Power loss and Radio freeze

[Guest]

Hi everybody,I've just installed PMDG 737NG under FS9 and it flies great !I had to alter my Decimal Symbol setting in Windows XP from comma to point to get my radios working (thanks to the forum for that one), but there are still some MAJOR problems and I havent found a solution (yet).1) As in real life I enter the plane with cold and dark cockpit. I connect ground supply, engage batery and start APU. At that moment I've got power and bleed air for the packs. I then start entering the flight plan in the FMC. BUT...!! After a short time, all power drops and all displays go blank ! I have tried other variations (only ground power, NO ground power, only APU, NO APU,...), everytime the same thing happens ! This should not be happening when the APU is kicked in. HELP !!2) Sometimes the radios just freeze, I cannot change frequencies anymore, nor can I switch from stand-by to selected freq. This happens in VHF, NAV, ADF, TPDR. What is happening here ?? HELP !!I hope someone knows a solution because I realy like flying this bird.Thanks!!P.S. Sorry for my bad English, I am from Belgium you know ... ;-)

[Guest ilh]

Default C172 avionics master on before entering the NG?Lee Hetherington (KBED)

[Guest]

I have tried it, even put the Cessna avionics masterswitch on the 737 overhead panel so I could test it, but the problem still excists !After a few minutes all power is gone, but if I check de voltage display on the overhead panel it reads 400V from the APU GEN. So there seems to be power but it is lost somewhere. Also the bleed air is gone, reads 0 on the gauge. But I can still start the engines, whitout any power or bleed air. Strange !!The problem with the radios *seems* to be fixed though (perhaps the avionics switch...)Thanks anyway for the sugestion !Greetings,FalconXX

[Guest]

HiSimple solution.Go out and buy the full payware version of FSUIPC.This will solve the battery/power problem for you.Ole Pete has us by the short ones if you want to fly in 2004 does`nt he?As for me it`s 2002 for the time being as I don`t agree with monopolies.Ted

[Guest technobie]

Quite a few of us are experiencing this power loss.Gerrit Kranenbarg gave this fix - not sure if it works yet for me...>Hi, add this to the aircraft.cfg elecrical section (if its not >there then copy and paste both lines). Make the brackets square. >This might solve the problem as it did for me >(electrical)>electric_always_available=1>Gerrit KranenbargOr.....the other option is to keep one engine running (or both).

[Guest]

HmmmThat sounds good if it works and gets users around the extend battery life function found only in the payware version for 2004.Let us know how you make out.Ted

[Guest technobie]

I will try it tonight.

[Guest Ray CYYZ]

You might also want to connect the APU to the electrical bus. What you are describing sounds very much like you just drained the battery without toggling those little switches to connect the APU after starting ...Ray

[Guest]

>Ole Pete has us by the short ones if you want to fly in 2004>does`nt he? Or until someone else writes another one, hopefully.

[Guest]

Hi Gerrit,Thanks for this tip but i've tried it immediately and you guess... same result ! After aprox. 4-5 minutes..pfffft all power gone.As to the response of Ray ; yes Ray I've tied the APU to the main bus by tripping the APU GEN switches. I have logged quite a few hours on the Dreamfleet B737 (great program) so I know my way around a simulated cockpit ;-) But thanks for the tip anyway.I think Ted has the stongest point here, probably the *new* FSUIPC is playing trics on us, but I thought that PMDG is an accredited program ?? Should this be happening then ?? Perhaps in the future the PDMG group can work their way around FSUIPC ?Anyway, thanks to everybody for the quick responses ! Keep it up and save flight !Paul(falconxx)

[Guest]

PaulThe version that came with the NG is a basic version.It does not support the Extend battery life function as it did in 2002.It is only supported in the payware version in 2004.Sorry for the bad news mate.I`m surprised that PMDG did not bring these facts to light pre purchase.Well I`m not that surprised really.;)Ted

[Guest technobie]

Well, that is pretty frustrating. If I've paid for this product, I should get all the functionality. Hopefully this is fixed in upcoming patches.

[Guest]

ChrisI take it your cfg fix did not pan out?You know this is a very important question and needs to be addressed by PMDG.They are not going to patch FSUIPC themselves so the only real option would be to convince Pete Dawson to make this function available in the basic version.I would not think this is an option either because it would negate the need to pay for it in the first place.This problem has been in FS for as long as I can remember and The only thing I`ve ever seen that fixes it is FSUIPC.It means extra costs for those that want to start the aircraft from a cold/dark state in 2004.It` one of the reasons I`m sticking with 2002 for now and see what happens.Robert`s idea has merit but the fact of the matter is that the NG was written to use FSUIPC and there are bound to be incompatabilities so who knows.Ted

[Guest whites]

Actually the real fix is for the sim to know that a non-battery source of power is available. I just discovered this issue tonight because I thought I would see how long it took me to run up the aircraft following the Normal Proceedures PDF that is supplied with the product.I have the payware version of FSUIPC but it's annoying to have to use the battery extend facility to overcome a bug in the 737's power modelling. I assume that power is available to the system when the main engine are started, otherwise most of us would only have had 5 minute flights!As a bypass those of you without the payware FSUIPC, or that don't want to use the extend battery function can start main engine 1 right after the APU. There is plenty of time to do that. Not very realistic but it's only a change in order of operation instead of a hack :-)Hopefully this will get fixed properly...Steven.

[Guest]

StevenThe whole point of the thread was he wanted to avoid the fix you are proposing.I am however curious as to why you find the Extend battery life in FSUIPC annoying?The power handling is an FS bug and always has been FSUIPC is just the best fix that has been created to date.I guess the the best fix would be to trick the sim into thinking ground power/apu was something else so that the battery would not discharge.At least you would not be burning fuel while you frantically preflighted.Ted