PFC throttle quadrant serial, axis issues

[Aircom]

Retried my throttle quadrant + single engine axes, with the new update.

• When I move the throttle instantly to max, the throttle in the plane takes one second to go to full. Exact same behaviour for the prop RPM.
• When I move the mixture, it goes much faster but there is some jerkiness which makes it unusable because of the risk to cut the mixture while moving. Something interesting: when I open the Joystick calibration window, moving the mixture creates (usually, but sometimes yes) no jerkiness at all this time. As soon as I close it, jerkiness comes back when I move it.

Note that throttle is connected to Axis Throttle 1 Set, prop to Axis Propeller 1 Set and mixture to Axis Mixture 1 Set.

In the PFC window, axis sliders move flawlessly. Same in the axis assignment window. This is only in the plane that there are some issues.

 

[Aircom]

Update: I was able to fix the jerky mixture by clicking "Send direct to FSUIPC calibration". However in the calibration window, moving the mixture is not detected. But anyway, issue is fixed for mixture. This technique does not help solving the delay on throttle and prop.

So, was it the correct way to do it for mixture or is it a workaround?

And do you see some way to fix throttle and prop?

[John Dowson]

7 hours ago, Aircom said:

However in the calibration window, moving the mixture is not detected

Are you sure? Its detected here. If you are using Mixture 1, its on page 4 of the calibration screens. If its not working for you, then I think it must be due to your PFC settings. I don't have any PFC devices, sorry - maybe Thomas can help with this.

7 hours ago, Aircom said:

So, was it the correct way to do it for mixture or is it a workaround?

It's would be more efficient to send direct to fsuipc calibration and calibrating, so yes it is correct.

As for the throttle, I have also noticed that it is less respondent than the other axis. I'm not sure why this is - I'll take a look and maybe report to Asobo. I haven't checked the prop axis yet - what plane are you using? 

[Thomas Richter]

Hi,

you will find that that is in MSFS is designed that way. I.e. using the keyboard to set idle or full thrust behaves exactly the same way, THR incr/decr slowly but MIX incr/decr immediately. So nothing to do with hardware like PFC and FSUIPC/PFC driver, just MS/Asobo.

Thomas

[John Dowson]

Thanks Thomas, I thought so but using the keyboard directly in MSFS is a good way to confirm.

[Aircom]

Thank you.

1. To your mind, is this latency some kind of bug to report to Asobo? To my mind, it should be direct with no latency. And you're right Thomas: full throttle with the keyboard has some latency. Mixture rich with the keyboard is however instantaneous.

2. I have more details about the jerkiness. Yes it disappears if I set the action to "send to calibration", but more importantly it disappears also if I set it to "send to fs" AND if I don't select an axis to sent to (i.e. the 4 dropdown boxes show nothing). So, sending it to "Axis Mixture1 Set" is what makes it jerky I think. Conclusion: I removed all assignments to throttle1, prop1 and mixture1 and it works very well.

3. And just curious. What about my 3 axes vs the fsuipc calbration window. I retried today and I don't know why, but contrarily to yesterday, whatever the action I choose (send to fs or send to calibration), I see nothing move in the calibration window. I don't need it but reporting it, so is this normal?

[Aircom]

4 hours ago, John Dowson said:

Are you sure? Its detected here. If you are using Mixture 1, its on page 4 of the calibration screens. If its not working for you, then I think it must be due to your PFC settings. I don't have any PFC devices, sorry - maybe Thomas can help with this.

It's would be more efficient to send direct to fsuipc calibration and calibrating, so yes it is correct.

As for the throttle, I have also noticed that it is less respondent than the other axis. I'm not sure why this is - I'll take a look and maybe report to Asobo. I haven't checked the prop axis yet - what plane are you using? 

I now understand that it's detected in the calibration tab only if I assign an axis in the axis assignments tab (one of the dropdown boxes). But since I select nothing to remove jerkiness, that's why I don't see anything in calibration.

I typically use the C172 but this is the same behaviour in other planes.

[John Dowson]

5 minutes ago, Aircom said:

1. To your mind, is this latency some kind of bug to report to Asobo? To my mind, it should be direct with no latency. And you're right Thomas: full throttle with the keyboard has some latency. Mixture rich with the keyboard is however instantaneous.

I'll post a question on this.

6 minutes ago, Aircom said:

2. I have more details about the jerkiness. Yes it disappears if I set the action to "send to calibration", but more importantly it disappears also if I set it to "send to fs" AND if I don't select an axis to sent to (i.e. the 4 dropdown boxes show nothing). So, sending it to "Axis Mixture1 Set" is what makes it jerky I think. Conclusion: I removed all assignments to throttle1, prop1 and mixture1 and it works very well.

Sorry, I don't understand this. If you don't select any axis, whats controlling it? Sounds like you have your axes assigned in the sim, which would certainly cause jerkiness, as it would be getting two inputs, one from FSUIPC and one from the sim. If you assign axes in FSUIPC, you neeed to check that they are also not assigned in MSFS.

8 minutes ago, Aircom said:

3. And just curious. What about my 3 axes vs the fsuipc calbration window. I retried today and I don't know why, but contrarily to yesterday, whatever the action I choose (send to fs or send to calibration), I see nothing move in the calibration window. I don't need it but reporting it, so is this normal?

I think this may be related to your PFC configuration (.ini). I'll see if Thomas can help with this.

John

[Aircom]

5 minutes ago, John Dowson said:

I'll post a question on this.

Sorry, I don't understand this. If you don't select any axis, whats controlling it? Sounds like you have your axes assigned in the sim, which would certainly cause jerkiness, as it would be getting two inputs, one from FSUIPC and one from the sim. If you assign axes in FSUIPC, you neeed to check that they are also not assigned in MSFS.

I think this may be related to your PFC configuration (.ini). I'll see if Thomas can help with this.

John

2. How could it be assigned in the sim? The sim does not see my PFC serial quadrant... And the proof is, if I exit fsuipc, then the axis don't work anymore in the sim.

3. Well, now I know that it's detected in calbration only if I select an axis in the previous tab (like Axis Mixture1 Set).

[John Dowson]

2 minutes ago, Aircom said:

2. How could it be assigned in the sim? The sim does not see my PFC serial quadrant... And the proof is, if I exit fsuipc, then the axis don't work anymore in the sim.

Sorry, yes PFC.....! As I said, I don't have any PFC devices

6 minutes ago, Aircom said:

3. Well, now I know that it's detected in calbration only if I select an axis in the previous tab (like Axis Mixture1 Set).

Well, that makes sense (to me at least!), as you have to have it assigned before you can calibrate. But you also said:

31 minutes ago, Aircom said:

whatever the action I choose (send to fs or send to calibration), I see nothing move in the calibration window.

Which seems to contradict this.

Anyway, Thomas id the PFC expert, I've never used the PFC driver with FSUIPC so best wait for his response on this.

John

[Aircom]

2 minutes ago, John Dowson said:

Which seems to contradict this.

Sorry, no contradiction. Just discovering how it works from message to message. So the first message said "which ever action I choose" and then in the second, I had discovered that I had to assign an axis to make it work in calibration.

[Aircom]

Thomas will confirm, but I think that the PFC driver sends the axis movements to the sim and that it's all I need. I don't need to bother with FSUIPC assignements / calibration. To prove it, if I set "ignore axis" in fsuipc for all my PFC axis, it continues to work well.

So in conclusion, my only concern is about the throttle and prop axis latency and this will be in Asobo's hands.

[John Dowson]

6 hours ago, Aircom said:

PFC driver sends the axis movements to the sim and that it's all I need

Yes - the PFCcom driver sends the axis directly to the sim. You calibrate in the driver UI. You can't see the axes in the FSUIPC calibration tab unless you also assign in the FSUIPC assignments tab, but if you do this the sim will receive both values and so you may get jittering. The PFChid driver behaves differently and doesn't send the values directly to the sim but to FSUIPC, where you assign and calibrate.

6 hours ago, Aircom said:

So in conclusion, my only concern is about the throttle and prop axis latency and this will be in Asobo's hands.

I'll report this.

[Thomas Richter]

Hi,

Quote

So in conclusion, my only concern is about the throttle and prop axis latency and this will be in Asobo's hands.

Throttle and Prop axes, both latency.

Thomas

[Pete Dowson]

11 hours ago, John Dowson said:

You calibrate in the driver UI. You can't see the axes in the FSUIPC calibration tab unless you also assign in the FSUIPC assignments tab, but if you do this the sim will receive both values and so you may get jittering.

You can disable axes in the PFCcom driver (untick the "enable" checkbox for each on the PFCcom calibration screen) if you'd prefer FSUIPC calibration, but I've always found the built-in calibration good enough.

Pete