Help needed................

[brianwilliamson]

Well I have tried to get my first switch going in epic, but no luck.
Ok have loaded the latest sofware and eprom that Ron listed, and all checks out ok, running windows XP.The programming I used for a switch came from Emda, which is some years old so I suspect that it is out of date, and also badly explained. First instance was it said use a text editor and type in the following code ( it did not explain that you could open up a text editor with FILE/NEW In epic !!!!!)

#define FASTSCAN 0
#define SLOWSCAN 1
definemodule(1,slowscan,0,16)
definemodule(2,slowscan,0,16)
:INIT{setinterkey(1)}

Then save this as an EPL

Then convert this to DEF file by typing: EPL FIRST

Where on earth one is supposed to type that and what to do next has got me !!!
I have got the latest list of syntaxusb V1.0.8.2, but it is pretty hard to figure at this stage, a shame they cannot put a simple program together to show exactly how to make one simple switch work.

Ok gentleman, any help will be appreciated..............................many thanks...Brian W

[Bob Reed]

Hi Brian… Ok here we go.. First off throw all that documentation away! Are you using FScomm? If so, I am going to be no help. Open EPIC Info and click on start a new project and fill that out. Tell it what directory you want to use and so forth. It will create all that for you. That will get all the files made needed to get started. This does not mean the files are ready to use just there. Lets start with this step…

[brianwilliamson]

Thanks Bob, I guess we gotta start somewhere. I have been dreading this for a while.It is a shame thay could not have made an instruction manual.....
No I am not using FS Comm. I figured I would keep it simple to start with....Ok i will go and do as you suggest and get back. Have to play golf in about an hour so will probably have to get into this at daylight in the morning.

Many thanks Bob.............................Brian W :lol:

[Bob Reed]

Ok I will be here... :D

[brianwilliamson]

Done...........Brian W

[Bob Reed]

Ok now in EPIC Info... Are there any files open? If not click on file, open and select name (the name of your project) .epl file. And copy and paste what is in it in here.

[brianwilliamson]

/---------------------------------------------------------------------------
#include <modules.hpl>
#include <device.hpl>
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------

:INIT
{
}

Brian W

[Bob Reed]

Ahhhh. There we go.. Now we are getting someplace.... Now when you installed the EPIC software, did you do a full install? If you did there is a directory called docs. There are some helpful ones in there. I need to get a file to you. Can I send it to your listed email address? I don't want to just tell you how to do it I want you to understand why you are doing it and that is a thin line to walk. The PDF file I want to send you explaines a few things that we need to get setup to get started.

[brianwilliamson]

You are dead right, I need to understand, that is the main objective. That is why I have been complaining about no docs. I did a full install from EPICenter_1062_Full.exe and then the upgrades for XP.etc.and no Doc. Most certainly send the info to my email. It would be greatly appreciated. Once I get one light and one switch to work I am certain I should be able to get a fair way down the track.

Brian W

[Bob Reed]

Ok. Your bible is on the way! We need to setup a few more files and pointers and I think this doc will help explain them. Here it comes... Then we will get to programing that switch.

[brianwilliamson]

Thanks Bob for all your help. I will sign off now but shall return tomorrow morn. nice and early.

Cheers.....Brian W

[Ray]

Good to know a man with priorities!!

Hope you shoot below 100!

Ray

[brianwilliamson]

Nice to see you here Ray. Well I was one over par after 7 holes then the wheel fell off. That's golf !!
Have just received the pdf file from Bob, which should help . Will be back on in the morning, and I hope you will be able to give me some pointers as well.

Cheers....Brian W

[Bob Reed]

Ok Brian. What I need to see now is the dir and file struture of your project directoery under EPIC. So I need to know what files are in the EPIC/projects/name(being the name of your project)

[brianwilliamson]

FIRST-Project.dat
FIRST-Project.dsk
FIRST-Project.dst
FIRST-Project.EP!
FIRST-Project.epj
FIRST-Project.epl
FIRST-Project.idx
FIRST-Project.joy

BrianW

[brianwilliamson]

/---------------------------------------------------------------------------
#include <modules.hpl>
#include <device.hpl>
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
#define FASTSCAN 0
#define SLOWSCAN 1
definemodule(1,slowscan,0,16)
definemodule(2,slowscan,0,16)
:INIT{setinterkey(1)}


:INIT
{
}
This as far as I got with the epl file. I know I jumped the gun !!!!
Brian W

[Bob Reed]

Ok now start EPIC Info and open your project (should do that automaticly) Open the FIRST-Project.epl file and (using copy and paste) show me what that says.. We need to get the files all setup to get started...

[Bob Reed]

Ok.. Howare you hooking up your switches?

[brianwilliamson]

At this stage one momentary switch on an Emda card which is Module one, row 0,databit 0
Brian W

[Bob Reed]

Do you have EPICInfo installed? This will be needed. You can get it here http://www.schiratti.com/dowson.html What switch would you like to start with?

[brianwilliamson]

Epicinfo.dll installed installed in the modules folder of FS1004 OK. How about we do the A/THR

[okan]

Hello Bob

I would also much appreciate if you could mail those Bible EPic documents to me as well.

Many thanks in advance

Greetings from Switzerland

Okan Sacli

web : www.a320project.ch
mail : okansacli@gmail.com

[brianwilliamson]

Well we finally got a switch to work, thanks to Bob Reeds patience and help on Messenger where we have been for the last week. The biggest frustration has been the old version of epic manual, and the lack of update etc., so I guess it will be a long learning curve.

Next will come the tricky bits, so I guess I will be asking many more questions, but as they say "patience is a virtue."

Many thanks Bob..........................................Brian W

[Matt Olieman]

Congratulatios Brian, sounds like you're on your way..... :)

[Bob Reed]

I will post my startup file here tonight. This seemed to take us the most time. I know there is more then one way to do this but I will post the way I do it. Try to get a list of things on here to get people started. Just setting the blasted thing up can be very trying!

[brianwilliamson]

I will also post the way I got going, which hopefully may help anybody just starting. I think the more of us put some first thoughts to paper the closer we are to getting an "epic manual of how to start" going.

Brian W.

ps. I hope RR. watches.

[brianwilliamson]

DO A NEW install of Epicenter, as per Ron's advice :
http://ifsbi.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=54

Get the following:

http://www.mindspring.com/~rrelect1/examples/GearExample.zip

Unzip Straight into your C:\ and it will go into your C:\epic\projects
Before you start anything up make sure you have disconnected any Game controllers (joysticks) In Windows/ control panel and in
system/hardware/device manager........................so that windows can pick up epic as a new joystick.

THEN:
1 GO TO PROJECT ON TOP LINE OF EPICENTER (with epic plugged into usb and powered up) AND HIT: OPEN/GEAR EXAMPLE/GEAR/EXAMPLE.epj
2 .You should get an Gear Example.epl folder on screen.

3. Hit F9 and this will compile the program (check to find any errors !!)

4.Then F10 will load this into the epic memory, and you will see after it has loaded, down the bottom of Epicenter :
Active Device:USB0, currently loaded with Gear Example

5. You Should have a switch wired to an emda card or equivalent on Module 1-button 0-bit0.on your input (Emda or whatever)

6. Then in Epicenter go to TOOLS and click : Epic info ( a box with hardware info, should appear)

7.Click Buttons................and click module to show 1.

8. Push or turn on your button you have wired up and you should see a tick in the box 0-0, and also hear a beep from your computer.

9. You may then CLOSE epicenter and then go to control panel in Windows and bring up game controllers. There should now be
a EPIC USB(HID) there, and if you go into Properties/Test and there should be 2 buttons there and if you hit your switch you should see them react, hopefully !!!

10 You are then able to apply this to FS2004 as you would a normal button on a joystick.............................More to follow, hopefully.!!

Brian W.

[Ron Buchwald]

Hi All, sorry I have not been around for some time... my work has been ****......I have read the posts and for what ever reason if you are NOT using FS COMM then you are not going to get The epic system to work...Please use FS COMM... I can not say it any other way.... EPICINFO will not provide you with the needed info you will need... Pete Dowson of FSUIPC does not support IT any more... FS COMM is the perfect interface for the EPIC HARDWARE...EPICINFO... wants to use the Windows joystk interface... FS COMMM does not... I have two EPIC systems running and I never need see windows Joystk.....yes in the beginning I did use EPICINFO but found FS COMM. now I do not need windows Joystk at all....I do not worry about that. I send my EPIC buttons and such THRU FS Comm....Please look at it.. (FS COMM) you are makeing it so much hardder than it needs to be..... Please, Please, get FS COMM, by the way I don't work for robert fischer nor do I recive money from him, but He saw this comming years ago and wrote this PGM.. I am going to list my e-mail address TVRON321@AOL.COM Please if you don't need help Please don't E-Mail me..But If you are stuck ,, then feel free to ...Ron. I will help you if I can.. And yes, EPIC does work... Ron.

[Ron Buchwald]

I will also post the way I got going, which hopefully may help anybody just starting. I think the more of us put some first thoughts to paper the closer we are to getting an "epic manual of how to start" going.

Brian W.

ps. I hope RR. watches.

yes I will let ralph ( R&R) know of this .... but you are not listing to me .. GET FS COMM..... ron..

[Bob Reed]

Hi Ron.. Well I have a problem with FSComm. Number 1 is I don't like the idea of more software getting involved. Number 2 I still have to program. This means I have to learn a new way to program.. Nope took me far too long to learn what I have with EPIC EPL I am not starting from scratch. I have got EPIC to do anything I want so far with the way I am doing it. Number 3 price. I need to save money anyplace I can on this project. Now you have my reasons.... I will look at it to see how it works at some point but I have my doubts I will use it.

[Ray]

Myself being a purist, I tend to lean towards simplicity.

To my knowledge, Peter Dowson still supports EPICINFO.. but only in parallel with major FS releases... Even so, I've never had any trouble getting EPICINFO to talk to virtually any "bit" in FSUIPC via EPIC.

Since you still need to learn some EPIC programming to use FSCOMM, you may as well go the extra 10 yards and learn it completely. I have never been a fan of additional layered software on top of an embedded system. The sole reason being if you encounter a problem, the more layers you add, the more complex your troubleshooting process will need to be and the more chances that something 'else' could be wrong. If you are just using EPIC, then it's a bug in your code.. period. You will encounter bugs in code regardless of what language/software you are using.

I'm not saying that FSCOMM isn't valuable or doesn't have a niche' market in the sim world, I'm only stating that if you know how to program switches and displays in EPIC, you have 90% of the EPIC battle won (No pun intended). EPICINFO is much easier to use than most would have us believe.... Since I've learned to use it effectively, I've not had any use to program joystick buttons or even go through the FS9.CFG file for anything. It all goes through EPIC.