BAe146 Video updates

[Mach7]

Hello All,

Here is a link to my YouTube channel with a bunch of video updates of my sim.

enjoy

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq7Yd21h9RJc2dF8AZ3LYsA

[quid246]

Very nice work and nice to see a project off the beaten path!

[Trevor Hale]

Ok, That is freeking awesome.  Love your engine Start video.  Nicely done.   

[Sam Llorca]

That's just awesome!

[Mach7]

Thanks guys.

Question for anyone that has or is using Open Cockpits DC servo motor boards. As you can see from some of the vids, (and it is more prevalent when the thrust levers are moved quickly), I am having some lag issues with some of the engines, namely TGT 2, and Fuel flow on engine 4.

The gauges are mechanically sound, so I am thinking it must be a communication issue through the USB interface from the IO board to the computer.

Is there any solution to this?

[fordgt40]

James

If the lag is greater when the throttles are moving then it is likely that the code for the throttle pots is "taking charge" and slowing down the rest. The A/D converters are probably working overtime, particularly with four throttle levers!!You can check this by using the "log" function in IOCPConsole. I have two suggestions

1. Edit your SIOC.ini file and change the entry "Divisor_AD=10" to a larger figure. This will reduce the amount of code being run by making it less sensitive. May affect your throttle sensitivity if they are motorized

or

2. Change your sioc code to poll the throttles at a specific frequency eg by using a software timer and subroutine.

David

[Mach7]

Thanks Dave,

Right now I have only one linear pot attached to throttle number 1, which in turn operates all 4 engines. I did this for ease of operation and to have them all sync'd up during flight. (My intent is to one day have individual pots per throttle, but for now.....)

Having said this, I don't think the throttle pot is the problem.

It is interesting to note that the lag I see...or that is very evident, is limited to the engine 2 TGT and engine 4 fuel flow gauge.

Not to say that some other gauges have a little lag...but hardly noticable.

At one point after I fired the sim up, the engine 2 TGT gauge had extremely bad lag, and would take up to 10 to 15 seconds to move. The scenario went something like this....push the power up quickly, engine 2 TGT and engine 4 fuel flow did not move...then after 5 seconds engine 4 fuel flow moved, followed by engine 2 tgt 10 seconds afterwards.

Note that when the gauges do move, they move quickly to there requested position.

Other times the lag is not so bad

Maybe I will try and make another vid to emphasize my problem by rapidly pushing the thrust levers forward and then the lag will be more obvious.

I also have an email into Open Cockpits, and have posted on there forum, but little information has come back as of late.

-Jim

[fordgt40]

Jim

Only having one throttle pot blows my idea out of the water!!

Have you used the log function in IOCPConsole, this may help you see what is happening and possibly where the delay might be?

David

[Mach7]

dave,

I did some additional troubleshooting today.

I swapped the leads to the engine TGT gauges to see if the problem was the gauge or something else. By connecting engine 3 TGT lead to the DC Servo motor card port for eng 2, engine 3 gauge behaved the exact same way as engine 2 gauge. Therefore the problem has to be before the gauge somewhere.

Once i reconnected the gauges, i fired it up again and engine 2 TGT gauge did not move at all until I disconnected the lead, then reconnected it to the IO port again. It still is lagging, but my thought is there is a communication slowdown somewhere to this port, or possibly the port itself is bad off the board??

There is no problem with the lead to the gauge, it is tight and secure, even before I disconnected and reconnected it.

It has been years since i set these gauges up...and even now when i look at the SIOC files i wonder how the heck i even accomplished it.

right now it is looking like another language to me,, so I will have to re familurize myself for additional trouble shooting.

I have 3 boards with 6 ports occupied ie:

board 1 has all the engine N1 gauges (4) and the engine 1 and 2 TGT ouputs for a total of 6 outputs.

board 2 has the remaining two engine TGT gauges and then all four  N2 gauges, for a total of 6 outputs.

board 3 has all four fuel flow outputs plus the flap indicator for a total of 5 outputs , leaving one open...

I am thinking about moving the eingine 3 TGT gauge to port 6 on board 3

what do you think

-jim

[Trevor Hale]

Hi Jim, that is exactly where I would go with that.  Move the Engine instruments to another card, and copy your code. With the New output.  If the problem follows you can confirm the code is the issue and none of the hardware. (As you tested the Gauge) and Now trying a different Port.

Maybe if you insert a 200ms delay between each gauge update you can spread the delay across all the gauges and that would level them all out with a very small delay, rather than one Output taking all the hit.

Also, you could use FSUIPC- Interrogate to watch the values change live...  Maybe the delay is flightsim itself.

Trev

[fordgt40]

Jim

Yes, I would swop the boards around to see if the "lag" follows or not. Also, I would hook up each board in turn to another computer, if available, to see what difference that makes and/or remove boards to reduce load and see what happens

The following thread makes interesting reading about the types of USB hubs, assuming you are using one.

http://www.cockpitbuilders.com/community/index.php?topic=4691.0

I know what you mean about going back to sioc code - I have the same problem

David

[Mach7]

Trevor,


I might PM you on how to do all of that. I have been away from SIOC for such a long time...and even back then received a lot of help to get these gauges on line.

[Trevor Hale]

Hey Bud, I can't help you with SIOC.. I couldn't program my way home from the bar afterwords.  But FSInterrogate is a download from Peter D's website and allows you to monitor a specific or range of FSUIPC Offsets in Real Time.

Trev 

[Mach7]

Thanks Trevor,

Will look into that

-Jim