Precision Flight Controls PFC430 recognized button commands

[zfehr]

1 hour ago, John Dowson said:

Good luck with that!

JetBrains DotPeek said neither the TestGUI nor the rxpgnsdriver were supported so that answers that question!

[John Dowson]

Pete took a look and it seems that the PFC430 is recognised/supported and can be used with the PFChid64 driver, but no default actions are supplied and you need to provide these yourself via the PFC.mcro file. From the PFCmacroIndex.csv file, these are the macro names you need to define for the buttons (3rd column):

Quote

02,206,PushSquelch,N,N
02,207,PushIdent,N,N
02,208,PushCV,N,N
02,209,PushCursor,N,N
02,210,Comflip,N,N
02,211,NavFlip,N,N
02,212,RangeUp,N,N
02,213,RangeDn,N,N
02,214,DirectTo,N,N
02,215,Menu,N,N
02,216,Clear,N,N
02,217,Enter,N,N
02,218,Cdi,N,N
02,219,Obs,N,N
02,220,Message,N,N
02,221,FlightPlan,N,N
02,222,Procedures,N,N
02,223,VerticalNav,N,N

and for the encoders:

Quote

03,30,CoarseFreq,N,N
03,31,FineFreq,N,N
03,32,CoarseSel,N,N
03,33,FineSel,N,N
03,34,ComVolume,N,N
03,35,VlocVolume,N,N

John

[zfehr]

9 hours ago, John Dowson said:

Pete took a look and it seems that the PFC430 is recognised/supported and can be used with the PFChid64 driver, but no default actions are supplied and you need to provide these yourself via the PFC.mcro file. From the PFCmacroIndex.csv file, these are the macro names you need to define for the buttons (3rd column):

and for the encoders:

John

Thank you... I am looking forward to tackling this tonight.

[zfehr]

I have reviewed pages 4 and 5 of the PFChidDLL User Guide regarding Macros, and the FSUIPC7 For Advanced Users pages 17 and 18 regarding Format of Button Definitions for macros, and finally pages 35 and 36 regarding Macro Controls. After much trial and error I came to understand the instructions well enough to write this PFC.MCRO file. FSUIPC does not read any button presses when I attempt to use Assignments Menu for Buttons and Switches. I do have one minor success though, after manually entering the text the CDI button works momentarily... as long as it is held down it will change the source from GPS to VLOC. When I release the button it reverts. I believe from testing the PFC Test GUI program that the buttons send a signal upon pushing and another signal on release. The other buttons do not respond but they are programmed for Mobiflight commands I believe through WASM.

PS: I changed the parameter from 0 to 1 which made no difference. The PFC 430 sends a command upon pressing the button and again upon releasing the button.

PFC.mcro

[Pete Dowson]

5 hours ago, zfehr said:

FSUIPC does not read any button presses when I attempt to use Assignments Menu for Buttons and Switches.

The button presses are read by PFChid64.DLL, not by FSUIPC. It is PFCHid64.DLL which is then obeying your macros, none of which are trying to send button press signals to FSUIPC.

You should use the PFChid64.ini option "LogMacroNames=Yes", which will log recognised buttons and give you the correct macro name for it.

You need + at the end of a macro name for the PRESS and a - for the RELEASE. If you leave that off you'll be executing the same macro for both press and release.

Pete

 

[zfehr]

1 hour ago, Pete Dowson said:

The button presses are read by PFChid64.DLL, not by FSUIPC. It is PFCHid64.DLL which is then obeying your macros, none of which are trying to send button press signals to FSUIPC.

You should use the PFChid64.ini option "LogMacroNames=Yes", which will log recognised buttons and give you the correct macro name for it.

You need + at the end of a macro name for the PRESS and a - for the RELEASE. If you leave that off you'll be executing the same macro for both press and release.

Pete

 

Thank you. I had already made a log based on reading an interaction you had in December trying to get a PFC C2 to recognize button presses. I have attached the log. Found I had to leave out the ENCODER_430_530_ or BUTTONS_430_530_ part of the name. I only get the CDI button to work but that is using C66375 which is native to MSFS for swapping between NAV and GPS. The C3#### codes for the Mobiflight.AS530 don't seem to do anything.

PFChid64.log PFC.mcro

[Pete Dowson]

3 minutes ago, zfehr said:

I had to leave out the ENCODER_430_530_ or BUTTONS_430_530_ part of the name.

They aren't listed as part of the name -- see the supplied MacroIndex.csv file for the names. The "full name" to which you refer are the programmable names, internal to the code. FPFCcom64 uses the abbreviations as listed in the CSV.

5 minutes ago, zfehr said:

I only get the CDI button to work but that is using C66375 which is native to MSFS for swapping between NAV and GPS.

Because you programmed it that way, here:

13=Cdi=C66375,0     -{TOGGLE_GPS_DRIVES_NAV1}-

7 minutes ago, zfehr said:

The C3#### codes for the Mobiflight.AS530 don't seem to do anything.

Sorry, I know nothing about Mobiflight. Perhaps they have a support forum?

Pete

 

[zfehr]

I am not having a Mobiflight support problem. Mobiflight has the inputs to control the functions of the Working Titles Garmin GNS430/530 which is now what MSFS is using. It uses WASM and by sending a control input from FSUIPC it can then get the desired control in the sim. The control inputs I am entering into the PFC.MCRO are the same control inputs currently working in the PFC radio stack reprogramming the buttons available on its simple early GPS emulation, they are not in the placement of the Garmin units and not all buttons are replicated. 

I copied and pasted the commands from my FSUIPC.ini file into the PFC.MCRO file. Those commands work in FSUIPC but do not seem to in PFChid64. Is there another way to input the commands so they will work?

FSUIPC7.ini

PFC.mcro

Edited April 11, 2023 by zfehr
Attached current PFC.MCRO file

[Pete Dowson]

1 hour ago, zfehr said:

I copied and pasted the commands from my FSUIPC.ini file into the PFC.MCRO file. Those commands work in FSUIPC but do not seem to in PFChid64. Is there another way to input the commands so they will work?

Sorry, I have no idea about that. The PFC module simply uses FSUIPC to execute the macro, so it should be the same as when they are executed there. Maybe John can help with that. He's away today.

Pete

 

[zfehr]

Thank you. It is confusing since the commands work in FSUIPC and the C6#### commands do work in PFCCom64.

[zfehr]

The idea popped in my head today at the office. Possibly the PFChid64.ini needs the lines:

[EventFiles]
0=MobiFlight-Events1
1=MobiFlight-Events2

Just like FSUIPC.ini needs them.

I'll try that when I get home.

 

[zfehr]

Didn't work. Added:

[WAPI]
EnableWAPI=Yes

[EventFiles]
0=MobiFlight-Events1
1=MobiFlight-Events2

to PFChid64.ini and made no difference

Hopefully John will have some ideas.

[John Dowson]

13 hours ago, zfehr said:

The idea popped in my head today at the office. Possibly the PFChid64.ini needs the lines:

No - the event files are just used by FSUIPC, not by the PFChid64.dll.

11 hours ago, zfehr said:

Didn't work. Added:

[WAPI]
EnableWAPI=Yes

[EventFiles]
0=MobiFlight-Events1
1=MobiFlight-Events2

to PFChid64.ini and made no difference

The WAPi is also only used by FSUIPC, not by the PFChid64.dll. And you don't need the WAPI/WASM if using add-on events, as you seem to be using. The WASM / WAPI is only needed if using presets.

Your issue seems to be that the add-on events are not working when being used in a macro file. This surprises me but I will check this and get back to you.

Note that it is probably easier these days to use presets rather than add-on events. However, I am not sure if calling presets in a macro file is implemented (although it should be!).

I will check all this and get back to you.

John

[zfehr]

1 hour ago, John Dowson said:

No - the event files are just used by FSUIPC, not by the PFChid64.dll.

The WAPi is also only used by FSUIPC, not by the PFChid64.dll. And you don't need the WAPI/WASM if using add-on events, as you seem to be using. The WASM / WAPI is only needed if using presets.

Your issue seems to be that the add-on events are not working when being used in a macro file. This surprises me but I will check this and get back to you.

Note that it is probably easier these days to use presets rather than add-on events. However, I am not sure if calling presets in a macro file is implemented (although it should be!).

I will check all this and get back to you.

John

The MSFS Garmin GNS530/430 don't have presets that I am aware of since it started out as an add on from Working Titles. Mobiflight utilized WASM and FSUIPC to allow home cockpit builders to operate but through those events. Those are the only commands that would make sense to use on this facsimile of a Garmin GNS430 face.

 

Edited April 12, 2023 by zfehr
changed to actual photo of mine since downloaded image showed different hardware

[John Dowson]

55 minutes ago, zfehr said:

The MSFS Garmin GNS530/430 don't have presets that I am aware of since it started out as an add on from Working Titles. Mobiflight utilized WASM and FSUIPC to allow home cockpit builders to operate but through those events. Those are the only commands that would make sense to use on this facsimile of a Garmin GNS430 face.

They do - MF presets for the GNS530/430 work for both the default/Asobo and Working Title versions. The presets for these start with AS430 and AS530 respectively. Check the MobiFlight HubHob site for a list of available presets. They should work in the same way as the MF events, except that you don't need the MF WASM module installed to use them. Also, if you look at the preset code, most of them (I haven't checked all) just activate a hvar or send a standard event (K-type). So, for example, the event :MobiFlight.AS530_CLR_Push is the same as the preset AS530_CLR_Push, whose code is "(>H:AS530_CLR_Push)", so that just activates the hvar H:AS530_CLR_Push. Unfortunately this doesn't help much though, as to use hvars (and lvars) in macro files, you do this by setting the macro name to the hvar/lvar name, and you cannot do this in the PFC.mcro file is the macro names are pre-determined. So really you do need to be able to assign the given macro name to either send an add-on event (as you are now doing, which doesn't seem to work), or to send a preset.

But I still need to check the calling of presets from a macro file, as I do with add-on events. As I said, I will let you know about this, but it will probably be tomorrow now (sorry, I have also has other things I need to look into).

I will get back to you once I have checked. If its not working correctly at the moment, as I suspect, I will update to get this working and give you an updated version to test, but this may take a day or two.

John

[zfehr]

31 minutes ago, John Dowson said:

I will get back to you once I have checked. If its not working correctly at the moment, as I suspect, I will update to get this working and give you an updated version to test, but this may take a day or two.

John

I have waited since the release of MSFS2020 for either RealityXP to be compatible or a functional enough GNS530/430 simulation (like the Working Titles) that would allow me to use this expensive hardware with. I can certainly wait a day or two more. 

Thank you.

[John Dowson]

I have checked this now and using both add-on events and presets in macro files seems to work as expected, and for presets you can either use the preset control number or the preset name itself (i.e. <indexNo>=<macroName>=CP<presetName>, <parameter>) which is preferred - and easier.

So I am not sure why the add-on event is not being sent for you. Could you activate logging in FSUIPC7 for Buttons & Keys as well as Events, and generate a short log file where you try an execute a macro using an add-on event. You can also try this with the logging console window open (Log->Open Console) and see if anything is logged. Also maybe try with presets, presuming you have the FSUIPC WASM installed and enabled. To do this, for example, you would change your macro entries from, for example:

Quote

 

3=PUSH_CV+=C33051,0     -{:MobiFlight.AS530_VNAV_Push}-

 

to

Quote

3=PUSH_CV+=CPAS530_VNAV_Push, 0

John

[John Dowson]

Maybe also a good idea to monitor the macro execution offsets to check the dll is sending the correct data. Use Log->Offsets and monitor 0D6C as S16 and 0D70 as AsciiZ and check Normal log file.

[zfehr]

18 minutes ago, John Dowson said:

Maybe also a good idea to monitor the macro execution offsets to check the dll is sending the correct data. Use Log->Offsets and monitor 0D6C as S16 and 0D70 as AsciiZ and check Normal log file.

 

36 minutes ago, John Dowson said:

I have checked this now and using both add-on events and presets in macro files seems to work as expected, and for presets you can either use the preset control number or the preset name itself (i.e. <indexNo>=<macroName>=CP<presetName>, <parameter>) which is preferred - and easier.

So I am not sure why the add-on event is not being sent for you. Could you activate logging in FSUIPC7 for Buttons & Keys as well as Events, and generate a short log file where you try an execute a macro using an add-on event. You can also try this with the logging console window open (Log->Open Console) and see if anything is logged. Also maybe try with presets, presuming you have the FSUIPC WASM installed and enabled. To do this, for example, you would change your macro entries from, for example:

to

John

Will be able to do in a couple hours.

[zfehr]

Here are the log files. It would seem only the CDI button press is being picked up. I am sending the current PFC.MCRO file as well.

PFCHidlog.txt PFChid64.ini PFC.mcro FSUIPC7.log FSUIPC7.ini

[zfehr]

7 minutes ago, zfehr said:

Here are the log files. It would seem only the CDI button press is being picked up. I am sending the current PFC.MCRO file as well.

PFCHidlog.txt 8.84 kB · 0 downloads PFChid64.ini 450 B · 0 downloads PFC.mcro 1.19 kB · 0 downloads FSUIPC7.log 78.57 kB · 0 downloads FSUIPC7.ini 27.11 kB · 0 downloads

I changed the events that weren't working to presets per your instructions and this is the new FSUIPC.log

PFC.mcro FSUIPC7.log

[zfehr]

OK... I just changed all the assignments to the one I know works and found that only the CDI button is working. I had renamed based on an earlier test run with the HIDtest but will change back to the ones listed earlier and retest.

[zfehr]

Changed names in PFC.MCRO by copying and pasting from PFCmacroIndex.csv

Still no joy getting it to work. I am out of time but will continue working with this later tonight (my time), and switch back to the events.

PFCHidlog.txt PFC.mcro FSUIPC7.log

[zfehr]

It sounds like you are getting this to work on your computer. I did notice that the Mobiflight commands I am using are not coming from an events.txt type file, they are in a .evt file. I have attached the two files I have in my FSUIPC folder for Mobiflight events. Do I need to define these commands in another way?

MobiFlight-Events2.evt MobiFlight-Events1.evt

[zfehr]

VICTORY!!! Problem solved, it was using the Mobiflight.evt files for programming. They do work in FSUIPC but not with the PFChid part. I reprogrammed the radio stack buttons in FSUIPC for the commands in the events.txt file and then copied and pasted those over to the PFC.MCRO file making sure all Mobiflight commands had been erased or replaced. The unit is fully functional now and I am very pleased. It has been quite the learning curve working with it. I thank you John and Peter for your patience and guidance. I have attached the PFC.MCRO file

PFC.mcro