EFIS Details

[Owl]

I noticed there are a few small details missing on the EFIS that would be maybe nice to have:

- The string displaying the current thrust rating on the upper EICAS is slightly misaligned off centre:



- On a HDG up ND as below, the "half range" digits associated with the track line always remain at a constant orientation and do not rotate with the line (This is only really apparent at high drift angles admittedly).

- Also the green banana arc should be subject to the same mask around the compass arc as the flight plan elements (i.e it should not be visible in the below image)



- There is a small typo in one of the memo messages "PACK X+Y OFF" in PSX should read "PACKS X + Y OFF"



Let me know if you need any more references for any of these things I will try and provide.

Cheers

Owl


(Running version 10.157.)

[Hardy Heinlin]

Thanks.

Are these details valid on both CRT and LCD versions? I see your ND on the photo is a LCD.

As for the centered "TO" word: I guess I used the long 5-character (e.g. "D-TO 2") example as a center reference, and for shorter words I just cropped the right side of the word. I just checked some photos, and only now I see that every thrust ref mode word is centered indeed. Bizarre that I'm noticing this only now :-)

I'll try to modify the next PSX update accordingly.


Regards,

|-|ardy

[Owl]

Yep these would apply to both DU types

[Owl]

A couple more small things (Sorry to be a pain!):

- Once a runway has been selected in the FMC at the departure or arrival airport, the corresponding cyan airport symbol on the ND should be inhibited even when the ARPT display option is on.

- There is a white box that surrounds the Rad Alt indication when it comes alive at 2500', but I don't think I have ever seen that on our fleet (both CRT and LCD) although maybe this is from an earlier IDS version?

- With the integrated cue flight director, there are two IDS options available; one where it is filled and one hollow, in PSX it appears to have a semi-transparent fill.

- Also, not sure if it's implemented or not because a US quart is almost identical to a litre, but the units for Oil Qty should change when switching between the lbs and kg unit options.

Owl

[Hardy Heinlin]

Thanks.

White box: We need to check whether its airline specific or CRT/LCD specific etc. -- or even 74-8 only?

V-bar FD: Do you have a photo for me? In fact, I implemented multiple variations during the development of PSX and almost ended up with a nice "open" V-shape (not just transparent but using a V instead of a triangle, so that the horizon can be seen). But then I noticed it was just used on the 777, not on the 744.

You are not referring to the 74-8, are you?


|-|ardy

[Owl]

Never flown or seen an -8 (although would love to!)

With the RA box appearing, it just stood out as strange seeing it. Looking at the 744 options brochure I have it doesn't appear there. I've also never seen it on any of our aircraft (which is a non-standard fleet from a huge number of previous operators) nor in any level D sim I've used.

Perhaps it is from an early version of the software (In which case would probably not appear on an LCD)? I'm not really sure, I wonder if anyone else has seen it in the wild.

The two types of v-bar as listed in the brochure (sorry not the greatest res):

[Markus Vitzethum]

> There is a white box that surrounds the Rad Alt indication
> when it comes alive at 2500', but I don't think I have ever
> seen that on our fleet (both CRT and LCD) although maybe this
> is from an earlier IDS version?

I just checked ... I knew that I have seen this documented somewhere.

It is described in the Lufthansa AOM. Quote:

Radio Altitude Display
- Displays airplane radio altitude below 2500' AGL (in a white box for 10 sec, when first displayed)

(Lufthansa AOM 10.32/10 - Section Flight Instruments - Rev.24 from March 3rd 1997)

Markus

[Owl]

Did some more digging and found it in the OPC configuration task, it is indeed a customer option which explains why I have never seen it. Interesting that Lufthansa saw some merit in it, does seem like most operators didn't go with it though.

[Hardy Heinlin]

I think it's consistent with some other things that get boxed when first displayed.

Well, one could say the box is only useful when something that is already displayed has changed, rather than when something new occurs on a blank space. On the other hand: Say, your eye catched some optical event at the edge of the retina, so you turn your eye balls to that place, and for a fraction of a second you're wondering what exactly has changed there. The box clarifies it.

Anyway, I'll try to add the above options in the next PSX update.


|-|ardy

[Owl]

Thanks Hardy,

Re the rad alt box: personal opinion I suppose but I would say it's best reserved for key status changes in things like the FMA.

It coming alive would usually be accompanied by the 2500' aural anyway, which is a very effective attention getter. Maybe it was intended to be used in lieu of the callout.

Owl

[Hardy Heinlin]

Just to be sure, while we're at it ...

In your fleet, do you get boxes for these objects when first displayed on blank space?

• Mach display under speed tape
• CMD
• FD
• TO/GA | TO/GA when turning on the FD before takeoff
• THR REF when starting takeoff


|-|ardy

[Owl]

• Mach display under speed tape (No, although all of our aircraft don't have the PFD GS option if it matters)
• CMD (Yes)
• FD (Yes)
• TO/GA | TO/GA when turning on the FD before takeoff (Yes)
• THR REF when starting takeoff (Yes)

In addition there is a funny undocumented quirk, during DU reversion all active FMA modes will be boxed.

[Hardy Heinlin]

No box on the Mach either?

Can I make a common option checkbox "No initial box for RA and Mach"?

Or two separate checkboxes?

(I need to make another Instructor page under the Model tab because the section with the PFD options is full.)


|-|ardy

[Owl]

To be clear, looking at the display config bits again here's my take:

- Aircraft with only Mach display on PFD - Always no box when coming alive, and not available as an option.

- Aircraft with GS/Mach enabled on PFD - Box always when changing from Mach to GS or vv. - no option exists.

- Rad alt box is optional.

So only one checkbox would be needed for the Rad Alt.

Cheers

Owl

[Hardy Heinlin]

I just checked my old Lufthansa AOM. It mentions the box for the RA (option introduced in the mid 1990s) but not for the Mach. I can't remember where I got the info about the Mach box (it's been in Precision Simulator for 25 years now), but as the LH AOM explicitly mentions the RA box only, I think I can now remove the initial Mach box indeed.


|-|

[Owl]

25 Years... That's pretty impressive aftermarket support 

Thanks for all your efforts anyway, looking forward to the next update.

Owl

[Will]

On the picture from October 19, 2022, 09:15:20, the V-bar flight director looks kind of white and not magenta. I assume the colors are just washed out in the photo? Even so, it looks less magenta than the seed cue, for example. Just curious.

[Hardy Heinlin]

I would say it's the same overexposure as on the other magenta PFD objects on the photo (speed/alt/hdg bugs, numbers etc.). The thick outline itself has another thinner outline in magenta.

By the way, I hoped Owl wanted that 777 style V-bar where the horizon is not hidden by that filled black triangle :-) I still don't understand why they hide such an essential tool for wings level control.

[Will]

Maybe it goes without saying, but in the pre-EFIS era, the V-bar was a solid piece of plastic (or metal) so there was so way to look through it. No transparency in the old days. The fleet in my airline had both models (V-bar and dual cue) and they were both analog. Not 747, of course.

I preferred the V-bar, so out of habit, that's what I use with PSX. I'd be happy with the solid bar, or even better, an option to select either one.

I understand the V-bar was not a common choice among 747 operators.

[Hardy Heinlin]

The three items mentioned in the first post of this thread are now implemented in PSX update 10.158:

https://aerowinx.com/board/index.php/topic,4191.0.html


|-|ardy


The other items (white boxes, V-bar transparency options etc.) will be implemented in a later update.