390: AffinityMask Revisited

| Tom Tsui

There are lots of comments on the Internet saying that the AffinityMask is no longer required in Prepar3D for a smooth flight.   Is it true?

The answer is both a YES and a NO, mainly depending on whether additional hardware are included.affinitymask-cpum

During the recent clean re-installation of the just released Prepar3D version 3.4, I must say that I was very impressed with its overall performance under the factory settings in the beginning.   But the thrill only lasted UNTIL my Saitek’s Flight Instrument Panels (a notorious performance hitter) were added to the system, no matter running under the Saitek or the SPAD.neXt driver.

Framerates Continue reading →

389: A2A PA28 Gauges Released

| Tom Tsui

My initial plan was to complete the Carenado CT210M gauges first.   But again, plans never catch up with changes.   Here is the A2A PA28 Cherokee Set.

Although consisting only four gauges for the moment, they, together with the earlier released A2A Cessna gauges, already a2a_pa28_gaugessform a near complete PA28 cockpit and are fully playable.

The aircraft’s Attitude Indicator, Altimeter, Vertical Speed Indicator, VOR1, VOR2 are virtually identical (well, some with some minor differences) to those on the A2A Cessna cockpits.

The only gauge that is unique to the PA28 is Continue reading →

384: Cessna ASI now Comes with a Clock

| Tom Tsui

The ASI Gauges for the A2A’s C172R, C182T and the default C172SP are now c172sp_asi_gif_sall equipped with an LT and UT clock on an extra extended version.   This feature has been requested by many friends and here it comes at last.

The clock in LCD style, though still just a basic one, should also serve the basic needs from many users.
Existing users Continue reading →

383: A2A Aircraft 2D Cockpit No Sound Fix

| Tom Tsui

TechLevel01W

A friend told me he heard no sound when flying A2A aircraft under 2D cockpit mode, and ask me if there’s a fix.   I believe there is information about it on A2A’s Support Forum.   Anyway, here’s the solution using C182T as an example.

  • Open panel.cfg file in the aircraft’s folder
  • Search for //gauge01=A2A_C182!cockpitBuilder, 2,2,2,2
  • Remove the comment marks “//” from the beginning of the line
  • And lastly save the file.

That will do.
Continue reading →

381: C172SP FIP Gauges R4 Update

| Tom Tsui

ALL Gauges in both the Integrated and Standalone versions of the C172SP FIP Series have been updated to R4.    This update is an important one.   It not only includes many graphical enhancements but also resolves many issues in programming and rendering, especially when dealing with SPAD.neXt.
c172sp_z_bundle_r4_gif

Existing users should have received emails containing download links in their mailboxes by now.   If not, Continue reading →

380: A2A C172R & C182T Engine Gauges Ready

| Tom Tsui

The 4-in-1 Integrated Engine Gauges for the C172R and C182T and Manifold Pressure-Fuel Flow Gauges for the C182T are now ready.   The gauges are being sent to those who earlier purchased the C172R and/or C182T bundles.
intfg
The FIP gauges for the two A2A Cessna are now complete in general.  Surely there will be new features to add to the gauges, when appropriate, in future.

Anyone interested in this A2A Cessna Gauge Set Continue reading →

379: Answer to the FIP Difference

| Tom Tsui

Thanks to friends who praised me for removing the jaggies on the FIP gauges. SPADneXt_Screen

I really wish I did.  But it is Ulrich of SPAD.neXt who actually brings the difference.

As Michael comments, we users of FIPs have been disturbed by the jaggies since their launch.

Over the years, I thought the jaggies could only be solved by replacing the LCD screen with a higher resolution one.  Never expect someone could really get rid of them via a piece of software.   It’s truly a landmark because it now opens a much wider possibility to the usage of the FIP gauges in the future. Continue reading →