Totally lost with outputs card

[Steve A]

Hello sioc experts, I recently got a usb outputs card so i can power a few annunciators on the overhead. I'm sure im not doing something right but i cant work out what.
I use fs9 and pmdg737 and have fsuipc v3.98, i already have opencockpits efis and mcp working great with 2 sioc.exe running. Markusr kindly sent me a very good script for 1 outputs card.
This is as far as i have got. I dont know how to convert this txt file into a sioc script and then into the exe that starts everything up like with the efis and mcp.
I have no computer skills or programming skills and feel a bit stupid.

Can anyone give me a walk through in laymans terms or even take my whole sioc folder and sort it into a working file.

Please help me light up my overhead :)

Regards steve

[Steve A]

As an after thought i do have leds lighting through the test outputs file that i downloaded from opencockpits.

[737NUT]

SIOC will convert it automatically, just change the entry in the sioc.INI file to show the path to your new text file. Start SIOC and it compiles it. Do you have the output set-up as a master card in the sioc.ini file?

[Steve A]

This is where i fall down, which sioc.INI file, will i have 2 as i run 2 programs, 1 each for theefis and mcp, I really dont know what im doing and no matter how much i read the documentation for the outputs card or the other hardware i have nothing is sinking in.

[Steve A]

I have the script compiled now but i still dont know how to then run it like the other 2 (exe) ?
If i posted my 3 seperate scripts could someone take a look at them and see if they could be merged to run together.

[MortenHa]

Hi Steve A!
If I understand you correct Steve, you already have two instances of SIOC.EXE running on one machine?

If so, this is not a very efficient way to use SIOC. And you should merge your two existing script, pluss the new one for driving your announcitators into one script, running on one instance of SIOC.EXE.

I understand that your computer skills are limited, so I'll walk you through one possible way of solving this. But first I want to make sure I understand what your setup looks like:

SIOC.EXE only supports running one script at a time. Which means you must have two instances of SIOC running, installed in different folders, or in different drives? Pleae confirm?

[MortenHa]

While I wait. I 'll give you the procedure on how to merge three scripts into one:

1. Locate the path and name of the three scripts you want to compile into one script.

Example:

C:\SIOC\Script_1.txt
C:\SIOC\Script_2.txt
C:\SIOC\Script_3.txt

If you don't have the text files, only the compiled files (last name SSI). You need to do an "Export to TXT" in config_sioc.exe. If you don't know how I'll help you.

2. Start config_sioc.exe and prepare for a group compile

Look for Group on the menu and click on the files menuitem. Then type in the path and name of the files you wish to compile in the newly opened text window.

Example as above:

C:\SIOC\Script_1.txt
C:\SIOC\Script_2.txt
C:\SIOC\Script_3.txt

Close the window.

3. Do a group compile

Under the Group menu, click Run. You will be prompted for a name for the compiled file (the SSI file).
And you're done!

Now the three script text files has been merged into one compiled SIOC script!!

[Steve A]

Hi Morton, thanks for this help. I do have 2 seperate sioc.exe running it seems, It might be because i purchased the o/c modules over time and just followed the install manual for each, plus they always worked fine, but i would much prefer to just click one start up program for all 3 scripts.
I do have the scripts in txt files so i shall go upto the sim computer now and try and follow the instructions .

Thanks again.

[Steve A]

Great instructions, i have managed to compile my 3 scripts into 1 and now i am trying to get that to run when i start sioc.exe.

Thanks again for your help.

[Steve A]

I managed to get it running by changing the path in the sioc.ini
Now i just need to assign each piece of hardware correctly i think ( the mcp,efis and outputs card ) any help with this would be appreciated :)

[Steve A]

I merged the scripts and it seemed to work ok and altered the sioc.ini line so the path was correct for the sioc.exe. Nothing worked, the mcp and efis went dead and the usb outputs card failed to work.
So i have reverted to the 2 sioc.exe that start up my mcp and efis and again they work flawlessly, so im back to square one, a usb outputs board not doing anything.
I have 2 files downloaded from open cockpits, the mcp file and the efis file, i think this is why i have 2 sioc.exe. These are on my desktop and the 2 modules are started from here.In each of these folders are the sioc.exe for each module and a seperate sioc.ini for each too.
I also have downloaded the sioc installer from o/c which installs into c:/program files/iocards/sioc and when i open this file there is loads of different files which i dont really understand, in there though is another sioc.exe which i used to run the usb outputs script unsuccessfully, and another sioc.ini.

The more i play around with this the worse it gets and thats why i've gone back to how it was, I'm at my wits end and totally deflated.

I hope someone can understand my ramblings :) :)

Thanks in advance
Steve

[MortenHa]

Hmm!
Strange Steve! Looking at your post nothing seems wrong!

I would recommend to uninstall all instances of SIOC and reinstall one instance of SIOC.

I know that this might feel risky for you to do. You could end up with nothing working and unable to understand the help you're getting. And to be honest, I'm not sure I can help you if you become stuck.

so It's your choice...

If you post your scripts, or send them to me atteched to a PM I could look at them.


I'm at work right now, so I can't advice on possible problems in the SIOC.INI file.

But there are a couple of things you could check. I'll tell you later.


Now i just need to assign each piece of hardware correctly i think ( the mcp,efis and outputs card )

Hmm!
I'm not sure I understand but I sounds like you're saying you need reassign your outputs and inputs numbers. This should be unnecessary if they are work in your original setup (with two sioc.exe running)?
The only script you might need to do something with is the script for outputs

[Steve A]

Thanks so much for trying to help, if i get the time tonight i'll try to pm the scripts across to you, you might be able to see a problem from there.