I've been having trouble with Prepar3d since version 3.0.  It seems that something is causing a USB crash.  There has been some discussion about Saitek products as a possible cause so I've updated my Saitek drivers to the latest available but am still having the USB crash. 

 

I have been able to complete flights with the pedals unplugged which deepens my suspicion that my pedals are the culprit.  My question is whether or not it is possible to use the Saitek Combat rudder pedals without installing any Saitek drivers or software.  I tried uninstalling everything Saitek and install the generic USB and HID drivers but the pedals did not seem to recognized.  Any Ideas?

 

Flying without rudder pedals is a challenge to say the least.

 

Steve Giblin

A similar problem occurred with Prepar3d v3 in Windows 10 with the Saitek elevator trim. A solution is to leave the device unplugged while starting the simulator only plugging it in once the simulator is running. This seems to work with the trim wheel so may work with other devices.

I have been using the Saitek CRPs in windows 10 with P3D without drivers.  The trim wheel did give me fits until the latest beta drivers were released.  You can check the power management and make sure that they are set to always one.....that may help

"updated my Saitek drivers"

 

Thats your problem - just use free version of spad and get rid of those so called drivers - you guys are working way to hard and complicating things

"updated my Saitek drivers"

 

Thats your problem - just use free version of spad and get rid of those so called drivers - you guys are working way to hard and complicating things

What is Spad?

I was having trouble using the Saitek throttles but this fixed it for me:

http://uraster.com/en-us/products/usbenhancedpowermanagerdisabler.aspx

What is Spad?

 

It's a driver for Saitek radio/multi/switch panels. Nothing to do with the rudder. I use my Saitek rudder without any Saitek drivers in FSX. It's a standard HID so should not need any drivers. I don't have P3D but assume it works the same way with HIDs that FSX does. In other words, if Windows can see it would have thought P3D should too?

First, I doubt the issue described is unique to P3D.  I had the same or highly similar problems with FSX and a brand new Windows 10 system (no migration).  I applied a different advanced power management app named SaitekUSBfix that identified all of my Saitek devices and disabled Windows advanced power management for them and that worked to allow my Saitek pedals, Pro Cessna yoke, and Multipanel to work reliably during a Windows session. The app even overcame an issue I had since my previous Windows 7 system with the Multipanel failing to get adequate power to run reliably, even when plugged direct to a USB port on the CPU.  After applying the app I am able to run the MP even when plugged into a USB port on the Yoke.  You should be able to find a couple of related topics I posted and posted to here on Avsim between late September 2015 and late January 2016. 

 

SaitekUSBfix did NOT cure the hot swap issue that would freeze my mouse and require a hard reset (power switch) reboot to overcome. The plugging/unplugging issues with both the Pro Cessna Yoke and Pedals were only cured in my system's instances by new Saitek drivers. They were not released until early to mid-November.  I did not learn of them until mid-January.  Cured the hot swap issues.

 

Spad and Spad:Next are 3rd party software releases that vastly improve use of Saitek devices, and especially Spad:Next provides a great level of customization to Saitek devices with an almost infinite number of assignable characteristics.  I have not yet experimented with it  but Spad:Next now reports to allow customization of the Pro Cessna Yoke buttons and switches is sets available via the 3 position switch on the right yoke handle.  

 

Neither Spad or Spad:Next did anything on my system to cure the aforementioned power and hot swap issues.  Spad:Next appears to be an independent successor to Spad by a different but possibly related developer, and is under continued development. I suggest you Google it to learn more.

It's a driver for Saitek radio/multi/switch panels. Nothing to do with the rudder.

 

I am not here to promote it, but Spad:Next has gone well beyond the panels. Well beyond. It is worth checking out. 

What is Spad?

 

Right here use - 0.5 as for rudder yes spad does not control that but if you get rid of all these crazy drivers you loaded and plug the rudders in different usb ports you should be good to go

 

http://fstools.weebly.com/download.html

 

Also do this especially if you are running Windows 10 - make sure you run it as admin or it will not work  - after you do it restart immediately as your system will act funny after running this

 

http://uraster.com/en-us/products/usbenhancedpowermanagerdisabler.aspx

First, I doubt the issue described is unique to P3D.  I had the same or highly similar problems with FSX and a brand new Windows 10 system (no migration).  I applied a different advanced power management app named SaitekUSBfix that identified all of my Saitek devices and disabled Windows advanced power management for them and that worked to allow my Saitek pedals, Pro Cessna yoke, and Multipanel to work reliably during a Windows session. The app even overcame an issue I had since my previous Windows 7 system with the Multipanel failing to get adequate power to run reliably, even when plugged direct to a USB port on the CPU.  After applying the app I am able to run the MP even when plugged into a USB port on the Yoke.  You should be able to find a couple of related topics I posted and posted to here on Avsim between late September 2015 and late January 2016. 

 

SaitekUSBfix did NOT cure the hot swap issue that would freeze my mouse and require a hard reset (power switch) reboot to overcome. The plugging/unplugging issues with both the Pro Cessna Yoke and Pedals were only cured in my system's instances by new Saitek drivers. They were not released until early to mid-November.  I did not learn of them until mid-January.  Cured the hot swap issues.

 

Spad and Spad:Next are 3rd party software releases that vastly improve use of Saitek devices, and especially Spad:Next provides a great level of customization to Saitek devices with an almost infinite number of assignable characteristics.  I have not yet experimented with it  but Spad:Next now reports to allow customization of the Pro Cessna Yoke buttons and switches is sets available via the 3 position switch on the right yoke handle.  

 

Neither Spad or Spad:Next did anything on my system to cure the aforementioned power and hot swap issues.  Spad:Next appears to be an independent successor to Spad by a different but possibly related developer, and is under continued development. I suggest you Google it to learn more.

 

I am not here to promote it, but Spad:Next has gone well beyond the panels. Well beyond. It is worth checking out. 

My particular issue is specific to Prepar3d 3.0 and 3.1.  In fact, I stopped using Prepar3d all together (I could rarely complete a flight)  and went back to FSX (I had already uninstalled Prepar3d 2.5 and was too lazy to reinstall it).  I've flown about 100 hours in FSX without having the USB crash.  Something changed between 2.5 and 3.0.  LM even said in the release notes for 3.0 that they changed the way the sim interfaces with controllers.  I have an active thread on the LM forum about the crash.  The LM moderator suggested I unplug my pedals to see if I could complete a flight and guess what? I could.

I'll have to try uninstalling the Saitek software and drivers again and see if I can get the pedals to work without the drivers.  From what has been said here it is possible to do so...Thanks!

 

Steve G.

 

By  the way,  I'm still using Windows 7 along with PFC yoke and Throttle Quad, as well as TrackIR (Saitek Combat Pedals)

I'll have to try uninstalling the Saitek software and drivers again and see if I can get the pedals to work without the drivers.  From what has been said here it is possible to do so...Thanks!

 

Steve G.

 

 

 

It is possible - try it - make sure those drivers are gone completely - I have had not had any problems in 3.1 but I highly recommend powered usb hubs when you run out of pc usb ports as a matter of fact I put most of my hardware into the hub and only my yoke into the back of the pc

 

I have a 7 port Belkin usb powered hub - works awesome

 

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/belkin-7-port-usb-hub-black/2389331.p?id=1218324437376&skuId=2389331

 

Power management tweak and Spad 0.5 - thats it - I played with all this saitek driver crap - what a mess

Thanks Rich!  I might pick one up....

 

Steve

Thanks Rich!  I might pick one up....

 

Steve

 

Welcome Steve tried others but had problems with them

I've managed to delete the Saitek drivers for my Combat pedals.  However when I plugged them in again they show up under devices and printers but don't respond when I select game controller settings.  Any thoughts?

 

Steve

Strange. I have the same pedals and never installed any software in Windows 7 or 10 and they have worked fine all the way through up to and including 3.1.

I would suggest opening device manager and removing the device(uninstall)and any traces of it then hit refresh to see if they get detected and the basic driver gets installed.

 

Just to clarify a driver will get installed but it is only a basic driver that shows the axis via the control panel widget, no programming functionality is included.