Falcon 4.0 Allied Force MFD?

[Raptor007]

Here is the latest version of my Falcon 4 to X52 Pro Utility:
Version 1.4, updated 2010-03-28
Forum Attachment: Raptor007's Falcon 4 to X52 Pro Utility v1.4.zip
Download.com Mirror: Raptor007's Falcon 4 to X52 Pro Utility v1.4.zip
Raptor007.com Mirror: Raptor007's-Falcon-4-to-X52-Pro-Utility-v1.4.zip

Supported Falcon 4 versions:

• Allied Force
• FreeFalcon / BMS2 / RedViper (untested)
• BMS3 (untested)
• BMS4 (untested)
• OpenFalcon (untested)

Screenshot:
http://www.saitekforum.com/attachmen...d=126983042 0

Version History:
Version 1.0
Version 1.1
Version 1.2
Version 1.3
Version 1.4

Originally Posted by Raptor007

Has anyone done an MFD plug-in for Falcon 4.0 Allied Force?

If not, I'm willing to do it. I'm confident that the output won't be a problem for me to figure out, but I'm not sure how to get data from Falcon 4 AF. Does anyone have any experience with this?

I've heard that there are 3rd party utilities available that show your instrument panel on another display; if one of those projects is open source, I could use that to determine how to get data from Falcon 4 AF. Does anyone have any info on this?

[Darkcloud]

You're probably talking about F4Glass and FalconGauges.
I think F4Glass' "Programming - Shared Memory" should be quite interesting for you.

Unfortunately I've lost track of the FalconGauges site.
But I think there should be plenty of informations at Viperpits.org.

I do know there's a G15 plugin around for Falcon (however, IIRC not for Allied Force, only OpenFalcon and/or RedViper).

So finding the relevant informations shouldn't be too difficult.
And normally the Falcon-community is a pretty helpful one.

[Raptor007]

Originally Posted by Darkcloud

You're probably talking about F4Glass and FalconGauges.
I think F4Glass' "Programming - Shared Memory" should be quite interesting for you.

Thank you Darkcloud, this is exactly the sort of reference I was looking for! Let's hope it works in F4AF.

With this data, I may also be able to implement some useful LED color changes too.

[Darkcloud]

You're welcome.

In case you didn't stumple upon it by yourself already:

Falcon Shared Memory Reader Library v1.2 for .NET & COM
Read values from Falcon's shared memory into your own code.
-- Supports OpenFalcon, BMS2/RedViper/FreeFalcon, and Allied Force formats

http://www.assembla.com/wiki/show/lightningstools


Probably a good idea not to re-invent the wheel...

[Raptor007]

Originally Posted by Darkcloud

You're welcome.

In case you didn't stumple upon it by yourself already:

Falcon Shared Memory Reader Library v1.2 for .NET & COM
Read values from Falcon's shared memory into your own code.
-- Supports OpenFalcon, BMS2/RedViper/FreeFalcon, and Allied Force formats

http://www.assembla.com/wiki/show/lightningstools


Probably a good idea not to re-invent the wheel...

Haha, I was just about to delve into re-inventing the wheel when I decided to check back here. Glad I did! That's awesome that it specifically supports Allied Force, since that's what my friends and I play at LANs.

This is gonna be too easy now...

[Raptor007]

Wow, lightning's shared memory reader is perfect. I got that working without any issues. Saitek's DirectOutput took more effort to get working from within a CLR project, but I finally got that going too. Some of it was just me being stupid.

So, at the moment I've got a little hard-coded utility that shows my heading, altitude, and indicated airspeed. I'll make this a customizable utility and then post it here for you guys.

Big thanks to Darkcloud for pointing me in the right direction, and lightning of viperpits.org for his excellent shared memory reader.

[Darkcloud]

Nice to hear, you got it working that quickly.
Now I kinda envy you Pro owners.

[Raptor007]

Alright, I've got the first version done!

http://raptor007.com/downloads/pc/Raptor007's-Falcon-4-to-X52-Pro-Utility-v1.0.zip
(also attached to this post)

You can customize the MFD with up to 10 pages of information. You can also customize the LEDs, including an alternate mode based on some in-game condition.

I've still got more ideas, but I think it's complete enough to get the first version out there for you guys to use. Enjoy!

[Darkcloud]

Dude! That's awesome!
(however, your link isn't working - maybe it's just me, don't know)

Now... who's gonna give me a X52 Pro as a present? You know, not long until x-mas...

[Raptor007]

Originally Posted by Darkcloud

your link isn't working - maybe it's just me, don't know

It's not just you. My site has some DNS issues that I haven't been able to resolve (no pun intended). Some people can find it, some people can't -- probably depends on your ISP.

[xfungalx]

Just wanted to thank you Raptor for a cool little utility!

[Raptor007]

I'm glad you're enjoying it.

I just got back from a vacation, and while I was away I starting thinking about how I was under-utilizing the LEDs. So, I just started working on the next version, which will allow you to set many possible conditions for each LED's color (including blinking, if desired). I'm not sure how long this will take me, but keep watching this thread.

[Raptor007]

Sorry about the wait, but here's version 1.1!

This version makes much better use of the LEDs. You can have multiple conditions per LED, and blinking. It'll probably take you a little longer to get everything set up the way you want it, but it's way more powerful.

Let me know if you run into any problems, or would like to see any new features added. For the moment, I'm satisfied with it.

[xfungalx]

Good show Rap!

I thought I would check in on this thread as possibly you had released a new version and voila, there it is!

I am configuring my stick now, I'll post any bugs I may come across.

I was so bummed that the Saitek SDK was not .NET accessable as I so badly wanted to write my own little application. C++ eludes me to this day, I can't bring myself to dive in hardcore and learn it, so thanks again!!

[igorry]

Hi Raptor007

Thanks for the great utility. I am using it and is working very well. Is it possible to add the number of gun rounds for the mfd?

Igorry