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Throttletek Axis problem

Started by Icarus747, Mon, 19 Jun 2017 22:41

Hardy Heinlin

That's a good sign!

Are there any other USB axes despite the throttles that don't reach full max and full minimum?


emerydc8

Only the right toe brake. It will go from -763 to 930. Maybe the pot is going bad on that one. I just happened to notice it and I am sure it wasn't that bad when I had the toe brake issue. I can't check the PFC yoke right now because, for some reason, my computer is not recognizing the USB device as a PFC yoke. I'll have to deal with PFC later. I have problems stacked up in holding patterns.

Hardy Heinlin

I mean are there any other USB axes that can't reach their extremes with the help of an increased neutral zone.

Your toe brake problem at -763 can be fixed by a neutral zone of 250. These toe brakes should make no problems anymore; they have been fixed in PSX 10.0.9a.

I guess I'll have to apply this trick to all other sliders, including the speedbrake lever.

emerydc8

#43
Yes. The flaps do not indicate 25 when they are in the 25 detent. I can't seem to get them to work correctly no matter what null setting I use. They will indicate 25 just prior to dropping down into the 25 detent (extending), but once they fall into the detent they indicate flaps 30. It's only a difference of about 3/16 of an inch but nothing I do with the null zone will get them to work correctly.

Hardy Heinlin

In the next PSX update (10.15) there will be a new concept for the neutral zone of sliders:

The neutral value won't set range steps anymore. It will only set neutral zones at the two outer extremes of a slider. And it will scale the signal so that there won't be a jump at the neutral zone border.

For example:

Say, the slider signal range is -955 to +966.
The worst extreme is the -955 end.
There are 45 units to go to -1000.
Round this up a little; set a neutral zone of 50.

Result:

When the signal is at -950, PSX gets -1000. And when it is at +950, PSX gets +1000.
Peaks beyond -950 or +950 will not exceed -1000 and +1000 in PSX.

In the worst case, when a slider signal provides a range of just -500 to +500, and 500 is set for neutral, the signal is scaled such that -500 will be -1000 in PSX (and +500 will be +1000). There will be no jumps as the scale factor is applied continuously, of course.


I'm pretty sure this will fix all problems.


Regards,

|-|ardy


(As usual, -1000/+1000 are always the reference limits for all sliders: throttles, reversers, speedbrake, flaps, toe brakes.)

emerydc8

Thanks, Hardy. I'll look forward to it.
Jon

cavaricooper

Watching this with interest as well... thanks!

C
Carl Avari-Cooper, KTPA

Hardy Heinlin

New neutral zone system for USB sliders is now available in PSX 10.15:

http://aerowinx.com/board/index.php?topic=4191.0


|-|ardy

emerydc8

Incredible! Thanks, Hardy. I wish I could be home to test it.

Jon

Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers

I can patch it over to your 76 if you want.      :)

emerydc8

Too busy trying to stay awake!

cavaricooper

Fly safe Jon!

Excited here as well.....

Best- C
Carl Avari-Cooper, KTPA

emerydc8

#52
Back from flying. Just an update on the Throttletek. The PSX software upgrade worked great! Thanks, Hardy! All reversers and forward thrust are working well now.

I am still having an issue with the flap calibration but I am pretty sure it is a hardware issue. Maybe someone here has a suggestion for me. It seems that no matter what I set the null point to, I am having trouble getting flaps 1 and flaps 25.

When I go from flaps up to flaps 1, the flaps stay at flaps up. I have to go just past the flaps 1 detent towards 5 in order to get the flaps to go to flaps 1. On the other end, when I select flaps 25, the flaps go to 30. I can get flaps 25 to indicate just prior to dropping the flap handle down into the flaps 25 detent, but once in the 25 detent they go down to 30.

The flap handle in the up position indicates 1000 under the PSX USB Preferences and with the flap handle at flaps 30 it indicates -998.

For flaps 1, PSX needs to see 711. Unfortunately, the flaps 1 detent only goes as low as 717 -- it won't go down to the 711 needed to get to flaps 1.

The Throttletek detent for flaps 25 is -740. But the PSX flaps will go to flaps 30 at -713 (flaps 25 at -430), so just as I drop the flaps into the flaps 25 detent (while extending), PSX will go to flaps 30. I can keep it at flaps 25 by pulling the flap lever out of the flaps 25 detent and moving it forward so that it's just on the edge of dropping into the 25 detent.

I tried varying the null zone with no material change. I am using a null zone of -1, which seems to be about the best setting I can find to get the rest of the flaps to work right. I also tried to trick the Windows calibration by limiting the movement of the flap handle during the Windows calibration process (flaps 1 to 30/flaps 25 to up). but didn't see any material change from this.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

Jon

Hardy Heinlin

The only perfect solution for this is to make the range for each flap detent editable (12 variables), in form of an additional Instructor page (expensive) or in form of a text file (cheaper).

Or ... what limits does the flap lever of other users require for flaps 1 and 25? What is indicated on the USB page when flaps UP, 1, 5, 10, 20, 25, 30 is selected?


|-|ardy

cavaricooper

Quote from: cavaricooper on Sun,  7 Jan 2018 21:44
I have to preface this with "I am ignorant about these things"...

Would a simple axis calibration program (a la FSUIPC) for PSX be possible?  Nothing complex, just intercept the USB joystick axis for calibration, end points and axis' reversing. If so, I would unstintingly support such an endeavor.

Best- C

PS- I seem to remember PS1 had joystick "calibration" within the program itself... "remembering SLOOOOW joystick movements during calibration". 

If this could be done within OR 3rd PARTY (Gary, Mark, JP, Bernd, Nico, Hoppie et al are you reading this?) it would eliminate this problem.

An axis' calibration utility- internal or external, would be something of enormous value.  If PSX has a weakness it is in the area of USB axis mapping and calibration.  Relying on basic Windows calibration just isn't enough for complex HW assignments when relying on USB input.

A calibration and mapping utility would be most welcome and valuable.

Best- C
Carl Avari-Cooper, KTPA

Hardy Heinlin

Have you tried the new neutral zone feature in PSX?

emerydc8

Here are the numbers I get from the PSX Preferences page when the flap lever is in each detent:

Flaps 0 = 1000
Flaps 1 = 717 (actual flaps at 0)
Flaps 5 = 370
Flaps 10 = 0
Flaps 20 = -395
Flaps 25 = -740 (actual flaps at 30)
Flaps 30 = -998

Where is the new neutral zone feature in PSX?

Hardy Heinlin

I will try to provide a solution for the flaps in one of the next updates.

The new neutral zone feature in PSX is where the old one was. Same edit field. But that is designed for your Throttletek issue which is solved now, not for flaps.

emerydc8

Ah! Okay, thanks. I did use it for the TQ and it worked great. Thanks again!
Jon

PS: I am awaiting an FDS SYS4XT card so I can set up the fuel control switches and internal lights for the fuel control switches. And maybe a few other switches. I can see it could get addicting with so many input options. I'm sure Gary would agree!

Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers

Hardy,

Are you thinking of some multistep config as you discussed before, where people can set windows in which their hardware needs to move?

Or some more sophisticated way in which PSX "knows" that this axis is actually a stepped axis, and assumes that stable values mean a slot?

It will be tricky to get such artificial auto-calibration to become reliable, but if the premisse is that pilots must move the lever from slot to slot to slot and not skip any one -- exactly as the real Boeing AOM mandates -- then it should be doable.


Hoppie