The A2A Simulations Community

Help out a noob here...

Purchased WoV a while back, but just over the last couple weeks finally built my new rig that can run it nicely, so I'm just now really diving in & tweaking settings, etc.

At any rate, I've got some peculiar engine behavior I'm wondering if anyone can shed light on. I was shooting a few take off/landings just to get some baseline testing on my graphics settings & get a feel for the flight model and I've noticed on occasion my RPMs will start fluctuating wildly - like dropping way, way down and then surging quite high.

First time I saw it was after a sloppy take off where I had - among other things - over-revved the engine, so I figured that was it. So on the next circuit, I was very careful not to over stress it and it still occurred - so my next thought was I need to check my engine/prop management settings. I've been simming for quite a while, but shamefully I've never had the patience to dig into "complex engine management" type settings, so I leave these on "auto". I confirmed in BOB that I have engine/prop management set to "auto", so I have to figure that's not it.

I should mention I'm not *quite* enough of a noob to not be aware of the quirks dealing with the fact that the Merlin is not fuel injected - I know what the sputtering associating with nosing a Spit/Hurri down into a dive looks/sounds like, and I'm confident this isn't it. I can get this to happen in more-or-less level flight. Also doesn't appear to be altitude-induced - I've had it happen right down on the deck and also at about 7,000 ft.

I'm embarrassed, but I'm swallowing my pride and asking - what's going on?!?

Many thanks!

Hi nhill40, it's always nice to see new names turning up here. I suspect the engine surging you are seeing is your two speed prop (Spit 1A or Hurri 1A) hunting back and forth between coarse and fine pitch, due to the automatic setting. Try managing the prop pitch yourself (you can still leave the engine in "auto") and see if this cures it. Alternatively, the Spit 1B and Hurri 1B have constant speed props and may not have the same issue with the "auto" prop setting - try them. Please let us know if either approach fixes things for you. BTW, the "complex engine management" stuff really isn't that complex, you'll want to step up to it once you've got a few more hours under your belt.

blue six

nhill 40,



I don't know much about Auto Engine Management settings. I narrow my eyes, snarl, and bare my fangs at such cheats!
When Ken (blue six) made the Flight Models, and I calibrated the Spitfire gauges (my modifications, not stock issue) we used Manual Engine Management.
Which is the realistic Setting.
I did not calibrate all aircraft RPM gauges. I did cal the Spitfire RPM gauge righteous and true.

If you are flying an RAF aircraft with a "bowl, float with linked to needle fuel injector, carburetor" then your RPMs may go crazy
when you are not flying fairly straight and level.
When you lift up or down the float in the carburetor bowl,
or turn hard and the fuel sloshes around the bowl, while the float-fuel injector linkage does flip-flops!!!
I expect that the Merlin engine will COUGH ! Sputter!! when starved from fuel.
The RPM gauge needle should shake about when the engine fails to be fed fuel.

----
Holy Hell! My wife is burning rice in a pot on the stove! The old fashioned Filipina way! That's OK, I previously disconnected the BEEP!BEEP!BEEP! smoke alarm.
Crap. I buy her a perfectly good TIGER rice cooker made in China, but she don't like to use it.
----

Emergency over. I threw a crumpled up Budweiser beer can at her to wake her up,
after I turned off the stove ignition source!
"And turn down that goddammed Filipino Channel! It's drowning out my Bob Dylan!"

I am old enough to remember, and try to clean.. Float & Bowl Carburetors for cars.
OK for cars, but for air craft, cylinder fuel injection is the way to go!

_________________
"Toto! I don't think we are in Kansas anymore!" Dorothy, OZ
"sniff.. sniff.. Snort! ARF! GGRRRR! ARF! (Tod der stinkenden republikanischen Partei, diesem ignoranten religiösen Monstrum.)" Toto

Thanks for the responses! Looks like it's time to stop being a sissy and dive headlong into engine/prop management - which truthfully I've been meaning to do for a long time, but the timing just never seems to be right (I've got a wife & a couple kids, so usually when I do get the time carved out for a little stick time, the temptation is to get straight to the action and not bother around with various knobs/levers/needles ).

At any rate, I had a (semi) educated guess this could be something with prop settings - this pretty well confirms it 100%.

I put an awful lot of trust into that magic 4-letter word "auto"...think it's about time to take the training wheels off and dive in head first! Thanks again for your responses! ~Nick

update: did it - actually managed to get a Spit airborne w/manual engine/prop management. Not much of an accomplishment for most simmers I'm sure, but it was a minor victory for me. It was actually kind of fun and - I grudgingly have to admit - really added to the immersion factor (which I didn't think it would).

Next step is figuring out how to get thru the routine in a timely fashion! Next step after that will be learning the in's & out's of when you need to go fine & when you need to go coarse, cuz I really have no clue right now!

This is a learning curve and the feeling of achievement as you get over each hurdle is lovely.No such thing as a daft question either,one answer can help many others and also find faults.
Actually the engine management isn't too hard once you recognise the symptoms it is an engine,like a car watch the revs and listen.
Good luck

There is a way to use key strokes to start your engines, if you don't like the mouse control.
How to do so is in the game manual, docs folder. Appendix H.

_________________
"Toto! I don't think we are in Kansas anymore!" Dorothy, OZ
"sniff.. sniff.. Snort! ARF! GGRRRR! ARF! (Tod der stinkenden republikanischen Partei, diesem ignoranten religiösen Monstrum.)" Toto

You guys made the mistake of being way too helpful, so your reward are some stupid follow up questions!

Related to my new found interest in engine/prop management:

1) As far as engine startup goes, I'm employing a TrackIR setup so I really don't find it a nuisance at all to look down & manipulate the various switches/levers/buttons w/the mouse. However, during flight, adjusting prop pitch and fuel mix is pretty awkward. My current joystick is pretty rudimentary - still using a Saitek AV8R, which at some point I would definitely like to upgrade, but I'm wondering if a 3-lever throttle would be a better near-term upgrade?
http://www.amazon.com/Saitek-Three-Throttle-Quadrant-PZ45/dp/B000TCEU4Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336002736&sr=8-1
Specifically, I'm wondering if this throttle quadrant would be configurable alongside my AV8R? Seems like it would, but I'm relatively stupid in this area (as evidenced by that fact I'm using a AV8R!) & would appreciate any advice.

2) As I mentioned, I've got a TrackIR setup (using the standard track clip or whatever they call it - not the active LED one, the one with the reflective stickers!). I've spent most of my time in IL-2 and have gotten extremely lucky in terms of not having to tweak the TrackIR configuration one bit - pretty much problem-free 360 degree views...except when I shift in my seat and have to F12, of course! At any rate, one thing I've noticed in BOB is that I've had some problems looking down at the controls during the startup procedure - my view starts to shift and jump around pretty excessively. This is pretty open ended, but I'm completely ignorant of TrackIR setup options to tweak, so I really don't know where to begin - any advice would again be much appreciated!

My track ir is the same for il2 and BoB2, 6 DOF does take some getting used to.I have buttons on my joystick to lock the view to the gun sight and also centring the view.
I don't know anything about the joystick i use an old x52 and map the prop pitch to the buttons on there.
Good luck

Prop pitch is default mapped to the main keyboard + and - keys, so that's
a pretty easy control to remember, but yes, you can throw more controllers
at the game no problem: on the mapping screen, keys such as A2_B3 mean
controller 2, button 3, and the axis screen should find all the active axes
on whatever controllers are attached.

Thanks for the advice again.

Was able to solve my TrackIR problem simply by adjusting my monitor down a few inches. Had recently upgraded to a new, larger monitor and hadn't really fiddled around with the TrackIR setup - sensor was just sitting up too high.

Regarding my control setup, after having some time to reflect, I'm wondering if I would be better served to start with investing in a new joystick and then keep building from there. Rudder pedals would seem to be the logical next step and only then starting to expand into some of the more ancillary stuff like throttles.

As far as joysticks go, the X52 seems to be a pretty popular mid-level choice - anyone have any particular experience/advice there?

I have had an x52 for years and had done me well for IL2 and BoB11 but is is beginning to show it's age now.
It will cover pretty much everything you will need to program.
My computer went bang so it just been upgraded to Win7 64 bit but i think my old saitek profiling is only for XP so i ay have to redo them,it's just time now,

I use the X52 and like it. It comes with a separate throttle. On the throttle are two rotary knobs handy for prop pitch and elevator trim.

_________________
"Toto! I don't think we are in Kansas anymore!" Dorothy, OZ
"sniff.. sniff.. Snort! ARF! GGRRRR! ARF! (Tod der stinkenden republikanischen Partei, diesem ignoranten religiösen Monstrum.)" Toto