Hello everyone, I recently purchased a throttle quadrant out of a Canadair Challenger business jet(which happens to be the same throttle quadrant used in the Canadair Regional Jet). I am modifying it for use with FS2004. I was tired of using the small single lever for throttle control. I mainly fly twin engine airliners like the ERJ, CRJ and PMDG 737 so I set out looking for a twin engine throttle control and lucked out on eBay. Anyways, I have a question concering the 2 microswitches I'm using to control the fuel levers. This particular throttle uses the throttle levers as a fuel control. To turn off the engines you pull on a lever on the backside of each throttle control and slide the throttle levers back past the idle detent. This is similar to the way you put the engines in reverse thrust in an Airbus except it's used to shut off the engines instead. The microswitches are a simple on/off switch. The circuit is "normally open" until the levers are brought back to the shutoff position where they push the lever on the microswitch to the "closed" position. My concern is once I shut the engines off and the microswitch is depressed, it will stay in the "on" position. Will this create a repeating button press in FS2004? If so, what is my solution to my problem? Do I have to use expensive hardware such as BETA Innovations, Hagestrom or OpenCockpits just to control these 2 switches? Any help is appreciated.

If you're just wiring the throttle pots and the microswitches to a joystick, then in "Assignments" in the FS2004 menu, when you assign the 'fuel off' command to the button there is a fourth column headed "repeat", in which a slider will appear.Move that all the way to off and the button will not repeat when held down.However, the FS2004 assignments does not have the option to assign a different function - "Fuel On" in this case - to the release of a button, so how were you planning on sending that command?The asy way, unless you have something else already worked out - is to just buy a registered version of FSUIPC. In the "buttons" section of that you can assign a different action to the "on press" and "on release" action of each button, plus select "repeat while held" as yes or no for each button.Richard

That sounds like it would work. I'll swap the on/off switch to a on/on and buy a registered copy of FSUIPC. I was already considering buying the registered version of FSUIPC for assigning the thrust reverser axis. And I do have a couple of questions about that. Does FSUIPC give me only 1 axis for reverser or is it possible to have 2 axis for both reverser levers? The other question is I have dual 100K slide pots. Basically 2 pots built into 1 sharing the same slide lever giving me 2 axis per pot. There are 6 terminals on the bottom. When the reversers are activated, the throttle arm advances without physically moving the throttles. In other words, the reversers disconnect the throttles from the throttle arm in order to advance engine power during reverse thrust. I plan on using one axis of the pot for normal thrust and the other axis for reverse. The problem is both axis will advance together since they share the same slide lever. I would think that this would cause a conflict. Hopefully it doesn't and I'm hoping that since reversers don't operate unless the throttles are at idle then they just won't do anything. If there is a conflict then I have a solution.A on/on microswitch on the throttle arm with the switch lever against the throttle lever. Like I said before, when reversers are activated the throttle arm disconnects from the throttle lever. This releases the microswitch lever. I was thinking of wiring the pot so when normal thrust is being used only 1 axis is activated but when reverser is used it switches to the other axis. Will axis disappearing like that cause a problem?

I don't think you need an on/on. It will make no difference. You can set separate actions for when it goos on/off without repeat. Starting to doubt now, but someone should check or confirm this.

In FSUIPC for my CH Throttle quad. Each throttle setting has Rev, Idle, and Max assignments. I'm not sure why you want to have both throttles use 1 slide lever. What happens when wheel brakes are not available, and you need one engine to steer?Rodney

You should stick with on/off switches and assign "Fuel Off" to the "On press" action of the button, and "Fuel On" to the buttons "On release" action.If you use an On/On switch, you'd have to assign it as a toggle, and then you can get your physical sim and the MS sim out of synch - if you start the sim program with the throttles in the wrong place, for example.Yes, having an axis 'disappear' can cause problems. Far better to use seperate slide pots for the thrust and reverser, or use just one with a physical detent - you'd use FSUIPC to set throttle idle at, say, 20% of the travel of the slide. From 20% up to 100% would increase the forward thrust. Moving below 20% would activate the reverser and then increase reverse thrust.Richard

In my case I cannot use the throttle lever as a reverser unless I sacrifice the fuel shutoff feature. My throttle has a detent at idle and lifting the levers on the backside of the throttle levers allows you to move the throttles rearward until it snaps into the shutoff position. I've attached a photo.Will there be a conflict if 2 axis(normal thrust and reverser) are used simultaneuosly? There is no other way to mount the slide pot to the reverser. The only way to mount it is on the throttle arm as this is the only moving part when reversers are used. The problem is that the throttle arm also moves when the throttle levers are advanced.

>I'm not sure why you want to have both throttles use 1 slide lever. What happens when wheel brakes are not available, and you need one engine to steer?Rodney

There is some barely used by cockpit builders FS2004 featureWhen throttles on idle and F2 key pressed you can have reverse trustThats means , if your reverser toggling some microswith, assighnet to F2 key via joystick button assighment ,when throttles on idle position .... well thats the ideaDidnt checked that yet , but almoust shure, may be even possible assighn reversers to joysick buttons simple via Fs2004 keys assighments for left and right engines throttles separtlyNot nessesary to use pots for that-you may have max revese trust by by triggring button actionActualy i did just that , but via Fsbus interface Hope thats helps Regards

>When throttles on idle and F2 key pressed you can have reverse trustThats means , if your reverser toggling some microswith, assighnet to F2 key via joystick button assighment ,when throttles on idle position .... well thats the ideaDidnt checked that yet , but almoust shure, may be even possible assighn reversers to joysick buttons simple via Fs2004 keys assighments for left and right engines throttles separtlyNot nessesary to use pots for that-you may have max revese trust by by triggring button action< I am trying to avoid using buttons to control reverse. If I have variable reverse on my throttle quadrant then why not use it to make it more realistic? FSUIPC makes it possible to have a reverser axis so you can vary reverse thrust. I just have to figure out a way. Does anyone know if maybe with one these programmable interface cards I could have a code programmed that gives the reverser axis a certain value(like 0 or whatever the value would be for no reverse) at all times until the normal thrust axis is at idle?

I have also read something about wiring the pots in series. Would this work?

>I have also read something about wiring the pots in series.>Would this work?Possibly. FSUIPC (the registered version, which you want anyway if you do cockpit building) has a feature where you can have a certain point in the axis be "idle" and anything below that becomes reverse. So if you wire the stuff like that the main throttle axis is 70% of the total potentiometer resistance (thus, throttles back leaves on ~30% of the axis) and then pulling the reversers back moves it to 0 - then it should work. Read the fsuipc documentation.//Tuomas

Well ,Tuomas , this solution exist and works--i had implemented that in my previous throttles versionAnother solution is to assighn another two joystic axes via payware fsuipc version to reversers ,if still available on your joystick--in this case you will have to add another pair of pots for thatIf your joystick intrerface doesnt support enoght axes,i would sudjest to see this link http://www.lbodnar.dsl.pipex.com/joystick/index.htmlregards