Auto hover from cold and dark start up (or bug?)

Hi,

I have a problem with auto hover (Q) when I started from cold and dark, no any problem from hot ramp/runway start.

I miss something or its a bug? Any ideas?

Please see this, its my cockpit after the C&D start up (example of C&D video start:

[ame]

Conditions for auto hover was ok (speed in some of test was below 20 km/h, +/- 3 m/s on variometer).

So for the auto hover to work you need gyro aligned, AP turned on, SAS channels turned on, be less then 18 kmh, less the 30 degrees pitch, and VVI as close to 0 as possible.

People often forget the gyro...thats a biggie because nothing else will work without it.

The screenshot looks just fine!

Maybe you can make another one at exactly the moment you try to engange the Auto-Hover mode?

So for the auto hover to work you need gyro aligned, AP turned on, SAS channels turned on, be less then 18 kmh, less the 30 degrees pitch, and VVI as close to 0 as possible.

 

People often forget the gyro...thats a biggie because nothing else will work without it.

Gyro is "On".

The screenshot looks just fine!

Maybe you can make another one at exactly the moment you try to engange the Auto-Hover mode?

All criteria was ok I think, I did manual hover and after this hit the key of Auto Hover. Tests was done direct after take off from hot start and C&D start. Maybe 10 m. above the ground near 0 speed. Havent any idea why.

Mission C&D ( C:\Users\neme\Saved Games\DCS.openalpha\Missions ) : https://www.sendspace.com/file/97lvlw

From the hot start is ok.

Could somebody check this feature form Cold & Dark in DCS 2.0 and confirm that Auto Hover works or not?

I'm suprised that I have problem with this and with hot start not.

Yeah it's working for me. I've never used hot start and apart from one occassion in multiplayer where it wasn't working for me (host) or the clients it always worked. A DCS restart fixed it btw.

Here is what I usualy do (from the top of my head):

UV Lights: On

Battery: On

Alternator: On

Generator: On

Set ext. lights as required

Set radios as required

Fuel Pump: On

Wait 20 seconds

Starter: On

Wait for turbine RPM to stabilise at 25000RPM

Rotor Brake: Off

Open fuel lever until rotor starts spinning (~30000 turbine RPM)

Wait for turbine and rotor RPM needles to synch

Fully open the fuel lever, wait for RPM to stabilise

NADIR: TERRE

Gyros: GM

Uncage SAI

Uncage ADI

Pitot: On

Trim: On

Magnetic Brake (DEBR. EFF): On

Radar Altimeter: On, set altitude bug

Wait for Gyro Alignment to complete and NADIR error messages to clear out

Auto pilot: On

Pitch, roll and yaw SAS channels: On

Then I simply take off, check that autohover is working and off I go.

Hmmmm,

@Derbysiger, thx for Your post. I know this and I did chcek list as You. Still the same problem.

Here is example:

Hover (manual condition), no ERR on NADIR, GYRO is ON (GM) but auto hover doesn't work from C&D start (again from hot start it works).

I unistalled and installed module - again the same problem. Maybe its a bug with another module? It looks like alignment problem, I havent any idea why....

Yo-Yo, from your pic looks like you don't have radio altimeter on, it's showing 0 meters when you are clearly at least 50 - 100m up, so that might be why??

also RWR is off which shouldn't matter, but as a good bit of the start up has scripted sections maybe that's part of what the system checks before allowing auto hover activation??

...I unistalled and installed module - again the same problem. Maybe its a bug with another module? It looks like alignment problem, I havent any idea why....

I just tried it, take off from ramp (not hot), got airborne and used the assigned button on my hotas to activate auto hover and it worked without any problems.

Yo-Yo, from your pic looks like you don't have radio altimeter on, it's showing 0 meters when you are clearly at least 50 - 100m up, so that might be why??

also RWR is off which shouldn't matter, but as a good bit of the start up has scripted sections maybe that's part of what the system checks before allowing auto hover activation??

I tested it and the radio altimeter doesn't matter. As soon as the gyro was active(pic) i was able to activate the auto hover.

I've managed to auto-hover a couple times but it's not easy for me. Still got to get used to it.

I can never get auto pilot altitude to work though :(

Thank You for all!

YoYo, from your pic looks like you don't have radio altimeter on, it's showing 0 meters when you are clearly at least 50 - 100m up, so that might be why??

also RWR is off which shouldn't matter, but as a good bit of the start up has scripted sections maybe that's part of what the system checks before allowing auto hover activation??

@Diego, no, the RWR and radar alt is here only for warnings.

Here is a track (if someone wants too see it and have value free time to watch it or take a control) https://www.sendspace.com/file/7as79q

[ You can put the track here C:\Users\xxx\Saved Games\DCS.openalpha\Tracks ] - You will see that when I was in manual hover I click many times auto hover button without effect.

I haven't any idea why still :(.

Here is video done from this track (serel times I hit "Q" in hover):

[ame]

Thank You for all!

 

 

 

@Diego, no, the RWR and radar alt is here only for warnings.

 

Here is a track (if someone wants too see it and have value free time to watch it or take a control) https://www.sendspace.com/file/7as79q

 

[ You can put the track here C:\Users\xxx\Saved Games\DCS.openalpha\Tracks ] - You will see that when I was in manual hover I click many times auto hover button without effect.

 

I haven't any idea why still :(.

WOW, this is strange. I watched your track and saw that the auto hover didn't work for you. I took control and it didn't worked for me neither! I started the ME and placed the Gazelle at the airfield, did my cold start and the auto hover worked like always! But in your track file i was unable to do it and i had never any problems engaging the auto hover.

Do you have any mods installed in dcs?

I've tried your track and couldn't auto hover.

I tried again, taking control before your startup procedure and auto hover worked fine. :huh:

Your startup looks fine though.

Thanks guys !

So it's a very strange behavior.... maybe its a BUG on some system (for example other Windows than Win English, hmmm?).

WOW, this is strange. I watched your track and saw that the auto hover didn't work for you. I took control and it didn't worked for me neither! I started the ME and placed the Gazelle at the airfield, did my cold start and the auto hover worked like always! But in your track file i was unable to do it and i had never any problems engaging the auto hover.

Do you have any mods installed in dcs?

No, I havent any mod in DCS 2.0 (only Redshade/Sweed FX but its graphics support).

Could You upload (https://www.sendspace.com/ ) Your track from C&D and auto hover.

I'd like to check something. Thank You.

Thanks guys !

 

So it's a very strange behavior.... maybe its a BUG on some system (for example other Windows than Win English, hmmm?).

 

 

 

No, I havent any mod in DCS 2.0 (only Redshade/Sweed FX but its graphics support).

Could You upload (https://www.sendspace.com/ ) Your track from C&D and auto hover.

I'd like to check something. Thank You.

Here is the link, quick and dirty. :D

https://www.sendspace.com/file/zf248m

Pls double check your ground speed with NADIR (select parameter VS DER...then you can easily see your actual groundspeed). Had troubles myself with auto hover (believing to meet the criteria vs lower than 60 m/s, speed lower than 18 km/hrs and detected that I was assuming wrong.) Never trust your feeling in the sim or the speed indicator on main panel.

I just throw this in because I don´t know if you looked at your indicated speed on NADIR. If you did...well than there´s something broken/malconfigured - maybe on your side.

On my side auto hover works with hot and cold start or the cheating autostart.

Hope that helps to sort it out.

...On my side auto hover works with hot and cold start or the cheating autostart...

That is the strange thing, auto hover works for me fine every time i tried it but if i download YoYo's track file and watch him do his start-up procedure and take off i can't activate auto hover after taking control. It is like grunf said:

I've tried your track and couldn't auto hover.

 

I tried again, taking control before your startup procedure and auto hover worked fine.

And that is the strange thing.

@Thx unknown for Your track I tested it and saw Your auto hover ok, when I took controls, auto hover works so........

I have headache but finally found the reason. Yep, its a bug, but bug of axis in this module which affects auto hover / alignment systems.

Here is conflict, on this axis below. If You set up Fuel Flow lever as axis (and You will use it) - auto hover dosent work. If You will operate by mouse - it works (and I received auto hover)!!!!

I tested it on 2 controlers and 2 times noticed this strange bug, and was ok when I operated fuel flow lever by mouse only.

Hope the develeper will solve it for home cocpit builders.

Thank You for help for all .... and in the final Polychop-Simulations will thanks to find this strange bug ;) !

Good catch :thumbup:. Indeed when I took control from your track I didn't use the axis for the fuel flow lever, but keyboard.

I've noticed that (at least in 1.5), it seems like you aren't able to autohover while over the maximum weight. I would set up a mission with 4 HOT missiles and 100 percent fuel, and the autohover wouldn't work at all, no matter how hard I tried. I was hovering manually and within all the parameter, but I just couldn't get it to engage. So I go into the ME, cut down the fuel, and then it works first try.

@Thx unknown for Your track I tested it and saw Your auto hover ok, when I took controls, auto hover works so........

 

 

I have headache but finally found the reason. Yep, its a bug, but bug of axis in this module which affects auto hover / alignment systems.

 

Here is conflict, on this axis below. If You set up Fuel Flow lever as axis (and You will use it) - auto hover dosent work. If You will operate by mouse - it works (and I received auto hover)!!!!

 

I tested it on 2 controlers and 2 times noticed this strange bug, and was ok when I operated fuel flow lever by mouse only.

 

Hope the develeper will solve it for home cocpit builders.

 

http://s2.ifotos.pl/img/bugjpg_sahrwap.jpg

 

Thank You for help for all .... and in the final Polychop-Simulations will thanks to find this strange bug ;) !

Ooookay, I use my left throttle for fuel flow and I do not have this problem...

This might not be as simple as that.

I use an axis for the fuel lever and have no trouble with auto hover.

Interesting, good to know.

Ok I checked one thing and ... yes it works but You must be sure that this axis can reach 100%. If this axis on Your controler receives something like 99% it will affect Your auto-hover / alignment and You can't do this. So the next test - I matched it as slider + give 5% of dead zone to be sure that my axis receive this 100% of fuel flow - and it works now. So maybe its not a bug in the total, but this axis is very sensitive and it could be tune up by devs.

Old thread, but it seems to still be biting people. I actually read this thread and it didn't solve my issue with Auto Hover not working until I did some more extensive tests and saw more of exactly why it is happening (and why it might happen even if you aren't using an analog axis to control the fuel flow lever). I posted my results in the following bug discussion:

http://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=2878173&postcount=12

Regards,

Michael