pdmarsh

@GunfighterSIX -- Are you looking for instructions on how to configure the B.I.P. using Flightpanels? If so, it's fairly straight forward and I can provide an example. Thanks, Paul

@Hammer -- There are two things at play here that result in this behavior. First, DCS, and therefore DCS-BIOS, only provides for gear safe (green usually) or gear unsafe (dark usually) conditions. They do not provide for up, transition and down states directly. When the gear is going from down and safe to up, it immediately becomes unsafe. The call to make the LEDs dark overrides the call to make the LEDs red, which is most likely based on the gear handle state. Therefore, as soon as you tell the gear to retract you see a brief period of red and then the LEDs go dark for the rest of the transition. The other issue is that DCS-BIOS, at least in the case of the LEDs, is action driven. If there is no action, nothing will change. This is why the LEDs do not change when starting out in flight, but it also explains why the gear LEDs work properly, or as expected, when the gear is going from an up to down state. First change from the gear unsafe condition (up and dark) is the gear handle change, so the LEDs go red. They stay that way until the next action, which is gear safe (down and green). In any case, ArturDCS has found a way around this. Testing so far looks good, but we need to do a bit more before releasing the build. Thanks, Paul

Hi Baldawg, At the bottom of the page where you reply, click on "Go Advanced." That will allow you to get access to adding code tags around text as well as attach files. Clicking on the "#" symbol adds the code tags. The code text goes between the start and end tags. Thanks, Paul

@Martin -- If you already have a key command in the field, right-clicking will only show the timing settings as you noted. However, if you double-click in the field it will clear the key commands. Right-clicking now will show the DCS-BIOS option. You should not have to start a fresh profile in the future if this happens again. Hope this helps. Thanks, Paul

This function appears to be set up incorrectly in DCS-BIOS. I ignored the "20" and set states of "0", "1" and "2" and the in-cockpit switch did move, but barely. It's acting more like an increment than a state setting. You can work around this though. I mapped the three positions to keyboard commands in DCS and then simply used those key strokes in Flightpanels. I found that "RSHIFT + 1", "RSHIFT + 2" and "RSHIFT + 3" were available. I then configure the Switch Panel knob to these key commands using the "R", "L" and "BOTH/ALL" positions respectively. Hope this helps. Paul

My pleasure. I'm glad it worked out. Paul

Hi JaBoG32_Prinzartus, I have duplicated both of these items and will post bug reports for ArturDCS. However, these could be issues with DCS-BIOS. If so, Artur will pass that on to those folks. Regarding the anti-skid switch, I just use the key stokes for that one, RSHIFT + S (or RSHIFT + VK_S as it will appear in Flightpanels). Same key sequence for on and off. You probably knew this, but just thought I'd mention it. I don't recall if I mapped those keys in DCS or if they were default keyboard commands. Thanks for the bug notices. Paul

@fordfairlane -- After posting the above, I thought of something. If you chose "NONE" for your profile type, i.e. neither the A-10C or UH-1H, you will only be able to configure keystrokes. In this scenario, Flightpanels is in keyboard emulation mode only. Just a thought. Paul

Hi fordfairlane, Here are the steps. I will follow-up with a screen shot (now posted below). On the initial PZ70 configuration screen, right click in configuration field for either "LCD Knob DEC" or "LCD Knob INC." Left click on "Edit DCS-BIOS Control." In the dialog box that appears click on "NEW." In the next dialog box, type in your search word, e.g. "HDG." In this example, double-click on "HSI_HDG." Verify that input type is "VARIABLE_STEP." In the field "Enter value sent to DCS-BIOS:" type 1500 if INC or -1500 if DEC. Click OK. Click OK again. Configure other direction of knob, i.e. INC or DEC. Hope this helps, Paul

@fordfairlane -- Thanks for posting this bug. I have reproduced the issue and submitted a bug report. Thanks again, Paul

@Baldawg -- One other thing; Make sure you did not inadvertently click on the "Disable" button. It's the red circle with the exclamation point in the middle, and it is to the left of the gear symbol. Also, under "Options/Open error log" in Flightpanels, have a look and see if anything is in the log. If so, please post the file. Thanks, Paul

@Baldawg -- If you are still having problems, I'd like to suggest a small test to help isolate the issue. Start a new profile and select "None" for the type. This will put Flightpanels (FP) in keyboard emulation mode only. You should only see the Multi Panel in FP, and the Switch Panel if you have one and it is connected. Now, configure a button or two on the Multi Panel, go into DCS and see if the panel is working. If it is, the problem most likely lies with DCS-BIOS, or how FP is interacting with it. Also, if you have the Saitek drivers installed, use the Saitek Pro Flight Panels utility to make sure the panels are see by and working fully in Windows. Thanks, Paul

Sorry to hear you are having trouble. Just curious--it looks like there is an update out for DCS. Did you do the update and then lose panel function? If so, I wonder if the update affected DCS-BIOS. I'll be on DCS later this evening and will do the update (if it is indeed out) and see what happens on my end. In any case, I'll see what I can do to troubleshoot your situation. Thanks, Paul

@Cowboy10uk -- Glad to hear things are working better. All thanks go to ArturDCS--he's done a great job with Flightpanels. If you happen to have Saitek drivers installed, you should be able to use the Saitek utility to check panel functionality. As you probably know, this utility exercises all of the LEDs and responds to switch and/or dial inputs. That would at least let you know if the problem lies with the panel. Paul

P.S. -- The radio panel is the only panel that does not have user-configurable settings other than knob sensitivity and, coming if not already in the released version, delay settings. Paul

Here are a few other things to check: When you open Flightpanels, are you seeing tabs for three panels, PZ55, PZ70 & PZ69. If PZ69 is not showing, your profile was set up for keyboard emulation only and is not accessing DCS-BIOS, which is required for digital readouts on the Radio and Multi Panels. It doesn't sound like this is the problem, but if it is you'll need to start with a new profile and select A-10C from the drop-down list. That enables DCS-BIOS use. Actually, I was about to write more, but your response came in as I was writing this. Let us know about the above first... Thanks, Paul

@Cowboy10uk -- I forgot to answer the second part of your question. Unfortunately, Flightpanels can only run one profile at a time, so when changing aircraft type you would have to change profiles. Paul

Hi Cowboy10uk, Yes, the Saitek Radio Panel is now supported in the Huey. A few things to note, though. An upcoming release of Flightpanels will rearrange the Huey radio to Saitek Radio Panel selector knob assignments. It will be a bit more intuitive in the next release. Also, we found a slight frequency shift in the ADF radio. For example, the NDB with a frequency of 312 shows up as 317 or thereabouts on the Radio Panel display in order to acquire the signal. We're working out the correction factor now. Thanks, Paul

Thanks for your comments, boo_saa. It's our pleasure. On the Saitek Switch Panel there are three LEDs to the left of the landing gear handle. The upper LED is for the nose gear, or "N" gear. The lower LEDs are for left and right gear respectively. Right click over the LED itself on the panel image. You should then see an option to configure it. Let us know if you have any other questions on this. Thanks, Paul

Hi boo_saa, Click on the "i" within Flightpanels. There are some programming notes behind that which detail how to configure the landing gear LEDs. Hope this helps. Paul Actually, here are the notes on LED configuration: Configuring the Switch Panel LEDs for gear up and gear down indication might not be intuitive to some users. For example, the nose gear parameter used for both cases is: "GEAR_N_SAFE." What matters after this is the "trigger state" of that parameter. "GEAR_N_SAFE" with the trigger value set to "0" is equivalent to gear up and locked. "GEAR_N_SAFE" with a trigger value of "1" is equivalent to gear down and locked. The following are the steps taken to program the nose gear (N) LED: 1. Right click over the N LED and then left click on "Configure." 2. Click on "New Dark" button (dark in this case is gear up and locked). 3. Type "gear" in the "search word" box. 4. Within the drop down list that appears, double-click on "GEAR_N_SAFE." 5. Observe that values have populated all fields. 6. Leave the trigger value set to "0" and click "OK." 7. Click on "New Green" button (green will indicate gear down and locked in this example). 8. Repeat steps 3-5 above. 9. Change the trigger value to "1" and click "OK." 10. Click on "New Red" button (red will indicate gear in transition) 11. Search on "gear" again. 12. Double-click on "HANDLE_GEAR_WARNING." 13. Change the trigger value to "1" and click "OK." 14. Click on "OK" again in the "LED Configuraton" window. You have now completed configuration of this LED. Repeat this process for the left and right main gear LEDs, but select the appropriate paramenter, e.g. "GEAR_L_SAFE."

Hi boo_saa, Please see answers below as best as I can give them... I hope this helps. Now that documentation has been posted, there might be more detail there that will assist. Thanks, Paul

ArturDCS is being modest. Even without the upgrade he's making, the radio panel is working great. True, TACAN takes a little getting used to, but he managed to make the panel do something it was not intended to do. Paul

Great idea. I actually tried printing the same sheet twice. Didn't work. In an inkjet printer, that gets messy pretty quick. In a laser printer, the alignment just wasn't good enough. I have to give your method a try. Thanks. Paul

Thanks and my pleasure. Of the default Saitek tiles, I would say the following have the best chance of applying to multiple aircraft and aircraft types. You might have to be flexible with the names, though. For example, "DOOR WARNING" could also apply to an open or unsealed canopy (not sure what DCS-BIOS offers in this regard). "STALL WARNING" could be tied to sink rate in a heli as another example. ENG FIRE ADF AP MASTER AUTO PILOT BEACON LIGHT DOOR WARNING FUEL LOW MASTER CAUTION MASTER WARNING STALL WARNING STROBE LIGHT For custom tiles, some cross-over uses could be: BATTERY INVERTER OXYGEN NAV LIGHTS (I have a Saitek tile with just "NAV." Noticed that was not on your list.) LASER (Not sure about helis with this one, but other fixed-wing for sure.) MASTER ARM I didn't spend a lot of time yet trying to standardize my tile set. Changing tiles when changing aircraft just won't be practical, unless you use the overlay approach (no tiles, just one big sheet). I already have some duplication. If you have a Switch Panel, you really don't need gear status lights on the B.I.P., and I even used 3 tiles for that! Just "GEAR" and green (safe), red (unsafe) and dark or yellow (up) would suffice (one tile). Hope this helps. Paul

Custom B.I.P. Tiles CUSTOM SAITEK B.I.P. TILES There are probably any number of ways to make custom tiles for the Saitek Back-lit Information Panel (B.I.P.), but here are a few possibilities. One approach is to make an overlay that covers the entire panel and doesn't use tiles at all, as seen here: A utility was developed to help program the B.I.P. for use with X-Plane, but it also includes a tool to make these overlays. The one above was printed on regular paper and actually worked OK. The dark area is not opaque, but it's dark enough, and the light area is fine just as white paper. In fact, you might not want it to be clear. The Saitek tiles are a milky-white themselves, which diffuses the light. If you plan on using your B.I.P. for a number of different planes that require different tile sets, this might be a good way to go. You can download this program here: D2B-Tool for Xsaitekpanels BIP 1.0.rc2 I took a slightly different approach, though. The hard part was getting past the fact that you need to break a few eggs to make the omelette. I picked out a number of preprinted tiles that I thought I would never use and sanded off the coating as seen below. Trust me, this gets easier with each tile you deface. The next step is to print your custom tiles on clear mailing labels. I used Avery 15660 which are just about the perfect size. I'm using an inkjet printer and, even when dry, the ink smears easily. To deal with this I only printed one tile per label as shown below: Now you cut off the unprinted half and place it over the printed label. Even though I used the color black, it's still not opaque like the original tiles. To help alleviate that somewhat I applied masking tape as close to the letters as possible. And here is the end result. Due to the long exposure time, the photo makes it look worse than it really is. You don't see as much light bleed around the letters in practice. I hope you will find this useful. Thanks, Skeeter