CDU brightness indicator bar

[samer747]

Thanks Hardy,

The bars look identical and the timing is perfect.

I couldn’t see the brightness bars on my FDS CDU, but it works fine on the main screen, it looks like the FDS CDU brightness control is internal only to the actual CDU unit and not interfaced with PSX (brightness control only). I’m not so sure if there is a way that I can see the brightness bar on FDS CDU when I control brightness from the actual FDS cdu?

Regards

Sam

[Hardy Heinlin]

Do you have an FDS CDU with a brightness pushbutton or with a brightness pot?

The FDS interface software probably doesn't look at the sim's CDU model in use, and therefore the interface probably controls the brightness pot of the CRT model. It's been doing this since 2014. I introduced the LCD model in 2020 along with a new Q variable for the brightness pushbutton. I guess the FDS interface doesn't use that yet.

The bar only works with the pushbutton. To keep it compatible, the pushbutton actually turns the CRT model's pot which then changes the brightness in both models. The pot body is just not visible on the PSX deck when the LCD model is in use. But it still operates in the background. That's why the brightness control still works in your hardware. Just the bar is invisible because it's linked with the pushbutton system, and that system cannot be simulated by the pot as the pot cannot provide click & hold-repeat effects.


Regards,

|-|ardy

[samer747]

Do you have an FDS CDU with a brightness pushbutton or with a brightness pot?

I do have the FDS CDU with the push button type.
When I select brightness from the PSX screen I can see the brightness bars on FDS CDU screen but if I select brightness from FDS CDU I don’t, also when I dim the FDS CDU the PSX screen dims too and vice versa, so it is interfaced, everything works as it should just for some reason the brightness bar doesn’t show on the FDS CDU when using brightness control from FDS CDU.

[Hardy Heinlin]

... just for some reason the brightness bar doesn’t show on the FDS CDU ...

The reason is this: The FDS interface software probably controls the brightness pot of the CRT model in PSX. It's been doing this since 2014. I introduced the LCD model in 2020 along with a new, special interface variable for the brightness pushbutton. I guess the FDS interface doesn't use that new, special interface variable.

P.S.: Just curious, does the FDS interface incorporate that 500 ms delay between the first click and the start of the scrolling?

Anyway, to get that bar, the FDS interface needs to be updated by someone. When the LCD CDU is in use in PSX, the FDS interface just needs to push that new switch variable that I introduced in 2020 -- instead of turning the knob. But only when the LCD CDU is in use in PSX!

When the CRT CDU is in use in PSX, the FDS pushbutton needs to turn the CRT CDU pot in PSX as it does now.

There is another PSX network variable that tells the add-on whether the CRT or LCD model is in use in PSX.

[Will]

Just in case anyone needs any confirmation... I'm seeing this too, with my FDS CDU.

I guess the engineers at TekWorx, who wrote the module manager software, would be the ones to make an update? Perhaps an email to FDS would help. I'm happy to reach out to them unless someone else want to... or already has.

[Hardy Heinlin]

I'm happy to reach out to them ...

Would be nice.

[Hardy Heinlin]

Just in case anyone is interested, here's a quick reference ...

To send brightness pushbutton commands into PSX to a certain CDU, the interface needs to use these variables for the related CDU (L, R, or C) as shown in Aerowinx/Developers/Variables.txt:

Qh428="BrtPushCduL"; Mode=ECON; Min=-1; Max=1;
Qh429="BrtPushCduC"; Mode=ECON; Min=-1; Max=1;
Qh430="BrtPushCduR"; Mode=ECON; Min=-1; Max=1;

For example, to send a "minus pushed" event to CDU L, send this text to PSX:

Qh428=-1

To send a "plus pushed" event to CDU L, send this text to PSX:

Qh428=1

To send a "brightness button released" event to CDU L, send this text to PSX:

Qh428=0

Such an event needs to be sent only when it happens, once, not permanently. And these LCD specific events should only be sent when PSX is simulating LCD CDU models (i.e. brightness pushbuttons instead of pots).

To check whether PSX is simulating an LCD CDU, the interface needs to read this variable from PSX:

Qi248="CfgPin2Prog"; Mode=ECON; Min=-2147483648; Max=2147483647;

The PSX network sends this:

Qi248=[any integer value]

The integer that Qi248 delivers is a bitmask value:

if ( ( value & 524288 ) != 0 ) then CduL = LCD
if ( ( value & 1048576 ) != 0 ) then CduR = LCD
if ( ( value & 2097152 ) != 0 ) then CduC = LCD


Regards,

|-|ardy

[Jetcos]

I spoke with Brent at TekWorx and he will add it to his list. I'll post back so you guys can test it once he updates the Driver.

Thanks for pointing it out!

[Jetcos]

TekWorx got around to testing the updates for supporting the LCD CDU’s in Aerowinx. 

The update package is at https://www.tekworx.com/get_download.php?download=interfaceIT_Module_Manager_v1.2.3.zip

I haven't tested it, it would be great to get some feedback for Brent and myself.

Thanks

[Will]

I can report that this works perfectly with the FDS CDU, in the LCD version.

The brightness bar comes up on the FDS display as it should, it responds to keypresses on the hardware CDU, and it perfectly tracks the brightness bar in PSX.

With the CRT CDU, the hardware brightness pushbuttons don't seem to change the brightness, although I'm not sure if that's the intent.

Thanks, Brent and Jetcos! Good job!

[Hardy Heinlin]

With the CRT CDU, the hardware brightness pushbuttons don't seem to change the brightness, although I'm not sure if that's the intent.

Oh, I didn't think of that combination. Sorry, so my previous suggestion wasn't optimal. New suggestion: Whether the new pushbutton interface is active or not shouldn't depend on the CDU type in use in PSX (ignore Qi248); it should depend on the CDU brightness control type in the hardware: When the hardware has pushbuttons, apply the pushbutton interface. When the hardware has a pot, apply the pot interface. PSX accepts either interface type regardless of the CDU type in use in PSX. When a pushbutton command gets into PSX into a "pot" CDU, the command will turn the pot until the pot hits its limit or until the command is stopped. No problem. Also, when a pot reposition command gets into PSX into a "pushbutton" CDU, that CDU will change its brightness correctly nevertheless, -- but directly -- that is, the command will bypass the pushbutton animation in PSX and thus the indication bar will not appear. But that's acceptable, I think.

In short words:

Hardware with pot: Apply pot interface:
PSX CRT changes brightness as usual (no indication bar)
PSX LCD changes brightness like a CRT (no indication bar)

Hardware with pushbuttons: Apply pushbutton interface:
PSX CRT changes brightness as usual (no indication bar)
PSX LCD changes brightness like an LCD (indication bar appears)


Regards,

|-|ardy