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I have been trying to get this issue sorted out with the saitek support team, but I'm not getting anywhere (the suggestions they offered aren't fixing the issue). I purchased a saitek radio last year. I used it along with a saitek yoke, pedals and cessna trim unit. The radio operated perfectly. I purchased the multi panel last month and added it to my sim experience. Suddenly, the XPDR section of the radio unit mysteriously went blank when I switched the button to it (that meant I could no longer manually set the transponders in my planes). 

 

I've downloaded drivers, I've uninstalled and reinstalled my radio (it came with a CD)... I've even checked the overall health of my system's drivers, but nothing worked! In addition, the saitek panel test pages indicate that  everything is fine with both units.

 

I am puzzled. It almost seems as though the 2 units were made by 2 entirely different companies!

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Suddenly, the XPDR section of the radio unit mysteriously went blank when I switched the button to it (that meant I could no longer manually set the transponders in my planes).

 

In my experience it is confusing which of two drivers on the Saitek site is the right one. If you go through the selection process ('choose your product range', etc.) you end up with a button that says 'download drivers'. This does not give you the same thing as simply choosing 'download 64-bit plugin' (or 32-bit plugin). Using the 'drivers' wipes out the transponder, as you say. Using the plugin doesn't. For me, anyway :)


MarkH

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Core i7-7700K / 32Gb DDR4 / Gigabyte GTX1070 / 1080p x 3 x weird / Win7 64 Pro

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... so you've tried the drivers in the past, and have since replaced them with the plugins?

 

In my experience it is confusing which of two drivers on the Saitek site is the right one. If you go through the selection process ('choose your product range', etc.) you end up with a button that says 'download drivers'. This does not give you the same thing as simply choosing 'download 64-bit plugin' (or 32-bit plugin). Using the 'drivers' wipes out the transponder, as you say. Using the plugin doesn't. For me, anyway :)

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Have you tried SPAD?


Dave Hodges

 

System Specs:  I9-13900KF, NVIDIA 4070TI, Quest 3, Multiple Displays, Lots of TERRIFIC friends, 3 cats, and a wonderfully stubborn wife.

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Search Avsim for Saitek and Windows Advanced Power Management.  You may have an issue where Windows power management is controlling power to the panels.  There are a couple of small applications that make appropriate changes to your Windows registry and those applications might solve your issues.

 

Try reading the material at this link, and Google for the application that is mentioned.  "SaitekUSBFix.zip"

 

http://www.avsim.com/topic/480128-finally-issue-free-saitek-cessna-pro-flight-drivers-for-windows-10/


Frank Patton
MasterCase Pro H500M; MSI Z490 WiFi MOB; i7 10700k 3.8 Ghz; Gigabyte RTX 3080 12gb OC; H100i Pro liquid cooler; 32GB DDR4 3600;  Gold RMX850X PSU;
ASUS 
VG289 4K 27" Monitor; Honeycomb Alpha & Bravo, Crosswind 3's w/dampener.  
Former USAF meteorologist & ground weather school instructor. AOPA Member #07379126
                       
"I will never put my name on a product that does not have in it the best that is in me." - John Deere

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I thank you all for the suggestions.

 

Do not get hung up over Windows versions.  I had power issues with connecting my Multi-Panel to USB ports on the body of my Saitek Pro Cessna Yoke. That was a Windows 7 Home Premium 64 system. When connected to USB on the yoke the Multi-Panel would go dark some 20 minutes into each flight.  The MP's controls still changed FSX settings if rotated, but no display. I purchased the Saitek accessory power supply for the yoke and when I would plug it into the yoke the Multi-Panel display would actually go more dim.  Made no sense. The MP was also unreliable when connected to a separate powered USB hub.  That hub was USB 3.0. So I started connecting the MP direct to a USB port on the computer and it worked fine if connected to USB 2.0, but again unreliable if connected to USB 3.0.  Kept me scratching my head.

 

Fast forward to last Fall. Built a new system. Windows 10 from the get go.  Saitek did not provide Windows 10 compatible drivers until early November.  I was having hot swap issues where if I finished a flight and unplugged the yoke my mouse pointer in Windows 10 would freeze.  Had to hold down the power switch to cold boot.  While trying to overcome that issue, I found that a programmer had on his own taken SPAD (3rd party Saitek driver) to the next level with what he calls Spad:Next.  Just a coincidence, but when reading through his web site I learned about the separate issues with Saitek devices and Windows Advanced Power Management.  APM affects USB devices among others.  I found the patch program I referred to in my earlier message in this topic we are currently discussing, and it (SaitekUSBFix, not Spad:Next) totally fixed the power management issues with my Saitek products. My yoke and MP now work perfectly together, and that without even using the accessory power supply.  I also have the yoke connected to a USB 3.0 hub without any of the earlier issues.

 

I hope tracking this down will help you with your issue.


Frank Patton
MasterCase Pro H500M; MSI Z490 WiFi MOB; i7 10700k 3.8 Ghz; Gigabyte RTX 3080 12gb OC; H100i Pro liquid cooler; 32GB DDR4 3600;  Gold RMX850X PSU;
ASUS 
VG289 4K 27" Monitor; Honeycomb Alpha & Bravo, Crosswind 3's w/dampener.  
Former USAF meteorologist & ground weather school instructor. AOPA Member #07379126
                       
"I will never put my name on a product that does not have in it the best that is in me." - John Deere

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These units need 500ma of power from the USB to operate correctly. If your USB hub is 2 amps you should have three and no more than four things plugged into it. If your units are plugged into the yoke ensure the yoke has a power adapter.

 

On my sim I plug the yoke and pedals directly into the PC, USB 2.0 ports.

 

The rest of the Saitek units are plugged into powered USB hubs with at lease 500ma for each unit.

 

And after that, you still should go into the device setting for each in Device Manager and turn off the power management.

 

When these things don't get enough juice, just by a little bit, they get wonky. Adding the multi panel might been enough new load on the hub to exceed the limits.


BasementFlyGuy

GA home cockpit running X-Plane 11 (and sometimes P3D)

Blog: www.ontheglideslope.net

YouTube: OnTheGlideslope Channel

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I have a bit of an off topic question regarding the use of a Saitek Multi Panel.

 

Currently I am running P3Dv3.2 on my Windows 10 Pro system with 2 Saitek devices the X52 Pro Joystick (combined with it's throttle controller) and Saitek Pro Flight Rudder Pedals. Both devices run flawlessly and I use the Madcatz SST program to assign all the buttons and switches on my Saitek devices. Additionally the drivers for the Saitek devices are the Saitek drivers. Again to be clear everything works great!

 

I recently was given a Saitek Multi Panel and want to incorporate it into my system. I have read a lot about people not using the Saitek drivers for this but instead using the latest Spad.next drivers. First is this the preferred path?

 

Also I keep seeing that all Saitek drivers need to be uninstalled prior to installing and using the Spad.next drivers. I am a bit confused if this means the drivers and software I have been using for my Saitek joystick and rudder pedals mentioned above also needs to be removed if I go the Spad.next route.

 

I would think the drivers and software I have been using for my Saitek joystick and pedals are separate from the new drivers required for the Saitek Multi Switch, is this true? Also if I add the Saitek Auto Pilot panel or Radios in the future are they also separate from the Joystick and pedal drivers.

 

I hope I can just leave the Saitek joystick and pedal drivers and SST programming software alone and just add the panels with either the appropriate Saitek drivers or perhaps better yet the Spad.next paid version to work with my A2A C172.

 

Please Advise


Joe (Southern California)

SystemI9-9900KS @5.1Ghz/ Corsair H115i / Gigabyte A-390 Master / EVGA RTX 2080 Ti FTW3 Hybrid w 11Gb / Trident 32Gb DDR4-3200 C14 / Evo 970 2Tb M.2 / Samsung 40inch TV 40ku6300 4K w/ Native 30 hz capability  / Corsair AX850 PS / VKB Gunfighter Pro / Virpil MongoosT-50 Throttle / MFG Crosswind Pedals /   LINDA, VoiceAttack, ChasePlane, AIG AI, MCE, FFTF, Pilot2ATC, HP Reverb G2

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I am using the SP, RP and MP in P3D V3.2 with the Saitek P3D/FSX X64 plugin and the Pro Flight panels drivers.Using the default piston and Carenado type aircraft with autopilot everything is working correctly.Make sure you have an adequately powered USB hub for the panels and verify Windows power saving option for the ports are disabled.I have looked at the SPAD option and may go that way eventually but most of my flying is with piston twins and as is It works for me.

 

If I use the A2A C172 not all MP autopilot functions work correctly and in that case you will probably need to go with the SPAD option.


Gary Stewart

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I am using the SP, RP and MP in P3D V3.2 with the Saitek P3D/FSX X64 plugin and the Pro Flight panels drivers.Using the default piston and Carenado type aircraft with autopilot everything is working correctly.Make sure you have an adequately powered USB hub for the panels and verify Windows power saving option for the ports are disabled.I have looked at the SPAD option and may go that way eventually but most of my flying is with piston twins and as is It works for me.

 

If I use the A2A C172 not all MP autopilot functions work correctly and in that case you will probably need to go with the SPAD option.

 

 

The A2A 172 and 182 both have a two-axes autopilot, which pretty much means you can lock in a heading or track a VOR / GPS, or lock in an altitude, but it won't manage speed, vertical speed, etc. It's more about how A2A have programmed the aircraft, to model the Bendix King KAP 140, than it is about the Saitek MP. The A2A auto pilot is just a more basic piece of avionics than on some other aircraft. There's more here. Also, for it to work well you need to be in straight and level flight when you engage the AP. The way I use it is I get to the altitude and attitude and heading I want, then hit the AP button to lock things in. If I adjust HDG or NAV, it tracks fine. With ALT I will climb / descend to the new altitude then lock it in. Works for me, but others' mileage may vary.


BasementFlyGuy

GA home cockpit running X-Plane 11 (and sometimes P3D)

Blog: www.ontheglideslope.net

YouTube: OnTheGlideslope Channel

Facebook: On The Glideslope

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