Dual Unlinked Flight Controls

[MartyReynolds]

I have a B737 sim with dual flight control yokes from Precision Flight Controls. Both controls each use an internal USB interface card that is identical. They don't have a unique serial number. When Windows 10 updates or just restarts, and USB devices are enumerated, it will sometimes shift the joystick assigned numbers and I think it applies the Windows game controller device calibration to the wrong device, since Windows cannot distinguish which PFC Yoke to apply the game controller calibration to. Even with the control yokes neutral, I observe control transferred from one control yoke  to the other bu FSUIPC, despite control inputs on the desired yoke.

PFC support says there is nothing they can do to make the devices unique, so that Windows will stop shifting assignments. I have tried assigning Letters in FSUIPC, but I then see additional numeric devices appear on the INI file, so it doesn't appear to be solving this. The only way I can get consistent behavior is to unplug the FO yoke, which then makes it a non-functional decoration. : )

My question is, I am considering ordering two Leo Bodnar USB interface cards and rewiring the control yokes to use these, since they have unique serial numbers and multiple cards appear to behave consistently under Windows 10. To do this I'll have to figure out how to wire up the Hall effect sensors they use since PFC doesn't use pots for position sensing. Before I did this, I would like to ask your opinion on whether or not this might solve the issue - i.e. does Windows 10 and FSUIPC look at joystick interface card serial numbers in order to prevent shifting assignments (even though the name of the device would be the same i.e. BU0836A)?

Thanks - Marty

[Pete Dowson]

3 hours ago, MartyReynolds said:

have a B737 sim with dual flight control yokes from Precision Flight Controls. Both controls each use an internal USB interface card that is identical. They don't have a unique serial number. When Windows 10 updates or just restarts, and USB devices are enumerated, it will sometimes shift the joystick assigned numbers

Yes, if there's absolutely no way to distinguish them by program then they will be assigned according to the order in which they happen to be scanned in that session.

3 hours ago, MartyReynolds said:

and I think it applies the Windows game controller device calibration to the wrong device, since Windows cannot distinguish which PFC Yoke to apply the game controller calibration to.

With most good USB joystick devices the windows calibration is normally pretty much identical.  Are your two yokes very different, then?

3 hours ago, MartyReynolds said:

Even with the control yokes neutral, I observe control transferred from one control yoke  to the other bu FSUIPC, despite control inputs on the desired yoke.

With two inputs to FSUIPC for the same assigned axis, then assuming they are calibrated in FSUIPC, the one with the largest deviation from centre is the one used for that scan. Provided no one is moving the other and you have calibrated a bit of a centre zone to avoid any jitter problems, then the one in use should always win.

3 hours ago, MartyReynolds said:

To do this I'll have to figure out how to wire up the Hall effect sensors they use since PFC doesn't use pots for position sensing.

My cockpit is by PFC, and has dual flight controls, but linked, so moving one moves the other too. Only one side is connected to the sim. Of course it was originally connected to their serial port interface system, not USB, and handled by my PFCcom64 driver.

But my friend Thomas recently replaced the pots for yoke, pedals, brakes and tiller with new pots, including several Hall effect sensors, and connected them via a Bodnar board. I am not aware of anything complex in the wiring. It's different to how the old pots were wired -- PFC only used 2 wires, so using them simply a variable resistors rather than a proper divider. All the new wiring is using the proper 3 wiire connection, to make more reliable use of the pots and give a better range and resolution. The Bodnar boards require this in any case I think.

3 hours ago, MartyReynolds said:

Windows 10 and FSUIPC look at joystick interface card serial numbers in order to prevent shifting assignments (even though the name of the device would be the same i.e. BU0836A)?

It must be okay with Windows identification as it all works here.  FSUIPC doesn't currently use the serial number.

Pete