Greetings from cold Athens (at last!).As I am progressing through the tests with FSBUS I came across a big problem. At least for me.I will spend a noticeable amount of money to build my hardware based on the FSBUS, but I'm afraid that I will only be able to use it with the stock aircraft of FS!Appart from DreamFleet's B737-400, I have not managed to communicate with any other commercial add-on aircraft. I have PIC767, PSS320, DF734 and PMDG737NG.It seems only the DF734 reads/writes from/to the default FS variables which FSUIPC (and subsequently FSBUS) uses. I haven't managed to even read the main values out of PIC767, PSS320 or PMDG737NG. I talking simple stuff here... Heading, Altitude, autopilot status, NAV and COM etc.I know I could use key commands but this solution is a bit lagging and reduces realism. I will have to view the main panel at all times while the purpose of the whole FSBUS project is to get rid of the main panel and be able to use the hardware and have only the primary gauges visible. If this is the only solution, well, I can live with it. But then again, how do I read from the aircraft to syncronize the displays?Has anyone managed to make FSBUS work with any of those add-ons ?And if so, how?Sorry if this has been brought up before, the search did not give me any good answer to this.Thank you for your help so far!George DorkofikisAthens, Greece

Hi George, would that mean that Project Magenta is useless with these addons as well or does it read/write to these particular addons in a special way, maybe the guys at PM could give you some clues to this.Sorry I can't be of much help here as I have never played around with those addons.Regards Glenn.

Hi Glenn.As far as I know, FSBUS does work with Project Magenta. And this is because PM did make public the custom FSUIPC offsets they are using.There are several builders that may be able to confirm this.Unfortunately, the others are not that open minded and keep those offsets as a national security top secret.Edit: and by reading again I just noted the main question. I don't know... Because I don't have PM as it's way too expensive. But I think the way PM works is that you only use the visual model of another aircraft and the PM panel and airfile... Can someone confirm this please?!At least I know now that when I'm about to buy an add-on to ask first if this data will ever be made available. Otherwise tough luck for them.I may sound a bit crude, but that's the way I feel.Cheers,George DorkofikisAthens, Greece

George, If the addon is dependant on FSUIPC then the offsets should be available from Pete Dowson's support forum. Check with the developer about this first. I don't think Pete Dowson would try to keep any offsets secret, If the addons are addressing Flightsim without the use of the FSUIPC interface then you're up the creek with no paddles as the developer can keep this information to themselves I guess & it certainly would not be supported by FSBus in that case, as that is the only way into Flightsim with FSBus.Glenn.

Hi George,this is a problem that ALL external controllers have !The programmers of the 3rd party plans to not want to make there offsets availlable - so there is no way of using them.FSBUS though has the possibility of using the "key to mouse" software - you can define a click spot on your screen and activate it with an external key.Normaly though you use a standard plane AND Project magenta - i have got nearly all Project Magenta functions working via FSBUS - a cockpit without PM is not really like the real thing...Mathias

PIC 767 V2 Will apparenntly have a way to extract values to use in hardware like FSBUS etc...

Hi Mathias,Just a bit off topic here, but do you know if "key to mouse" software works in a virtual cockpit?Mike A.

Hi Mike,yes and no - keytomouse "knows" the coordinates of the actual screen and simulates a mouseclick there...So if you move the screen (scroll in your virtual cockpit) you change the coordinates - and the muse clicke will not affect anything any more...so it does not really work the way you want it to...I personally am very happy with PM - it is a lot of money, OK - but it really must say its worth it at the end....and makes things easier...greetingsMathias

Hi,first, for the key to mouse you can read this thread : http://forums.avsim.net/dcboard.php?az=sho...=5542&mode=fullThe second is about Downson's offsets : does anyone managed to take these values from him? I don't know if he can/want give them, or he knows exacly what are they doing. Maybe he does not have the docs!BUT ...!!!!!! ...in fsuipc SDK kit there is a programm named Interlogate (or something similiar, sorry i don't have it now with me). This program reads all (or some) of the values in Fsuipc offsets and with a second read it compares the changes. With this one you can find whitch values/offsets are changing.So you can make the first read, then change something in you Fs (ie the HDG in your aircraft) and the re-read for a second time the offsets. In this way you will see where changes,what.!!!!There is some know values (from the default Fs offsets) bu also many "unknown" values/offsets, we need to decode them!!!We can do a team-work for decode them !!! Maybe in a separate forum or place (like in a new group i can start in yahoogroups) we can discuss these for not disturb other people here.If you think, that this idea is going to work, just let me know about it and in few minutes we will have the group active!!.RegardsEddie [email protected]

Hi Eddie,well that SEEMS to be an idea...i am not sure if it will work - but it is worth a try...I will help you..Mathias

Hi Mathias!Well... the MOST EASY way would be that the developers of add-on panels (as the panels is actually the subject) read and write to the default variables of FS as well as their own.I have no objection for them to use their own custom autopilot and everything. That's what makes those panels superb.But they COULD just read and write to the FS variables just for other programs and hardware to work with them. It's not THAT hard to do.A simple if on the read and nothing for the write!!!The only ones who did this (and I know of) is the DreamFleet 734.PIC767 enables external hardware (like the Aerosoft 747MCP) to talk to the panel through another path. I have an idea on this one, but I will first need to contact the PIC team and Dirk about this before I expand on this.The way they do (or don't do actually) prevents the use of those superb panels out there with external hardware thus reducing the realism.Not all of us can affort 2 or 3 PCs with Project Magenta etc...Some (including myself) just want a small external interface to use on their single PC just to enhance the realism a bit.As I said. It's not so hard to do, however nobody does it!Hmmm... I start to like the DF734 much more lately... Even with the few glitches it has... :-)George DorkofikisAthens, Greece