Advanced use of FsXPand

This page is going to show anything that might be useful for the adventurous, from built-in features to tweaks.

3rd party offsets
Someone asked why the heading bug is not working with PMDG. The answer is that PMDG a/c do not update the FS offset for Autopilot Heading (07CC). The answer is, tell FsXPand to read another offset for that purpose.
Your FsXPand directory has a file named Offsets.ini. This file shows the offsets that can be user defined. The first one is AP Heading. If more offsets are required, please let us know.


Make sure that in the Offsets.ini file the right section is called 'APHeading'. In this case the default FS values are set.
Rename the section to APHeadingFS or so and the other to APHeading. FsXPand will read the values from the section APHeading only. In this way you switch values from active to not-active.

[APHeading]
Offset=07CC
Factor=182.0444

[APHeadingPMDG]
Offset=622C
Factor=1

Specific MCP offsets that you can read back from for use in your DIY MCP are in this file as well. FsXPand will write the MCP state there, if you choose that option (Settings -> Write MCP offsets). These are free (privately useable) FSUIPC offsets. You can change them at wish, use any in the range 66C0-66CF but make sure that you have no other in use there.

Autopilot values will be written to the FS autopilot, standard offsets. So you can read these in the FS AP although it is not in use with FsXpand FMS.

07BC    AP Master switch = Not used
07C0    AP Wing LVL Not used
07C4    AP Nav1 Hold = VORLOC
07C8    AP Heading Hold = HDG SEL
07CC    AP Heading Value = mcp heading
07D0    AP Altitude Hold = ALT HOLD
07D4    AP Altitude Value = mcp altitude
07D8    AP Attitude Hold = AT speed Hold
07DC    AP Airspeed Hold = Not used
07E2    AP Airspeed Value = mcp speed
07E4    AP Mach Hold  Not Used
07E8    AP Mach Value Not Used
07EC    AP V/S Hold = V/S Hold
07F2    AP V/S Value = mcp vspeed
07F4    AP RPM Hold Not Used
07F8    AP RPM Value Not Used
07FC    AP GS Hold Not used
0800    AP Approach Hold = APP
0804    AP Backcourse Hold = AT N1 Hold
0808    AP Yaw Damper Not used
080C    AP TO/GA Not Used
0810    AP AT ARM Not Used

But the MCP states are written to specific user defineable offsets.
For test purposes you can rely on the data written back to the FsClient main window.

The offsets that you can read back from for use in your DIY MCP are in your Offsets.ini file in FsXPand. FsXPand will write the MCP state there, if you choose that option (Settings -> Write MCP offsets). These are free (privately useable) FSUIPC offsets. You can change them at wish, use any in the range 66C0-66CF but make sure that you have no other in use there. The last value is the EXEC light to drive your CDU with.

[Mcpbuttons]
LVLCHG=66C0
LNAV=66C1
VNAV=66C2
CMDL=66C3
CMDR=66C4
CWSL=66C5
CWSR=66C6
CO=66C7
AT=66C8
TOGA=66C9
AP=66CA (APDISCON)
*INTV=66CB
HOLDIAS=66CC
HOLDMACH=66CD
HOLDALT=66CE
HOLDHDG=66CF
HOLDNAV=66D0
HOLDLOC=66D1
HOLDGS=66D2
HOLDVS=66D3
HOLDN1=66D4

[CDU]
EXEC=66CC



This last value is the EXEC light, the value to drive your CDU with.