Can't Understand FS2Phidget Manual

[Holclo]

Excuse me for being thick but I simply cannot understand the FS2Phidget Manual. I have FS2Phidget 5.19 installed and a Phidget LED 64 card attached. Attached to the LED card I have about 12 LED's. (These I had working several years ago in FS2Phidget version 3414) I had then lighting on- Landing gear Transit, Landing Gear Down, Flaps,Flaps Transit, Speed Brake etc).
When I start FS2Phidget now (FS9 running on a Win7 system) I see the set up graphic as displayed in the manual with Project Area, Toolbox Area etc. When I press the TEST button, all my attached LED's light up.
From that can I assume that so far all is well?
If so, to get me started, can someone give me an idiots guide to setting up an LED to light when say the "Park Brake is set" I am using PMDG 737 and I am pretty sure that "Park Brake" is a standard MSFS setting. And then an indication as to how to proceed setting up further outputs.
Do I use the FS Variable drop down list as in previous versions and if so how?
Many thanks for any guidance.
Bill

[gokhotit]

I wll give you a rough guide using my own parking brake circuit. REal easy. Find the correct phidget component for the light, put in a connector, FS output (assign to Parking brake using the drop down boxes), then click on the output of the phidget card, done. Excuse the rough picture, hope you get the idea.

[CocnutAir]

The current version has a bug. The connector is totally unnecessary. Is a workaround, but may cause confusion. Idea here being to impart fundamental concepts and not a recipe. Problem with recipes is one learns only how to make fruit cake, but then is at a loss when it comes to making swiss rolls.

Hold off until the weekend when I plan to make 5.20 available and will walk you thru process and explain.
This will also give us an opportunity to make the documentation more friendly.

In previous versions, it was a relatively simple case of assigning phidget components to fsuipc offsets, but with no way to easily customize solutions. The "logical" FSVariables was an attempt to provide customization. Version 5 is an attempt to provide users with a toolkit of components that should provide more flexibility to build more complex systems. This means I do not spend a lot of time tweaking code to address individual user's requirements. By not spending a lot of time coding I can distribute and support for free. Obviously, I do not want to hire a team of developers to help build, test and support. Need to rely on feedback from users in order to tweak the product.
This becomes a joint venture between me - the developer and you, the user.
Oh, some might grumble, that makes everybody beta testers. If anybody is unhappy with that arrangement I would be more than happy to refund what they paid for fs2Phidget.

From a support standpoint, the idea has always been to share this function amongst all users. Like go-t is doing on this post (Thanks, mate). This keeps the product free. Unsolicited messages to my personal (that's another word for private) email will go unread and into the trash can. To this affect (or is that effect) I have set my personal settings to not allow private messages. Sorry about that, but I do not feel this is unreasonable. Idea is to use forum in the original (Latin) meaning of the word and not as a fancy email.

Sometimes I get requests for the source code. Would anybody spend a few years rebuilding a classic car and give it to me? The analogy is comparable and accurate. I would consider that an even trade.
I once offered to trade my time for a flaps guage on this forum many years back - got a sneering response. I once gave out source code with wild idea that folks would volunteer time to assist. That was many years ago.

However, I made a commitment many years ago to provide support as long as humanly possible. What is a man worth if he does not keep his word? I am endevouring (sometimes unsuccessfully) to be the last gentleman left on the planet.

Lastly, an apology to the Irish gentleman for using his post to lay down general policy for this forum.

Regards,
Alan

[Holclo]

Alan,
Hi there old (i.e.long time) friend. We communicated during version 3 days (it was around about New Years Eve time several years ago!). Hope all is well with you. I will wait for 5.20. I just find "circuits" ,"components", "phidgets" etc confusing and need the simple drop down list!
Thanks also go-t. Will study your diagram.
Bill

[gokhotit]

Once you get the hang of the program, it is easy. Unless you are trying to use toggle switches to adjust props ;). The drop down menus are still there, just in a different fashion. I also find this easier to backup, 2 files instead of 20 (variables fiel, and the project file, vs. variable fiel, and an individual file for each phidget). Play with it, and it will come around.

[Holclo]

Once you get the hang of the program, it is easy. Unless you are trying to use toggle switches to adjust props ;). The drop down menus are still there, just in a different fashion. I also find this easier to backup, 2 files instead of 20 (variables fiel, and the project file, vs. variable fiel, and an individual file for each phidget). Play with it, and it will come around.

Thanks for the encouraging remarks. I will try.
Bill

[farrokh747]

I too found V 5 a bit intimidating at first, largely due to being used to the tremendous ease of using V4xx - but what alan's done here is made it possible to replicate entire elec, hyd, etc systems of the acft , with far greater flexibility - I cant say I've anywhere near mastered V5 yet, but a bit of r&d each time brings new possibilities....

"If anybody is unhappy with that arrangement I would be more than happy to refund what they paid for fs2Phidget."

:-) good one alan - may your tribe increase as they say

Farrokh

[CocnutAir]

The 5.0.20 Download is in the process of being approved.
After that is available and has been installed:
1. Plug in phidget card, if not already connected.
2. Ensure card is visible on the Phidget component drop down boxes.
3. Select phidget card from the drop down.
4. Press "Generate components for Phidget card" button on Circuit Organizer.
5. Described in chapter 6.1.2 of the product manual.
6. Locate FS Output component for the required output index.
Digital Output components will be labelled Output 0, ... Output 15, etc.
7. Select the FS Out component connected to the digital output.
8. On property box scroll down to the Fs File and FsVariable properties.
9. Select appropriate entries from the drop-downs in the property box for the FsFile and FsVariable properties.
10. LED should illuminate when park brake is released and set.

Regards,
Alan

[Holclo]

Thanks Alan. Greetings to you my friend. Take care.
Bill

[CocnutAir]

5.0.20 is available for download.

[Holclo]

OK Alan have downloaded 5.0.20. Have got Park Brake and Nav Lights LED's working. Can you give me a wee prod to getting my Landing Gear Lights working especially setting the values of when they come on and off. One example should do it for all. Sorry to be such a pest.
Bill

[ANDYSMITH]

Hi, do your gear lights the same way but add a "valve" in between the in and outputs. then in the gear transit light valve set min to 1 and max to 15000, on the down light valve, set min to 15000 and max to 16383.
the gear goes from up = 0 and down is 16383
the 15000 number sets the transition from the intransit to the down and locked lights, so if you set one side to 15000 and the other side to 16000, then the lights will simulate one gear getting there a bit before the other. change that number on both valves for one gear.

Andy

[gokhotit]

I think I can help you out, if oyu wont mind...

Here is a picture of my landing gear setup, It is a little odd because I use one light for the gear unsafe, but the principles are the same. You can see that I have the valve for the right landing gear unsafe, and you can the values I use (you may want yours to be different), these values will give you a Gear Unsafe light if the gear is not fully up or down. For down and locked, just put in a High value of 16383 and a low of 16382. Just my way of doing things.

[CocnutAir]

Some property settings to be aware of for above:
The FSOUTPUT UsesRatio property should be set to false.
VALVE Shutoff property should be set to true.

[Holclo]

Thank you everyone. I really appreciate your help. Getting there now. Just spent quite some time learning how to change the Shutoff from False to True!!! Now just have to play with the numbers.
Bill

[CocnutAir]

Bill,

Was curious what challenge was to changing that Shutoff property.

Regards,
Alan.

[Holclo]

Bill,

Was curious what challenge was to changing that Shutoff property.

Regards,
Alan.

Alan
As I had my LED's detached from the cockpit and lying on the floor beside me and as I was working to set them up I was observing my TV/Monitor from a low and sideways position. The picture (as it does) was somewhat dimmed and I failed to notice that "Shutoff" was "greyed out" and that I had forgotten to select "valve" in the circuit diagram first. So try as I did several times I obviously couldn't get the little "pull down" with "TRUE" showing on it. I did feel really silly when I finally noticed my mistake. Now all is well.
FS2Phidget is a very powerful tool. You deserve enormous credit for producing this for us AND for having the patience to deal with fools like myself.
Take care,
Bill

[CocnutAir]

Bill,

Maybe make selected component more visible? The blue border could be a little hard to see.

Regards,
Alan

[Holclo]

Bill,

Maybe make selected component more visible? The blue border could be a little hard to see.

Regards,
Alan

Alan
Yes that would be a good thing to do.
Also on my screen (an LG 32" LCD TV/Monitor) the entries in the little Information Box at the base of the Property Box can not be read. It would appear that the Circuit Builder Box is overlying it. Only the top half of the letters on the top line are visible.
Hope this is useful to you.
Bill

[CocnutAir]

Bill,
You can adjust the information portion of the property box.
It starts of minimized.
If you hover your mouse over the bar seperating the property list and the information box you will observe the your cursor will become a double bar.
That's your cue to click-and-hold to drag sepertion bar towards the top your screen. i.e. expand the size fo that information box.

Regards,
Alan