Hello,

does anybody know if the shared memory function still is possible with the new 1.16.1 version of EECH Allmods and how it is controlled? I'm building a homepit and search for a way to get some warning lights etc. working in the pit with helicopters too.

I read that it can be activated in the eech.ini, but there exist not much detailed info on it. Is it only possible for the russian helos and the comanche, or is there a way to use it for the Viper, the Apache and the Kiowa too?

I also read that you need the comserver and something to interpret the information. It has to do with something which was actually made for IL-2? Couldn't find any info for it.

I had the hope as I read about the shared memory, that you could use it with the same hardware and any kind of interface software which is compatible with the things you also use in Falcon BMS, but then I read it is something that was originally made by the IL-2 community.

Is there a way to make the shared memory of EECH useable with programs like F4ToPokeys for Falcon BMS, so that you could use it to control some indicators in the pit with EECH too? Something like faking the BMS shared memory to control a few LED's.

Is there any new information about shared mem and how to use it available? The informations on the EECH Allmods webpage I was able to get are very sparse and dated. The links in this information point here to SimHQ threads, but there is nothing newer than discussions from 2007.

If anyone has information about EECH shared memory or is knowing a link, this would really be helpfull to me. I would like to use my homepit with mainly two simulations. One is Falcon BMS, which isn't a problem to interface to a homepit and the other one is EECH Allmods, which is a problem.

I'm also using other simsulations too, but here I only want to get the inputs working, because it's too difficult to get many different interface running on the same cockpit system.
EECH Allmods and Falcon BMS is what I really want to get fully working with my pit (gauges, MFD's, warning lights and even the inputs), because I want to use it for simulating modern combat aircraft and helicopters.

Is this page from the wiki any use?

http://eechcentral.SimHQ.com/index.php?title=Shared_memory_export

I don't know anything about how it works unfortunately

BTW, 1.16.1. wasn't released yet. fix1 is just a small patch, nothing more.

I did make some tests with shared memory feature several years ago and it did work fine. Can't promise about 1.16.0 but can't see a reason why it can be broken.

However, I tried to add some functionality related to flares/chaff counting (don't remember who required it, maybe you or some other pit builder), and I didn't succeed. It means you can try to use it as-as right now, but don't expect it will get some additional features and improvements in future.

I suppose you have seen all related pages at the EECH Wiki - http://eechcentral.SimHQ.com/index.php?title=Special%3ASearch&search=shared&go=Go

As I can remember, some applications was available at Gotcha's website but it's not available anymore. Do you have archives named "UDPSpeed_Havoc_Beta_05", "UDPSpeed_Hokum_Beta_08" etc.? it's UDPSpeed mods for selected helicopters and can be used for shared memory testing I suppose.
Can't provide any additional information I am afraid, can only send you these files.

Hi Viper,
One of the modders who used to be here (firebird) produced a program called commclient and commserver. I use these in my pit with Opencockpit boards and a system called SIOC.

If I remember correctly, commserver would pickup the exported values from shared memory and send them across a network to commclient. SIOC was then able to read these values, and using IF - THEN coding, could control the interface boards to switch lamps on/off, display messages etc.

Thealex, I think it was me who requested the flare/ chaff count export along with the UFD messages to be exported so I could access them via the above.

Hope this helps,

Andy

@ thealx

the files you mentioned I've tried to download, but the links are dead. Haven't downloaded them back those days, cause I didn't knew when I will have the time to built my pit. I thought that many things will change till I'm able to built a new homepit.

Yes my fault, it's 1.16.0 Fix1 but some others have also called it 1.16.1 that's why I thought it's now the new official number of this version.

@

Hello Andy,

nice to hear from you again! I have a second PC running in my pit, but I use Pokeys modules. They are perfect for Falcon BMS, but not for EECH . Have to take a look at the Open Cockpits system, but I already spent so much money in the rest of the pit that I have to slow down a bit. It wasn't really that much, but for my budget enough.

I hoped I could find a way to get SIOC running with the Pokeys too, but I think no one has ever made such an interface software. I had this problem before with something I would like to control for the FSX and which also used SIOC.

If I choose to go with the Open Cockpits and SIOC, could I ask you some things if I'm not able to get further? You are the only one I know with a homepit for EECH Allmods. The other one was a guy named Grizzly which also made a Comanche cockpit as far as I remember, but his homepage doesn't exist anymore.

I already reduced my simulations I want to use my "universal pit" fully functional with, because it simply gets too complex and also to high for my budget, but I absolutely want to use EECH Allmods and Falcon BMS with it. As said before BMS is no problem and most of it is running, but for EECH it's a lot harder to get information.

I just want to get some warning lights and the MFD's running, maybe some gauges if possible, but for the warning lights not even all because I have to use only indicators that are very similar in jets and helicopters e.g. gear indicator or engine failure.

Hi Viper,

The MFDs are the easy part. Get yourself a copy of "Maxi Vista Mirror Pro". Install on both PCs and configure. Virtual screens on the PC running EECH will be exported to the screen on the other PC.

Of course you can contact me for help. As far as I'm concerned that is what the forum is for. A lot of people helped me initially from here, so I'd only be returning the favour.

The bad news is that both Grizzly and myself are only running version 15.something. That was the last version that didn't have the aircraft jumping about on the pads or appearing half in to the ground.

I've been reluctant to update the pit to a newer version despite the improved graphics. A great deal of the new stuff is about the internals which you don't see in a pit anyway.

Grizzly's site went down because his ISP was messing him about (amongst a lot of others). Around about that time he lost his wife and his interest in the pit naturally dropped.

Having been there myself, I can say it takes a long time to come back from something like that and you're very unlikely to be the same person.

The manual for SIOC is very well written, and there are a number of tutorials on the opencockpits site.

If you are handy with a soldering iron, most of the opencockpits boards come in kit form. That saves a bit on the costs.

Anyway, Good luck. Contact me if you need help.

Andy

Hello Andy,

my sympathy to you both !!! (hope I have verbalized it the right way , because English isn't my native language).

I can really understand that you both haven't any interest in a hobby now.


Many thank's for your offered help! I will do my best to get things running on my own. If you will come back to your hobby again and would like to talk a little bit about it, or anything else, feel free to mail me.

Sometimes a little diversion can help if things go the wrong way in life, that's what helped me a lot and sometimes was all I had.

Hi Viper,

Sorry, I didn't explain that very well. My wife died back in 1990. I'm now remarried and have a 6 month old granddaughter. It is Grizzly who lost his wife recently.

I take it from your comment that you've been there as well. It was my two cats who kept me going.

Anyway, feel free to contact me at any time for help.

Cheers,

Andy

Hi Viper,

I found the website I used a lot when learning to use SIOC. The guy has some very good tutorials with exampled.

http://www.lekseecon.nl/howto.html

Hope this helps,

Andy

Hello Andy,

many thanks, I will take a look at the site. I'm still hoping that I could use the Pokeys with SIOC too. Have found some undetailed info about this at the web, but nothing which really told you clearly if it's possible or not.

The problem with those cards is, they are very flexible and you could also connect really a lot to them (switches, encoders, poti, LCD, LED, 7-segment displays) but you couldn't get any information based on clear facts how to interface them to anything other than Falcon BMS. Some said, yes it's possible but not how. Others say no it's not doable or much to complex for someone who isn't a code guru.

It's even problematic to use them with the FSX. Only a software which is called ProSim (Boeing 737/Airbus A320) could connect to them out of the box. That doesn't help me and that was the reason I started my first search for SIOC with Pokeys. I hope I could now find something to get them working with SIOC.

The OpenCockpit boards aren't so expensive (if I use the kit) but I also have a problem with the space in my panel to get them mounted (they are much larger than the Pokeys). If I use the OC system I have to place it at another place in my pit. This means to make a lot of long cables with plugs to still be able to take the pit apart. I really hope I can avoid this.

O.k. have forgotten something.

I was reading your post back those days, you had the same problem to interface your pit. There was a guy of the falcon community which made the software called FAST, which uses OpenCockpits and SIOC for Falcon.

Now many guys of the Falcon community (since BMS) are using the shared memory directly with a program called F4ToPokeys. This prog has a simply gui and makes interfacing the pit to Falcon BMS with the use of this Pokeys cards a dream. No coding like with SIOC. Everything can be adapted in a few minutes.

If its possible to make the shared memory of EECH Allmods readable for this program too (you also have to adapt the GUI to EECH of course), interfacing Allmods with a cockpit could be the same simple way as for BMS. The Pokeys56U and 57U cards I use are cheaper than the OpenCockpit cards and can connect 128 switches in a matrix and you have still over 30 pins free. You can control their outputs also with simple VB6 scripts if you want and they are able to allocate every input you connect to them, to a simulated keypress, a macro or even any directx button you want.

Could be a solution to get some more EECH Allmods cockpit builders and keep this sim interesting and alive for the future Sadly there are not much attack helicopter sims out there (at the moment only some DCS modules) and nothing that really matches Allmods in any way.