SIOC software

Hi guys

I am currently researching interface solutions to build my own none type specific flight sim panels. I intend to use the panel for the PMDG series aircraft as well as a number of other airliners and some GA planes. I intend to mainly use FSUIPC mouse macros and a number of FSX native flight sim commands for interaction purposes. I built a prototype panel using a Leo Bodnar controller which works just beautifully. Even though the panel switches are a based very loosely on the B747-400, they are easily reconfigured using the FSUIPC aircraft specific functions so they can be used with a MD11. I would like to bring a bit more functionality to the panel that should eventually incorporate approximately 160 switches, buttons, rotaries etc.

As an example, as I start the APU, I would like that the APU generator switch starts to blink as the APU starts and becomes a solid light as soon as APU power is available. Since I believe I cannot take the APU status information out of the PMDG 747/MD11 software, I would like to program that function using an external controller. I intend to install an aircraft selector (6 positions rotary) and depending on the aircraft selected, the blinking time of the APU generator switch blinking time will vary depending on the aircraft selected in it actual APU ramp up time.

Oral Barkay wrote an article in the Tutorial section about the SIOC software by Open Cockpit. I have already installed two Open cockpit panels (Comm and transponder). But I still have very little experience with the SIOC software since those two panels are almost plug and play.


I have therefore the following questions in regards to the SOIC software (using Open Cockpit IO boards)
Is the SIOC software capable of retrieving FSX native aircraft status items such as parking brake on/off etc.
Can the SIOC software interact with FSUIPC in a way that I can assign mouse macros when for example SIOC registers that a button was pressed (similar to the joystick emulators by Leo Bodnar)

Kind regards

Thomas

Hi Thomas,

SIOC can read/control all Offsets that are available. In the documentation to FSUIPC you can see the list provided by Pete. All these offsets can be read by SIOC, and a action can be controlled by the status. Eg. light up the parking brake light if the parking brake offset is activated. This covers many of the standard controls in FS. Regarding PMDG it's depending on if the version supports offsets ? It's long time since i have been using PMDG747 so i cant' help you here, but i have just programmed my simpit into iFly, and here all the annunicators are flashing if they are in the sim !

SIOC can also register i a button are pressed, and again it can press the button in the sim or execute a command.

Hope it helps you ;)

Regards
Claus
www.737sim.dk

PMDG A/C are not designed or marketed for the cockpit builder. With the recent release of its 737 SDK it's still too early to see what all it would offer. I doubt it would ever provide the level of support needed for a homebuilt cockpit.

Many thanks for your replies!

Claus, I checked out your website... looks very good! Did you screw the overhead panel onto the ceiling... if yes, how did you get your wife to agree to it ;)

In regards to the SIOC software, how would SOIC interact with FSUIPC… is it difficult to translate and offset from SIOC to trigger a mouse macro action in FSUIPC?

Regards
Thomas

Hi Thomas,

You know, flowers and XXX can do much ;-) No I have a very understanding wife :) We both have good hobbies, it's important in a good life ....

SIOC interact fully with FSUIPC. Nico's site explains it very well. Why trigger a mouse macro ? The mouse macro will be made for a specific panel and don't work on all panels. SIOC can write a new status to a offset, so if you eg. press the landing light switch it will write to the landing light offset. By this it will work on all your planes.

Hope that's you have in mind ?

Regards
Claus

Hi Claus,

Any chance you could post the link for Nico's website?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by claushansen

Why trigger a mouse macro ? The mouse macro will be made for a specific panel and don't work on all panels. SIOC can write a new status to a offset, so if you eg. press the landing light switch it will write to the landing light offset. By this it will work on all your planes.

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I was always under the impression that mouse macros were the only way to send commands to PMDG aircrafts but I will dig a bit deeper into it to find out. Writing to offsets directly would safe me a lot of time.
In the past, I tried to assign items such as the landing lights in the FSX key/ joystick command assignment menu which worked well with default and most GA add-ons but not with complex airliners such as the PMDG 747/ MD11.

I understand that you are using the iFly 737... are you using the standard version or the cockpit builder edition?

Regards

Thomas

Hi Thomas,

Nico's site : http://www.lekseecon.nl/howto.html

Perhaps you are right about the old PMDG stuff, i was under that impression that they have released SDK's for the 747/11
but in this forum it seems that they never had. So if the standard offfsets don't go trough to PMDG you have to use Macros !

And yes, I'm using the standard iFly 737NG, it's open for everthing, and all the displays can be undocked and moved to different monitors

Regards
Claus

Hi Thomas,
You can use key generation method 2, toggling an FSUIPC virtual button from SIOC, and then you connect in FSUIPC your mouse macro to that virtual button.

regards,
Nico Kaan

Hi Nico/ Claus

Many thanks for your help! I believe that the SIOC software together with FSUIPC is exactly what I need for my rather unconventional setup.

While we are on the subject, I intend to build a parking break with and indicator LED and an automatic break lever release as soon as I tap the parking break. Is it possible to read the parking break status from FSUIPC and translate it into a digital output on a PCB using SIOC?

Regards
Thomas

Quote:

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Originally Posted by thomas747400

Is it possible to read the parking break status from FSUIPC and translate it into a digital output on a PCB using SIOC?

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Yes it is. Use offset (hex) 0BC8 2 bytes length.
You can find this information in "FSUIPC for Programmers.pdf" (in the SDK download of FSUIPC).

regards,
Nico