Saitek/Logitech Panels not working - again

[kt1578 0]

I have been having a lot of problems with my Saitek Switch Panel and Multi Panel. I got them about 8 months ago, and it took about 2 weeks to set them up because there were heaps of problems with functions and displays etc. I recently just pulled them about for the first time in nearly 3 or 4 months (been busy with school so no time to use FSX), and I am back to square one. The panels appear to work fine using the test software that Logitech have provided. I use the original SPAD because it is free, and I am unwilling to pay for software like FSUICP or SPAD.Nxt or whatever it is called. However there is a problem with this program too ; it has always opened as a background process instead of a .exe application. I don’t think this is the problem with the panels however, as it has always been like this and they used to work fine. All I did was double click SPAD to launch it and they turned on. Now, it doesn’t do anything. I have used all the online solutions to turn SPAD into a .exe application, but nothing works and I can not fix that. Anyway, the point is the panels are recognised by the computer as all of the buttons, switches and knobs get a response in the Logitech test software, but apart from that they do not function. When I run my simulator not one switch or button on either panel works. Sometimes the multi panel display will glow red but it won’t show any numbers. I even tried running the sim and then opening SPAD, opening the test software and running the sim, etc but nothing works. I have spent the last couple of weeks researching and nothing helps. It’s not a power issue, because 1. As I said earlier, it used to work fine. My PC is still the same, nothing has changed. 2. I have an Anker 10 port powered USB hub, which has worked fine for the last 6 months. I have tried using different ports on the hub and PC itself but nothing works. What I don’t understand is why it stopped working even though not one thing on my PC has changed. I have even tried cleaning up junk and using anti virus software like Malwarebytes to clean my PC and still nothing helps. I have the boxed edition of FSX, not the Steam version. I did peform a clean reinstall of FSX about 2 or 3 months ago, and this may be the issue but I don’t know.

 

I posted this on Microsoft Forums, and the Microsoft guy just said accoridng to my research you need to reinstall, which I am reluctant to do so because of the amount of addons I have including ORBX, FlyTampa, Carenado etc. However this guy also mentioned that “I'd suggest you to uninstall and reinstall the simulator. The panels will not register automatically if you have installed them before installing the simulator.” This didn’t make sense, as he said the panels will not work if they are installed before the simulator, so how will reinstalling the simulator help then? He replied that “As per my research, reinstalling the simulator might help. Refer this Pro Flight Switch Panel Manual and Pro Flight Multi Panel Manual.”

So I had a look in both of these manuals, and they both said the same thing. 

“The Pro Flight Switch [or Multi] Panel will not register automatically if you have installed the Pro Flight Switch Panel before installing FSX. To register the Pro Flight Switch Panel with FSX, click on the “Launch the Flightsim X plugin manually” icon to re-run the program.”

This means that reinstalling the sim won’t help, no? Because reinstalling still means that the sim was installed after the panels, which according to what the Microsoft guy said and what the manuals say is the problem.

Secondly, I am using Logitech drivers because I think Logitech owns Saitek now, so there are no Saitek drivers. If I was to uninstall the panels however, I do not see how I could do this as there is only one driver installed and after searching the Logitech site I can no longer find this driver.

[ddawson 35]

I use the Logitech software to run mine.

A couple of things:

Make sure Windows has not decided that these devices should be turned off to save power. (Control Panel settings)

Right click on the executable to check properties.  Make sure it is not, repeat not, configured to run as admin.  If it is, and you're not running FS as admin, then FS will not be able to start the program, even if it is properly set up in exe.xml.

These things are pigs when it comes to power usage.  Check the rating for each of them (500 mA each, if I recall.)  Check what your hub is rated to supply.

 

Doug

[fppilot 4,352]

Right here in this forum are topics that might lead to resolution of your issue. Navigate to page two of topics in this "joysticks, drivers" forum and find this one:

"saitek flight radio panel"

Complete all of the steps. Should take you less than 10 minutes including reboots.  Hope it solves it for you.

[MarkDH 234]

9 hours ago, kt1578 said:

I have used all the online solutions to turn SPAD into a .exe application, but nothing works and I can not fix that

If I understand what you are trying to say, SPAD is running but you can't see it. Check the system tray (in Windows 7 these are the little icons at the bottom right of your taskbar) and see if there is a SPAD icon. It looks like a little yellow WWI fighter plane sideways on. Double-click this (or maybe right-click it, I forget) and SPAD should open. It probably has an option for 'minimise to system tray', which is why you can't see it when you run it.

Of course this doesn't explain why your controls aren't working, but it should be a start.

[Dougal 165]

i had many issues with the same Saitek panels (before they became Logitech).

What I did, was to download a very small program called 'USBDeview' (available in numerous places as 32 and 64 bit downloads.

I then physiaclly unplugged ALL USB items accept mouse & keyboard, then used USBDeview to UNINSTALL (not disable) all identifyable entries. Then plugged in each USB item one at a time.  Seemed to do the trick for me, but I know many people have had driver issues with these panels.

Personally, I would STRONGLY disagree with the suggestion of uninstalling or reinstalling the sim. I don't believe this would help in any way at all, and just add to your woes.

Good luck. I know how frustrating this can be.

EDIT:  Although you say your PC hasn't changed at all, it probably has, due to Windows updates.

Edited December 8, 2018 by Dougal

[kt1578 0]

On 12/9/2018 at 1:09 AM, MarkDH said:

If I understand what you are trying to say, SPAD is running but you can't see it. Check the system tray (in Windows 7 these are the little icons at the bottom right of your taskbar) and see if there is a SPAD icon. It looks like a little yellow WWI fighter plane sideways on. Double-click this (or maybe right-click it, I forget) and SPAD should open. It probably has an option for 'minimise to system tray', which is why you can't see it when you run it.

Of course this doesn't explain why your controls aren't working, but it should be a start.

OH MY GOD THANKYOU I CAN SEE SPAD NOW but this didn't fix the issue haha but thanks for that, I always thought it was something wrong with my PC that SPAD wasn't opening.

[kt1578 0]

On 12/9/2018 at 12:20 AM, fppilot said:

Right here in this forum are topics that might lead to resolution of your issue. Navigate to page two of topics in this "joysticks, drivers" forum and find this one:

"saitek flight radio panel"

Complete all of the steps. Should take you less than 10 minutes including reboots.  Hope it solves it for you.

Did all that, no success.

[ntydk 13]

It happened to me couple years ago with similar issue. No response from all my Saitek flight panels (switch + multi panels + radio) due to the conflict of the usb ports issue. If my memory served me correctly, I disconnect all the related Saitek devices usb plugs from the multi-usb hub, then reboot the system from cold. Let the system registered with no Saitek devices is connected to the system. This can be confirmed with Device Manager window.  Then shut down the system one more time. Try to connect one Saitek panel one at a time and test it out by cold start up. If no go then shut down the system and move that Saitek device to a different usb port and retest it again until it works. Just be patience to isolate the causes.  Hope this helps. 

 

[diavyd 0]

If your using spad you had better make sure logi panel driver is uninstalled as it always runs in the background and effects spad  Other way  round is ok as you have to launch spad each time