737 dissconet issue

[Guest fredop]

Hello everyone, This is my first time posting here and I am not that good at searching thru here. My issue is with the PMDG 737 autopilot. I own the PMDG 737-6/7/8/900 V1.3 with FS2Crew. I have had this product and FS2Crew for many months now. But last week my plane started to do something wierd. When I set the FMC and everything(with or without FS2Crew running) and takeoff, I turn on the A/P, but emidiatley get the A/P dissconect chime, and see the A/P shut off. No matter how many times I attempt to turn on either auto pilot A or B, it just shuts itself off right after I turn it on. Only once, did I get a warning from PMDG that my CG was way out of config, and I wasn't able to fly. I flew anyways and had the same problem. In flight, I re-adjusted the wieght, hit the A/P and was able to keep it on. But, then I tried turning it off then on again and it never came back. I un-installed and re-installed PMDG and FS2Crew, and it still happened. ANy ideas?-FredoWindows XP SP2Intel 2.6GHz1G RamRadeon 9200 126mb Vid card

[downscc 1,327]

The A/P will do this if you do not have a complete preflight. In the FMC where you set the V speeds you should get a preflight complete message. A departure runway needs to be selected too.

[Guest fredop]

I do have the FMC setup completeley. No matter what I do, the A/P won't allow itself to stay on.

[downscc 1,327]

Also make sure that the generators(alternators) are on line. This is the other most common reason for this problem and I just forgot it last post. Sorry.

[Guest fredop]

Gens were online as well. I shut the APU off, and never got a power warnging. It's just weird. I don't know what would cause the A/P do shut off the moment I turn it on when everything is congigured by the book. I have a small feeling that I should look thru mu control assignments and see if I may have switched something.

[Sharpedge 0]

Fredo,Welcome to the forum. You mention in your post that you adjusted the weights in mid flight. How did you go about doing this? Sorry if I am teaching you to suck eggs, but you can't use the FS9 Fuel and Load manager with the PMDG 737. If you are, this could be why you are having the problems. Always use the PMDG Load manager prior to starting FS9. Justin

[Guest fredop]

I have always used the FS9 fuel and load manager. I really never looked at the PMDG load manager before. I tried looking for a manual for it, but couldn't find it. I will try to use that and see if this what is causing the issues. If, after a few attempts with what I think might be wrong, it doesn't go good, then I will post what I tried to see if anyone knows what might be the prob.

[Mats_J 2]

Fredo,This sounds like either your CG is out of bounds and the A/P cannot continue to keep the aircraft in a stable flight regime or you have noise coming from your input controls. Have you tried disconnecting any joysticks and pedals and try without them?For the CG out of bounds you can either uninstall the NG. And make sure all PMDG related folders are deleted from your FS folder. If not you have to manually delete them. For this problem it is especially important to delete all PMDG remnants in the Aircraft folder. And then reinstall. Or you can check your Aircraft.cfg file and the section WEIGHT AND BALANCE. It should look something similar to this:reference_datum_position= 43.613, 0.000, 2.097empty_weight_CG_position=-44.320, 0.000, 0.000max_number_of_stations=50empty_weight=80200.000empty_weight_roll_MOI= 1432117.872 // was 1363921.783empty_weight_pitch_MOI=1436694.0 // was 1306085.000empty_weight_yaw_MOI= 1405591.95 // was 1338659.000empty_weight_coupled_MOI=0.000//station_load.0=16800.000, -45.450, 0.000, 1.050//max_gross_weight=144000.000CG_forward_limit=0.1330CG_aft_limit=0.330I have made the important parts bold. These should be exactly as shown here.Hope it helps,

[Guest fredop]

Ok, I think this might be the problem. As you stated, it should look like this:reference_datum_position= 43.613, 0.000, 2.097empty_weight_CG_position=-44.320, 0.000, 0.000max_number_of_stations=50empty_weight=80200.000empty_weight_roll_MOI= 1432117.872 // was 1363921.783empty_weight_pitch_MOI=1436694.0 // was 1306085.000empty_weight_yaw_MOI= 1405591.95 // was 1338659.000empty_weight_coupled_MOI=0.000//station_load.0=16800.000, -45.450, 0.000, 1.050//max_gross_weight=144000.000CG_forward_limit=0.1330CG_aft_limit=0.330I have made the important parts bold. These should be exactly as shown here.And what I have in mine states the following:[WEIGHT_AND_BALANCE]reference_datum_position= 52.730, 0.000, 2.120empty_weight_CG_position=-48.170, 0.000, 0.000max_number_of_stations=50empty_weight=83000.000empty_weight_roll_MOI=1482117 // was 1411540.000empty_weight_pitch_MOI=1912585.5 // was 1821510.000empty_weight_yaw_MOI=1594819.8 // was 1518876.000empty_weight_coupled_MOI=230.000//station_load.0=23000.000, -48.350, 0.000, 1.050//max_gross_weight=153500.000CG_forward_limit=0.133CG_aft_limit=0.330But one question. Just what 737 is this for? THis is happening to all of my 737's, and your max weight is diff from the 737-700.

[Mats_J 2]

My excerpt was for the -600. Yours is from the -700. Your figures look fine. That rules out the aircraft.cfg as the culprit.Have you checked to see if this happens with your input controls disconnected?Hope it helps,

[Guest fredop]

I haven't tried it yet. But even when I hit "Z" on the keyboard, it doesn't work. I haven't looked into the yoke configes yet, or my FSUIPC to check for the set up.This is a pic of a test flight I did, using the PMDG LoadManager...Notice the warning in the green bar.........This is what I get when I try to put on A/P...I will disconect my hardware, rebot the comp., then plug it back in and do another allignment check. But, I think I am going to re-install it, making sure everything PMDG related is gone, and run it. If nothing happens, I will then, install FS2Crew and see if that is the prob.

[Tabs 2,790]

Fredo,You need to check your joystick calibration (preferably using the payware FSUIPC) - CWS (control wheel steering) is the mode the NG's autopilot defaults to when the control column is moved with the AP engaged. What I'll bet is happening is that your joystick is out of calibration and the NG sees this as movement of the yoke, which puts it into CWS.One thing you can try for sure to test this is going up to the menu and disabling the joystick. Then try engaging the AP and see if this still happens. If it doesn't, you know it's the joystick causing it.

[Guest fredop]

Well, I disabled my joystic and pedals completley. And when I did another flight, the CG warning came on. I took off, and when I hit A/P (no joystick, all keyboard) it still shut itself off. So it's not the joystick. What I am going to do is get rid off every PMDG file there is, then re-install it. If nothing happens, then it might have been FS2Crew all along.

[Guest fredop]

Ok, FSUIPC, was ok. I uninstalled PMDG, and deleted all any files with PMDG. I reinstalled the 737-600/700 only, no FS2Crew, and when I did a test flight, I got the same CG is beyond limits and aircraft is unable to fly, with the A/P shutting off the second I turn it on. The whole time, my yoke and pedals were diconected.This is what My cfg read...[WEIGHT_AND_BALANCE]reference_datum_position= 52.730, 0.000, 2.120empty_weight_CG_position=-48.170, 0.000, 0.000max_number_of_stations=50empty_weight=83000.000empty_weight_roll_MOI=1482117 // was 1411540.000empty_weight_pitch_MOI=1912585.5 // was 1821510.000empty_weight_yaw_MOI=1594819.8 // was 1518876.000empty_weight_coupled_MOI=230.000//station_load.0=23000.000, -48.350, 0.000, 1.050//max_gross_weight=153500.000CG_forward_limit=0.133CG_aft_limit=0.330I am out of ideas.

[Guest fredop]

Ok. So it has something to do with a configuration erro. Here is what I have now. Just the PMDG 737-600/600 installed. Nothing else. COnfigured the weigth via the load manager. Set everything up, no joystick connected, FSUIPC had no crazy parameters set. Started up, and took off. Then it happened again. It only appears once I hual #### down the runway, just prior to T/O. THat message is the only things messing up my A/p system....Here is what the aircraft.cfg says on Weight & Balance[WEIGHT_AND_BALANCE]reference_datum_position= 52.730, 0.000, 2.120empty_weight_CG_position=-48.170, 0.000, 0.000max_number_of_stations=50empty_weight=83000.000empty_weight_roll_MOI=1482117 // was 1411540.000empty_weight_pitch_MOI=1912585.5 // was 1821510.000empty_weight_yaw_MOI=1594819.8 // was 1518876.000empty_weight_coupled_MOI=230.000//station_load.0=0.0, -48,000, 0,000, 1,000//max_gross_weight=153500.000CG_forward_limit=0.133CG_aft_limit=0.330station_load.1=26640.0, -48,000, 0,000, 1,000station_load.2=6100.0, -48,000, 0,000, 1,000station_load.3=3900.0, -48,000, 0,000, 1,000..