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Re: FIPs lagging Virtual Cockpi Instruments

Posted: 11 Dec 2018, 22:40
by thedazman
Having two uplinks doesn’t really help, yes it splits the load, but it’s still not enough bandwidth to drive 10 FIPs on each side it really needs 4 uplinks, assuming again the motherboards usb2 bus isn’t a bottle neck inits self.

Daz

Re: FIPs lagging Virtual Cockpi Instruments

Posted: 11 Dec 2018, 22:49
by thedazman
I’m not sure how I can find out about my mobo, the PC is a Chillblast PC and they specialise in Flight Sim PC’s. It only has like 3 or 4 usb2 ports. I had to add a 4 port usb2 PCI card for my joysticks and stuff. There is probably room to improve my USB data flow some how. But I do have 24 usb devices in my SIM across two PC’s. My 20 port USB hub and FIPs are on my slave PC not the SIM PC and perhaps I could use the COU rendering boost on the slave as it’s not doing any thing else but driving my FIPs and Saitek panels.

Daz

Re: FIPs lagging Virtual Cockpi Instruments

Posted: 11 Dec 2018, 22:49
by thedazman
I’m not sure how I can find out about my mobo, the PC is a Chillblast PC and they specialise in Flight Sim PC’s. It only has like 3 or 4 usb2 ports. I had to add a 4 port usb2 PCI card for my joysticks and stuff. There is probably room to improve my USB data flow some how. But I do have 24 usb devices in my SIM across two PC’s. My 20 port USB hub and FIPs are on my slave PC not the SIM PC and perhaps I could use the CPU rendering boost on the slave as it’s not doing any thing else but driving my FIPs and Saitek panels.

Daz

Re: FIPs lagging Virtual Cockpi Instruments

Posted: 12 Dec 2018, 01:08
by Steve Horsfall
Since the previous problems with USB Powered Hubs, I investigated the actual current drain on the Saitek equipment. I am a retired electronics technician with good quality test equipment.A USB breakout cable was made to enable me to measure Voltage and Current when the equipment was in Flying state.The Amp Meter has a max hold display which records the maximum current flowing which enabled me to fly without keeping focus on the meter.The results follow.
FIPs are rated at 500mA, maximum current was 180mA with full brightness, 110mA at 25% bright.
Radio Panel rated at 140ma, maximum current was 160mA !
Multi Panel rated at 180mA, maximun current was 120mA.
Switch Panel rated at 500ma, maximum current was 270mA (more than a FIP)undercarrige up/down draws a lot of power.
Yoke rated at 500mA, maximum current was 290mA, ( 265mA with throttle controls disconnected).
Rudder Pedals rated at (280mW) this is 56mA at 5 volts, maximum current was 25mA (125mW).
The voltage to these varied from 4.7v to 5.1v. One 4 hubs dropped to 4v during testing, this was found to be an under rated power supply which was only delivering 1A. This was changed to 2.5A. With this information I was able to spread the load accross various hubs and also powered the Yoke Hub with a 2A power pack.This allowed me to utilise the available ports without buying another Hub.

Re: FIPs lagging Virtual Cockpi Instruments

Posted: 12 Dec 2018, 03:52
by jdavidpugh
Thanks Steve.......that saved me from doing it myself LOL.........
BTW what is the voltage and size of that supply you stuck on the Yoke? I have been debating one but haven't found what it really needs.
I am sure I have one in my box of misappropriated wall warts LOL......

And Daz you may be able to look at your bios to get a MOBO part number and google the info.....

Back when I was doing alot of video storm chasing most of the computer links were USB........way more bandwidth than any of this sim stuff....... The trick was finding MOBOs with lots of USB's that didn't go through a multiplexer into the DMA channels on the motherboard........That very well could be your issue.....I built a badboy video switcher with a dual Xeon processor MOBO and had like 8 HD cameras pumping through it via USB.....
That being said those Flight Sim guys you got your box from should have known that and spec'd for heavy USB use......So I dunno....

As for render on the FIPS.........I run it on mine.....I have a separate computer that handles all the Spad, FIPS, FLight Controls, and now my AirManager Panels...Its just a Lenovo Thinkpad W530 I had laying around. It has worked without a hitch since I got past that Nagle Algorithm and Jumbo Frames issue I was having that we talked about a few months back....... One thing you may want to do is make sure they aren't 3.0 ports...On the Lenovo they were but I just disabled the 3.0 support for the ports in the bios.