F-4E II INS Won't Align in Cold & Dark Mode; P3D Optimum Settings?

[sfetbrandt]

Hello, Jon....

First things first: My Order ID: ~hidden by moderator~

Your order consists of the following:
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F-4E Complete Bundle x 1
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Couple of questions for you….

I'm wondering if you’ve got a list of recommended P3Dv4 settings I should use to optimize/maximize my F-4E performance and, if so, could you e-mail or direct me to it?

1. Right now I'm averaging 28-32 fps but getting some nasty stutters when my ORBX scenery repaints, especially shortly after take-off. It causes my auto-pilot to disengage every 20 or 30 seconds in areas that are densely scenic like the greater Los Angeles basin. Each time the scenery repaints, the aircraft nose pitches up and I have to level the aircraft and re-engage the autopilot switch again. I’ve tried running P3D settings in default and at low settings to reduce processing load but still get the same results. The only add-ons I'm running with the F-4E besides ORBX is ChasePlane. Flying over less-dense scenery, such as the Mojave Desert, I don’t experience the same problem.

2. Also, while the INS is on in "Ready-to-Fly" start-up mode, I've not been able to get the INS system to operate from Cold-and-Dark start-up -- which I prefer. As I understand it, the yellow INS warm-up light should illuminate when the function knob is switched to "Standby," but it doesn't -- not even with the MVAMS slider all the way to the "Fast" alignment setting. And, yes, I've made sure the two knobs were in the "OFF" position before starting the engines. Also, the "INS System Off" panel light is always on during aircraft operations.

Hope you've got some tricks up your sleeve (other than suggesting I use the Ready to Fly option).

Thanks in advance for your help!


My System/Software/Hardware Specs:

I'm running your product in P3dv4.4.16

Platform: Windows
Operating System: Windows 10 Home
Version: 1809
OS Build 17763.503

Computer: Alienware 17 R5
System Type: 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-8750H CPU @ 2.20GHz, 2208 Mhz, 6 Core(s), 12 Logical Processor(s)
Installed Physical Memory (RAM): 32.0 GB
Total Physical Memory: 31.9 GB
Available Physical Memory: 21.7 GB

Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070

[JonathanBleeker]

As far as graphics settings go, try turning off unlimited frames is all I can suggest. I usually keep mine at around 33.

Re the INS, you are turning on both generator switches on the forward left console correct?

[sfetbrandt]

Thank you for your initial reply, Jon. I've moved the frames slider all the way left and we'll see if that improves the situation.

As for your question about the two "Generator" switches on the left forward console, the only ones I see are the two on "right" forward console and, of course, I turn them on to start the engines prior to attempting INS alignment.

Here, step-by-step in case I'm doing something out of order, is the procedure I've used to try to get the INS working:

1. Starting from Cold & Dark, I make sure the Position/Function Selector and INS Alignment Selector knobs in the rear cockpit are both off and the Comp switch is in the down position.

2. Next comes engine start: I turn on the two Engine Master switches, the two Generator switches to "Ext," then signal for start-up air from the drop-down menu, then toggle the right-engine start button, then wait until >10% RPM, then advanced the right throttle from off to idle to simulate pressing the ignition button. After successful right-engine start, I start the left engine, then toggle both Generator switches from "Ext." to "On" (full forward position) and disconnect the GPU.

3. I then follow the Milviz Guide procedures for turning on the INS system and starting the alignment. First, I turn on the Position/Function Selector to "Stdby" in the rear cockpit. (My position is already entered so I don't have to insert new longitude/latitude numbers.) I then turn the INS Alignment Selector knob to "Stdby." This is the point when the yellow light to the right of the selector knob should illuminate to indicate the system is warming up, but the light doesn't come on and there's no indication the system is functioning. Instead, as I previously I mentioned, the "INS System Out" warning lights are constantly illuminated both in the front and rear cockpits.

[JonathanBleeker]

Can you post a screenshot of your rear left console, and the front right console please?

[sfetbrandt]

I tried copying screen shots of both flight-deck consoles you requested but I'm unable to add them directly here using the image upload button. Also, I don't have any photo-editing tools that allow me to save the pics as jpegs. The best I've been able to do is paste the copied images to a Google Docs file. I'm not sure you'll be above to open it.

Please note these are not my Cold & Dark default settings for the various knobs, switches and buttons. Since I fully explained my engine-start and INS alignment procedure in detail in the previous post, I assumed you just want to see if all the requisite control panels are indeed present in their respective cockpit.

If you can't open this link to the console images in my Google Docs account and you have other ways for me to transmit the images, such as sending as a PDF file via e-mail, please give me an address. My e-mail address: sfetbrandt@gmail.com

Here is the Google Docs link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1K6B ... sp=sharing

[JonathanBleeker]

Ick, sorry meant rear right console. I can see your drive pics

[sfetbrandt]

No problem, Jon! Here you go.... Right rear console view, Cold & Dark

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wfA ... sp=sharing


Wow! Something really weird just happened! I took another screen shot of the right rear console "after" engine start to show you my INS warm-up settings. The yellow warm-up light was off when I took the shot -- at least I thought so. But when I tested the Google Docs link here, the picture showed the yellow light was illuminated for the first time since I purchased the sim. I removed this "after engine start" photo link and went back into the simulator and the yellow light was off again. The engines are still running but the "INS System Out" panel light is illuminated -- i.e., no alignment. It's crazy!




Follow-up.... I left the ChasePlane view of the right rear console in a horizontal position and the INS warm-up light came on again when I cycled the function knob from STNDBY to Align and back again. The rest of the INS alignment process worked and the "INS System Out" panel light extinguished for the first time. I haven't got a clue why it should make a difference whether you fire up the INS from a vertical or horizontal view, but that seems to be a factor. Perhaps there's some kind of software conflict between the sim and ChasePlane? At any rate, I believe I've stumbled on a work-around. I'll test it out a few more times from Cold & Dark and let you know for sure. Meanwhile, if you see anything amiss in the Google Docs image I sent you of the right rear console, please advise. Thanks for your patience. BTW.... I haven't even attempted to get into the sim's armament capabilities yet. Small steps, small steps, eh?



Follow-up to my follow-up.... I spoke too soon. After restarting my computer and the sim a dozen times, I can say with complete confidence INS alignment occurs only 30 percent of the time. While the yellow warm-up light illuminates properly now with each attempt, the INS does zip three out of every four tries. During those attempts, it never got to the flashing or steady green light -- and that was with waiting each time between 15 and 30 minutes for alignment to kick in....

[JonathanBleeker]

Question, do I understand correct that you have Ready To Fly selected in the MVAMS, but your default flight is cold and dark so the Phantom starts cold and dark?

[Alvaro]

Just a comment:

if the default flight is cold and dark the aircraft engines will start in c&d disregard the MVAMS setting.

If the default flight is ready to fly, the aircraft engines will start according to the MVAMS selection (either c&d or rtf).

So, the default flight should always be rtf.

[sfetbrandt]

Alvaro....

Thanks for your input! My default P3Dv4.4.16 aircraft is the F-22 Raptor, per MilViz tech-support's recommendation in this thread. It always loads Ready-to-Fly.

Once I've loaded the Raptor and test my Saitek throttle quadrant to make sure the throttles move ('cause occasionally they don't load properly), I then immediately load the F-4E, which loads Cold & Dark -- my preferred MVAMS default. Once the F-4's engines come online, I go through the process of warming up and aligning the INS manually.

Although it obviously takes longer to complete than using the F-4's Ready-to-Fly feature, this procedure just seems more realistic to me than a Ready-to-Fly start-up. I don't mind the wait so long as it's within normal INS alignment-time parameters and works consistently. At the moment, it seems to be aligning within 5-7 minutes with the MVAMS slider set about one inch from the far right. (And I've tried all different positions from fast to slow alignment.) When the system doesn't align after a reasonable period, I have to reboot the computer, reload P3D, reload the F-22, reload the F-4 and go through the entire alignment process again. It may work right after rebooting, or not.... Right now, I'd guestimate it's aligning on the first sim loading 80-85 percent of the time.

...But for clarification, when you talk above about aircraft "defaults," I assume you mean the P3D F-22 Raptor default settings and NOT about any default MVAMS F-4E settings, right?

Actually, I don't even know how to turn the F-22 Raptor cold and dark. And, in fact, P3D's actual "default" aircraft -- the one it ships to customers with cold and dark -- is a single-engine J-3 Piper Cub. That's what I used to get my Flightsimlabs A-320 Airbus set up as a Cold & Dark aircraft, then discovered the A-320's "Multi-Control Display Unit" allows sim users to switch start-up, shut-down and engine operating configurations at will. That's a function of this particular aircraft add-on, however, rather than the P3D software. There is no MCDU in the F-22 -- at least one that I've found.

So as I explained, my F-22 Raptor P3D default aircraft always loads ready-to-fly, which apparently is as it should be for things to work properly with the MilViz F-4E II, if I understood you correctly....

[sfetbrandt]

Jon.... No, sir. Just the opposite! My default P3D aircraft is the F-22 Raptor, which loads Ready-to-Fly. After loading the F-22, I load the F-4E, which loads Cold & Dark per my MVAMS default setting of Cold & Dark. The earlier engine-start problem I reported from Cold & Dark is resolved and the INS now aligns properly on the first attempt 80-85 percent of the time. It's just the alignment inconsistency that's annoying....

[JonathanBleeker]

I have experienced alignment issues while keeping the jet in the chocks. I found it more stable when you remove the chocks and just hold the brakes. Of course if your jet moves, it will delay alignment.