GF-166A has turned me into a whimpering child

I own two GF-166A’s. I purchased them from GoFlight about 5 years ago and am just now trying to use them as I’ve finally built a simulator in earnest. I’ve got $6k into everything and it all works but the #@##$& GF-166A’s. I have the latest drivers of everything and nothing in Program Files or Program Files (86). I have plugged them into a 2.0 hub as well as direct into 2.0 and 1.0 inputs on the back of my computer. Sometimes they show on the GF configuration, sometimes don’t. Sometimes one will show but the other won’t. I’ve gone through all the standard stuff (device manager, usb power management etc etc etc) with no success. They show on the GIT but won’t do a thing. Fsuipc wont even acknowledge their existence.

 

I have never in my 64 years dealt with an issue so frustrating. They have made me feel absolutely incapable and incompetent. The GF166A has beaten me into a nearly inconsolable pile of tears. I have spent hours upon hours upon hours trying to figure things out.

 

I tried running GFWindows8fixer but the log file comes back with multiple lines of Device Parameters: Unable to open.

 

I don’t know what to try next. I am wide open to suggestions. Anything. I want to take a hammer and beat them into tiny bits. In the end I do believe there is a simple and elegant solution (other than throwing them in the garbage where they belong), I just don’t know what it is or where to turn. Today I wrote an email to Tony at GoFlight but I have no expectations of a response. This is a simply ridiculous problem.

 

I apologize for the rant. I am frustrated to the boiling point. Help Please?

 

Bruce

So out of your entire 64 years THIS is the most frustrating issue you have ever had!? Gee I envy you ;)

 

My suggestion is to contact GF. I did years back when I had an issue with their MCPPRO panel and they were very responsive in getting my issue fixed.

I have found the GF166A works fine if just one is plugged. Plug in two and things go south as follows:

 

I ran windows8fixer.

I plugged a GF166A into a 2.0 plug on the computer and reran w8fixer. I left all knobs and buttons unassigned.

I started the GIT and P3D and got a 166 tab. I selected device0 and enabled Com.

All of a sudden it woke up and started working perfectly in both frequency selection and transfer as well as the lower com1 left button and the com2 right button. The virtual cockpit radios were right in sync too.

I exited P3D, plugged in the second GF166, closed gfconfig and reran w8fixer. Reopened gf config and started P3D and GIT. The GF1, the one I had first assigned to com simply went dead. GF2, which I assigned to nav, worked perfectly. GF1 showed in GoFlight config but it was unresponsive. When I clicked on GF2 in GoFlight Config the lights would come on the NAV GF166. When I click on GF1 in GFC the lights will turn off on the previously selected NAV GF2 but they do not turn on on the GF1.

 

The GF1 just goes dead to the fs and git even though it shows in GFC. To verify, I tried to recreate the same install later in the day and it did not go well. NAV worked for a while then stuck. After a computer reboot the frequencies would change via the rotary knob and in the virtual cockpit but they wouln’t display display on the GF2

 

I don’t think I am far from a solution, I just don’t know how to get there. There is a gremlin conflict I just can’t identify.

 

Thanks to all who chimed in.

 

Bruce

Why are you using two? Is that for a pilot+copilot setup?

 

If so. Would it be an option to use a splitter?

(don't have gf or p3d myself btw, just thinking along.)

splitter like so:

gf---\___pc

gf---/

 

(Thinking you want both gf's to display the same numbers anyway.)

 

btw, in system requirements listed I saw the first three versions, but not p3d-v4

One is Com and one is Nav.

Nevermind the splitter idea then. (Was indeed thinking they were the same units.)

I would look to the USB hub - is there enough power to drive two units?

I suffered through all of the same frustrations after trying all of the above....A usb 2 PCI card provided the solution for me. Currently have two GF166A's plugged into that card and running P3Dv4.3 under Win10 64 completely stable..If you have an open PCI it should work for you also...I would not try a usb 3 card. usb 2 cards are still available at newegg.com and probably on ebay.

I had the same issue with the GF-166A. I had a working system GF-MCP, (2) GF-166a (2) GF-RP48 and (1) GS-T8 until after my move.

Everything was working except the GF-166a. My BIOS setting had reset because of no power and I thought I had set them correctly.

Motherboard Giga-byte H87N-WiFi. I found all USB connections were using the Intel USB 3.0 eXtensible host controller instead of the EHCI Controllers. Changing the XHCI mode from Smart auto to manual then mapping all ports to EHCI fixed the problem.