Post by CoolP on Oct 12th, 2010 at 4:29am
You definitely described how it works, Mark. If somebody would be up to a manual editing of those files, that would be the way to go.
First, before I might explain further, let me repeat something I've posted in "Civa - The only thread please" (can be found here http://www.captainsim.org/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1285100008)
Quote:
As you see, there's a nice freeware tool out which helps you getting away from the need of editing text files.
The usage here is to load a pre-made flight plan from your favorite tool or the internal flight planner from FSX and then to convert it into those ADEU cards which the Civa ADEU Reader can process later.
To have them read, they have to be saved in the FSX\Civa\ADEU folder, like you outlined above.
(I might add some functional pictures later, with lit buttons)
The Civa's ADEU reader then offers you those files when it's loaded by clicking on the small "slot" of this unit. Just switch through the different file names to make sure you have the right one ready.
You asked yourself, how more than 9 waypoints can be loaded.
Well, easy as switching through the files. The are numbered in ascending order, so if the first few waypoints have been processed and the very last of one ADEU card is active, it's time to load the next card. This "last" isn't always number 9, but usually number 7 when plans are made by this little tool.
This is usually done on one unit while the others are set to "Remote on", which will make sure that they receive the new coordinates altogether.
See this "Remote" as a small data network which enables you to enter data in one unit and to have it copied into all others where "Remote" is set to on.
(I might add some functional pictures later, with lit buttons)
So you would click "Remote" on all units when you are flying from waypoint 6 to waypoint 7.
If all "Remote" lights are lit, you're ready to go and the next step is to choose the correct data card now on the ADEU Reader window. Choose it and click the small red button (the round one on the left side below the slot, reading "AUX START"). The green "Read" light on the lower right comes up for some seconds and extinguishes after successful reading of the new coordinates.
You can now check if all new coordinates were transfered into the units. If so, disable "Remote" and fly those waypoints until the next card change has do be processed.
"Remote" should be off because you might want to go for DME updates in between flying the waypoints and these DME updates are done on one unit alone while the other unit will update on another DME. So they should not share coordinates in this step.
The little plan converter tools sets up different files for you (AWC, ADC, TXT) to help you with some tasks on operating the INS.
First, as we've spoken about, there are those .AWC files. These are the cards we load into the ADEU Reader, they contain the coordinates and the optional names or notes on each set.
As you outlined above, the values after ";" are free to use. The Civa doesn't care about them and the plan converter offers you to make notes on each waypoint which are purely optional of course.
All things the ADEU looks for are the coordinates.
There are some .ADC files made too. (Notice the difference, we spoke about AWC before.)
In short (because it would extend this small explanation otherwise), these files contain your pre planned DME update points together with their coordinates.
You don't necessarily need them as DME updates can be done without. If you're interested in the usage here, check the Civa docs on this item. As said, these ADC files are optional but nice.
The third variation of files made by the plan converter are .TXT files. These are the ones that contain your whole plan, the notes you made, the remarks when to change ADEU cards, waypoint names and distances between waypoints.
These TXT files are a big help and without reading them, you will get lost even before the first ADEU card change because you won't know when and where to change.
Their structure is pretty straightforward, so just open one up after having processed an example flight plan of yours and see four yourself.
So I recommend this little tool (link above) which currently is under BEER-WARE LICENSE ;D (see here: http://darkc.no-ip.org/trac/planconverter/wiki/BeerWare)
It sets up all necessary things, helps you with the notes on the flight plan and suppresses possible errors when entering those long coordinates manually.
A great help.
The question about what to think of this "Situation Save" function of Civa is easy to answer.
If you travel on long routes and your kids begin to wonder if they have a Daddy (because Mummy spoke about one), or your dog has to go outside because otherwise it will "process" its things inside, a panel save function on every plane is more than welcome.
The problem might be that the plane itself features this panel state save but of course does not save the data on the INS units as they are no part of the plane.
So you would have to save their alignment, accuracy state and their currently loaded waypoints too and that's where this function comes in handy and was made for.
If you don't save their state, you would load up your plane later and receive a "fresh" INS, not aligned, not accurate, not in nav mode and without a flight plan.
It will be hard to get them into a valid nav mode when flying.
For details on this, the docs again help.
First, before I might explain further, let me repeat something I've posted in "Civa - The only thread please" (can be found here http://www.captainsim.org/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1285100008)
Quote:
| General Civa items: - The Civa INS on the 707 needs a manual installation of the current (1.51) Civa INS gauge. Get it here http://www.simufly.com/ins/ - To convert a normal FS9/FSX flight plan to one which the Civa ADEU reader can read, you need this tool PlanConverter http://darkc.no-ip.org/trac/planconverter - You need to activate the other panel.cfg file in SimObjects\Airplanes\CS_B707-300\panel to have the Civa gauges integrated. They are currently 2D only! The VC knobs and switches won't do anything. |
As you see, there's a nice freeware tool out which helps you getting away from the need of editing text files.
The usage here is to load a pre-made flight plan from your favorite tool or the internal flight planner from FSX and then to convert it into those ADEU cards which the Civa ADEU Reader can process later.
To have them read, they have to be saved in the FSX\Civa\ADEU folder, like you outlined above.
(I might add some functional pictures later, with lit buttons)
The Civa's ADEU reader then offers you those files when it's loaded by clicking on the small "slot" of this unit. Just switch through the different file names to make sure you have the right one ready.
You asked yourself, how more than 9 waypoints can be loaded.
Well, easy as switching through the files. The are numbered in ascending order, so if the first few waypoints have been processed and the very last of one ADEU card is active, it's time to load the next card. This "last" isn't always number 9, but usually number 7 when plans are made by this little tool.
This is usually done on one unit while the others are set to "Remote on", which will make sure that they receive the new coordinates altogether.
See this "Remote" as a small data network which enables you to enter data in one unit and to have it copied into all others where "Remote" is set to on.
(I might add some functional pictures later, with lit buttons)
So you would click "Remote" on all units when you are flying from waypoint 6 to waypoint 7.
If all "Remote" lights are lit, you're ready to go and the next step is to choose the correct data card now on the ADEU Reader window. Choose it and click the small red button (the round one on the left side below the slot, reading "AUX START"). The green "Read" light on the lower right comes up for some seconds and extinguishes after successful reading of the new coordinates.
You can now check if all new coordinates were transfered into the units. If so, disable "Remote" and fly those waypoints until the next card change has do be processed.
"Remote" should be off because you might want to go for DME updates in between flying the waypoints and these DME updates are done on one unit alone while the other unit will update on another DME. So they should not share coordinates in this step.
The little plan converter tools sets up different files for you (AWC, ADC, TXT) to help you with some tasks on operating the INS.
First, as we've spoken about, there are those .AWC files. These are the cards we load into the ADEU Reader, they contain the coordinates and the optional names or notes on each set.
As you outlined above, the values after ";" are free to use. The Civa doesn't care about them and the plan converter offers you to make notes on each waypoint which are purely optional of course.
All things the ADEU looks for are the coordinates.
There are some .ADC files made too. (Notice the difference, we spoke about AWC before.)
In short (because it would extend this small explanation otherwise), these files contain your pre planned DME update points together with their coordinates.
You don't necessarily need them as DME updates can be done without. If you're interested in the usage here, check the Civa docs on this item. As said, these ADC files are optional but nice.
The third variation of files made by the plan converter are .TXT files. These are the ones that contain your whole plan, the notes you made, the remarks when to change ADEU cards, waypoint names and distances between waypoints.
These TXT files are a big help and without reading them, you will get lost even before the first ADEU card change because you won't know when and where to change.
Their structure is pretty straightforward, so just open one up after having processed an example flight plan of yours and see four yourself.
So I recommend this little tool (link above) which currently is under BEER-WARE LICENSE ;D (see here: http://darkc.no-ip.org/trac/planconverter/wiki/BeerWare)
It sets up all necessary things, helps you with the notes on the flight plan and suppresses possible errors when entering those long coordinates manually.
A great help.
The question about what to think of this "Situation Save" function of Civa is easy to answer.
If you travel on long routes and your kids begin to wonder if they have a Daddy (because Mummy spoke about one), or your dog has to go outside because otherwise it will "process" its things inside, a panel save function on every plane is more than welcome.
The problem might be that the plane itself features this panel state save but of course does not save the data on the INS units as they are no part of the plane.
So you would have to save their alignment, accuracy state and their currently loaded waypoints too and that's where this function comes in handy and was made for.
If you don't save their state, you would load up your plane later and receive a "fresh" INS, not aligned, not accurate, not in nav mode and without a flight plan.
It will be hard to get them into a valid nav mode when flying.
For details on this, the docs again help.