LSH MD80 start switch

[xkoote]

Hello,

after the disappearing of the rotor brake codes, I have finally found the time to take the plunge. As is usually the case, you have to do it right once or twice and the rest is just a matter of changing values etc. I have created a MACRO file called MD80.mcro. Inside I have added the line:

[Macros]
1=L:overhead_event=Set

I have then opened the FSUIPC7 ini file and added:

[MacroFiles]
1=MD80

I have then assigned a button on my Honeycomb Alpha to "MD80: L:overhead Event Set" and "Parameter 536870917" but I get no reaction. Opening the console to log Lua events gives the following when I press the assigned button. "No LVAR found with name 'overhead_event': cannot proceed".

This happens with any of the guard or start switches I try. Which of course means none of the assignments work. Confirming via the airplane's .xml file you can see that there is an LVar event with the name "overhead event" "<CallbackCode> (M:Event) 'WheelDown' scmi 0 == if{ 536870912 5 + (>L:overhead_event, number) for example.

Funny enough if I execute the LVAR code "536870912 5 + (>L:overhead_event, number)", the start switch moves. 

Any ideas?

[John Dowson]

Try listing the available lvars using the Add-ons -> WASM -> List Lvars... menu option. If the lvar isn't listed, it cannot be directly used as an lvar.
Also note the number of lvars loaded (will be displayed in the FSUIPC7 main window). If you have 3066 lvars loaded, then you have reached the limit and the lvar you are trying to access most probably has an id > 3065. Any aircraft should not have that many lvars, but the problem is that MSFS doesn't clear lvars from previously loaded aircraft, and so the number of lvars seen/loaded increases each time you switch aircraft. To get around this, if you switch aircraft you should exit MSFS (after changing aircraft) and restart, so that the aircraft you are flying is the only aircraft loaded, and all lvars seen will be for that aircraft - and there should be < 3066!

8 minutes ago, xkoote said:

Funny enough if I execute the LVAR code "536870912 5 + (>L:overhead_event, number)", the start switch moves. 

That is because you can use lvars via calculator code without them being known to FSUIPC. So, another way to use an lvar without this problem (i.e. without having it loaded by FSUIPC) is to create a preset for it. See the Advanced User guide for details, but basically you just add a line with the following format to a file called myEvents.txt:
      <preset name>#<calculator code>
So you could add
     MD80_Start_Switch#536870912 5 + (>L:overhead_event, number)
or maybe
     MD80_Start_Switch#$Param (>L:overhead_event)
or even
     MD80_Start_Switch#536870912 $Param + (>L:overhead_event)
and then assign to that preset using the appropriate parameter.

Also, check for existing presets on the MF HubHop site (https://hubhop.mobiflight.com/presets/) - there don't seem to be any specifically for the MD-80, but there are currently 62 presets available for the MD-82, which may also apply to the MD-80. All MF presets are available for assignment in FSUIPC7, and if you create your own preset I recommend that you also submit this to the MF HubHop site for others to use.

[xkoote]

John,

that sounds amazing. I will check all the above mentioned.

Cheers,

[xkoote]

Welcome to FSUIPC
0 Lvars loaded, 0 hvars loaded, 9506 presets available

This is what FSUIPC tells me on first load of the airplane after a PC restart. 

 

EDIT: Delving into the log files I believe I have found the issue. A handful of programs are looking at my old MSFS install directory and placing folder there. Hence the reason why Lvar's can't be found. It will probably also solve the problem once FSUIPC knows where to look for the community folder.

[John Dowson]

10 minutes ago, xkoote said:

0 Lvars loaded, 0 hvars loaded, 9506 presets available

This is what FSUIPC tells me on first load of the airplane after a PC restart. 

This seems like the WASM hasn't been installed or enabled. Can you show me your FSUIPC7.log file.

If you are not using the latest version, 7.3.16, please update and try again first.

John

[xkoote]

John,

I have,

- uninstalled FSUIPC7,

- removed all its folders,

- removed the faux (old) E:/FS2020 folder where my old MSFS2020 installation was, (only FBW and FSUIPC still see this old directory as my community folder)

- removed all install instances of FSUIPC7 from registry,

- and searched the registry for "E:FS2020" without any results.

Still, after a clean FSUIPC7 install, the log files mentions E:/FS2020 as the community folder location and creates a file structure down to community to place the lvar modules folder in.

Do you know maybe what it is looking at to come to this location so I can remove it?

[John Dowson]

3 minutes ago, xkoote said:

Still, after a clean FSUIPC7 install, the log files mentions E:/FS2020 as the community folder location and creates a file structure down to community to place the lvar modules folder in.

Do you know maybe what it is looking at to come to this location so I can remove it?

The community folder location is taken from the InstalledPackagesPath property in your MSFS UserCfg.opt file. This is located under your user account folder under the following folder for steam installations:
    AppData\Roaming\Microsoft Flight Simulator\
and under one of the following folder for MS Store installations:
    AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\
    AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\

If you take a look at the InstallFSUIPC7.log file, this should tell you the location of the one used.

But you shouldn't need to change this manually - this should have been updated automatically if you re-installed into a different folder....

John

[John Dowson]

If you had a steam install and changed to an MS Store install, you need to manually delete or rename the steam version of the UserCfg.opt file so that an MS Store installation is detected, otherwise a Steam installation will be assumed.

John

[xkoote]

I've never had Steam installed on my PC. Understood John, thanks again.

[xkoote]

[SOLVED]

So this Steam "Community" folder has dates from August 2020. I don't remember ever testing out MSFS2020 for steam. But anyways, I have temporarily renamed the whole folder containing that UserCfg.opt to make sure I am not inadvertently messing up my install. Reinstalled FSUIPC and the log now correctly detects my Store install. Loaded up MSFS and 1597 Lvar's loaded 🙂 So it all works now. I already bound both start switch guards and switches. So all is well.

You support is amazing as always.

[John Dowson]

👍😎