TBM 930 Throttle is not working properly when FSUIPC7 is active (event with no profile set up for the plane)

[MAckBolan]

Hi,

The issue : Can't interact with TBM 930 throttle using the mouse when FSUIPC7 is loaded.

Let me give the context - I did extensive testing and here is what I came down to :

- FSUIP version : 7.4.13

- MSFS 2020 version : 1.37.19.0

- I removed all the profiles from the FSUIPC7.ini file - just leaving the default configuration.

- At start up using the mouse going from Cut Out to Low Idle to High Idle with mouse and left click works fine

- Then moving to Taxi position using right click works fine

- Trying to get back to High Idle position using right click a second time sends the Throttle to full power! SO it's then impossible to go back to High Idle position any longer.

- Last "weird" behaviour : opening axis assignment windows and forcing to reload assignment gets the right click to go back to High Idle to work just once.....

At the end, when flying the TBM 930 I have to kill FSUIPC which is very frustrating as I have all my buttons assignments all set up ....

AM I the only one with that problem?

 

FSUIPC7.ini

[MAckBolan]

18 inches issue!

Continuing testing, I found the culprit in my configuration!  This is the infamous line  : PropPitch1=-16191,-11501,-707,16223

[John Dowson]

On 6/26/2024 at 2:29 AM, MAckBolan said:

Continuing testing, I found the culprit in my configuration!  This is the infamous line  : PropPitch1=-16191,-11501,-707,16223

Strange its the PropPitch1 calibration and not the Throttle1 calibration...although I seem to remember the prop pitch was linked to the throttle somehow in the TBM...

Be aware that the default calibration section will apply to ALL aircraft that do not have a profile-specific calibration set. Generally it is better to have a profile-specific calibration section for each aircraft, but if you have set-up a general calibration section and this gives issues with an aircraft, then create a profile-specific calibration section for that aircraft and then reset the calibration. Alternatively, once the profile-specific calibration section has been created, you can delete all the entries in the section (best done when FSUIPC7 is not running).

The TBM throttle is quite strange in the way it operates. It was working in earlier releases but then the throttle animation stopped working for some reason in early 2022.
I have just checked again and now there are some Input Events that can possibly be used to control the throttle:

ENGINE_Throttle<;FLOAT64>=100.000000
ENGINE_Throttle_Feathering<;FLOAT64>=0.000000
ENGINE_TOGA_1<;FLOAT64>=0.000000
ENGINE_Starter_1<>=1.000000
ENGINE_Ignition_1<;FLOAT64>=0.000000
FUEL_Manual_Override<>=52.684355

However, the ENGINE_Throttle Input Event moves the throttle, but only between TAXI (parameter 0) and Full throttle (any non-zero value) when Manual Override is off (or below 50). When Manual Override is > 50, setting any non-zero value to ENGINE_Throttle moves the throttle across to the feather position.
The ENGINE_Throttle_Feathering Input Event doesn't seem to do anything when Manual Override is < 50, and at >=50 it moves the throttle across to feather and fully down when set to 1, and back across to the power range, at its previous position, when set to 0.

In summary, it is still not possible to assign the throttle for the TBM930 in FSUIPC if you want the visuals working, and I am not sure how you would assign a regular joystick or throttle axis in MSFS to control the throttle through its power AND feather/toga range.

You can control the manual override lever using the FUEL_Manual_Override input event (values 0-100).

I think I also need to read up on the TBM930 to see how the throttle/manual override are working together,,,

John

 

 

[pilotjohn]

I'm trying to get to this work (again), and it is quite strange.

Prop pitch 1 will also move the throttle between TAXI and FEATHER (hi idle) with 8192/-1 (then sets it to -4096, but sending -4096 will complete do a cutoff), and then to low idle if you send -1 again. Sending 8192, will move it back to taxi. So the only thing I can't quite do consistently is switch between low and high idle. And, obviously get the throttle to actually move visually.

 

 

[John Dowson]

On 3/7/2025 at 5:13 PM, pilotjohn said:

Prop pitch 1 will also move the throttle between TAXI and FEATHER (hi idle) with 8192/-1 (then sets it to -4096, but sending -4096 will complete do a cutoff), and then to low idle if you send -1 again. Sending 8192, will move it back to taxi. So the only thing I can't quite do consistently is switch between low and high idle. And, obviously get the throttle to actually move visually.

Have you tried the input events:
    ENGINE_Throttle : range 0-100
    FUEL_Manual_Override : range 0-100
    ENGINE_Throttle_Feathering: 0 / 1
?

I set-up a few buttons to test these, and these DO control the visual position of the throttle and manual override lever:

Quote

0=P174,0,CIENGINE_Throttle,0.000000     -{Input Event}-
1=P174,1,CIENGINE_Throttle,13.000000     -{Input Event}-
2=P174,2,CIENGINE_Throttle,50.000000     -{Input Event}-
3=P174,3,CIENGINE_Throttle,100.000000     -{Input Event}-
4=P174,4,CIENGINE_Throttle_Feathering,1.000000     -{Input Event}-
5=P174,5,CIENGINE_Throttle_Feathering,0.000000     -{Input Event}-
6=P101,8,CIFUEL_Manual_Override,0.000000     -{Input Event}-
7=P101,9,CIFUEL_Manual_Override,50.000000     -{Input Event}-
8=P101,10,CIFUEL_Manual_Override,100.000000     -{Input Event}-
 

This is just for testing, but shows that the visuals can be controlled.

The TBM930 throttle has always been tricky to set-up using a standard throttle controller, and you probably also need to assign a few buttons, maybe for switching to feather and also to engage reverse and enter cut-off. You can most probably achieve something reasonable using a lua script. and assigning your axis to an FSUIPC offset and then embed the throttle logic in the lua script to send on the appropriate input events and FS controls as needed.

I will take another look at this, but I will need to understand and review how this throttle is supposed to work first.
 Could you at least share your current assignments and I can use that as a starting point.
 

John

[John Dowson]

Testing further, the FUEL_Manual_Override input event works fine to control the manual override lever.
However, I get very strange results when trying to use the ENGINE_Throttle, input event on an axis. Sending any positive value, however small,  seems to set the value of 13% and just switches the throttle to the feather side, with 0 switching it back to the taxi side. Basically it is the same as setting the ENGINE_Throttle_Feathering input event to 1.

So looks like the throttle visuals still can't be controlled correctly.

On 3/7/2025 at 5:13 PM, pilotjohn said:

Sending 8192, will move it back to taxi. So the only thing I can't quite do consistently is switch between low and high idle.

As well as sending 8192, try setting the unput event ENGINE_Throttle_Feathering to 1 which should move it to high idle.

[John Dowson]

This video is interesting, and shows how to get the visuals working using Spad.nect and vJoy: 

You can also use that to set-up with FSUIPC and vJoy using vJoyOffsets. which would be mapped to a vJoy axis that is assigned in MSFS.
Its a bit of a fudge, as you have to assign a vJoy axis in MSFS, as well as two buttons. You then assign in Spad.next/FSUIPC to control the vJoy axis and buttons. The throttle axis would write its value to an FSUIPC offset (mapped to the vJoy axis), and the prop-pitch range assignments also trigger the vJoy buttons via offsets.

I could set that up here and let you know how that works if interested. That set-up uses a Bravo (which I also use on my flight PC), so it has detent buttons on the throttle & prop axes to move into reverse and cut-off.
The set-up would be different if the axes being used didn't have detent buttons (as my X55 throttle I use on my dev set-up). You would either have to use a separate button or maybe an additional axis range to do that.

Also, as that post is also a couple of years old, it is not clear if that set-up would still work, but I suspect so as it basically uses MSFS to control the visuals.