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Hello folks,

Just to inform you that I'm working on a INS system integration on the Captain SIM 727. Both on 2D panel and Virtual Cockpit (VC with limitation). Please find bellow the work in progress. I'll be able to do the same on the 707 future addon.

Hope that one day CS will use that gauge by default in their addons. FlightSim Labs did it on the Concorde X.

The INS gauges used are from SimFly (freeware). And must be installed before installing my mod.

enjoy

/Xavier

Any idea when it will be available?

JeffG

it is done already. I just now need to test the installer and test some other feature.

That will be available for download in few days (just for the -100 version) and then for the other version.

All the best

Excellent initiative this! The lack of this device was almost reason not to purchase the 727.

I can't wait for more news on this development.

Cheers,
CaptH :)

Hope the installation is idiot proof for us idiots :). Looks great.

Looking foward to the INS intergration.

JeffG

This is awesome! thanks so much Xavier. Can't wait for this �:)

May I please ask if we can expect this to happen?
I've read somewhere that the CS727 uses a custom AP logic and the Civa INS won't work on it.

Don't worry, the Civa INS work on the CS727.

Now all is done.

The patch will be soon available

All the best

Back to my thread earlier where will you post this add-on?

JeffG

I'm in the UK for business and I'll publish the addon when I'll be back

All the best

Thanks very much and am looking forward to trying this out.

Yes, I have it integrated on DF in FS9 and love it, so I'm
very anxious to have it work on the bird I much prefer to
fly :) �

Thanks so much!

Jack

While waiting to get this panel integration I went ahead and
set up the INS just using a Window 0 type approach, so its
just using the icon's to pop things up, did this just to see how
things worked...

Works great, just select the heading switch in the AP and toggle on
one of two INS and it worked great. Used dual DME updates on my
flight from KSNA-KPDX and had dead-on precision the whole trip.

Am anxious to get the panel patch so its integrated, oh and it would
be really nice to have this in the 707 out of the box guys! (hint)

Cheers,

Jack

Hello,

I'm back from UK and now I'll be able to continue the work on this.

Right now, the INS work fine but I'm searching a way about the VC integration. Right now, on the vc it's just a texture and I don't think that I'll be able to add this (clickable) on the VC without a help from CS. They must add some "Dummy" XTexture that will allow user to add some panel on the VC like the INS.

I'll back to you soon with the first version for only the 100 model.

2D Panels with texture on the VC

Jack Vogel wrote on Jul 16^th, 2010 at 6:20pm:

Jack,

Would you please share your panel.cfg? I'd like to try this mod....thanks!

Yes, One thing to do and I'll make a first version for download.

I added some function to the CS Autopilote panel for interaction with the INS.

All the best

Does your textures in the VC actually update and
display current data, that would be nice, I can live
without the clickable thing, but just being able to
watch them waypoints change without a 2D popup
would be nice.

Cheers, looking for the download :)

This mod will be available this monday

All the best

Great news :)

Appreciating your work

Can't wait till tomorrow!!! ;D
I'll finally get to fly it all the way through Colombia properly without bothering about mountains maybe?

Aerosucre and Aerolineas Suramericanas here we come!!!

JJ

Available :

http://www.avionic-online.com/download/CS/CIVA-CS_B727-100.zip

Please read the instruction read me before.

Enjoy !

Awesome! Thanks. I will test today and give some feedback if you don't mind.

Could you give a short description of the exact changes that have to be made in the panel cfg?
Can't compare line by line, just saw two new windows and a changed one for the AP.
Just asking because the adaption to the -200 model would be fine too and maybe can be done by each user.

Again, thanks for your work.

Update after installing on the -100
Looking pretty good, installation went flawless and all units align well. Did I miss the ADEU unit or is it not implemented now?

I've manually added the ADEU unit to INS1 - should fit when INS2 is in remote mode - seems to work so far.
I've also added the icon for the ADEU
See my screenshot
http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/1772/testingp.th.jpg

Next wish: "update indicators gauge" visible

Will try your stuff on the -200 model too, should work in my understanding of things (which is very basic �:-/)

Thanks from me too!
But something doesn't work. I only see the gauges as bitmaps; no clickable points or areas. I installed the CIVA before this already because I use the ConcordeX and the simcheck-airbus; so it was just there. But this can't be the reason for it, can it? Perhaps it is only a littel thing I didn't see? :-?

with regards Kai

Yes, Kai, you've missed something, but no problem I think.

Cthulhus told us that he has problems with an updating INS to be shown in the VC, so the only "alive" panel will be the 2D sight of it.
Seems like the FSLabs guys did some massive rework on the gauge itself to show up in their VC and be clickable too.
They also have buttons with effects on it, so far more advanced (just realized it as I saw the CIVA now in its original state).

The SimCheck Airbus doesn't use CIVA INS. Although it looks similar it works completely different and can't be compared to the CIVA (e. g. it uses no ADEU cards, doesn't drift, loads all waypoints instead of only 9, shows waypoint names and some click actions are different too).
They've stated this in their forums too because some people knowing the CIVA already were missing the DME update function and asked for it to be included in an upcoming service pack.

the 727 modification was deleted here and moved into its own thread

Hello,

Thanks guys, you can use and improve my work of course and I'm happy that I'm not alone here to hope that one day CS will offer us an INS VC integration like FS Labs did.

We don't ask CS to make a full INS but just to work with the authors of the CIVA INS gauge.

Thanks to you both, Cthulhus and CoolP, for this mod, which I'll try on my 727-200 FedEx aircraft later this evening. Much appreciated!

I've an update on this.

Cthulhus, you've tried to integrate the CIVA in the VC (clickable and non-static like it's done in the Concorde), I did too.
My approach was on another plane and I had to learn that it works in case of integration but in not in case of function.

More precisely?
Well, the CIVA manual states that only one gauge can be active at one time, meaning, that INS1 can be only displayed once.
If we had integrated the INS1 as a popup panel in 2D and also in 3D to be visible in the VC, it would fail.
I actually did this in my other plane which I used for testing (for your interest: Everything worked fine but the AP of this aircraft does not use the standard functions, so CIVA couldn't connect to it, therefor: no guidance at all via INS).

Looks like you can switch and type into the 2D part but the displays there always fail and only the VC INS unit shows all digits correctly.

So a solution would be to only work in the VC (have to move the camera quite a bit for this) or to only use the 2D popup and a static texture in the VC, which of course is our current state.
Don't know what the guys at FSLabs did to get both units to work at the same time, but as I mentioned before, they surely had more work than just copy&paste.

The VC-only solution with the CIVA INS in the 727 is therefor possible. Integration seems easy and only needs the exact coordinates in the VC texture used for the pedestal and some transparent textures were the INS units should be placed.
The rest is a simply entry in the panel.cfg and the INS comes alive.

I'm no expert, so my main drawback is the graphical coordination and also the exact definition of the INS unit position in the VC. I've looked at your reworked textures but I don't know how to tell the panel.cfg to "draw the CIVA INS here".
On my test aircraft they've used other definitions and so it was easy for me to work there. 727's panel.cfg is more complex in this case.

I myself prefer the 2D popup with those neat buttons to access ADEU and MSU although I'm a TrackIR user. It's easier to work with and the amount of data can be typed in much better than in the somehow always shaking VC.
If somebody wants to work the complete INS system in VC only, he definitely needs TrackIR and/or a camera addon. Could be possible to set up a VC view with the standard functions too, but this won't be a comfortable solution to give precise data entries.

So I'm pretty confident with the current (2D) state and surely will start some long range CIVA flights in the 727 soon.

If your're up to test once more, Cthulhus, maybe we can join our efforts and create some VC-only integration for the guys loving the 727.
As I said before, might only need some coordinates and transparent textures, I think.

Another update:
Working fine on long range operations, integrates in the HDG mode of the standard 727 AP and accepts DME updates with high accuracy too.

I've updated the previous post with the tutorial because I've added some buttons to the subpanels to allow a comfortable close when clicking. Could be useful when only the CDU or ADEU is shown and you don't want to right click "close this window" every time.

I've updated the tutorial with the addition of the simicons buttons to give a quick access to the CDU and ADEU window.

http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/8182/simicons727.th.jpg

For those already running this modification:
Just add the entries for [Window00] (that's the simicon panel) and you'll have backlit buttons there.

Modification moved into its own thread

CAPTAIN SIM FORUM
727 Captain >> 727 Captain >> I'm working on INS integration (available) https://www.captainsim.org/forum/csf.pl?num=1277200750 Message started by Cthulhus on Jun 22^nd, 2010 at 9:59am