FMS Simulator - Please HELP!

Hi,

Would not know why the dongle of CSM would work with FMS Would not know why using FMS when having CSM which is more realistic for piloting (not for graphics, ok)

Anyway, hereunder a standard text used for answering, meanwhile a new possibility arrise with ppjoy and XP (search in google).

Hi,

A) For Win 95-98-Millennium with FMS, 2 easy possibilities (above all possibilities that are also possible for Win 2000 and XP, see section "B").

1) THROUGH THE PARALLEL-port (LPT1) eventually with a resistor and zenerdiode, see the manual of FMS or some examples on my website which I personally tested figure 7f-fms and others in chapter 7. Or here : (German).

2) THROUGH THE SERIAL-port See the manual of FMS

If you think you're not able to make such a cable, buy eventually one : (German)

B) For Win 2000 and Win XP with FMS, a SIMPLE connection through the parallel-port or serial port is not working, those 2 versions of Windows are handling other protocols on these ports than Win 95-98-Millenium.

Your options then :

1) THROUGH THE SOUNDCARD With smartpropo : advantage is that it's simple to make : 1 audio-cable and a resistor or potmeter

2) THROUGH THE SERIAL PORT (Com-port) a) via an interface with a programmable IC (PIC), which is described in the directory of FMS, see .FMS\Doc\Interface\readme_en.htm on your harddisk. Or

or the same electronic interface that you can buy ready to use here : (German) (French)

3) THROUGH THE USB-port (selfmade) (French) (French) : kit) (German) (German) If you have a 4-axis joystick, you can use an interface-cable gameport-->USB, for sale in every computershop, thus ideal for modern laptops without a COM-port

4) THROUGH THE GAME-port a) with an interface which transforms the signal of the transmitter in a joystick-signal

(French) (selfmade) (German) (German)

b) buy a 4-axis-controller joystick

(German)

c) or make yourself a 4-axis joystick with an old RC-transmitter, removing all electronics, replacing the 4 potmeters by potmeters of 200K (not 100K like mostly mentioned), and wiring like in :

(French) (French)

5) Or make a partition on your harddisk where you will install Windows 95-98-Millennium. Then you can connect your radio simply via the parallel-port or Serial-port as described in the manual of FMS and start the older Windows (see section "A").

Hope this helps, Olivier

Just thought I'd mention (since the topic of FMS came up) that the Real Flight G2 USB controller also works well with FMS

David

Andrew L> Hi all,

And I'm thinking: "If you've got a RealFlight G2 USB controller, *why* on earth would you be flying FMS instead of RF?"

Ahhh just for fun? Because I like to try different things? Because it is there?

David - who comments that all the above are true

James Calivar wrote:

Because FMS takes about 1/50th the time to load?

I wouldn't know - I've only ever tried FMS. I'm sorry, but $200.00 for an R/C flight sim? I can't justify that even to myself, let alone my wife...:)

I was operating under the (possibly false) impression that the more expensive the trainer program is, the better it is...

Seriously, how do the two compare in terms of graphics, physics, and just plain old fun factor? I admit that I get bored of FMS after even 5 minutes.

I keep trying FMS and keep flushing it. The current beta and the previous two versions lock up on my system. It's not like I have a wimp system. It has:

Pentium IV, 2.8 ghz. Frontside buss, 533 mhz Memory: 1 gb Video Card: ATI Radeon 9700.

Any ideas from FMS users?

Thanks,

-- Dave Thompson

The current version has very limited model support, and also locks up my PC. I use one rev back (7.1 or something).

I have a similar system albiet with a radeon 9600. Turning off the True Alpha under the graphics settins menu keeps my system from crashing. Graphically it's definitely superior to v7, plus there is now some ground handling, the rudder is still pretty lame in the air on 4 channel planes though.....

Phill

Is there finally some wind in the sim?

James Calivar wrote

You're going crook at a lousy $200? The RF cost A$350, but I also had to spend another $1600 on a mongrel Windows computer so I could run it!!

David - who loves his Mac and hates his Windows crap machine

| And I'm thinking: "If you've got a RealFlight G2 USB controller, *why* on | earth would you be flying FMS instead of RF?"

FMS's graphics seem to be a little better than RFG2's in some areas. The planes aren't as detailed, but the sky is prettier. Also, if you enable the `Look at Ground' option in RFG2, it makes the sky look like you're in a fishbowl or something -- really odd.

If I recall correctly, FMS has more support for gliders -- you can actually do slope soaring in FMS, for example. In RFG2, there's no slope lift, and thermal lift is either pretty random or constant -- (I forget which -- I haven't tried it in a while.)

FMS lets you build a plane from scratch. RFG2 only lets you change some parameters for the plane, or change the skin on the model. If you want more planes, it's $30 for a pack of them.

FMS will run on lesser hardware.

RFG2 is definately better, but FMS has some advantages too. I can certainly see why a RFG2 owner would like to play with FMS.

I take it, then, that you've not been married before...

That was the ticket. It works fine now except for the unrealistic physics. But, hey! What do I want for the price? (G)

-- Dave Thompson