Steam Gauge Overhaul

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@Black-Square Yes I did, as mentioned in https://community.justflight.com/topic/5864/caravan-autopilot-won-t-disarm/19

@Black-Square OMG, you have no idea how happy that makes me.

I was toying with the idea of upscaling the interior textures or something, but when I really look at it, even by today's standards playing at 4K it's still a great interior and there's really nothing that doesn't look good. The aircraft is such a joy to fly and the combination of GTN 750 with its many modern features, with leaning the mixture, working climate controls etc. really makes it fun even during long flights without a huge learning curve. With an updated G3X it'll be a whole new level. As my kids would say, this aircraft is "OP" and I sometimes wonder if it's even possible to make one that fast that in real life, with a weather radar to boot, but I'm willing to suspend my disbelief. ;)

The only other aircraft that can top it for me is the Starship, IMO the most beautiful aircraft ever made. I'm first in line to buy it and it'll be nice to be able to use twin throttles, but the Velocity is still needed for the smallest airfields. Super happy you're going to update it, and I hope it continues to sell for you to justify the effort.

At least you figured out a fix, and it's not too bad, just a cut and paste. But something you shouldn't have to do. Still, MSFS is amazing for all its warts.

In my BKSQ Caravan using PMS50 GTN750 (latest version as of the time of this post) with the extra WTT-package 1.0.7 for AP/flight plan installed. A few updates ago, PMS50 stated that the WT-layer had a major update. Ever since then the AP remains lit when disabled. (i.e. ROL mode shown, etc.) However, the AP is not engaged in roll or pitch, just that some of the lights on the KAP140 display and the AP annunciator panel remain lit. I do have the systems.cfg and KAP140.js changes applied. Before the aforementioned PMS50 update and with your recommended bug-workarounds, the AP worked most of the time flawlessly, including no lights when disabled. It appears to just be a visual problem, AP works as expected (some bugs perhaps occasionally with weird altitude tracking overshoots still but that's another issue). I'm still on SU14, maybe SU15 will change something.

@Black-Square

It works 🙂 kind of...
The values are not updating properly. I can fiddle with the deicing stuff and despite the cockpit gen load needles are moving, the values are not updating every time. They updating a bit random.

It would be cool if the propagated variables would simply reflect the needle position.
So a FIP analog gauge would get alle the smooth movement and stickiness like the real needle.
And even on the digital gauge, it would be cool to see the values rise and fall and not jump.

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@hangar_101, I do have a published snippet for the Bravo and Analog Baron. The ID number to look it up in Spad is 10854. It's my only published snippet so far but has the autopilot settings I posted above.

Thanks so much for your response and my sincere apologies for only seeing it now! I was not expecting you to come back so quickly and must have not set up notifications! Really appreciate you confirming the above!
Love your products and the King Air especially. Really is beautifully done!

@Black-Square Very nice article. My Dad was a professor @ NC State University in the Mech & Aerospace Engineering dept, where I also got my degree back in 1984. I taught myself programming and ended up jumping back and forth between engineering and IT throughout my career. I am now retired, and am a very serious simmer who evidently shares a common perspective with you. I am VERY picky about the aircraft that I choose to learn, and then I dive in deeply. It started with the Challenger 650 from Hot Start. But I switched over to MSFS eventually because I was so impressed with various things on that platform. I am a developer of systems at my church over the past 35 years, but find plenty of time to spend with the sim.

My competency with the Bonanza is coming up to speed nicely, shot a handful of missed approaches today, and have just completed a deep dive and a lot of flights to learn the GTN750 (PMS50). Getting ready to take the Bonanza into live ATC soon. After completing the CAT and I test series on Pilotedge, I'm now especially interested in the Boston ATC club on VATsim, they seem to be relatively advanced and also have a similar training flight program.

Have a good weekend! Kirk

@Black-Square One other note - I really would like to congratulate you on a fantastic product. After doing a lot of glass cockpit flying (G1000, G3000), I decided to search out what the best steam gauge piston single w/ retract, and although I used to fly the Arrow in real life, your Bonanza is just superior. So while I'm cheating a bit w/ the GTN750, you make it so easy to switch configurations for when I want to go all the way back to how I flew in the late '80s and '90s in the PA28.

Wonderful job, I will eventually bring in your Baron as well.

Kirk

Thanks for the explanation.
So if I didn't previously have the WTT package for my Analog Caravan, the PMS 750 wasn't fully functional?

@KRoy7 I know the events listed above will let you bind all the buttons, switches to your home cockpit, and you will be able to do the same tasks you usually do using the mouse.
I am not sure what you are trying to accomplish can be done using the mouse, for instance.

@Black-Square from the TBM and upcoming Duke it is clear that your work really shines with a completely blank canvas.

Would be very nice to have those aircraft in 2024 in current/improved form. Even. Better to offer them with new models from the ground up. Possibly an option for an upgrade path for that?

Alternatively if starting from scratch maybe different varients of the aircraft. How about a King Air 200 or 90?
Regardless the implantation of the tablet is really ideal, I am never a fan of those switches to change avionics although I understand the reasoning!

I'm sure whatever you decide to do will be appreciated by all! Ps.. Looking forward to seeing the starship :p

Hey Indrajit,

I'm glad that you found a solution so quickly. I just wanted to reply for anyone else who might find this in the future to confirm that the problem you are describing is almost always caused by some GPS addon in your Community Folder which does not belong. I hope everything is working well for you now!

@Black-Square I doubt most of us are going to forget about the Dukes! Waiting is hard, but I have faith the results will be worth it.

I just hope you won’t forget about your MSFS 2020 planes as soon as 2024 comes out. I have a strong feeling that 2024’s system requirements will be going up, and if so, my computer likely won’t be able to run it well enough, so I expect to be flying 2020 for some years yet. At least MS has said that 2020 will continue to be developed after 2024 is out, and I hope that proves true.

@meh1951 this solution works just fine. Thank you!

I just changed it a little bit in order to use the button held and button release events instead.

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note: disregard the LOCAL:JOY_0X07380XA221_BUTTON_36 condition, it's an internal solution of mine to reuse the same button for multiple functions

I just added to that original thread. Looking forward to any feedback from the developer.

In the WB-Sim Cessna, they use animation events called:

CDI1: (L:INSTRUMENT_CDI_KNOB_COURSE_1_1, Number)
CDI2: (L:INSTRUMENT_CDI_KNOB_COURSE_2_1, Number)
HDG: (L:INSTRUMENT_HeadingIndicator_Knob_Heading_1, Number)

It makes sense that the animation should be controlled by a separate event, as the course itself can, and should be adjusted by incrementing and decrementing the events with some acceleration, independent of the movement of the knob. I increment and decrement the following data events with acceleration:

NAV OBS:1
NAV OBS:2
AUTOPILOT HEADLOCK DIR

I'm not sure if the former mentioned events that control the animation in the WB-Sim Cessna are default events, but at least these latter data events are the same I use to control the content of the knobs in the Black Square aircraft.

For knob-animation in the Black Square aircraft, it would be great if a similar approach as used by WB-Sim could be utilised in the upcoming Dukes - and in the updates of the previous aircrafts following...

Fantastic! Enjoy. See you out there!