Flight sim one click auto start

[luk737]

Good day all,
Is there any software that alows you to turn on all your systems, screans and software with one click such as one powerbar where all computer plugs are pluged into. Other then the auto start in windows. Just starting out and planning as much as possible. Would be a long time to adjust all screans and all set ups before flying.

thanks all.
luke =)

[Paul G]

Hello,

This would certainly do the trick:
http://www.phidgets.com/products.php?product_id=3051

However you have to be careful of the load as the relay is limited to 10 Amps max, dependent on your voltage. I bought a workshop power bar for doing exactly what you want, except the software to control it is finger-ware, i.e. my finger.

Again you have to be careful not to overload the power bar so having the meatiest one possible, and having plenty of low consumption devices mixed with higher ones, helps. It's good to know that when it's off, everything's off. Almost no chance of fire or something dying without me knowing about it (is the theory).

Instead of what you propose, how about having two power bars. One is for boring stuff that you just need to switch on and off, e.g. USB hub power supplies. The other you plug in all your aircraft systems, e.g. monitors, hubs that control vital things like joysticks etc. Then use a phidget board to not only control the power but link it somehow to the battery switch of the aircraft. Nice in theory but you need to be able to start up your flight simulator so you probably don't want this monitor to be your main one.

Hope there's some ideas here you can use.

paul

[Rodney]

Luke,
While what you are asking may be possible, I wouldn't do it (everything in one press). I currently have 3 computers for my pit. 1 main FS, 1 PFD, 1 ECAIS. The latter 2 power up to the Project Magenta programs after the power is switched on with no input from me. Used a batch program and put it in the startup folder. You could also do that for the FS computer if that is the only program you are running on it, but if you need to start others and you are in fullscreen mode, or they are required to start after FS, then you would need to figure that out. Flight Deck Solutions has a multi power panel you could use or design your own using the wires for the computer power buttons attached to toggles in a panel. it works well and you could go as far as to wire up the reset button also. Another possible option is the Wake-On-Lan capability that your NIC's may have. Fire up your main computer and have a batch program run and tell the other computers to start through their NIC's.

That is a couple of things I know, hopefully someone else knows more and better ways to do it.

[luk737]

thanks for the quick replies. =) as i have not build the sim i cant really test it but my idea is it to get it working so that i press just the power ons on the computers or one press through the powerbar to get it working. I am searching online for better start up software that saves anything you have at its current location. thus making it easier to save the screans in fs and PM and other software such as vatsim and or instructor stations. the power supplying for the coms, overhead etc will also have their own external bats with their own power units. so perhaps 3 or 4 finger presses. I want to be able to use the least amount of mouse clicks possible. i want to build a training device for flight training. 737. so it would be perfect to be able to do that. i heard about fs start a program a couple of years back. How long does it take YOU builders to go from power on to flying? and what do you use. your input would be greatly appreciate it. what works for you?

Thanks again everyone

luke

[fweinrebe]

Will you be using FSPUIC / WideServer or Simconnect? If you use FSPUIC together with WideServer, then you can add programs to start on the 'client' pc's in the configuration files of WideClient.

[AndyT]

If I made as much as I could to be automated, then I could just turn on 3 or 4 power bars and everything would come up on its own. With FS in the Start folder and a couple of other things, it would take maybe 3 or 4 mins to get it all up and running and ready to go from cold and dark.

Then if you save your setup in Windowed mode, it will save all your cockpit settings and you can have it open up your sim cold and dark. Just like a real plane.

[Matt Olieman]

Doesn't FlightDeckSolutions have something to turn on all computers from inside the cockpit? A panel they made?

Matt Olieman

[magicaldr]

Doesn't FlightDeckSolutions have something to turn on all computers from inside the cockpit? A panel they made?

Matt Olieman

I think it was a demo panel to showcase their panel build quality rather than a production item. I just hunted for it, and cant find it on the site.

As an idea though, the PC is a low voltage switch to power on, and intelligent power strips exist that would bring up the peripherals with the PC like the monitor. As such you could add buttons for your PC to you panel (off the motherboard), and have all the auxiliary stuff come on with the PC's via intelligent power strips. Not 1 click its true, but an option?

Also lets you power down from inside the cockpit.

[sas550]

Hi! I have six pc's runnin to drive my pit. One FS, four for PM, and one more for Squawkbox, Active sky and Navigraph.

I took an old FS TQ and used the front panel switch row with six switches. Connected each switch to the power switch wires (wires from the chassi's power switch to the motherboard) inside the chassi.

I have my pit one stair down so I often make my flightplanning in my "office" upstairs and when I'm done a little prog called PowerState to start my pit pc's with via Wake On Lan. Once configured you only have to mark all the pc's you like to start and click once.

At the moment there seem to be some probs at the Powerstate homepage but here's a link to WOL wiki page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wake-on-LAN There are several similar proggs.

I have put the wideclient.exe in the autostart folder on each pc except for the FS pc. When I start fs everything on my five other computer starts in the exact order. Nice and handy.

WideFs is a very very powerful application (Tnx PD).

[HansJansen]

I think it was a demo panel to showcase their panel build quality rather than a production item. I just hunted for it, and cant find it on the site.

As an idea though, the PC is a low voltage switch to power on, and intelligent power strips exist that would bring up the peripherals with the PC like the monitor. As such you could add buttons for your PC to you panel (off the motherboard), and have all the auxiliary stuff come on with the PC's via intelligent power strips. Not 1 click its true, but an option?

Also lets you power down from inside the cockpit.

Wouldn't this be a perfect solution when implemented on the overhead circuit breaker panel? At last not only dummies up there!

[Michael Carter]

Haven't seen you around in awhile Hans. Great to see you back. :wink:

[brianwilliamson]

Luke, go into the bios in each computer and make sure you turn on ....resume after power failure (or it could be AC Back function ON, or something similar) This so that if you have a power failure at the Mains, when the power resumes, then the computer will come back online.
Then plug all your computers into one power point. Having done that, all you need to do is turn on the one power point to fire up all computers.
You then need to go to each computer's PROGRAMS/STARTUP/OPEN/FILE/NEW/SHORTCUT/BROWSE and find the .exe you need to run when the computer starts so that it will start any program of your choice at boot up.
I always start WideClient from there and then wideclient can start any other programs you wish as well as shut them down. You need to read Peter Dowson's WIDEFS TECHNICAL REFERENCES, to do all that.
Hope this helps.....................Brian W.

[NicD]

Ours works the same as Brian's - flick one power switch, 6 computers start, FS auto starts, wdieclients on other PCs then start all the related applications. 3 minutes from flick-of-switch to full flying condition.