Manny:Well, I spoke too soon: I just sent a huge email to GoFlight because tonight as I was flying the Queen I got blanking, blacking out, freezing of certain MCP LEDs, and had to reboot Windows XP as well as the sim (FS9). The MCP Pro still works fully and in all phases of flight if you do a full autoflight and let LNAV and VNAV works their magic. But if you want to intervene and change HDG promptly and twirl around a bit and change your altitude, there is glitchiness when turning the HDG rotary first and foremost that seems to affect the ALT LED as well. There is also slowness or stickiness in changing altitude. Can't be denied.Interesting thing is that if you use your mouse on the MCP on the LCD screen, you can turn anything you wish at full speed and it is reflected on the MCP PRO LED immediately and accurately. You just can't do it the other way around !Something is not quite right and I don't know what. I've done limited testing on the Level D 767 which seemed stable but also had some flickering and momentary blanking. Ditto for FS2004 compatible jetliners.I did notice in using the MCP Pro Check supplied by PMDG that when I tested the SPD rotary in it, the HDG indicator moved on the PMDG test panel and vice versa. This surprised me and made me wonder what is going on.Anyway, just some observations for folks here and hopefully I'll hear from GoFlight very soon as well and post the results here.Good night!Jonathan

ok its difficult to me too say because my english is very poor...i have one complet usb cable and i have one with only pin 1 and 4 for power.. not 3 and 4 for data...i have put the pin 1 from cable 1 and pin 1 from cable two togetherand pin 4 frome cable 1 and pin 4 from cable 2 together also...and i take only 3 and 4 from the cable one you don't need 3 and 4 from cable 2the result is i have 2 usb power, more ampere for the mcp goflight 2 usb from my hub is for mcp go flight ... i have made this cable you don't find in store...the standard usb is 5v 500ma and i am sure the mcp goflight need more ... now i have 5v but 1000ma if the mcp need ...i dont now if it s the solution but now i have no more problem ... may be my hub doesn't delivery 500 ma but only 250ma and now with two usb source is good...and i see now you can buy it http://www.pexagontech.com/products/cables...it-drive-61.phpbye

Dear Blackbeast:This is a very interesting item. With the original GoFlight MCP from 4 years ago, I had similar problems of freezing, blacking out, blanking, and so on UNTIL I plugged it directly into a USB 2.0 port on the PC motherboard and then suddenly no more issues ever again. I felt sure this was a power issue and I wonder if you have correctly identified a power issue with the newer MCP PRO model now.That Y-cable is really interesting. It's only 30" long which means it will have to be run through a USB hub since my MCP is 6 feet away from the PC and I use the 7 foot long GoFlight supplied USB cable to connect.Thanks for your post and explanation with link. This is definitely worth exploring.Jonathan

Okay, Frank says he wants me to look into this and get it resolved.I'm not sure how many MCP Pros GF has sold by now but it has to be in the hundreds ... so it appears that there are relatively few of you who are affected by this problem.I have read through all of the posts in this thread, and it certainly does sound like a possible firmware problem of some sort. Display flickering and slow updates are usually a USB comms issue. However, it does still seem a mystery that the problem apparently does not occur when using the MCP Pro with default FS9/FSX or Level-D. I wrote all of that code & so that made it easier. But at any rate, I'm sure Lefteris and I can "talk tech" and figure out the cause with PMDG.The first thing you all should try is to connect your MCP Pro directly to a USB port on your PC, instead of connecting it through a hub. This will ensure that there is minimal loss of power between the PC and device, and as short a signal path as possible. USB, especially 2.0, is very sensitive to signal reflections. When USB 2.0 came out, the timing of Control Write transfers (which is what I used in the GF-AC modules to update displays and LEDs) was changed somewhat in the spec and as a result I had to rewrite the firmware for about 80% of the GF modules at the time (late 2003 timeframe as I recall.) I did not write the firmware for the MCP Pro or EFIS, but might need to review that code & possibly do some tweaks on it.I know it can be difficult to get through to GoFlight, but the best thing that MCP Pro owners can do in the short run is to send John an e-mail ([email protected]) and/or call and ask whether there is a firmware update for your unit. Tell him you saw this post. Cheers,Doyle

Thanks Blackbeast. I have ordered it. It should arrive in 4-5 busienss days. I'll try it out and post here my results.I'll also try connecting it directly. Right now, I have to shuffle stuff around with other competing stuff. My flight sim area is a mess. :(Manny

Manny:I tested the PRO again last night for an hour and while still not conclusive--because I have not done any 11 hour flights yet!--I find that it seems to be relatively stable with any FS2004 autopiloted jetliners (including add-ons), is very stable with Level D 767, and does work fully with the PMDG 747-400, but in the case of the Queen, one cannot rotate any of the MCP dials at more than 3 clicks per second (say 3 deg per sec for HDG control) without the risk of blinking, blanking, or random freezing.I see from Doyle's post that he mentions a USB issue and I have a feeling this could be correct. I've found a similar USB Y-split cable, but with a battery backup built-in (for additional power boosting) for $30 that I might buy to experiment with. It has a 4 foot long cable which is still a bit short for me but might work with or without a hub--although it seems to me that a hub is a potentially negative issue in itself, even if powered.Good luck with your Y cable and hope to see your results.Cheers,Jonathan

Based on the above comments - since I am connecting my MCP directly to my USB port, and have nothing else connected to the computer via USB except a printer, does the fact that I have a 10 foot USB cable for the MCP have any negative effect? In other words, would a shorter 4 foot USB cable going to the MCP from the computer translate into better results?Chris Catalano

>>Manny:>>I tested the PRO again last night for an hour and while still>not conclusive--because I have not done any 11 hour flights>yet!--I find that it seems to be relatively stable with any>FS2004 autopiloted jetliners (including add-ons), is very>stable with Level D 767, and does work fully with the PMDG>747-400, but in the case of the Queen, one cannot rotate any>of the MCP dials at more than 3 clicks per second (say 3 deg>per sec for HDG control) without the risk of blinking,>blanking, or random freezing.>>I see from Doyle's post that he mentions a USB issue and I>have a feeling this could be correct. I've found a similar>USB Y-split cable, but with a battery backup built-in (for>additional power boosting) for $30 that I might buy to>experiment with. It has a 4 foot long cable which is still a>bit short for me but might work with or without a>hub--although it seems to me that a hub is a potentially>negative issue in itself, even if powered.>>Good luck with your Y cable and hope to see your results.>>Cheers,>>Jonathan>>>hello Jo,if you have order that cable http://www.bixnet.com/usbcawibuba.html i thing is perfect , please tell me your result when you do the test ... i am very interesting...stephane

Chris:Very good question! I wondered the exact same thing. Answer: not necessarily. The signal weakens with distance and a very long cable is probably a negative. 10 feet should still be OK. I think USB 2.0 is good for up to 15-17 feet (plus hubs and more cable length on top of that).I heard from John at GoFlight last night and he's going to troubleshoot things further with Doyle. I think we are all a bit baffled on all sides at this stage.More to come, I guess....!Jonathan

Dear Blackbeast Stephane:Very kind of you. I actually spoke with Bixnet a couple of days ago and they told me this should work well for me. I might order it shortly. First, I want to see what more GoFlight comes back with on this whole issue.Jonathan

Hello from Germany!I received the MCP Pro from Aerosoft Germany last week and this is what I experienced:With FS9 and the default 737 there is some flickering when turning the HDG knob. When using the Wilco 737 PIC, which I use almost all the time, the flickering of HDG and ALT displays are much more intense, sometimes the display blanks and freezes. Same when turning the V/S Wheel.The MCP is somehow useable but it is very unsatisfying after having payed 550 Euro, which is about 600$. I read your posts and ordered a USB Y Cable (see this link from Amazon in Germany: http://www.amazon.de/USB-2-0-Y-Kabel-besse...80102367&sr=8-5)IT DOES NOT HELP!! Maybe the one with a built in battery works better.This is all annoying! How can a company offer a product for such an amount of money which is not stable???What about buying a car for $30000 and then having to experiment with a second battery installed on the roof or so just to get it work properly?This is what Goflight mentions in the readme-file:When connected to USB ports associated with some makes of USB 2.0 host controllers, certain older GoFlight modules can experience partial loss of communications. This can be recognized by the displays or LEDs on LEDs on the module "freezing", while the input controls still function. GoFlight has recently updated the firmware on all modules to accommodate these host controllers, however, the firmware on older modules cannot be updated without replacement of an IC on the circuit board. If you are experiencing this issue, we recommend installing a USB 1.1 PCI host controller card in your system. This allows the older units to function without lock-up issues, and provides extra USB ports on your system that you can use for connecting other peripherals.But the MCP Pro is NOT an older module! I think I have to return the unit to Aerosoft and have them send it to Goflight for a Firmware update. What do you think?Ron

Hi all.I was told that if you press the N1 and the V/S at the same time it should tell you what firmware is installed. It shows in the left course window. ex. A18 or A17 or A16Let me know wich one you got ?Bebob.Maby all should do that, just to see if there is a connection. So write your problem and your version number.

Hi Bebob,unfortunately this does not work on my MCP.Maybe it doesn't have a firmware at all :-)All that happens is that the displays go blank and all LED's light up and I have to restart Flightsim to bring it back to function.Ron

Ron:To find out the firmware on your MCP PRO, simply run the PMDG MCP pro check exe file and it will tell you instantly what firmware version you have. I have v.1.01 which GoFlight tells me is the latest version. I just bought my MCP PRO from them last week.I heard from GoFlight today again and I guess they will have to try and work with PMDG further in troubleshooting this stuff. It is too bad a number of us have this issue. I feel as if I have some sort of illness or disease because of all this to'ing and fro'ing on the forum !Don't raise your blood pressure over this. It's not worth it. I am sure a solution will be found -- eventually....!Jonathan

Thanks, Jonathan, I feel exactly the same way. Everything else is working fine - FS9 running smoothly on a new Core 2 Duo processor, all the addons etc.Except for the most expensive part - the MCP! Can't wait for it to work smoothly, too.MCPProChk is a nice file, just tried it.I have also FW v1.01 installed, so that cannot be the problem.Some strange thing: When turning the Heading knob, it shows on the IAS/MACH field in the program and vice versa.What effect does PANEL BACKLIGHT have?I am still wondering if or why those units are not being thoroughly checked before they leave the producer! This should be included in the high price.Hope Goflight will come up with a solution soon.Ron