Fmc

[garyk007]

Ok so If I order a Hispapanels FMC with the key switches, and then order a keyboard encoder card and the PCB from Marius and a 5inch lcd screen, I will Have an FMC.

The question is how do I get it to work.

I got the pricelist from Project Magenta and almost fell off my seat.

So without PM how do i get the FMC to work?
I do have PMDG but I am confused as to how to get a second PC to display just the FMC screen through the VGA or TV out?

I have ordered Open Cockpits IO cards and have downloaded the software.
Does this support a FMC?

I have read the available docs and have no clue as to how to get any of their ON 737 software to work.

Any advice?

[Bob Reed]

I hate to tell you this, but without PM I am afraid your options are very limited. Not saying it can not be done but... It will not be easy!

[paulj]

Gary,
Couple of things,
Bob is correct without PM software you may find this a bit hard.
Gwyn may be able to advise you on using PMDG as I'm not too sure if you can just drag the cdu screen onto another monitor. If so you may be able to just do that and use the Open Cockpit's keyboard encoder as a second keyboard on your pc.
With the ON 737 software from Open Cockpits again it's been awhile since I looked at it but last time I looked it appeared as though it was having problem working with FS9 and people where having better luck using X-plane.
With regard of the software that is used with the IOcards this is used to configure the inputs and outputs of the card together with your switches etc and not aimed at a particular piece of equipment.
Some clever people are able to use the Open Cockpit's SIOC software to program various parts of the aircraft's systems.

Paul

[Westozy]

Ok so If I order a Hispapanels FMC with the key switches, and then order a keyboard encoder card and the PCB from Marius and a 5inch lcd screen, I will Have an FMC.

The question is how do I get it to work.

I got the pricelist from Project Magenta and almost fell off my seat.

So without PM how do i get the FMC to work?
I do have PMDG but I am confused as to how to get a second PC to display just the FMC screen through the VGA or TV out?

I have ordered Open Cockpits IO cards and have downloaded the software.
Does this support a FMC?



I have read the available docs and have no clue as to how to get any of their ON 737 software to work.

Any advice?

Hi Gary, as Paul said, I use PMDG on a multi monitor PC. See http://aerosimsolutions.googlepages.com/pcconfiguration

I have an additional monitor displaying the same feed that goes to the projector, (outside view) and have a button to pop up the FMC on this. It's easy to position additional windows like this and having the side monitor makes them readable. The forward view through the "windshield" is a narrow slot about 10" high and only reveals about a 1/3 of what the projector displays. FMC/Radio & TQ windows are usually only required breifly so this works pretty good. As far as physical hardware operating the PMDG FMC, I don't know if that is possible. It is possible to switch the FMC to accept direct keystrokes but I don't know if you can interface the "Next page", "Route" buttons etc. Does anybody else know the answer to that one? A faster video card and Matrox Triplehead2go is my future, my Matrox Parhelia triple head card works well but it only has 128mg onboard ram so framerates aren't as good as I would like. No PM problems for me!!!

Gwyn

[Bob Reed]

Hi Gary, as Paul said, I use PMDG on a multi monitor PC. See http://aerosimsolutions.googlepages.com/pcconfiguration

I have an additional monitor displaying the same feed that goes to the projector, (outside view) and have a button to pop up the FMC on this. It's easy to position additional windows like this and having the side monitor makes them readable. The forward view through the "windshield" is a narrow slot about 10" high and only reveals about a 1/3 of what the projector displays. FMC/Radio & TQ windows are usually only required breifly so this works pretty good. As far as physical hardware operating the PMDG FMC, I don't know if that is possible. It is possible to switch the FMC to accept direct keystrokes but I don't know if you can interface the "Next page", "Route" buttons etc. Does anybody else know the answer to that one? A faster video card and Matrox Triplehead2go is my future, my Matrox Parhelia triple head card works well but it only has 128mg onboard ram so framerates aren't as good as I would like. No PM problems for me!!!

Gwyn

Well this is what I mean. I think there are some real problems and you may have hit the end of what can be done. Maybe if you buy the 1300.00 Engravity FMC and the $100.00 PMDG add on it may work. Again I am shooting from the cuff here..... Need someone to jump in that knows better.

[garyk007]

Well if I took the plunge and bought the 900 euro FMC from engavity, then yes I dont have to assemble the fmc myself, and it just plugs into the usb port.
It obviously comes with drivers etc but does it come with some sort of FMC software?

I will pop them an email and let you all know.

I find it hard to believe that PM is the only solution out there for the thousands of cockpit builders, airbus or boeing or whatever.
Does averyone spent that amount of money?

Its just software after all.

[Westozy]

The Engravity FMC will operate PMDG but it's pricey. The PMDG fmc and TCAS knob is the only things I need the mouse to operate, it all depends on what limits you set on your own spending!

Gwyn

[mpl330]

Hi,

What about using Key2Mouse - think the idea is that pressing a key maps directly to a mouse click on a specific position on the screen. Pop the FMC onto the screen (hopefully this will be the same position every time) and then the key presses act as though you are clicking with the mouse on the area that the FMC keys are drawn, I think this is the way Ian did it - see http://www.737ng.co.uk/opencockpits.htm

Cheers
Mike

[dnoize]

Well if I took the plunge and bought the 900 euro FMC from engavity, then yes I dont have to assemble the fmc myself, and it just plugs into the usb port.
It obviously comes with drivers etc but does it come with some sort of FMC software?

I will pop them an email and let you all know.

I find it hard to believe that PM is the only solution out there for the thousands of cockpit builders, airbus or boeing or whatever.
Does averyone spent that amount of money?

Its just software after all.

The Engravity CDU doesnt come with fms software itself but is driven by 3rd party software like the pmdg fmc, the level-d fmc or project magenta.

At the moment PM is the only solution to use with homemade/keyboard emulating hardware.

If you go the 767 route you could try the level-d 767 which is very well interfaceable with fsuipc and the fsconv software from nico kaan.

There are some groups of programmers working on an alternative for pm (like www.cockpitware.com), but they dont have a working fmc yet. Its not that hard to make a working pfd/nd, but its a alot of work to make a fully functional fmc.

In regard to the PM software, sure, its a lot of money, but dont forget there is 4 people working full time on it....they dont sell 100.000 copies like the aircraft add-on companies do (i think PM has a 5000 user base over 5 years, many of whom bought the software for a bargain in the past), but yet PM has to make a living out of it. Over the total amount people spend on a flightdeck, PM is just a fraction.

But there are great builders out there going an other route, like Gwyn and Ian Sissons in the UK.

Ofcourse i would just as well like to sell you one of our cdu's, but just pointing you to alternatives here.

Stef