[Question] Arming the speedbrake

[nemokin 0]

Hi all,

I am using P3D v2.5 with NGX.
I also own NGX for FSX which I have been flying for the past few years now.

I have a question regarding arming the speedbrake for landing.

When I arm it using my keyboard SHIFT+/  it works of course
but sometimes it disarms itself during approach.  I then have to SHIFT+/ again.
Not every time but this occurs often enough, maybe once in 3 approaches.

Is there anything I can be doing to stop this self disarming?

(It can be annoying during the hectic approach phase when this happens)

This used to happen with my FSX too but never got around to asking anyone

for solution.

 

BTW, I own a Revolution Simproducts throttle quadrant (not motorized) 

which has physical speedbrake on it. I use FSUIPC to assign and calibrate my
speedbrake.

Kay

[downscc 1,327]

Full names in the PMDG forums please Kay.

 

In the NGX, just keep an eye on the lit speedbrake armed light in front of you on the panel. The speedbrake is not an axis that needs calibration, it is simply a key press. If P3D has an axis for speedbrake, PMDG does not use it.  See the keycommands setup in the FMS PMDG Options menu, maybe you can come up with a scheme that works best for you.

[Nyuni 1]

Full names in the PMDG forums please Kay.

 

In the NGX, just keep an eye on the lit speedbrake armed light in front of you on the panel. The speedbrake is not an axis that needs calibration, it is simply a key press. If P3D has an axis for speedbrake, PMDG does not use it.  See the keycommands setup in the FMS PMDG Options menu, maybe you can come up with a scheme that works best for you.

 

This isn't strictly true - the speedbrake axis is an assignable axis in P3D/FSX controls and -can- be assigned to a hardware axis if you have it.

 

Kay - if you have the speedbrake assigned to a hardware axis, then don't use shift+/. There is a 'arm zone' in the axis such that if you move your hardware lever slightly out of 'zero', then it will click into 'armed'. My assumption is that there's a twitch in your hardware axis that is registering that axis at 'zero' again (since I'd assume you have the handle in the 'down' position), which is kicking you out of armed mode. Try to arm purely with your hardware lever and it should alleviate the problem (since the lever will be in the 'armed' range of the axis).

[nemokin 0]

downscc

Thank you for your input. I suppose one solution is as you say, use my speedbrake as a key press by assigning spoiler activation

key command when I move the spoiler levers. I'd have to SHIFT+/ on the keyboard to arm for landing.

 

Nyuni

Thank you. Since I use my spoiler lever to activate it in flight, my having to assign and calibrate via FSUIPC does in fact work.

I've tried with my FSX to use my spoiler handle to arm it but just as I would get when SHIFT+/ on the keyboard,

my armed sppedbrake will self disarm too.

Maybe I should recalibrate it, but I have no idea as to what and where the "armed range" of the axis would be.

I have simply placed it in down position to set one end of the axis and pulled back on the spoiler handle

to set my other end of the axis. I think I may have put the handle in the exactly mid point to set the

middle calibration point in FSUIPC. It will help me if you can share how to calibrate it so that it will have the

"Armed range" as you say.

 

Kay Nemoto

[downscc 1,327]

Glad I woke up today because I learned something.... I do have an available control to assign to an axis for speedbrake so this goes on my todo list. Thanks Brian.

[Nyuni 1]

Nyuni

Thank you. Since I use my spoiler lever to activate it in flight, my having to assign and calibrate via FSUIPC does in fact work.

I've tried with my FSX to use my spoiler handle to arm it but just as I would get when SHIFT+/ on the keyboard,

my armed sppedbrake will self disarm too.

Maybe I should recalibrate it, but I have no idea as to what and where the "armed range" of the axis would be.

I have simply placed it in down position to set one end of the axis and pulled back on the spoiler handle

to set my other end of the axis. I think I may have put the handle in the exactly mid point to set the

middle calibration point in FSUIPC. It will help me if you can share how to calibrate it so that it will have the

"Armed range" as you say.

 

Kay Nemoto

 

I have my hardware speedbrake axis set up/calibrated purely through P3D instead of going through FSUIPC, so maybe there's some other factor with FSUIPC that's gumming things up for you. I would take the axis/calibration out of FSUIPC and just set it/calibrate it through FSX/P3D instead... I don't see any real benefit to run that particular axis through FSUIPC.

[downscc 1,327]

What Brian said.... I set up my "slider" axis on the Warthog HOTAS for the spoiler/speedbrake axis and it works perfect in both 777 and NGX.  The first 10% of travel arms the system and the remainder of travel moves the lever as expected. No FSUIPC involved, using the P3D controls setup.

[nemokin 0]

Since I have my speedbrake calibrated with FSUIPC for now, what I did today was to use FSUIPC but

not give the axis "Send direct to FS" as spoilers but create an "armed" range. My problem with this is
what command to assign "control sent when range entered."
For today I chose "Spoiler armed set" although there were other spoiler choices such as
"spoiler armed on" , "spoiler armed off", etc.etc.etc.
Maybe I made a wrong choice of "spoiler armed set", but the speedbrake did not automatically deploy on landing

as it should- it stayed in the armed position in NGX. What would be the proper selection of the command I should be selecting?

Maybe I should be using P3D and not FSUIPC as Brian recommends, but at least what I did

today was successful in placing the speedbrake in the armed position without it deactivating automatically like before.

Kay Nemoto