MobiFlight Community Support

I have started the move to P3D V4 and with that need a new interface between P3D and my Arduino cards. At present each of my 9 Arduino cards have my own custom code on them and are interfaces to P3D V3 via an old freeware app that is no longer supported and does not interface with P3D V4. So, I am trying to determine how much of the functionality that presently have coded might be replicated by the Mobiflight App. I'm hoping you can look at a few of the things I am doing, listed below, and tell me if I will be able to do similar via Mobiflight.

1. Is it possible to trigger events based on user selectable threshold values? For example, at present I monitor the master bus and avionics bus voltage in P3DV3 and shut down the affected systems if the voltages drop below the values I have entered. This produces accurate/realistic functionality based on both switch position and bus voltage.

2. Can I drive a dc motor controller via Mobiflight? I have the static vents in my fuselage connected to a blower motor that is controlled by an Arduino with a Pololu motor controller. The Arduino reads the prop RPM and air speed and adjusts the blower motor speed to produce realistic air flow through the vents.

3.I have two annunciator panels in my build. One is a traditional LED based annunciator. The other is an LCD based annunciator that provides both alarms and analog readings of bus voltage, oil temp/pressure, fuel levels, etc. Both are connected to a momentary test switch that illuminates all LEDs and all LCD segments when pressed. I assume from what I've read the LED based panel is simple to do but what about the LCD based panel and the test swtich.

4. Quite some time back I asked about L:Var support and was told it was not available. Since then though it appears some users have developed a way to accomplish it using user offsets and some LUA scripts. That's a huge step in the right direction and gets me over a major hurtle for my build since it is based on A2A aircraft. My question though is whether such functionality might be on the drawing board for future development? Given the poularity of add on aircraft like A2A, PMDG, Majestic, etc. why not have native L:Var support in Mobiflight?

I just downloaded the latest version of Mobiflight and will be starting to experiment with it over the next several weeks. I look forward to feedback on the above.

Thanks!
Tom G.

Hi Tom

First:
Do your old software work directly with P3D (Internal) or does it work over FSUIPC ??
Note Pete Dowson relase a new Version of FSUIPC (v.5) that is specialy for P3Dv4 .
Maby you should download this and check if your old software still work....
Mobiflight for exemple change nothing itself but can work with P3Dv4 if new FSUIPC is on the system !

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To your Questions,

1. You can define the function of a active INPUT or a OUTPUT with precondition of a existing Readout Value....
so. You can for example say.... You Monitor the voltage of something.... If Voltage is for example below xx,xx then a pushed Button should do Action A .... If Voltage is more then xx.xx then the same button should do Action B if you push it.
You can also define a Output like this..... If Voltage is xx.xx then LED1 should light up ...... If voltage is yy.yy then LED 2 should light up.

BUT What you NOT can do is... Sending a command (without a button push by yourself) only in case of a Precondition.
For exampel You NOT can say " Monitor Offset of Flaps.... Always when Flaps >=15 send command "Gear Down" to the Simulator.
Summery... You can controll devices like Motors LED and so on via a monitoring Value..... But you can NOT trigger a command into the sim WITHOUT a personal Button Push !



2. You can only controll direct a Stepper Motor or a Servo Motor..... Steppers need the ULN2003 Driverboard. We got a simmular question some days ago with the Vents....
I would say.... This is not posible with current technic..... Maby you can Rebuild this with Relais !

3. LED Support and Testswitch should work. LCD Suport is in final testing and is supoorted in some weeks i think.
But LCD Support is not so free like a self written programm.... You can use for example 4 different Values for the LCD same time. Maby this is enough for you.

4. I don´t think so.....
Mobiflight communicate with the SIM via FSUIPC. L:Var is different. To support this Mobiflight need to change the hole logic and need to communicate with the Sim itself.
Questeion is..... Is it profitabel to change mobiflight even 90% of AddOn Aircrafts work with FSUIPC ?
I would say YES.... BUT not now. This is a target for maby a Mobiflight V2. Changing the basic logic is verry difficult when the Programm should work with old configs and for all users after this patch..... But as i said... In a "NEW" Mobiflight follower Software we should rethink the FSUIPC System and maby work with a direct communication !

The software I was using was interfacing with P3D via SimConnect but also had an expert user interface that connected to FSUIPC so I could read and write to offsets. Unfortunately the developer chose to discontinue support a little over a year ago and the app won't work with P3D V4.

It sounds like I might be able to use MobiFlight for a subset of my functions but I will still need to look for other interface solutions for the more customized functions.
I hope you will take scenarios like mine into consideration as you continue to develop MobiFlight. It looks like a great product that many will be able to take advantage of.

I will continue to watch its development with great interest and will be doing some bench testing with it as it progresses.

Thanks!
Tom G.

Hi again, Tom.

I see it like you....

Mobiflight is a tool for beginners and semi Pros to build a Homecockpit that work maby to 80-90% Realistic.
To get a 100% perfect solution we all need to self write a individual code as we need it.

But i think there is a big group of users between this two parts.... People they don´t want to learn a programm language complete but get enough experience to work with a verry advanced Software ( Much more advanced like Mobiflight at the moment) ..... People they not need a 100% Perfect solution but they want more individual stuff like posible with mobiflight at the moment.

The big Problem is. ( We talk about this lots of times in the german section) ....
How can we impliment more individual tools and features in Mobiflight without making it to complex and difficult for amateur users......
And where is the Limit ???
If you implement all the tools you can also have with a own written script, then the Manual to checkout Mobiflight is bigger and more difficult like learning the Language C++ itself !

Our planings for the feature is the follow....
-Give more instruments to do advanced stuff ( Like monitor a Switch position for Precondition..... Or comparing a monitored Value in dependenced of a other Value...)
-Maby a more deeper IF Else Structure
- Maby a way to use more then 1 Offset Value for a Expression calculation..... Like "IF Offset1 + Offset2 != Offset3 THEN.... "
At last we think about a better integration for LUA.....
With LUA you can write simple code fragments that do all what with mobiflight is not posible....
So we think for a Mobiflight internal tool to Start and Stop those scripts via Buttons.

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Finaly i understand Mobiflight is not perfect for you in the current Version..... But maby we can welcome you in the future.
Additional.... Please Help us. If you got Ideas ore something to say..... Use this board..... We are happy for every input we get to make Mobiflight better !