Magenta's Fcu & Flightdeck Technology

[brianwilliamson]

I seem to be having more than enough problems trying to run SiMboards and Enrico's FCU. The main problem is deciding which one is giving the trouble. I have just installed the latest upgrade for the Simboards, and after many attempts at getting them to work with the FCU, the elevators and ailerons decided not to work. Well that turned out to be the FCU, because the elevators and ailerons were fine when I turned off the FCU. !! and they were working previously.
So if anyone can add some weight to these problems, please post here. It is starting to get very frustrating, so any help will contribute to good nights sleep !
Cheers.................Brian W.

[aviaparts]

Brian,

Can you give me some details of setup, hardware and software you are using, I will look into it then.

[brianwilliamson]

Gooday Marnix, well basically at the moment I am only turning on 3 computers,(to basically test all the simboard connections) one with FSX and FS2004, one with Captains Glass Cockpit from Magenta plus the FCU, and one with Simboards Controller, all fairly fast computers with XP Pro and no other programs etc. on them, and of course Widefs/FSUIPC.
The Joystick problem looks to be working ok on the Simboards as far as the graphics go,(and if I turn off the FCU it all works) but on the FSX and FS2004 regardless of the aircraft (Airbus or 737) the elevators and ailerons seem to flutter all over the place, so it would appear to be a conflict somewhere between the FCU and whatever ?
Regards.............Brian W.

[Bob Reed]

Hey Brian. Seems to me there used to be an option in the PM software for fly by wire. Is that turned on? It might fight with the Simboards software.. Just a thought..

[brianwilliamson]

Gooday Bob.......no I have that turned off. Just completely re-installed the FCU and put the latest update in, and I still have problems. The elevators still do not work, but the ailerons do now. Also the throttles now do not work. As soon as I turn the FCU off they all work. The mystery deepens !!
Cheers...............Brain W.

[Bob Reed]

What aircraft model are you using? Almost sounds like something is interfearing with the FCU..... Try loading up the stock 737 and see what happens. I do not think this is a Simboards issue!

[brianwilliamson]

Bob...............I have tried both FSX and FS 2004, and Both 737 and Airbus and same problem. Works ok without FCU.
Looks like simboards do not work with FCU as far as I can tell from all the testing this morning, and that is with very little else loaded, as I am trying to keep it as simple as possible.
Cheers...............Brian

[aviaparts]

This is very strange indeed, are you able to fly with the FCU connected and the simboards not connected (just using the keyboard to fly around) ?
This is just to verify that the FCU software isn't fighting with software other then simboards.
You are using the default FS aircraft, if not I would have said to apply some modifications like when flying the PMDG.

[brianwilliamson]

Well it gets stranger by the minute !! Even without the FCU loaded I was getting irregular settings from the flap lever. Sometimes it would only give half flap even though it looked perfect in Simboards.After re-loading both simboards and FS about a thousand times it now appears better (also throttles were not normal).Also I then loaded FCU again (last in the line) and Bingo it worked. Now all through this I have not changed one single setting. So there are some unusual bugs somewhere !!
Brian W.

[Bob Reed]

So if you do a shut down and a restart, starting the FCU last, does it all still work? Also where are your throtlles hooked up? Simboards or directly to the computer via USB? When I start my sim, I start the computer that handles the EPIC and FS. I make sure nothing else is runing that I do not need, Load the EPIC with my code (don't know if you have to load Simboards like this or not) start FS and then since you are just using for right now the FCU and Pilots GC I would start the GC then the FCU...

[brianwilliamson]

The throttles etc. are all connected to the simboard.Thought I was getting somewhere and decided to do what I originally had going ok before the new upgrade and that is the computer with Simboards on it was to automatically load and start the simboard up on its own ( used to work) Ok some feartures work but no flaps, so you have to restart Simboards manually.
Fun isn't it!!
Brian W.

[aviaparts]

Brian,

Till now, I also have to restart the simboards manually once the computer is fully started.
I have been thinking about your problems regarding the throttle and elevator and aelron. I remember that I had the same kind of strange problem, elevator and rudder were flickering up and down. The cause of this was a bit of jitter in the potentiometers. If you look in the software, next to the calibration of the potentiometers, you will find settings to reduce the jitter, if I am correct you should increase the treshold value, if this doesn't help reduce also the other settings of the potentiometers until the movement of the controlls disappears.
Let me know if this helps.
The autostart of the simboard software is maybe something to report on the FDT forum.

[Westozy]

I think you may have solved a problem for me Marnix, I too have experienced a few problems with my trim and pitch pots with Sim-Boards. I will try those setting adjustments you suggest.

Cheers Gwyn

[aviaparts]

To add to this, the defauld settings are 15 (if I remember wel) I have set them all to 30 and since then I have no more problems, I used to get error messages also about increasing sample times, so I raised all of the settings to 30 and from then on, no more problems with potentiometers.

Have a nice week-end !

[brianwilliamson]

Thank you Marnix.Will test it out this morning. My latest findings last night were
....Have to start FCU computer AFTER.... FSX or FS 2004 and Simboards are loaded, for anything to work correctly. Otherwise I get the flapping elevator syndrome ! This makes me suspect that FCU is giving or taking a problem from Simboards when it is loaded first.

At the moment I have only loaded flaps, spd brakes, ailerons and elevators and 2 throttles to the Simboard, so as to keep things as simple as possible until we can see where the problem is. Have sent Chris all the details. Have noted also with the new upgrade that the program starts automatically on computer boot-up, so if you go in and tell it to start on boot-up as we used to do, then you get 2 programs running!
Cheers.............Brian W.

[aviaparts]

OK let me know how it goes, I allways start Fs first, then the magenta computers and if everything is running, only then I start the simboard software and manually reboot the cards and then run the project.
I am working on some kind of controll box, so I can easily start things in sequence from the same place, now I have to run around my cockpit to start or reboot this and thats ... I know better ways to do some sports ;-)

[Matt Olieman]

Sounds like you need a check list for the check list :) and then some....