PMDG 737NG driver for OpenCockpits' CDU B737 released

[Delvos]

Good news for cockpit builders:

Herewith allow themselves OpenCockpits (http://www.opencockpits.com) and me to announce that my driver developed for the OpenCockpits CDU B737 with the Boeing PMDG 737-800/900 is available from tomorrow, 2010/02/17 in the download area of OpenCockpits.

The driver contains, on the one hand, the transference of the keystrokes of the CDU to the FMS of the PMDG 737 as well as an external CDU display which is pulled on the screen of the OpenCockpits CDU. Refused on account of the fact that PMDG still the passing on of a SDK, the announcement part of the PMDG CDU-Panels on one of the connected monitor must be visible, ideally on a part of a monitor which is covered by the MIP or similar. Users of Windows ® 7 can shift the PMDG CDU-Panel also beyond the visible area of the monitor, so that it is virtually invisible. Background for this is that the announcement area of the PMDG CDU-Panels must be handed over as a Screenshot to the external CDU display.

With this driver which is rather simply to be furnished arise new possibilities to pursue an inexpensive hardware CDU with the PMDG 737-NG!

Prospective customers can also download the manuals to find out about the prerau's settlements for OpenCockpits CDU with the PMDG 737-NG and afterwards to make a purchase decision: http://www.b737sim.de/downloads/ pmdg737drvger.pdf (German manual) or http://www.b737sim.de/downloads/pmdg737drv.pdf (English manual).

Best regards,

Michael Delvos

[Anderson/SBSP]

Very good News Michael!! Thanks for yor work.

[bagarie]

That's a fantastic newssss.......

Many thanks Delvos.

Arnaldo

[aweiss09]

Great, Michael,

since this driver will protect my investment in the Opencockpits CDU as well as it will keep my Homepit as simple as needed - no need for Glass cockpit software in the near future ;-)

I am convinced many bedroom pilots will welcome this driver as well.

Thanks again!

Alex

[bagarie]

Hi Michael,

Just a small question to understand:

what about the EXE light from the PMDG_CDU? It works on the OC_CDU also?

Thanks
Arnaldo

[Delvos]

Hi Arnaldo,

no that is currently not supported, because the EXEC light as well as the DSPYFAIL and MSG lights are not supported by the built-in electronic of this CDU. In OpenCockpit's manual there is a description on how to fit the CDU with those led's but: you need other electronic boards (e.g. usb output card) to light them, and you also need the led states from the PMDG software; that is the problem because PMDG did not offer an SDK how to gain this information:-( I'm very very sorry for that, but in my test flights, i didn't miss the EXEC light because i already know hen i have to press the EXEC key:-)

But, let me tell you, i'm still looking for a way to find a solution for this!

Regards,

[bagarie]

Hi Michael,

thanks for the answer and as I wrote on my previous message, thanks for your work.

About my question it's just to be sure, because I know that PMDG don't released any SDK.
No problem I also know when I need to press the EXEC button on the CDU.

Thanks
Arnaldo

[stanhargs]

Hi Michael,
I really hope you are viewing this thread occasionally as you are my last hope! I have the Opencockpits CDU and use PMDG, and your FMC driver seemed to be the answer to my prayer to get the CDU to work properly under the 737 PMDG software.
However, I have spent many days trying to get the OC CDU screen to display the FMC image. I successfully have the FMC keys working by adding the 4 lines of SIOC script, and that's all fine.
The problem is that when I start up FS2004, the PMDG splash screen appears at the x/y location 0,0 as per the instructions - I have to immediately grab the screen so the border appears and then drag it to the OC CDU screen - the splash screen stays in the CDU screen until FS starts up fully at which point the splash screen minimises leaving nothing in the CDU window. As I said, in this state the FMC keys works correctly and so that part is fine.
If I do not 'grab' the splash screen during the startup phase of FS then it just minimises on the main panel and leaves a small blue, draggable dialogue box in the bottom left hand corner. I can click the dialogue box and it opens up a box with options like restore/maximise/minimise/close and if I hit maximise the PMDG driver FMC splash screen flashes up briefly and immediately minimises.
What I also notice is that if I save my aircraft flight after start u when I have managed to successfully drag the PMDG Driver splash screen to the OC CDU display then the new position has not been written to the .ini file in the aircraft folder.
As I said, Michael I have read and r-read the instructions over and over again and everything seems correct but I still can't get the image to appear in the CDU screen beyond the splash screen at start up.
I initially thought the .ini file may be write protected, but I've checked that and it seems writeable?
I'm using XP with Service pack 3 and am totally familiar with SIOC and am a computer engineer, so please be as technical as you like if you think you know what's happening!
I hope you can help,
regards,
Neale

[Delvos]

Hi Neale,

pls. try the following steps:


remove or better remark the gauge entry in your panel.cfg file in order to avoid the gauge from being loaded next time
load your PMDG 737
open PMDG's CDU panel and move it to rightmost position on FS' main window
now create a flight
close flight simulator
re-enter the gauge entry in your panel.cfg file as described in the manual
make sure oc73pcdu.ini is at the same state as described in the manual
start FS2004
load the flight you have previously created


Do not grab the splash screen during the load process, wait until it is finished!
OC splash - later CDU - screen should reside at the top left corner of your main display. When the load process is finished, grab the OC CDU screen and move it to your OC CDU display.

Pls. report what happens.

How many monitors/displays are connected to your machine?

Regards, Michael

[stanhargs]

Hi Michael, many thanks for taking time out to help me.
I tried your suggestions 2 or 3 times with always the same results.
When I load up the PMDG CDU is now positioned at the right side of the main FS screen as per your instructions and when the FS finishes loading the OC CDU splash screen is positioned as you say at x/y 0,0 in th top left corner. NOte FS is automatically in a 'paused' state at this point. I can then select the OC CDU splash screen, the border appears and I can move it quite happily to the OC CDU small display where it sits perfectly positioned.
So all looks good until I un-pause the simulator at which point the PMDG CDU is populated with its opening data and the OC CDU splash screen minimises and sets up the small dialogue box in the left hand corner of the main FS screen.
I've tried closing down and re-opening the PMDG CDU as per the manual but the OC CDU screen never populates with anything.
To keep things smple at this stage I'm using a single main FS screen and the second video channel of the same graphics card is driving the OC CDU screen at 800 by 600, 16 bit colour. The CDU screen is working as it should as I can quite happily move other panels such as EICAS etc onto it and thy appear in full colour.
I did wonder if it's something to do with the .ini file as after I move the OC CDU splash screen this should be re-populated with the new x,y coords? At the moment they always seem to stay at the 0,0 defaults? I've checked that the .ini file is not read only.
I'm running XP with Service Pack 3 and wondering whether to move over to Windows 7 and try that?
thanks again, and any more thoughts extremely welcome - I'm so close!!
regards,
Neale

[Delvos]

Hi Neale,

this is a very strange behaviour; i've never heard of that before:-) OK, let's do the following:


re-initialize the .ini file, so that the position is 0,0
start FS, load your flight and attach a screenshot of the whole desktop to an email
move the CDU window to OC CDU display and attach another screenshot to the email
un-pause your fs and attach one more screenshot to the email
close fs
attach oc73pcdu.ini to the email
send this email to the following address: webmaster@cea-va.de


Do you run FS9 or FS9.1?

Regards, Michael

[Delvos]

Hello Neale,

i've taken a look at the screenshots and the .ini file.. The .ini file seems to be the problem: it must not be located in the PMDG aircraft folder! There is another PMDG folder, located directly under FS' root folder; e.g. 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\FS9\PMDG' - this is the correct location...

Check this out and tell me...

Regards, Michael

[stanhargs]

Michael,
I've sent screenshots and my .ini file to you as requested,
many thanks,
Neale

[stanhargs]

All,
Michael very quickly sorted out my problem, and if you read the thread, the problem was my own stupidity in making an assumption upon reading the OC CDU manual. Just in case anybody ever has a similar problem, the manual refers to placing the ocpmdu.ini file in the PMDG aircraft folder - the mistake I made was 'assuming' this was the \FS9\Aircraft\PMDG700 (or 800/900 etc) sub-folder. It actually says it clearly in the manual to put it in the \FS9\PMDG folder - so it was my fault and Michael expertly sorted this out. I spent three days trying all kinds of other things, so if you ever see this with your own setup hopefully you'll read this!
So I'm all fixed and the OC CDU is excellent. My next task, as PMDG has to run in the un-docked, non full screen mode to run the CDU, is to try to get the outside visuals in full screen to make best use of the hardware acceleration on the PC - I've thought of running the external visuals through another linked PC via WideView or FSExpand but not sure if the update rate might make the external view 'lag' behing the instruments - if anybody has any suggestions please let me know,
Once again, thanks to Michael,
Neale

[stanhargs]

Michael,
Is there any way the PMDG OC CDU driver you developed can be used in Full Screen mode? In windowed mode all my undocked PMDG panels on the MIP are displayed with blue borders and also the graphics do not make best use of the hardware acceleration from the graphics cards.
Am I doing something wrong or does your CDU driver have to always stay in Windowed mode?
regards again,
Neale