Vars for the DH and MDA values?

Jiblet

Hi,

Does anyone happen to know which vars store the DH and MDA values for the Starship?

I don't think it's using the defaults like (A:DECISION HEIGHT, Feet), which would make sense as Starship has both Pilot and Copilot AAPs allowing each person to set separate values for DH and MDA.

I'm working on a Streamdeck+ profile that's going really well. I think the only thing I'm missing (until I invent another page of "definitely-useful-things-I'll-need-all-the-time") is these two values.
I'm successfully using the relevant HVARs to manipulate the DH and MDA knob (H:PFD_DecisionHeightKnob_Dec_1 and the like), but I just can't seem to get the Behaviours window or AAO to spill the beans on the values.

Thanks!

Jiblet

One for @Black-Square directly then perhaps - sorry Nick!

Black Square

Unfortunately, those variables are only stored internally, but I can offer you a custom code solution if you would like to get it working immediately for yourself.

If you search for PFD.js in the Starship community folder, then search for the following line...

SimVar.SetSimVarValue("L:var_MdaAlertSound"...

Directly after this line, you can add these two, which will create L:Vars for you to monitor:

SimVar.SetSimVarValue("L:var_StarshipDh_L", "feet", this.decisionHeight_L);
SimVar.SetSimVarValue("L:var_StarshipMda_L", "feet", this.alertAltitude_L);

If you want to also monitor the DH and MDA on the copilot's side, then you can just replace the _L's in those lines with _R's.

I hope that is what you're looking for! Sorry that it requires a little work. I always like to offer immediate solutions for anything I can solve, because there is no sense waiting months for an update in the age of the internet

Jiblet

@Black-Square Thanks Nick, that was super helpful!

Doing what you said set up the LVars and gave me reading of 500 DH and 1000 MDA which was a great start, but the LVar values didn't change when using the in game knobs to alter the values on the PFD. I think because that part of the code is only run once maybe?

Anyway, in the end I've added 4 setters to the real-time part of the update() function (currently around line 800).
In context here if anyone (including future me!) is interested in implementing the same change:

  Update() {
    super.Update();

    // Slow SimVar Updates

    this.simVarUpdateTimer += this.deltaTime;
    if (this.simVarUpdateTimer >= this.simVarUpdateInterval) {
      this.simVarUpdateTimer = 0;
      this.simVarUpdate();
    }

    // Real Time Updates

    // Attempting to add LVars for DH and MDA:
    SimVar.SetSimVarValue("L:var_StarshipDh_L", "feet", this.decisionHeight_L);
    SimVar.SetSimVarValue("L:var_StarshipMda_L", "feet", this.alertAltitude_L);
    SimVar.SetSimVarValue("L:var_StarshipDh_R", "feet", this.decisionHeight_R);
    SimVar.SetSimVarValue("L:var_StarshipMda_R", "feet", this.alertAltitude_R);
    // ----------------------------

    this.heading = SimVar.GetSimVarValue(
      "PLANE HEADING DEGREES MAGNETIC",
      "degree",
    );

All seems to be working when powered up on the ground. I haven't taken it out for a flight to see if I've some how caused it to do cartwheels when twisting those knobs, but fingers crossed!

Thanks again!
I think the SD+ profile is... complete!

EDIT:
Actually, now I'm looking at it again I see there are realtimeUpdate_L() and realtimeUpdate_R() functions that might be a more appropriate place to put these setters.

Eg:

  realtimeUpdate_L() {
    //update the left side DH and MDA LVars
    SimVar.SetSimVarValue("L:var_StarshipDh_L", "feet", this.decisionHeight_L);
    SimVar.SetSimVarValue("L:var_StarshipMda_L", "feet", this.alertAltitude_L);

This seems to work too in my very brief testing. Yay!

Black Square

Hm. I'm glad it's working for you now. You will have the fastest updating L:Vars of any cockpit builder, haha. From a second look, the position I sent you should be correct, since that's where the altitude alerter sounds are being driven from too. I always try to send the most performant solutions too, but if it isn't broken, then don't fix it

Jiblet

Yeah it did seem a teeny bit wrong for it to be screaming "THE DH 500!" into the void 60 times a second or whatever it is.

I tried your method again but still they only get set once (to the default 500 and 1000 at power up) and never trigger another update. I even tried flying around terrorising the residents of the usually quiet Oxfordshire villages around EGTK with low passes to see if anything happened

I've now moved it all (probably also incorrectly!) to the various places that the knobs are twiddled via the HVars; e.g. the pilot's DH knob increment:

            case "DecisionHeightKnob_Inc_1":
              this.decisionHeight_L = this.clamp(
                this.decisionHeight_L >= 1000
                  ? this.decisionHeight_L + 50
                  : this.decisionHeight_L + 10,
                10,
                2500,
              );
              this.showDecisionHeight_L = true;
              this.simVarUpdate();
              this.screentimeUpdate_L();

              //-- Set the pilot DH LVar --
              SimVar.SetSimVarValue(
                "L:var_StarshipDh_L",
                "feet",
                this.decisionHeight_L,
              );

              break;

This also works and I assume is a better (though slightly fiddlier to implement) solution, as it will only be called with the knobs are twiddled.

Anyway, time for some day-job work
Thanks again for the help and for the plane! What an aircraft!

Black Square

@Jiblet said in Vars for the DH and MDA values?:

screaming "THE DH 500!" into the void 60 times a second

You've just described how I spend my weekends

So glad I could bring the magic of Starship to another member of the community. Please let me know if you ever need anything else from me. You know where to find me!