PSX.NET.EFB - Electronic Flight Bag For PSX

[Gary Oliver]

PSX.NET.EFB

I would like to share another application to come out of the Simfest Technology Center that we have been using for a few years now in both our simulator and some others.

It is free to use for personal use.

For professional Simulator use please contact me to come to an arrangement.... which probably just means making a donation to the Simfest Charity - The Lullaby Trust.





Intro and Features

The PSX.NET.EFB is a windows app which was developed to run in the Simfest Simulator on Getac F110 Tablets which can be picked up used on ebay for a few hundred dollars and make excellent EFBs which fit on the windows of a 744.  It can also be run on any other windows tablet or on a PC, or Laptop, and Macroflight runs it on an iPad as a second screen.

EFB Features

-Integrates with the simfest planning portal to provide all relevant flight data at a pilots fingertips.
-Flight Plan Data Display
-Loadsheet Display
-Integration with Simbrief Takeoff and Landing Data (for those not using CARD)
-Flight Briefing Images
-Integration with Simfest Flightboard
-Library Functionality with BAV QRH, Checklist, FCOM and 3EFM Integration
-Simfest Route Information Manual Briefings (selected airports)
-Integration with Navigraph Charts for Jeppesen
-Integration with the Microsoft Flight Simulator Planner for LIDO Charts
-Twitch Chat Integration for streamers
-VNC to vPilot for controlling online ATC Clients
-VATSIM Radar Integration
-Control of Doors and Services
-Control of Pauses and Freezes
-Control of visual time offset to allow flying with MSFS view in a different time to PSX
-FLT INT and Cabin Interfone Soundboard and Calls (PSX.NET.Sounds Required)
-Integration of Cabin Announcements (PSX.NET.Sounds Required)
-Snapshot/PSX Situation Situation Loading
-MSFS2020 Control to Enter Simulator, Fly Now and Clear Errors
-Very Simple Malfunctions Panel
-Active Sky Control for MSFS Visuals - WIP

Download

Download the EFB Here

Download the Manual Here

Update to V2.0.0.2

As always this has been a hobby project in our own simulator and one other, so expect issues and teething problems.  Please report them here and I will fix them.

I am also rubbish at manuals so if you wish to update it for me then I can send you the link to the master document on google docs.

Thanks to Dan Chang, Simon Kelsey and Macroflight for being beta testers.

Cheers
G

[Gary Oliver]

See post here regarding a Situations sharing repository - https://aerowinx.com/board/index.php/topic,7681.0.html

[Kurt]

Thanks Gary - you and the Simfest team is the gift that just keep giving

Will test tonight.

Cheers

[Kurt]

Quick initial feedback.

Everything works as intended - only small discrepancy I found so far is the Summary Tab in your screenshot is just showing "2" as a label on my PC instead of "Summary" - All Flightplan info is fine - tested for two flightplans - one from yesterday and a fresh one just created.

Will test further on a dedicated tablet - just need to get my hands on one

Thanks again

CHeers

[Kurt]

Was messing around with the interphone calls which triggered correctly in PSX but could not get any sound out of it - thought I had the right PSX SOUND module running but - RTFM - it needs the PSX.NET.SOUND module as mentioned in the manual. (I am using PSX Sounds v0.5 for addidional environmental sounds in my sim)

Looking forward - and thank in advance for all this !!

Cheers

[Gary Oliver]

Yes we have a much newer PSX Sounds I need to get uploaded - will do it soon

[Kurt]

Hey Gary - Got the F110 last friday and it is indeed a perfectly suited device for an EFB for PSX - works like a charm

Only "module" in the brilliant EFB I can't seem to get functional - besides the sounds mentioned earlier in the thread - is the VNC to vPilot. - have read some documentation but clueless on how to connect/use and even what to expect of functionality

 I have tried to enter vPilot address (host and remote) in externalVNCIP line but not sure on the password which indicates I have no clue how to proceed

Hope you can shine some light on this?

Thanks and cheers

[Gary Oliver]

Kurt,

It uses a technology called VNC, which there are several flavours of.  I use RealVNC as I got a free license years ago although I know others use https://www.tightvnc.com/download.php

You run a server on a PC and then use the VNC client in the EFB to connect.

I have a PC and its only job is to run vPilot remote mode so I get a full screen vpilot show up.  I think you can do the same by creating a virtual desktop and pointing VNC to that screen.

Cheers
G

[Kurt]

Yes we have a much newer PSX Sounds I need to get uploaded - will do it soon

Hey Gary - just a tiny gentle ping on this - is it possible to release the updated PSX.NET.SOUNDS ?

Thanks in advance

Kurt

[renquetfrederic]

Hey Gary,

Wonderfull you got the EFB released for windows, works like a charm.

However, I have one question. When I start the EFB on my laptop (which I mainly use for testing) I get the EFB in a windowed mode. On my pc which is connected to the EFB screens in my flight deck, I only get it full screen. Is there a way to get it to windowed mode, as these touchscreens are serving multiple purposes (like entertainment control, msfs control, home front door control, etc)?

kind regards,

Frederic

[Gary Oliver]

Frederic,

I think it the App detects its running on the correct resolution for a Getac Tablet screen it goes full screen.

I then use tablet mode to flip between apps.

I assume your EFB screens are the same resolution as a Getac so its doing the same... I'll add a config file option to turn off that behaviour and let you know when its done.

Entertainment control hey?  Gives me an idea to integrate Spotify into the EFB... (SAT L is currently setup to the default sound device on one of my PC's, for either discord or Spotify, but controlling it is a faff)

Cheers
G

[Kurt]

Entertainment control hey?  Gives me an idea to integrate Spotify into the EFB... (SAT L is currently setup to the default sound device on one of my PC's, for either discord or Spotify, but controlling it is a faff)

Cheers
G

Hey Gary - Thanks again for the EFB - it is an absolute stable for me in my sim as I am no longer using any immersion breaking mouse/keyboard interaction in my sim.

Any chance of a release of the updated PSX.SOUNDS module?

Cheers

[renquetfrederic]

hey Gary,

thanks in advance. Will have to check the resolution settings to confirm, but I know that the laptop is running a higher resolution for sure.

FYI, I have my OBS ACP set up to act as volume controller for the sim. All volume knobs are linked to PSX if the R/T INTP switch is set to R/T, and control the actual volumes (headphone volume, mic volume, general volume of the sim, entertainment volume, etc etc) when INT is selected. The R/T INT switch is not momentary on this ACP, but just a 3 pos toggle switch to achieve this. This is as I don't have a 3rd headphone (nor seat)

kind regards,

Frederic

[Gary Oliver]

Kurt,

https://aerowinx.com/board/index.php/topic,6464.0.html has the new sounds module

Cheers
G

[macroflight]

Great! I will test and try to convert myself to an EFB fan.

[macroflight]

Great! I will test and try to convert myself to an EFB fan.

I'm still having problems figuring out the Sim Control tab. And I'm pretty sure something is not working right in my setup.

I reinstalled PSX.NET (downloaded from the link in the EFB manual)
The EFB was re-downloaded from the link in the first post in this thread and got a fresh config file.

PSX.NET: 1.1.0. Module versions:
Doors: 1.2.0
Ground Services: 1.1.0
Pilots Call Panel: 1.0.0
Weather: 1.0.0
Wind: 1.0.0

I'm basically not able to control the doors using the EFB at all. Pushback via the EFB works some of the time. I can use the PSX.NET GUI to control these things.

If I press Turnaround in the EFB, nothing happens (except for the EFB button turning yellow). But addon=DOORS.MODULE;;;;EARLY is sent to PSX. The same goes for Boarding, Final Call and Closed.

However, if I go to the Doors tab in PSX.NET and press "Push/Approach Stand" (twice), I hear a Simfest announcement and the doors close.

With the doors closed and the EFB Closed button pressed (and yellow), disconnecting external power using the EFB will cause the Connect Tug button to appear. If I press that, the pushback sequence sometimes starts (not sure what makes it work sometimes). But it can also be forced by using the PSX.NET Ground Services tab (Push Back button (twice)). A Simfest message is played, and I start pushback normally.

If I could start pushback from the EFB, I can also control it and stop it from the EFB. If not, I can use PSX.NET for this.

The doors go to auto during pushback. After parking brakes are set, the Connect Tug button appears again in grey.

After the flight, I press the green "DOORS ARE AUTOMATIC" button during taxi in. "CABIN CREW SUMMONED TO DOORS" is then shown, and the doors go to manual. Sometimes this too does not work, but then I can use the "All Man" button in PSX.NET Doors. The EFB then detects this and shows "DOORS ARE MANUAL".

Pressing "Turnaround" (which I guess is supposed to open the doors) does nothing (but sends "addon=DOORS.MODULE;;;;EARLY"). Using the Early Turnaround button in PSX.NET connects external power. Using the On Stand button in PSX.NET starts the door opening process.

I suspect there is a problem in the handling of addons= traffic somewhere. I would have said that PSX.NET does not get addon= traffic at all, but since pushback control from the EFB sometimes works, that can't be the case (since that seems to be done using e.g the addon=SVCS.MODULE;;;;PUSH message.

This test was with a normal PSX main server (no router involved). I used a Python script (connect to PSX and subscribe to addons=) to snoop on the addons= traffic, but even without that script running the EFB/PSX.NET combo behaves the same.

[samer747]

I have same issues with my EFB, I. Using Getac panel, only some PsX sercives commands are working such EXT1&2,air, align but nothing else as far as Cabin announcements nor doors.

Not so sure if I need to anything else with the config but I seems it's talking to PSX.

I'm unable to run PSX.NET file I keep getting Microsoft error massage requesting to enabling ( load from remote sources ) not sure how to go it, I wonder if anyone else had the same issue.

Regards

[macroflight]

I have same issues with my EFB, I. Using Getac panel, only some PsX sercives commands are working such EXT1&2,air, align but nothing else as far as Cabin announcements nor doors.

AFAIK, you need PSX.NET working in order to use the EFB fully. If you get in touch on Discord (mk3830) I can help you sort it out.

I think there might be some cabin sounds missing still (that only Gary might have), but I have working doors, pushback and sounds from the many different pushback truck drivers.

[Gary Oliver]

Hi,

In the modules folder right click the DLLs and click properties, then press the unblock button.

This should let psx.net load

[samer747]

Thanks Gents,
I did the unblock option as Gary said and I was able to run PSXNET. The doors/ fuel options work using PSXNET app. Still unable to use all EFB functions, the cabin calls do not work, I did I stall PSXsounds v2.0 and configure IP, it's showing connected but nothing happening. On the other hand the older version of PSXsounds v0.5 works fine. Not so sure if I need additional configuration.

Regards