Flap and gear levers

[ednixon]

Default FSX features provide only for bumping the flaps or gear one step at a time. The gear switch toggles up/down (G) and the flaps step up or down with F2, F3. I'm building a 'real' lever system and I'd like for the lever position to indicate the position. This toggling method works OK until things get out of sync. And in the case of the flaps, the movement is dependent on the direction the lever moves which complicates the logic. Is FSUIPC perhaps a solution or are we still bound to the toggling nature of the FSX keys?
Case in point - when I move the gear lever down, I'd like to know for sure the gear is DOWN. If I simply tie that to the G key, the lever could indicate the wrong condition.

[zswobbie1]

FSUIPC, the paid version, is the solution. You can allocate a key/button to up as well as down.
You can read all about it if you download the free version & read the documents.

[Raceguy]

Hi Ed

I used the range function of FSUIPC to setup the 6 flap positions in my Mustang and it works great.

If you have any questions there are a lot of people here that are willing to help, just ask.

Ed

In the first pic you can see the notches for the positions.



And here you can see the levers for the flaps and carbs. They all connect to slider potentiometers that read from 0-100%. In FSUIPC they will show a readout from 16,300 to -16,300. You set a range, say 16,300 to 16,000 to be full up, then 15,900 to 15,400 to be 10% flaps and so on.



Here is the finished trim console.

[ednixon]

Oh - so you're using ranging on the pots rather than individual position switches. Neat idea. Hadn't thought of that.
So that lets you assign (via FSUIPC) a specific or absolute flap position to a physical lever position? That's what I was looking. Not just bump it up or down one notch at a time.

[Raceguy]

Hi Ed

The flap positions for a Mustang are UP, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50. Using ranges I can move the lever down 3 positions and it will set the flaps at 20% as if a button had been pushed.

With a button you can select a flap position and it will go there each time. With ranges you have to, well, give it a range. For example if I put the flap lever in the third notch let's say it reads 12,300 in FSUIPC. Since I am using a slider potentiometer the reading may not be exactly that number the next time I move the lever to that position.

To set a range for that position, in settings I start with the lever in the middle of the 20% notch then I lift up a little on the lever and the reading will change to say 12,500 and I hit set. I then push down on the lever, passed the middle point and let’s say it shows 12,100 so I hit set again. Now when the lever in between 12,100 - 12,500 FSUIPC will send the command for 20% flaps. You then go to the next position and set it up the same way. Within a minute or two you have a range set for a 6 positions and are ready to go!

I have also started making backups of my FSUIPC settings in case, well you know, I "EF" something up! Actually I make a backup of my entire Module folder from FSX, Flight Simulator X Files AND A2A folder from My Documents and the FSX folder from C:\Users\Ed\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\FSX.

Sometimes I have hardware problems and I find out later it was the loose nut (me) on the keyboard.

I hope this helps.

Take care
Ed

[ednixon]

Absolutely. Lot of help. Thanks.
I don't yet have the paid version of FSUIPC but I figured it would have provisions to do this.
So from what I read, if I did decide to use individual switches, I could activate the button for flaps 3 for example, and it would go to flaps 3 regardless of its initial position. Is this correct?

[Raceguy]

Yes, you can use a normally open (NO) button and the flaps will go to the position set for that button regardless of where the flaps are currently.

If you are going to use buttons for flaps you could use the FSX control setup instead of FSUIPC.

Ed

[ednixon]

Switches might be easier for me, but I could go either way. I wasn't aware that FSX would allow going directly to a specific flap setting. I'll check that out. All I saw was the F5-F8 buttons which either go full or one step at a time. Will look again.

[Raceguy]

Hi Ed

I just looked at the FSX list of commands an it appears I was wrong. I only fly A2A planes using L:VARs and suggested the buttons from memory, and my wife will tell you that is never a great idea! Sorry about the mistake.

The other Ed