Anyone using VRInsight MCP combo II boeing type?

[FS4 0]

I posted in the hardware forum with no luck yet.  First, does any place stock it in the U.S.?  FSpilotshop and PC aviator do not stock it.  Will it work with PMDG, iFly, Wilco 737 and Coolsky DC-9/Super 80 products as well as any others?  Thanks

 

David

[Don t moderate me this way 882]

Pre-defined profiles exist for PMDG and iFly at least. Not sure about the others right now.

 

Have you come across this link already? https://freedownload.s3.amazonaws.com/VRi_page.html

[Andydigital 93]

First place you should look for compatibility is the VRinsight.com website surely?

 

Here is a link to the compatible addons document, yes its a huge link but it is safe I can assure you.

 

http://vrinsight.com/public_html/download.php?dnfile=Compatibility+add-on+%28JUNE%2C+2013%29.pdf&file=/home/hosting_users/vrinsight/www/webapp/../public_html/upload_dir/board/69539907151b51d373320a.pdf

[Don t moderate me this way 882]

Andy, I remember flying a lot more planes with the Boeing type MCP?!?

[Andydigital 93]

If the aircraft use the default Auto Pilot and systems provided by Microsoft then those aircraft will be supported too, simply select a default profile like the default 737 module and it will work with all aircraft using those default MS systems.

 

The naming of that module is a little bit misleading, the profile "Microsoft Original B738(FSX)" would be better named as "Default Systems try this first if your Aircraft isn't listed" but that doesn't exactly roll off the tongue does it, plus it won't fit in the dialogue box, lol.

[Don t moderate me this way 882]

Thanks, Andy. That's the 'SDK planes' you're referring to.

 

What I remember, too, is since PMDG use a common code base for their planes and one PMDG aircraft is listed explicitly in the linked pdf, that the other PMDG aircraft work, too, except for some selected buttons, maybe. That is, if it works for the NGX, it works for the 744X, too - by and large?!?

[FS4 0]

Andy, thanks for the link -- I must have missed it on VRinsights website.  It seems the boeing type only works with a few of the 'A' marked add-ons? Is this correct -- if so I am looking for a more universal control setup, I don't need the LCD readouts to work on everything.  Is there a way to make it work with more add-ons using key commands, FSUIPC mouse macro etc?  Thanks again

 

David

[Andydigital 93]

@ I don't think it will be that simple, each aircraft still needs it own SDK, so parts of it may be interoperable with the NGX SDK but VRinsight's driver for the 777 will still need to be tailored to work with the 777 when its released, lets hope PMDG are quicker in releasing the SDK for this aircraft.

 

@ Yes the panel comes with software which allows you to assign button presses/dial turns on the hardware to keyboard key presses and there is even an option to turn button presses into virtual mouse clicks on 2d panels. But the best option of all is to use LINDA, LINDA is basically and idiots front end to FSUIPC to make it much easier to program the panel through FSUIPC without having to go anywhere near FSUIPC once its setup. Plus LINDA makes it easy for the "smart arses" (complement) to share their hardware work (making aircraft compatible) with the likes of you and me Not that I'm saying that you are... I'll shut up now :lol:

[FS4 0]

Andy,

 

After looking at the .pdf again, does the boeing MCP work with all the listed aircraft?  The 'A' remarks just mean that that particular add-on uses key commands instead of the VRinsight driver?

If so, then I think it will cover most of the ones I use.  Thanks for all of the help.

 

David

[Andydigital 93]

The old MCP Combo (which is no longer manufactured) has the best compatibility out of the box as its been around for quite a few years now. The MCP2B Boeing panel is relatively new in comparison and so is its software which is now called VRiSim. By default its range of compatibility (via the included software) isn't as good as the old combo as you can see from the list. But in the mean time LINDA was released and that supports many aircraft too and it does a far better job of it in general that the default software does.

 

If I was going to recommend a VRi panel to anyone today even if the MCP Combo was still being made, I would still say get the MCP2 Boeing panel, yes its not as well supported natively but with the tools provided and with LINDA and FSUIPC that isn't so much of a problem, plus it has better bigger displays too which can fit a lot more data on screen and LINDA does a very good job of utilising that display even better than VRi do with their software.

 

I think the only aircraft in your list that haven't had support brought over to the MCP2 panels is the Coolsky Super 80. The DC9 has never been supported but that's pretty new.

If you have no idea what LINDA is then take a look at their forum section here at AVSIM forums, its stunning and best of all its free.

 

http://forum.avsim.net/forum/424-linda/

 

EDIT: I've just noticed that the Wilco 737 isn't supported on the MCP2 Boeing panel either, but to be honest why fly the Wilco if you have the iFly and PMDG NGX

[OzWhitey 3,353]

Good mcp. As andy says, just use linda as the software. Check the linda forum on avsim for supported aircraft. I personally would only use the mcp2 with linda - really never use the default software.

[FS4 0]

Can LINDA send autopilot data (heading, altitude, vs, etc.) to the LCD for any add-on aircraft?

 

David

[Andydigital 93]

That depends on the aircraft Dave, if it uses default systems then there is no need as that is automatically picked up by the VRi driver or by LINDA and displayed just like it is for all default aircraft. If the aircraft has custom systems that don't forward that relevant data to the normal FSX offsets (I wish all aircraft developers would just do this, it would save a tonne of effort) then the displays will only show fallback data in its place i.e. instead of showing the commanded altitude on the MCP display it would show the altitude that the aircraft is currently situated at, the same is true for the heading, speed and vertical speed i.e. you would see the actual heading you are flying at and not the commanded bug heading.

 

If the developer also supplies a way for external applications to read that data via an SDK for example or just by simple Local Variables (L:Vars) then folk like the developers at VRinsight can read that previously unavailable data and pass it on to the VRi displays. The same is true for the folk who use LINDA to program their panels. The good thing with LINDA though is that the clever chaps who know what they are doing can use that hidden SDK or L;Var data (if it exists) and build a suitable profile for other users to share, all the end users has to do is download that profile from some other kind soul and voila your MCP2 Panel is more or less setup and ready to go, or you can make some changes to the button assignments yourself if you want.

 

One thing I forgot to mention is that even though LINDA itself is free, you will require a registered version of FSUIPC if you haven't got it already.

[FS4 0]

Andy,

 

Great.  Thanks for the info.  Can you recommend where to buy or is it better to purchase from the Vrinsight online shop?  Thank you.

 

David

[Andydigital 93]

Where are you based Dave.