737-300 Classic: Connect ground power using hardware button or switch

[RogerH]

Hello all,

I run a fixed-base 733 simulator cockpit based on the brilliant 737-300 Classic.

I have the vast majority of datarefs contolled by Aruduino cards and Air Manager, but one of them eludes me. How to connect ground power using a dataref - I can't seem to find one which does it!

At the moment I have to use the mouse and go to the side menu in order to connect ground power before or after a flight. As with most cockpit builders, my aim is to comletely eliminate the necessity for using a mouse or keyboard.

Is there a dataref I can access to connect the ground power before switching it on?

Many thanks,

Roger.

Edited August 3, 2023 by RogerH

[tkyler]

56 minutes ago, RogerH said:

Is there a dataref I can access to connect the ground power before switching it on?

There is not currently; however, I have made a note to add a command to do this for the upcoming V12 port+ patch....something like "ixeg/733/connect_gpu_to_aircraft, etc.

-tkyler

[RogerH]

Thanks for the info. I don’t plan on upgrading to XP12 - is there anything you can do for XP11 users, or will the new patch/upgrade work in XP11 as well?

Thanks,

Roger

[judeb]

As far as I know, this is only for X-Plane 12. 

On a side-note, Buffalo Airways have recently taken delivery
 

[tkyler]

1 hour ago, RogerH said:

Thanks for the info. I don’t plan on upgrading to XP12 - is there anything you can do for XP11 users

Unfortunately no.  The XP11 version "is what it is".... too much has changed since XP11 and we have to move with majority to keep at this.

-tkyler

[RogerH]

That kinda sucks tbh.
 

One sees the necessity of moving with the times, but it makes you feel like those using XP11, many of whom will be doing so for years to come, have simply been abandoned. 
 

How much coding would be needed to achieve this? A few hours? A day? Surely not much more. 

[tkyler]

17 minutes ago, RogerH said:

Surely not much more.

Surely yes much more, and more than coding,  hence the decision.

17 minutes ago, RogerH said:

but it makes you feel like those using XP11, many of whom will be doing so for years to come, have simply been abandoned. 

...indeed you have staying with XP11.....  and I truly know how you feel,  being that XP12 abandoned the IXEG and I've spent nearly a year chasing after it trying to catch up, but that was the only path.

-tk

Edited August 5, 2023 by tkyler

[mjrhealth]

All i can say, anyone not upgrading to XP12 is missing out on the best of xplane, and it is only getting better. Developers must move on as in any industry. There are just to many changes between 11 and 12 to develop for both. Developers like to pay there bills to.

[RogerH]

It’s a purely financial decision not to move to Xplane 12. My simulator uses three copies of Xplane and I don’t have the spare cash to buy one, let alone three.  As it goes, I already have a copy of MSFS and if I were to change then it would be to that. Say what you will, it’s streets ahead of XP12 in terms of graphics and scenery. 

[RogerH]

On 8/5/2023 at 11:37 PM, tkyler said:

Surely yes much more, and more than coding,  hence the decision.

...indeed you have staying with XP11.....  and I truly know how you feel,  being that XP12 abandoned the IXEG and I've spent nearly a year chasing after it trying to catch up, but that was the only path.

-tk

I feel your pain. Pity. The 733 is such a great plane. But financially I can’t justify the move to XP12. It’s a sad aspect of the software industry. Development trumps existing customers. I always hope that the smaller guys would have the flexibility to keep their old customers in mind but sadly that hope has yet to be realised. Best of luck with XP12.