Gauges

507: A Few Updates

| Tom Tsui

Haven’t updated FSX Times for quite a while due to some family matters, travels, other distractions and laziness under the summer sun.   Probably the situation will carry on for another month or so.

Regarding the fuel flow dataref issue in X-Plane for FIP gauges, Logitech has reacted and sent me a revised X-Plane Plug-in.  Unfortunately, the issue remains unsolved.   Have reported back and hope that there will be “workable” update from the support team soon.

During last month, my son developed an iOS version of the Affinity Mask Calculator for me.   It is called “FSXTimes AMC”.   Nothing fancy and it works similarly to the web version.   It can be downloaded from Apple’s App Store.   As 6- and 8-core CPUs are becoming main streams, next update will target to include them.

Last but not least, Continue reading →

506: XPLANE C172 Fuel Flow Issue UPDATE 2

| Tom Tsui

Logitech replied, “We have forwarded your case for further internal review.  Please be aware this can take up to two business days.  We will keep you informed on any further updates in regards to your request.”

Respond time is much much better than Saitek.   Let’s get our fingers crossed that there are some good news coming soon.

Update: A Rally on XPlane C172 Fuel Flow Issue – Help Wanted

 

505: An Update to the Fuel Flow Issue on XPlane C172

| Tom Tsui

Thanks to Rares Vernica, the cause of the fuel-flow issue found on the C172SP Integrated Fuel Gauges (INTFG) for X-Plane has been spotted.  It is very likely caused by the “rounding” function in Logitech’s X-Plane Plugin for the command.

The value of the “sim/cockpit2/engine/indicators/fuel_flow_kg_sec” dataref from X-Plane for the C172SP is in the range approximately between 0.003550 to 0.009475 (or 0.003xxx to 0.009xxx) when engine is running.
As shown in the image above, the 3rd decimal number on the Flight Instrument Panel (FIP) is rounded to either 0 or 5 regardless of the actual output from the dataref in X-Plane. Continue reading →

503: Robin DR400/180 Gauges Completed

| Tom Tsui

The Robin DR400 may not be as popular as the Cessna C172 worldwide.   But friends in Europe told me that it is still a well-liked aircraft especially in the Southern continent.

I made the ASI for it 18 months ago.   Now, the ATT, ALT, HDR and Integrated Engines are finished as well.

Together with the VSI from deHavilland DHC-2, TCR from MilViz DHC-2, VOR1 and VOR2 from Cessna C172SP, they generally complete the instrument cluster on the Lionheart DR400/180. Continue reading →

500: XP C172SP INTFG (Logitech) Released

| Tom Tsui

Here at last the Integrated Fuel Gauges (INTFG) for the X-Plane C172SP running Logitech FIP drivers.   It is fully customized for the aircraft even with the adjustable EGT reference needle. 

Unfortunately, there is still a feature yet to implement — the fuel-flow needle doesn’t work properly yet.

Nevertheless, instead of keeping it away from the shelf,  I replaced the fuel-flow instrument with CHT (Cylinder Head Temperature, a common feature found on Cessna aircraft) as an interim option until the solution is found.

Both CHT and fuel-flow options are included in the gauge package.   When the fuel-flow option is chosen, users may regard it a failure, which adds fun too.

All current X-Plane C172SP (Logitech) users could contact me for discount if interested in this new instrument.

Lastly, since I am not a full X-Plane simmer, help on implementing the fuel-flow feature is welcome and appreciated.    In return, a full set of the XP-Logitech C172SP or B58 gauges (or any of my bundle gauges) will be given to the first person who help solve the issue as a gift.

Following is the implementation I did so far: Continue reading →

498: RealAir Duke Gauges R2 Update

| Tom Tsui

The FIP Gauges for Duke B60 and Duke Turbine from RealAir Simulations have been updated to version R2, which includes new gauges (such as a new Engine 4 in the Turbine set as shown on the right) besides fixes and optimizations.

In addition, the updated gauges are now Logitech drivers compatible.

Exisitng users should have received notification emails containing download links in their mailboxes by now.  Should any user not receiving the update, feel free to contact me by email or via Comment of this post.

497: Gauge-Switcher for X-Plane Plugins

| Tom Tsui

An X-Plane version of the GaugeSwitcher is also developed for those who are using the Logitech X-Plane Plugins for my FSX Times Gauges.

It works similarly and can handle up to 60 FIP gauge setups for X-Plane as well.

The utility has been sent to all users of my XP_Logitech gauges by emails.   Should anyone who hasn’t received the download link in their mailboxes by now could Continue reading →

496: Gauge-Switcher v8 Released

| Tom Tsui

GaugeSwitcher is a handy program I developed a couple of years ago to help Saitek FIP Driver users to quickly switch between multiple FSX Times Gauges (say from C172SP to B58 to Mooney Bravo to RAS Duke or vice versa) to match with the aircraft being used or to be used in FSX, FSX-SE and P3D.

The utility was given to users of my Gauges once but stopped for some reasons.

Now, the utility is available again with many optimizations, including compatibility with both Saitek and Logitech Drivers, and Continue reading →

495: New Generic Wet Compass Released

| Tom Tsui

Unlike the current Cessna Wet Compass, a new generic wet compass for Saitek/Logitech FIP (Flight Instrument Panel) has been created to cope with a larger number of different types of aircraft, including BeechCraft, Piper, Mooney, Robinson, etc.   The compass has been requested for quite some times but I hadn’t had a good idea of how to do it right in the first place until recently.

In addition, the new compass comes with 4 slightly different designs so as to better match with the different layouts in various cockpit requirements.
Click me to Enlarge
Although the differences between these designs may not be significant; however, these little or unnoticable touches, are many of the essences I’ve been putting in my gauges.   Because I believe, many times, what makes somethings special are the little things we sometimes ignore. Continue reading →