3,34,K72,10     -{Key press: ctl+H}-
6=R3,36,K75,10     -{Key press: ctl+K}-
7=R3,38,K70,10     -{Key press: ctl+F}-
8=R3,33,K68,10     -{Key press: ctl+D}-
9=R3,33,K72,10     -{Key press: ctl+H}-
10=R3,35,K72,10     -{Key press: ctl+H}-
11=R3,35,K75,10     -{Key press: ctl+K}-
12=R3,37,K75,10     -{Key press: ctl+K}-
13=R3,37,K70,10     -{Key press: ctl+F}-
14=R3,39,K70,10     -{Key press: ctl+F}-
15=R3,39,K68,10     -{Key press: ctl+D}-
16=P3,4,K51,26     -{Key press: alt+ctl+3}-
17=P3,9,K50,26     -{Key press: alt+ctl+2}-
18=P2,2,K49,26     -{Key press: alt+ctl+1}-
19=P2,1,K51,26     -{Key press: alt+ctl+3}-
20=P2,0,K50,26     -{Key press: alt+ctl+2}-
21=P3,2,K49,26     -{Key press: alt+ctl+1}-

The buttons are set to repeat and left, right, up and down work fine on both controllers/hat switches. I have also attached a copy of the .ini file if needed.

I would appreciate you taking a look and see if something jumps out at you.

Many thanks

Juergen Mader

 

FSUIPC6.ini

[Pete Dowson]

7 hours ago, Juergen2 said:

8=R3,33,K68,10     -{Key press: ctl+D}-
9=R3,33,K72,10     -{Key press: ctl+H}-
10=R3,35,K72,10     -{Key press: ctl+H}-
11=R3,35,K75,10     -{Key press: ctl+K}-
12=R3,37,K75,10     -{Key press: ctl+K}-
13=R3,37,K70,10     -{Key press: ctl+F}-
14=R3,39,K70,10     -{Key press: ctl+F}-
15=R3,39,K68,10     -{Key press: ctl+D}-

I don't know exactly what you need to do. As described in the Advanced user's guide for FSUIPC (about page 21), having two key actions programmed to a button like this gives you Press and Release key 1 then Press and Release key 2, rapidly.  Is that what you do to make ChasePlane pan diagonally? Seems very odd. Do you do that when using the keyboard with it? So if you want to keep moving diagonally you rapidly press, for example, D then H then D then H etc?

Why doesn't ChasePlane provide a single keypress for diagonal movement. Better, why doesn't it support Hat use itself? seems odd to me.

Anyway, if you want two keys pressed together you can't program it the way you are doing it. You need to use controls to Press, Press, Release, Release. FSUIPC provides special assignable controls for separate press and release actions. Here are the details from later in the Advanced guide:

1071 Key Press/Hold (param is Keycode + 256*Shift code, or JsBk)
1072 Key Release (param is Keycode + 256*Shift code, or JsBk)

So you need 4 assignments instead of two, like this

8=R3,33,C1071,580     -{Key Press/Hold: ctl+D}-
9=R3,33,C1071,584     -{Key Press/Hold: ctl+H}-
16=R3,33,C1072,580     -{Key Release: ctl+D}-
17=R3,33,C1072,584     -{Key Release: ctl+H}-

because 580 = (2 x 256) + 68, 584 = (2 x 256) + 72.

Pete

 

 

[Juergen2]

Hi Pete,

As for ChasePlane it provides hatswitch movements N-E-S-W as well as NE-SE-SW-NW by itself, HOWEVER only for 1(one) controller. Since many of us have 2 controllers (yoke and side stick) I always have to have both controllers available during a flight ( one for ChasePlane and one for aircraft; space problem).

So with mapping the hat switches of both units through FSUIPC as keyboard button presses to ChasePlane, I now only need 1 (one) controller for a flight.

I now got the key-presses to work in ALL direction (N-E-S-W as well as the 4 diagonal movements). The only thing that I don't know, why it is working now and not on Sunday???? All I did is turn the PC OFF on Sunday and back ON this morning?????????????

But thanks for help

Juergen Mader