Honeycomb Alpha Yoke Programming - Work Around

[CajunRon 8]

For those of you trying to figure out how to assign functions to the Alpha Yoke buttons (for example for using the light flip switches to turn on and off the lights on the PMDG NGX).  After a lot of digging into a lot of stuff I didn't fully understand I finally figured out a work around until Honeycomb gets us all of the these templates they promise.  

First I do NOT guarantee this will work or that my instructions are clear and accurate.  USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.  All I know is that when I followed these instructions as best as I have been able to document them here, it worked MOST of the time. 

I am not an expert.  I'm sure there are experts out there who know a 1000 times more than I do about all this.  I  needed a simple step by step guide and by muddling through a lot of expert posts in other forums I've tried to create one here

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How to assign PMDG NGX specific commands to Alpha Yoke (or any other controller) with FSUIPC (purchased version)

Two ways to do it.
    1. Use "Create Mouse Macro"
        1. On Buttons+Switches tab of FSUIPC press Create Mouse Macro button (bottom left)
        2. Give Macro a Category Name (for example PMDG73)
        2. Close FSUIPC
        3. Go into cockpit and mouse click to activate desired control (as you would do in flight)
        4. Name the specific macro (For example LandingLightsOn) and hit RETURN
        6. Go back into FSUIPC --> Buttons+Switches tab--> Press END MACRO
        7. Press button to be assigned and choose the "Control sent when button Pressed" as you normal would.  The macro name is in the pull down list.
           (in example it will be listed as "PMDG73: LandingLightsOn")
        
    2. Pass Commands to P3D
        1. Go to the document "Prepar3d V4/PMDG/PMDG 737 NGX/SDK/PMDG_NGX_SDK.h
        2. Open with Notepad++ or other plain text reader
        3. Find command to be sent (use text reader's search)
        4. Find the XXX number (THIRD_PARTY_EVENT_ID_MIN + XXX)
        5. Add the THIRD_PARTY_EVENT_ID_MIN number (which is 69632 in this example) to XXX
        6. Go into FSUIPC
        7. Choose a button to assign
        8. In "Control sent when button Pressed" choose Custom Control
        9. Enter the calculated Control Number from Step 5
        10.Enter any parameters (for example 0 for OFF and 1 for ON) ...I use trial and error to figure this out

I hope this helps some of you. 

        

[Freo 83]

Just be aware that the PMDG 737 has 4 sets of lights, Left Retract, R Retract, L Fixed & R Fixed. The full Event ID numbers are as follows. 69743,69744,69745 & 69746 in sequence as to the lights I have written. Unfortunately, a single on/off switch will not actuate the retractables to their full extent as that needs an ON/ON/OFF switch. I have a near full overhead panel, set up with FSUIPC, and I just cannot get the retractable lights to work correctly. Even an ON/OFF/ON switch doesn't do it.

Have fun

Neil 

 

 

[CajunRon 8]

Thanks for the reply.  Yes I understand that.  That is why I used the "Create Mouse Macro" method for them.   The macro moves the bar above the switches so they all turn on and off together.  (In my simple set up that's all I have the switches for anyway) .   Could a macro be used for the needed ON/ON/OFF (a different macro for each position)?

[kevinmdavis2010 0]

Good morning,

First of all, I'm sorry if this post is too old to add comments to - and if it is, I can create a new thread, but I also had a question about the Honeycomb Alpha Yoke.  I programmed it in FSUIPC, and tried to have the left trigger (button you press with your middle finger), be the button for setting the parking brake.  For some reason, that trigger is activating both the parking breaks and the regular brakes.  I disabled controllers in P3D, so I'd think FSUIPC would have full control of the buttons.  Any insight you can provide is appreciated.

Regards,

Kevin Davis

[ark 1,291]

On 10/25/2019 at 12:15 AM, Freo said:

Just be aware that the PMDG 737 has 4 sets of lights, Left Retract, R Retract, L Fixed & R Fixed. The full Event ID numbers are as follows. 69743,69744,69745 & 69746 in sequence as to the lights I have written. Unfortunately, a single on/off switch will not actuate the retractables to their full extent as that needs an ON/ON/OFF switch. I have a near full overhead panel, set up with FSUIPC, and I just cannot get the retractable lights to work correctly. Even an ON/OFF/ON switch doesn't do it.

Have fun

Neil 

 

 

Since you have FSUIPC, one way to handle the OFF/ON/ON/ switch issue is to write a small Lua script that will cycle the light switch through its 3 positions.   Assign a button or switch to activate the Lua script, and each time the button or switch is pushed, the 737 light switch (or switches) moves to the next position in a round-robin fashion (OFF-ON-ON-OFF-ON-ON-OFF-ON-ON....). Although a bit more complicated, you could also write the script so the sequence is OFF-ON-ON-ON-OFF-ON-ON-ON-OFF.... So instead of going from "full" ON directly back to OFF, you go from "full" ON to the "middle" ON position and then down to OFF.

I have used Lua scripts to do this in other a/c. For example, the Learjet 35A has a single three position switch that moves between OFF, Taxi lights ON, then Landing lights ON.

Al

 

[SolaFide 1]

For the landing lights I used the Landing lights guard switch for the PMDG 737 which does them all - much easier! Control code 69742 🙂

Edited April 15, 2020 by Samuel James

[Muklum 28]

On 4/6/2020 at 2:03 PM, kevinmdavis2010 said:

First of all, I'm sorry if this post is too old to add comments to - and if it is, I can create a new thread, but I also had a question about the Honeycomb Alpha Yoke.  I programmed it in FSUIPC, and tried to have the left trigger (button you press with your middle finger), be the button for setting the parking brake.  For some reason, that trigger is activating both the parking breaks and the regular brakes.  I disabled controllers in P3D, so I'd think FSUIPC would have full control of the buttons.  Any insight you can provide is appreciated.

Kevin,

You need to delete the Button 1 assignment in the YokeInput configuration app.