I have a spare FIP sitting around for quite some times, which is only used occasionally for various testings via my network computer. Yesterday, I decided to throw in the underused FIP to the system to see how it effects.
Actually, the main reason for me not including the spare FIP to my system in the past was because the “6 FIPs + 1 Radio Panel across the top roll” and “1 Switch Panel + 3 FIPs + 1 Multi Panel” on the bottom constituted a pretty symmetric appearance in my 2-stack instrument setup already. And I’ve been using this setup for a very long time. Continue reading
Hardware
355: GTX 1080 is Coming
Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1080 is rumored to be publicly released by the 27th of this 
month. Some technical websites preview it “twice as fast as a Titan X” but only priced around 60% of its predecessor. The company even calls the card “Gaming Perfected”.
Surely it’s just another marketing buzz word. But still, I can’t help looking forward to seeing what new level this next generation card is going to bring to the various flight simulation platforms nowadays, no matter it is FSX, FSX Steam, P3D or X-Plane. Sadly, it’s not likely that I will replace my Titan X for it, at least not in the coming year.
348: My Fix for Windows 10 Upgrade
In the past ten months, I had failed to upgrade my older computer to Windows 10 numerous times. Various google-searched solutions were tried but futile in the end. The upgrade process always stopped at 20- or 70-somethings and reverted 
back to the original OS. It was quite frustrating.
Last weekend, I was finally successful to upgrade the computer to Windows 10. The optical drive was the key! Continue reading
345: Saitek Panels Can be Networked, Too
Stefano Cancelli in Canada recently reported to me that the Saitek Pro Flight Radio Panel, Multi Panel and Switch Panel actually can be run on a networked computer, exactly like what the Flight Instrument Panel (FIP) does.
“I discovered it quite by accident.”
Stef said he was not aware that the panels were still connected to his network computer after reverting SPAD.neXt to Saitek drivers due to some issues. When he started a flight, he then realized that the networked panels were all working perfectly controlling radios, auto pilot, switches, and everything on the main fsx computer.
“This was a big surprise to me since I do not believe it is ever mentioned in Saitek’s documentation,” he said.
Stef came to me and ask me if I could help confirm his finding. Continue reading
344: Don’t Go Changing, to Try Reverse Me
As mentioned in my last post, although Jack’s suggestion of reversing the order of the gauges in the SaiFlightSimX.xml list renders a more intuitive and logical user-button reaction, the “solution” still isn’t perfect. Because the opposite associations of the “Up Button – Down on the List” and “Down Button – Up on the List” or vice versa basically have not changed.
Thanks to Alexey, who is the author of FIP Toolkit & FIP Customizer, I am now able to swap the functions of the Up/Down button “physically”. Meaning that when I press the “Up Button” on the FIP, it really means “Going Up” the gauge in the SaiFlightSimX.xml list, and when I press the “Down Button“, it really means “Going Down” the list.
Alexey said that the two buttons cannot be reprogrammed because they are not handled by the device’s SDK. However, we could swap the button masks of these two buttons to achieve the same result.
Followings are the steps. NOTE that you are highly advised to make a system backup before you proceed. Continue reading
322: Wind Indicator on C172 Heading Gyro
Different to the Integrated version, the design of my Standalone C172 Heading Gyro doesn’t come with any
indication of wind direction so as to render a more realistic appearance.
Many users, however, have been requesting to include such a feature because it is a useful reference while taxiing on the ground so that proper aileron and elevator actions could be conducted against strong headwinds, crosswinds or tailwinds as in the real life situation. Continue reading
321: C172 Gauges Price Reduced
Due to the coming of Christmas and the new A36 and B58 gauges, plus the C172 gauges have been released for nearly a year, prices of both the Integrated and Standalone C172 gauges have been reduced up to 25% off.
In addition, the latest versions of both series, now equipped with the newly written installer, are fully compatible with both the file structures from the old and the new Saitek drivers as well as the SPAD.neXt driver as mentioned in the previous post.
Installation is even simpler. Continue reading
319: B58 and A36 FIP Gauges Preview
Lately, half of my minimal flightsim time were spent on creating new FIP gauges for Baron B58 (both default & Carenado versions) and Bonanza A36 simultaneously as they share many similarities.
Different from the last C172 gauges which categorizes into Standalone and Integrated versions, and charges separately, the new B58 and A36 gauges to come will include both Standalone and Integrated or Extended gauge face-plates altogether in a single package, when applicable.
This includes customization for both default and Carenado aircrafts, making some of the gauges consisting of up to four different versions.
In addition, the installer for the new gauges will be compatible to Windows 10 and the new Saitek drivers file structure as well.
Followings are a few more preview screenshots of the gauges already completed or about to complete. Continue reading
309: When can the Simulator Pit be Filled
Fantasized for months to get myself a Nvidia GTX Titan card after reading reports and youtubes about the phenomenal boost in FSX/P3D performance with it. The past weekend, I finally made to get an over-clocked Titan X seated in my system.
My first impression about the card out of the box — Continue reading
FS Times 