Baron Icing Switches

Black Square

Thanks for the explanation. I'm no expert on using any of the 3rd party hardware binding applications, but SPAD, Axes and Oh's, and Mobiflight are probably the most popular ones used with my aircraft. I believe it's Mobiflight that has an entire online repository of community added bindings for my aircraft, which you can easily add to your own profiles.

Beyond that, all I can say is that each of these applications allows you to add "Reverse Polish Notation" (RPN) code to your assignments, which is the same language that you see in the XML file. This means that you can copy my code from the XML file right into SPAD, or the other applications, and that should guarantee you will get the desired behavior, just as if you were clicking the button in the virtual cockpit.

For example, for the fuel vent heat switch discussed above, the code from the XML, and therefore the code you would enter into SPAD, is as follows:

(L:var_FuelVentHeatSwitch, bool) ! (&gt;L:var_FuelVentHeatSwitch, bool)
(L:var_FuelVentHeatSwitch, bool) (&gt;A:CIRCUIT SWITCH ON:@FuelVentHeatCircuit, bool)

This will toggle the state of L:var_FuelVentHeatSwitch, and then write that state to the circuit variable. I hope that's more along the lines of what you were looking for. Let me know if there is anything else I can do to help.

djw4250

Having this discussion with you is awesomely helpful.
I have just spent about four hours watching every video tutorial that I thought might be related to this topic (and quite a few that were not but which I thought I might glean some useful knowledge from)
I still am paralyzed by uncertainties!
I am beginning to think that it is more of a "how to handle SPAD" issue than anything else.
I managed to find these Lvars in the SPAD dropdown menus but am as yet unable to work out how to be able to select them and get them to show up in any switch settings panel.
Cheers
David

GunStrauss

May I ask what controllers you're setting up?

RoughLandings

@Black-Square, like djw4250, I am not sure where the code you provided for the fuel vent switch needs to be entered in Spad:

(L:var_FuelVentHeatSwitch, bool) ! (>L:var_FuelVentHeatSwitch, bool)
(L:var_FuelVentHeatSwitch, bool) (>A:CIRCUIT SWITCH ON:@FuelVentHeatCircuit, bool)

I think I kind of understand what the code is doing, but I am just not sure how to apply it within the Spad environment.

RoughLandings

Here is what I did this afternoon and it seems to be working. Doing a test flight now.
Screenshot 2024-03-25 195932.png

djw4250

Looks like we are both getting to the same result but along differing paths!

djw4250

@GunStrauss it looks like @RoughLanding was setting up his Bravo but I am setting up individual switches that are set out on a back-lit panel pretty similar to the BKSQ Analog Baron 58P. (mine is actually modelled on the Beech Baron D55)
@RoughLandings has been more successful than I have because when I add the conditions regarding the CIRCUIT SWITCHES I see a big red circle on the left with a X in it and although, when I move my physical switch, I see the value changing, the switch in the sim does not move, likely because the circuit switch's condition is not working.
Not sure what I have done wrong.

djw4250

How's the test flight going?

RoughLandings

@djw4250, the first test flight went well. All the switches move in the cockpit when I use the relevant Bravo switches. I still need to do another flight with icing conditions to verify the systems are working properly.

I ended up not using scripts in Spad, instead I just set up normal assignments that are setting data values rather than sending events.

djw4250

@RoughLandings that's exactly how I was trying to do it but I have run in to problems adding the "Condition" for the "Action". I get a big red cross on the left of the condition and nothing works. With just a quick look I can't see what's different between what you finished up with (that works) and what I arrived at (that doesn't work) but I plan to download your offering today and have a real good look at it. Thanks for sharing.

RoughLandings

@djw4250, can you post a screenshot of your settings?

djw4250

@RoughLandings will do. It will be a few minutes because my sim is not running yet. I will boot it up and take a picture of it.

djw4250

@RoughLandings I can't upload an image from my PC sorry, Apparently it has to have a URL address.

djw4250

I have spent ages scrolling through the BaronAnalog.xml trying to answer this question - "What's the Lvar for the BKSQ Baron's prop deice heating?" There are more options for the naming of it than I can imagine. Is it "propDeice", "propHeat", "propBoot" or something I haven't thought of yet?

Black Square

Sorry you've spent so much time looking for that. You will be happy to know that nearly all input and output variables for the Dukes are included in the manuals.

The propeller deicing in the Baron is possibly the only default template used in that aircraft, which is why you couldn't find it. The easiest method is to send the following B:Event:

B:DEICE_Propeller_1_Set

You can also send the conventional K:Event:

K:Prop Deice Switch:1

The former should move the switch in the cockpit as well, while the latter may not. These are the small things I improve from one aircraft to the next, which I feel like I am only beginning to perfect now. Sorry for any inconvenience.

djw4250

@Black-Square no apology needed. I am in awe of the work you have done (an absolutely mammoth task I think) and quite frankly feel privileged that you would bother to respond to my dopey questions. (Such as "What are the Dukes?")
With your kind help though, and also the enthusiastic assistance from @RoughLandings, I now have all but one of the Anti-ice switches working.
That one is labelled "Surface Ice" in my Baron. Maybe I should be looking for something else. Like "Structural Ice" or "Wing_boots" or "Leading Edge Deice" the options seem limitless.
So I'm not sure what to search for and I assure you, I have worked diligently at discovering it.
One thing I haven't tried thus far is opening the AnalogBaron.xml file with NotePad++. If that worked then I would have a powerful search tool to assist me.
I assume there's a matching electrical circuit switch to include as well and I have discovered the list of them in the xml file but I'm afraid I find their names a bit ambiguous but I am getting better at it. :)

Respects

Black Square

No worries! I'm happy that you're patient with some of my shortcomings in these older aircraft too. I would be lying if I said that I didn't feel like my work as a one-man developer was often trivialized, but hopefully those who seriously engage with my aircraft appreciate them the same way I do when I have the rare chance to enjoy them.

The deicing boots are controlled with circuit number 27:

(>A:CIRCUIT SWITCH ON:27, bool)

The deicing mode is controlled with L:var_airframeDeiceMode, where 0 = Auto, and 2 = Manual.

As for "The Dukes".

I hope that helps! Let me know if there is anything else I can do for you.

djw4250

@Black-Square Thank you for that information. I will have a go at that tomorrow after I get some sleep. If it all works, then that will be the first time I have had my sim completely working in nearly 7 years of building and rebuilding and modifying and revision - a total of 14 reiterations.

Iterations would be something I expect you would know well. I looked at the video link you sent through. I am speechless! When do you get rest? Even the video presentations is a huge amount of work. Add to that the Manuals and documentation - amazing. Then you have marketing too and customer support. I don't know how you do it.

I was a programmer/director of a software development company many decades ago so I have a little understanding of the environment you are working in. We (3 of us) folded our company in the face of the overpowering influence of bigger developers.

So here is one person who is cheering you on.
I sincerely wish you every success.

RoughLandings

Looking forward to the Dukes! In the mean time, I took advantage of the Just Flight spring sale and purchased the Analog Bonanza this morning, so looking forward to using that one!

djw4250

Have a look at this procedure I have developed and tell what needs to change. if anything.

Procedure:

Run FS2020 & load the Baron in any
scenario.
Run SPAD.neXt.
Click “DATA MONITOR’’ then “ADD LVAR”.
In the sim toggle the switch to be set
up.
Click on the column header “Last Change” to identify what Lvar that switch is triggering – note what it is (one of the above 4 Lvars hopefully).
Click “ADD DATA”.
Select the “►LVAR” filter on LHS of SPAD window.
Now search the list for the Lvar seen in step 5.
Select it and click “OK” @ bottom of the SPAD window.
Open the Controller/Devices window.
Select the appropriate matching swich in your sim.
Check that it is configured as a Switch, not a Button.
Click “ADD EVENT”.
Choose “Switched ON”.
In the “Action to be executed” panel click “ADD ACTION”.
Select “Change data value”.
On LHS panel select Filter “►LVAR”.
Find the Lvar from step 5 again.
Select it and click “OK”.
Select the Lvar’s Definition properties.
o Operation = “Set”.
o Static value = an appropriate value.
o Ignore the other properties.
Click “OK”.
Click “ADD EVENT”.
Choose same as in 14.
Click “ADD ACTION”.
Select “Send sim event”.
1. Select the event “A:CIRCUIT SWITCH ON: #”on dropdown list where # = 27 or 35 or 38 or 39 as appropriate.
Define its parameters.
Click “OK”
Repeat from step 14 for the "Switched OFF" option.