Precision Flight Controls pcatd

[Revrent]

I bought a Precision Flight Controls pcatd off of e-bay. It is an older system that is serial cable based, that I was told was previously used by CBP for training. It even came with a Dell CPU (minus the hard drive). I hooked it up to my current Dell system that is USB and I bought a serial to usb cable from Best buy.

I tried installing FSX and ASA On Top. Neither of them recognize the flight controls. I contacted Precision Flight controls and was told that it is not supported by them and I needed to contact Elite. Elite has been very good at responding but they say it looks similar to a PI -141 but acknowledge that it is not the same system. They think that the Elite software will work but they are not sure. So before I go upgrade my graphics card, and get a dual layer cd drive i am hoping that maybe someone here can chime in on what system I have and what software to run, etc.

God bless
John

[mounty]

Hi

Are the controls and switche3s recognized by FSUIPC? If they are you may be able to program them that way. Elites software may work with it, my guess is that theier software is compatible with several models of their products. The other person who may be able to help is Pete Dowson - he wrote some coding interface for PFC products, he may be familiar with that model.

Hope this helps

Rob

[Revrent]

Rob thank you..I will try to find Pete. Please excuse my ignorance but I might as well just jump into it here since I am a new guy and just learning. What is FSUIPC? I am still very confused in that the controls say Precision Flight controls but elite is where they sent me.

God bless
John

[kozak737]

I bought last year and they are working with FSUIPС. Find it on Simmarket site.

[Revrent]

I bought last year and they are working with FSUIPС. Find it on Simmarket site.

Would you happen to have the web site for Simmarket site?

Thanks
John

[AK Mongo]

I might do a search or Pete's forum before buying it. Might save you some trouble with your project, although FSUIPC is an integral part of almost any interface. Here is a link to the forum:http://forum.simflight.com/forum/30-fsuipc-support-pete-dowson-modules/

Hope that helps,

Reid

[Peter Dowson]

I bought a Precision Flight Controls pcatd off of e-bay. It is an older system that is serial cable based

All PFC systems used to be serial port connected. They only changed to HID USB recently. I did the drivers for both, serial devices are covered by PFC.DLL for FS9 and before and PFCFSX.DLL for FSX and later. The later PFCHID.DLL is for all versions of FS and handles the USB HID devices. All of these need the correct version of FSUIPC installed as well. You don't need to purchase FSUIPC for them, but it does rather limit your options if you don't.

However, then you say:


I contacted Precision Flight controls and was told that it is not supported by them and I needed to contact Elite. Elite has been very good at responding but they say it looks similar to a PI -141 but acknowledge that it is not the same system. They think that the Elite software will work but they are not sure.

This does not bode well. PFC made hardware for Elite before the latter started making their own, and all that used a protocol which was specified by Elite and confidential to them. This effectively makes the hardware Elite-only.

Some of the PFC units were switchable between Elite protocol and PFC protocol (the latter supported by my programs for FS), but many were not. If there is such a switch it is probably behind the throttle quadrant which should be of the exchangeable variety.

Anyway, you can try it with FSUIPC installed + PFC.DLL or PFCFSX.DLL and see if it works as it stands. If not look for the switch. Otherwise, put it on Ebay.

Regards
Pete

[Revrent]

Pete, thank you, I rechecked some connections and reinstalled some software and it is now recognizing the flight controls. I also when to fly elite.com and they had some drivers that I installed that recognize the flight controls. That software has your basic software that you designed.

My newest issue is when using MS FSX, the screen shows the master switch cycling on and off (it appears to be at the same interval as the hobs meter on the actual flight control) and this is also not allowing me to turn on the avionics panel switch.

Also when I go to calibrate the yoke it works fine except when I pull back and try to go left and right for calibration, about the last 25 percent when I pull back the calibration show that it goes to the right and stays there in the last 25 percent of pull back travel.

Anyone have any ideas?

God bless
John

[Peter Dowson]

My newest issue is when using MS FSX, the screen shows the master switch cycling on and off (it appears to be at the same interval as the hobs meter on the actual flight control) and this is also not allowing me to turn on the avionics panel switch.

Also when I go to calibrate the yoke it works fine except when I pull back and try to go left and right for calibration, about the last 25 percent when I pull back the calibration show that it goes to the right and stays there in the last 25 percent of pull back travel.

They both sound like hardware problems -- the master switch connection is probably bad, or the switch itself dirty, allowing the voltage level to "float", and the yoke possibly mechanically getting one axis caught up in the other at one extreme. Certainly neither symptom sounds like it can be down to software at all.

Pete

[Revrent]

Thank you Peter. I was able to find a loose wire that was causing the yoke problem and it is now connected securely. I still cannot figure out the master switch cycling off and on problem...

I tried swapping the master switch with the avionics switch next to it and it still has the same problem. If I can fix this last problem I will have it up and running at 100 percent.

God bless
John

[AK Mongo]

John,

You could always try hooking the master switch up via another interface card. May be easier than tracking down the elite/pfc problem. If all else fails...

[Revrent]

John,

You could always try hooking the master switch up via another interface card. May be easier than tracking down the elite/pfc problem. If all else fails...

How would I go about hooking up the master switch via another interface card? Is there directions somewhere for a beginner?

God bless
John

[AK Mongo]

John,

Pretty easy actually. There are several cards on the market out there that allow you to hook a switch in and they are read by FS as a joystick. The functions can be assigned either through FS itself or through FSUIPC.

The easiest one I have used is here: http://www.leobodnar.com/products/BU0836X/ (leobodnar.com)
There is no soldering or tinkering involved, just push the wires into the slots on the card, attach the other end to your master switch and assign in FS.

Another option is here:http://www.desktopaviator.com/Products/Model_2040/index.htm
This one requires a little more work in the form of getting a 17 wire connector or soldering the wire onto tiny little plugs that attach to the card. After that everything else is the same.In my experience the Desktop Aviator card arrives much faster to US destinations. It arrived in less than a week vs. 30+ days for Leo's card.

I like Leo's simplicity better though.

No doubt there are others out there, but these are all that I can comment on through first hand experience.

For one switch though, it may be worth taking apart a cheap usb joystick, following the wires from one of it's buttons to it's interface board and connecting your switch to it.

Hope this is helpful,

Reid