Having a difficult time understanding Air Manager

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Kaellis991
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Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2020 8:49 am

Having a difficult time understanding Air Manager

#1 Post by Kaellis991 »

I am still lost as to how all of the pieces work together. I need a simpler explanation than what the web site provides. It must be the mileage on my odometer that keeps it from clicking yet. And it's been a year since I purchased air manager.
Air manager 3.7.10 is on my desktop and Air Manager 4.0 is on my iPad. I guess I paid for two Air managers last year?...I don't remember. My account history only shows the 65.00 for the Air Manager V3. So I dont understand that. Perhaps I purchased the iPad version 4.0 a different way? It's been a year and memories fade.
And along with that I have been trying to find out about what it takes to go to 4.0 on the desktop. Still no response to my email.

Air manager 4.0 on my iPad is connecting to my Xplane just fine and I have a couple of gauges that are working on it. And the desktop V3.7.10 is connecting a panel I created just as well.
But now I want to use air manager on my desktop to drive my hardware for the sim. I have a gear lever switch, some physical rocker switches, and a couple of rotary switches that I am setting up on my panel.
Just now I have connected, installed the drivers and flashed the Arduino Nano I want to use to connect all those things.
After opening Air manager on my desktop I see the Arduino listed. But I have some very basic questions about this. So bear with me.

When I go to the <Device> tab page that shows the Arduino in the list and select <+ Device> a list of items pop up...one is Flight Illusion Interface Board and the other is Flight Illusion engine cluster.
Where are these coming from? I do not have such an interface board or engine cluster connected to my computer. Are those just preloaded for future use? It's not clear from reading the website docs.
But after closing that window and going back to the <Devices) tab I am stuck as to what to do next.
The Arduino Nano (A) is shown in the list with everything in the menu bar greyed out. What is the next step for me to start using my physical switches? I cannot figure it out from the website instructions.
And what is the purpose of Air manager. Do I need that also?

Sorry for the very basic newbie questions...

JackZ
Posts: 2262
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2016 1:02 pm

Re: Having a difficult time understanding Air Manager

#2 Post by JackZ »

Hi.

An hardware instrument is an instrument without graphics, used to interface hardware hooked to an Arduino, a Raspberry Pu or an STM32, or some Flight Illusion instruments.

It runs on Air Manager and can either:
- be used to communicate directly (both ways) with an Arduino board, which in that case needs to be flashed once with a special firmware.
- be used to transfer a complete instrument (with or without graphics onto a Rasbeery Pi
- be used to interact with Flight Illusion hardware

The Lua code needs to use special primitives dedicated to hardware (see wiki pages here) to be functional with hardware. The hardware functions can be mixed with functions for virtual buttons, dials, sliders ec.
My YouTube Chanel on the A320 (Real SOPs by an Airline Pilot IRL):
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... 0Q6SBASRqJ

JackZ
Posts: 2262
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2016 1:02 pm

Re: Having a difficult time understanding Air Manager

#3 Post by JackZ »

Hi.

An hardware instrument is an instrument without graphics, used to interface hardware hooked to an Arduino, a Raspberry Pi or an STM32, or some Flight Illusion instruments.

It runs on Air Manager and can either:
- be used to communicate directly (both ways) with an Arduino board, which in that case needs to be flashed once with a special firmware.
- be used to transfer a complete instrument (with or without graphics onto a Rasbeery Pi
- be used to interact with Flight Illusion hardware

The Lua code needs to use special primitives dedicated to hardware (see wiki pages here: https://siminnovations.com/wiki/index.p ... I#Hardware ) to be functional with hardware. The hardware functions can be mixed with functions for virtual buttons, dials, sliders ec. It stays in Air Manager and talks to the plug-in AND the Arduino
My YouTube Chanel on the A320 (Real SOPs by an Airline Pilot IRL):
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... 0Q6SBASRqJ

Kaellis991
Posts: 581
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2020 8:49 am

Re: Having a difficult time understanding Air Manager

#4 Post by Kaellis991 »

Thank you for the info. I think I have found a youtube video that will show me how to wire a simple switch to start.
I still think I need 4.0 but since this version is only a little over a year old I am still awaiting info on whether I need to buy a full priced version or if there is a discount.
My understanding is that V4 has pre-configured hardware functions.

This video I found is somewhat helpful, but is tailored to V4 and my V3.7 is different so I am lost because there is no <hardware> tab that is in the video.
I guess I will just go ahead and spend the full price for V4 and not wait any longer for info on discounts.

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Sling
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Re: Having a difficult time understanding Air Manager

#5 Post by Sling »

The API tutorial videos where produced when AM was at 3.4 and the principals can be applied to any version really. A link to the tutorials can be found in my signature below. You will need hardware but it’s worth understanding the API fundamentals from the other videos too.

Kaellis991
Posts: 581
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2020 8:49 am

Re: Having a difficult time understanding Air Manager

#6 Post by Kaellis991 »

From what I can tell, all of those tutorials are about creating instruments.
I am looking for simple instructions that will walk me though connecting a hardware switch through the arduino to activate say the landing light switch in my Xplane. Nothing complicated for now.
There is a video I found using V4 that I can follow up until the selection of the <hardware> tab.
But in version 3.7 when I get to that part there is no <hardware> tab. So it is just a dead end for me.

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jph
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Re: Having a difficult time understanding Air Manager

#7 Post by jph »

Kaellis991 wrote: Sat Sep 18, 2021 10:02 pm I am still lost as to how all of the pieces work together. I need a simpler explanation than what the web site provides. It must be the mileage on my odometer that keeps it from clicking yet. And it's been a year since I purchased air manager.
Air manager 3.7.10 is on my desktop and Air Manager 4.0 is on my iPad. I guess I paid for two Air managers last year?...I don't remember. My account history only shows the 65.00 for the Air Manager V3. So I dont understand that. Perhaps I purchased the iPad version 4.0 a different way? It's been a year and memories fade.
And along with that I have been trying to find out about what it takes to go to 4.0 on the desktop. Still no response to my email.
Hi, the guys at Siminnovations have been on holiday for the past couple of weeks. I am sure @Ralph will respond to your email as soon as he is able to regarding the licensing question you sent him.
Joe
Joe. CISSP, MSc.

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Sling
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Re: Having a difficult time understanding Air Manager

#8 Post by Sling »

Kaellis991 wrote: Sun Sep 19, 2021 1:03 am From what I can tell, all of those tutorials are about creating instruments.
I am looking for simple instructions that will walk me though connecting a hardware switch through the arduino to activate say the landing light switch in my Xplane. Nothing complicated for now.
There is a video I found using V4 that I can follow up until the selection of the <hardware> tab.
But in version 3.7 when I get to that part there is no <hardware> tab. So it is just a dead end for me.
The video series I pointed you towards has episodes aimed directly at the hardware like you want. In AM4 there are pre made hardware functions for control of common sim functions that you can just drop into a panel and select your hardware pins. The videos will help you understand the Lua code that’s behind the hardware functions should you have the need to make your own one or perhaps modify an existing one.

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Ralph
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Re: Having a difficult time understanding Air Manager

#9 Post by Ralph »

I have replied to all emails on Thursday. So if you sent it on Thursday or before then check your spam folder.

If you want easy hardware implementations then you'll have to upgrade to version 4.

Kaellis991
Posts: 581
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2020 8:49 am

Re: Having a difficult time understanding Air Manager

#10 Post by Kaellis991 »

Don’t see anything in my spam folder, but it doesn’t matter. Even the full price for V4 is not bad.
At least it’s a lot less expensive than that Knobster that’s been sitting in a drawer for the last year.

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