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Idea to get PMDG 737NG to work with IOCards/FSBus/etc


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Guest allistah
Posted

I've seen a few posts from people wondering if they can get the PMDG 737NG to work with IOCards/FSBus/etc and the usual answer is no because they don't use standard offsets for all their switches/data/etc.So I had a question in regards to that and maybe a possible solution. I hope you guys will respond and let me know what you think.The Question:Do we know if all the PMDG 737NGs switches/displays/data are accessible though FSUIPC but we just don't know what those offsets are?The Possible Solution:If someone could write a scanner of some sort that would probe all the different offsets looking for changes on the panels, we could write down all the offsets that were found and make a master list of everything. If it was just a matter of finding them, wouldn't this be a better than nothing solution? It would take time yes, but if a few people worked on it, we could probably come up with all the offsets and data that we'd need.How would it work?Someone would have to write a program that would start at a specified offset, and then probe the offsets changing them back and forth going from one to the next. All the while we would be watching the switches on the panels waiting for one of them to switch/change state. Once we saw something change in the cockpit, we could hit a stop button on the scanner, and then move it back and forth so we could find the exact offset that changed the switch we saw move.The things the scanner would need would be:Starting Offset (textbox)Ending Offset (textbox)Data to set in each offset (textbox)Start (Button)Stop (Button)Increment Offset + (Button)Increment Offset - (Button)Does this sound reasonable? Because if we knew that the offsets were there or not and just had to find them, this might be a really great solution for those with the PMDG-737NG.-Allistah

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Posted

Unfortunately, all of my programming skills would fit into a thimble, but I will definitely be watching this thread! It would be excellent to have the ability to program an overhead panel for the PMDG birds.

Guest Erups
Posted

>The Question:>Do we know if all the PMDG 737NGs switches/displays/data are>accessible though FSUIPC but we just don't know what those>offsets are?LEt me explain how this works:when you write a gauge, you can use some FS default variables to exchange data with the simulator (and other gauges as well), as well as define your own variables for your set of gauges.Now P. Dowson, what does he do with FSUIPC?He simply searches for those known variables, assign each one of them a name (the offset, or hex address), and provide a set of functions to read/write on these offsets.This means that if FSUIPC is not programmed to read/write beyond a certain offset value, you won't do anything.But this matter deserves to be explored.I hope someone more knowleadgeable joins the discussion.

Guest Dodiano
Posted

I think it will have to be a proggram outside FSUIPC, actually not to depend on it but to be a self extraction proggram scanner to get the values from 737PMDG and not via FSUIPC.Take care.Roberto

Guest allistah
Posted

Yeah if some programmers that know this stuff could chime in on the subject at hand I'm sure there are a lot of people that would appreciate it. :-)

Guest PoRrEkE
Posted

maybe I 'kick in an open door' but has it been asked PMDG to help us out with this ?for sure they will have an easy job on this while for you it might be a very dificult thing to do ..

Guest Erups
Posted

>maybe I 'kick in an open door' but has it been asked PMDG to>help us out with this ?You can't imagine how many times...

Guest PoRrEkE
Posted

in that case ... sad indeedisn't it best then to use CCC or if with Photon (as I will do) write own software for the logic. then there is no need for a good panel. i'm not super familiar with airbus and especialy boeing NG systems but if 1 person takes care of it, the others can use it as well.I will program full Fokker50 systems in VB.Net for Photon and if I get authorisation from Scott L. Fausel from Photon I will share this if there would ever be other Fokker50 pilots around building a sim.Would be nice now to be able to program my own OpenGL gauges or have someone do them for me. They are quite simple I think. Then I could get ridd of panel in FS completely. Just FS four sound, outside view, flight model etc and all the rest external. Just like people with PM do.

Guest Erups
Posted

>think. Then I could get ridd of panel in FS completely. Just>FS four sound, outside view, flight model etc and all the rest>external. Just like people with PM do.That's the whole point:PM or PMDG....hmmm.... mumble mumble....I once had a thought that PM was paying developers not to put cockpit capabilities in their products...Imagine haveing the PMDG selling for 50 bucks, and doing pretty much the same as PM glass cockpit!Sure PM is a lot more configurable, and has many aircraft types, but it would anyway be a deal/steal!May it be :-roll Edit:Know what?The actual difference from PM and PMDG is only that PM is accepting FSUIPC inputs.Nothing more, and if possible, PMDG is even more advanced.Simply because it already has all the logic, while PM lacks many of it (although it is in development as pmSystems).Edit2:oh and that PM simulates CPT and FO instruments, while PMDG has only CPT.

Posted

Sorry to say that, but until now, forget PMDG + Fsuipc Offsets to be published for free or for few euros/dollarsPMDG team will release a SDK for use it some programmers for commercial products like PFC etc, as it will be too much expensive !!!!!!!!! for home users.In the other hand PMDG today only support with this sdk the EFIS + the MCP. Not the FMC or Overhead panels etc.Believe me :-(So, just forget it at the moment and return back to your "home" PM is a very good solution for mutli-pc configuration and for small or big cockpit builders. With a good air file you can enjoy your flights. Enrico is working hard in PM.Maybe in the future other commercial aircrafts will be released with offsets support.Maybe the PIC2 team will make it!Because the time when the flightsimmer was flying having only one 486PC without a joystick and a simple 2D view has passed.:-spacecraftMany and many people having more than 1 pc for Fs, very good yokes or joysticks, electronics parts, many payware s/w etc etc.Is time the commercial products to look forward in the new demands of the market :-walksmile !!!best regardsEddie ArmaosAthens-Greece

  • 3 weeks later...
Guest allistah
Posted

Ok, the answer to this question is FS Interrogate. It allows you to see all the FSUIPC variables thus allowing someone to find all of them for the PMDG 737. Once you read the docs and learn how it works, it's really not too bad to use and allows you to find the addresses for all the PMDG stuff.After about a hour I have found most of the MCP locations for the PMDG 737. :-)If anyone is interested in playing with this tool, it's a part of the FSUIPC SDK that you can download from the main FSUIPC site.-Allistah

Guest Raafie75
Posted

Hey Allistah,Would love to know what those offsets are? Have you actually tried them out ?Regards,Brad Heller.

Guest allistah
Posted

I haven't tried them out yet since I don't have any of my hardware from FDS yet. What ones would you be interested in trying? If you let me know I'll see if I can find them and give them to you so you can try them out. As long as you report back and let me know if it works or not of course. :-)For example, on the Captain's EFIS panel, the VOR1 switch. It's a three position switch. Here is what I found out:Capt VOR1 Switch---------------- Address: 6204VOR1 Value: 256ADF1 Value: 512 Off Value: 0 Let me know if those worked for ya. :-) We should make a list or something so others can use them too. I'll try putting something together as I gather the data.-Allistah

Posted

>I haven't tried them out yet since I don't have any of my>hardware from FDS yet. >>What ones would you be interested in trying? If you let me>know I'll see if I can find them and give them to you so you>can try them out. As long as you report back and let me know>if it works or not of course. :-)>>For example, on the Captain's EFIS panel, the VOR1 switch. >It's a three position switch. Here is what I found out:>>Capt VOR1 Switch>----------------> Address: 6204>VOR1 Value: 256>ADF1 Value: 512> Off Value: 0 >>Let me know if those worked for ya. :-) We should make a>list or something so others can use them too. I'll try>putting something together as I gather the data.>>-AllistahYou can try them out if you have a registered FSUIPC - for example get the FSBUS 1.3 software - it has a "test button" and you can define the offset and bit sizes etc in the UI - good for testing. Pressing the test button lets you toggle values in fsuipc even without real hardware. FSBUS2 has a config file where one defines those, so it is a bit less useful for just trying out things, but the 1.3 version is still available from www.fsbus.de and should be a useful thing to play with.//Tuomas

Guest Raafie75
Posted

I've tested the address setting you gave me and it works perfectly! Keep sending them to me and I'll keep trying them.Brad.

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