Good morning and thank you for such a beautiful plane. I tried the tutorial last night (FS9) and had a great time but didn't get too far. I get to the point of starting to program the FMC and after a couple of minutes, all my two main panel guages, along with the FMC just go out/dark on me a few minutes later...blank. Battery and APU start-up sequence seems to go fine and I'm starting with my default plane (c182) with red master switch off and avionics switch first on, then off...same result. The overhead panel appears to exactly match the tutorial. I do not have FSUIIPC separately from the version that came with the PMDG, but the battery problem mentioned in the tutorial doesn't seem to be the problem as I'm already on APU and/or ground power by then. The overhead panel's display shows plenty of DC and AC power. I hope this is an easy one and I apologize for the bother. I believe I am following the instructions correctly but may not be! I'm not sure what to do when the tutorial says it's now time to disconnect from ground power and cooling. Does that mean I should flip the ground power switch off and is/are there other switches I need to do to disconnect from ground cooling? Just to see, I was able to do a flight from KSTL to KIND in the default MSFS 737 but it wasn't anywhere near as much fun as I am sure the PMDG will be!Also, in the few seconds/minutes I have to program the FMC before the guages go out, I try and enter KSTL on the POS INIT page, but it reports not-in-database. I have the 0309 thing installed and the sid/stars item from PMDG's web site but did not install a nav file specific to the tutorial.Thanks so much and I hope there is enough info here but I am happy to get other facts as needed.Sam Mantel, IIIKEWRP4 3.2Ghz 800FSB, 875P chipset1Gb DDR400 RAM (512x2)ATI 9800Pro 256mbSB Audigy 2WinXP Pro (up to date)Mitsubishi 21" DiamondPro CRTMS FF2 stickAddons: PMDG 737NG, CS727, fsgenesis 38m US mesh, Realair C172.

Hi Sam,This IS the dreaded battery drain issue! MSFS does not have any default functionality to charge the battery during ground or APU operations. I can tell you though that the electrics are being revised for SU2 and you should see a vast imporvement on this issue.Hope it helps,

Matts: Thanks. I guess I am out-of-luck until SU-2. I wonder why some people have this problem and some don't. Do you happen to know if the version of FSUIIPC that comes with the 737NG has the capability of turning on the infinite battery, or is it just the payware version. Tnanks again,Sam Mantel, IIIKEWRetc.

Hi Sam,if I'm not wrong only with the registered pay-ware version of FSUIPC you get extended battery life.Regards,Bjorn

Well, I guess I will get the payware fsuiipc. Then, the onoy question would be why entering KSTL when instructed results in a 'not-in-database' error. Do I need to have the nav data specific to the tutorial or, as is what I thought, the official 0309 cycle and sid/star data should be enough, in which case I must have installed it incorrectly.Thanks for such a great support forum,Sam Mantel, IIIKEWRetc.

Just add the following lines to the bottom all your PMDG aircraft.cfg files:[electrical] max_battery_voltage=0Did the trick for me.Bruce