Remote control interface protocol v2

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1. Overview
2. Axis bitmask
3. Remote control configuration
4. Write and read SDOs directly
5. State control
6. Simulation control
7. Settings control
8. Profile control
9. Input control
10. Input interdiction control
11. Reading data
12. Reading/Writing IO2CAN Gateway data
13. Setting IO2CAN Gateway output communication timeout
14. Override control

To understand the protocol and be able to avoid pitfalls, please read "General information" before attempting to build packets.

Overview

All settings written by the remote interface will NOT be displayed in the Profile manager. Only state changes and selecting a profile triggers a visible change. Clicking on "Ok" or "Apply" in the profile manager will override all settings done over the remote interface.

The size of response packets can vary.

Addresses for writing are not allowed to be read and will always return 0 when reading.

In a dual-seat set-up, all Settings and Data except reading force information (Data ID 0x20/0x21 Applied Force) and button presses (Data ID 0x30 Button presses) is synchronized. Therefore it is only exposed as a single value regardless if the hardware set-up is single- or dual-seat.

Axis Bitmask

When sending the GetStatus request, the response will contain ALL specifically defined axes from the axis bitmask (from Elevator to Seatshaker), including not connected ones. Exception: If you have generic axes (Node ID 10 to 19) they will be in the response only if they are connected and if you use the axisbitmask ALL (0xFFFFFFFF). Example: Requesting Axisbitmask (0x7) (Elevator, Aileron and Rudder) status will always return the packet body six times, once for pilot and once for copilot, even if the setup is only one yoke. Even if there are no second yoke and no rudder pedals connected, the selected ids will be returned. The not existing ones will have the status 0x00 (Not connected) and a temperature of 0. If you have any generic axes connected, they will not be included in the response, as you have not selected axisbitmask ALL (0xFFFFFFFF).

When sending the GetError request, only connected devices respond. Devices with no errors will send no data and devices with multiple errors will send a packet body for each error.

Always allow for a dynamic number of devices to be returned when parsing any response packet!

Remote control configuration

Remote control settings

Request for remote control config commands

Response for remote control config commands

Write and read SDOs directly

SDO Read command

Request for SDO Read command

Response for SDO Read command

SDO Write command

Request for SDO Write command

Response for SDO Write command

State control

State machine

The remote interface exposes 3 commands for controlling the state of the hardware. The Init command triggers drive axis initialization. After initialization the SetOffsetSensor Command must be called. The SetOffsetSensor command triggers force sensor calibration. This command must be used after init. After init and this command have finished, the drive is ready. The Stop command shuts the drive down. It removes all power from motors, but does not brake actively. The FaultReset command brings a drive out of fault mode into stop mode. Additionally there are 2 commands for information retrieval. The GetStatus command returns state and temperature information. The GetErrors command returns error information.

Request for state commands

Response for GetStatus command

Response for GetConnectionStats command

Response for Init, Stop and Faultreset commands ( and GetStatus command in case of error )

Response for GetErrors command ( in case of success )

Response for GetErrors command ( in case of error )

Simulation control

Sim IDs

GetSimStatus Request

Response for GetSimStatus command (in case of succes)

SelectSim Request

Response for SelectSim command (in case of succes)

ConnectSim Request

Response for ConnectSim command

DisconnectSim Request

Response for DisconnectSim command

Response for all Simulation commands in case of error

Settings control

Setting IDs

Setting name	Setting id	Value type ( Range )	Description
Force profile	0x10	Uint16[9] ( 5..99999 )	Defines a force profile for the axis. Values have to be bigger than 0. Equivalent to the force values in the axis forces tab of the profile manager. This field should be updated as little as possible during flight, as it slows the update rate down.
Force scale factor	0x20	Uint16 ( 20..999 )	Percent value, Scales the force profile. Use this to dynamically change forces on the axis.
Friction value	0x25	Uint16 ( 0..65535 )	Friction value in internal units.
Friction value eng	0x26	float (range not defined)	Friction value in engineering units (N for linear motion, Nm for rotational motion).
Position Window	0x27	UInt32 (range not defined)	Position window in raw increments. Device specific. In CanOpenCommander (downloadable from Website), open "Control Loading Setup" in device tree, go to tab "Force Profile" and check the Position factor below the diagram to see how much travel per increment you have.
Target Torque	0x28	Int16 (0 - 65535)	Target torque in internal force units. Device specific.
Profile mode	0x30	Uint8 ( 0..1 )	Boolean value, defines if all 9 values of the force profile will be used. When the value is 0, the first value of the force profile will be used for the whole range of the axis.
Move back enable	0x40	Uint8 ( 0..1 )	Boolean value, defines if axis wants to go back to its center. When the value is 0, the force profile will be used as friction values.
Autopilot force	0x50	Uint16 ( 5..99999 )	Defines the force the autopilot will use to reach its target position. If this force is too low, the autopilot will not move or move slower than set maximum speed. If the user blocks the autopilot from reaching its target, the autopilot will resist with this amount of force. For finding the best value, start with 1500 and gradually decrease by 100.
Autopilot speed	0x60	Uint16 ( 5..9999 )	Defines the maximum speed at which the autopilot moves to its target position. If Autopilot force (0x50) is too low, the autopilot will not move or move slower than set maximum speed. For finding the best value, start with small values ( < 10 ) and increase gradually.
Autopilot enable	0x70	Uint8 ( 0..1 )	Turns on/off the autopilot. When set to 1, the Autopilot will continuously move the axis to its target position (Autopilot position) with the configured strength and speed.
Autopilot position	0x80	float (-1..1)	Normalized value, defines the target position of the autopilot.
Trim position	0x90	float (-1..1)	Normalized value, defines the position, the axis wants to go back to, if "move back" is enabled.
Virtual force enable	0xA0	Uint8 ( 0..1 )	Turns on/off the reading of the virtual force. When on, the data id 0x50 can be read to obtain simulated deflection force information.
Override Position	0xB0	Int32 ( Device specific range. )	Writing to this field will override the current position. This can be used to calibrate devices, who do not have a distinct start position. Do NOT use this command without understanding its implications. Using this command undermines several safety features of the drive and may cause damage to material or personnel.
VibrationActive	0xC0	Uint8 ( 0..1 )	Turns on/off vibrations on / off. Enables vibration for the following commands. There are 2 vibration settings. A fast and a slow one. They can be overlaid. If one of the 2 vibrations aren't used, the corresponding force setting can be set to 0. If both vibrations are not used, this setting must be set to 0 again. You need to set the vibration override on the axes you want to use this feature, even If you use the remote interface without a simulation! (See Override control)
Vibration Speed for fast vibrations.	0xC1	UInt32 (Device specific range)	Vibration interval in milliseconds. The lower the value, the faster the vibration. You need to set the vibration override on the axes you want to use this feature on! (See Override control)
Vibration Force for fast vibrations.	0xC2	UInt32 (Device specific range. (Force limit / 2) )	Vibration force in internal force units. (The possible max value is half the limit of the force profile diagram) You need to set the vibration override on the axes you want to use this feature on! (See Override control)
Vibration Speed for slow vibrations.	0xC3	UInt32 (Device specific range. (Minimum value is 10) )	Vibration interval in milliseconds. The lower the value, the faster the vibration. You need to set the vibration override on the axes you want to use this feature on! (See Override control)
Vibration Force for slow vibrations.	0xC4	UInt32 (Device specific range. (Force limit / 2) )	Vibration force in internal force units. (The possible max value is half the limit of the force profile diagram) You need to set the vibration override on the axes you want to use this feature on! (See Override control)
Force offset	0xD0	Int32 (Device specific range. (Force limit / 2) )	Active force into the specified direction (+/-). You need to set the vibration override on the axes you want to use this feature on! (See Override control)
Toggle feedback for Force offset	0xD1	UInt8 (Boolean: 0 / 1) Default: 1	This setting will be lost on device state change and therefore has to be set after each device initialization. If this setting is set to 1, force that has been set through force offset will be reflected in the Data ids 0x20 and 0x21 (Applied force) If set to 0, force offset applied by user will not be visible in read out force, so only user input will show up in the applied force.
P Force Numerator & Denumerator	0xD2	Int16[2] (Fraction, ex: 1/20) Int16[0] = Numerator Int16[1] = Denumerator	This setting will be lost on device state change and therefore has to be set after each device initialization. Sets the force P factor of the axis as a fraction. The value inversely affects dampening (smaller values increase dampening). Do NOT use this command without understanding its implications. Increasing the value may destabilize the axis! Test with small increments and with the force profile and the scale factor set to the maximal values you want to use. Move the axis to give an impulse and check that the axis does not begin to oscillate.
P Move back	0xD3	UInt32 (0 - 530)	This setting will be lost on device state change and therefore has to be set after each device initialization. Sets the P Move back factor of the axis. The value affects spring force (bigger values increase the spring force). Do NOT use this command without understanding its implications. Increasing the value may destabilize the axis! Test with small increments and with the force profile and the scale factor set to the maximal values you want to use. Move the axis to give an impulse and check that the axis does not begin to oscillate.
Trim Step	0xD4	UInt16 (0 - 65535)	This setting will be lost on device state change and therefore has to be set after each device initialization. Sets how close the axis tries to get to the trim position.
Trim Ramp	0xD5	Int16 (1 - 20)	This setting will be lost on device state change and therefore has to be set after each device initialization. Sets how fast the axis tries to reach the Trim positision.
Extended Force Profile	0xE0	array[18] of struct {  UInt16 force value;  Int32 position } = 18 * 6 bytes	This setting will be lost on device state change and therefore has to be set after each device initialization. The extended force profile allows setting an asymetric force profile with 9 values for each side.Index 0 is the first negative value from the center, while index 8 is the negative axis limit. Index 9 is the first positive value from the center while index 17 is the positive axis limit. The position field allows the alignment of these 18 points along the axis range. the units for position are the same internal units as when reading "Axis position raw".
Extended Friction Profile	0xE1	array[18] of struct {  UInt16 friction value;  Int32 position } = 18 * 6 bytes	This setting will be lost on device state change and therefore has to be set after each device initialization. The extended friciton profile allows setting an asymetric friction profile with 9 values for each side. Index 0 is the negative axis limit, while index 17 is the positive axis limit. The position field allows the alignment of these 18 points along the axis range. the units for position are the same internal units as when reading "Axis position raw".
Friction by velocity	0xE2	Float[2] (Factor, Limit) Float[0] = Factor Float[1] = Limit	This setting will be lost on device state change and therefore has to be set after each device initialization. The friction by velocity setting allows settings velocity controlled friction using the formula: Rotational axes: deg/s * Factor = Nm Translational axes: mm/s * Factor = N The Limit value defines an upper limit for the friction force in N or Nm.
Axis range limits	0x95	Int32[2] (lower, upper) Int32[0] = negative limit Int32[1] = positive limit	Limits the travel range of the axis to a user defined range. The maximum allowed range can be read with the corresponding GetData command "Axis range limits".

Request for writing setting

Response for writing setting

Profile control

Request for SetProfile command

Response for SetProfile command

Request for ListProfiles command

Response for ListProfiles command

Request for GetActiveProfile command

Response for GetActiveProfile command

Input control

Input Ids

Request for SetDigitalInputs command

Response for SetDigitalInputs command

Input interdiction control

Input Ids

Request for SetInterdictedInputIds command

Response for SetInterdictedInputIds command

Reading data

In a dual-seat set-up, all Data except force information and buttons is synchronized. Commands will send data for each connected device, but will limit the selection to the chosen axes. In a dual seat, data for pilot and copilot devices is returned. See device id's at the top.

Data IDs

Request for reading data

Response for reading data ( in case of success )

Response for reading data ( in case of error )

Reading/Writing IO2CAN Gateway data

Request for reading IO2CAN Gateway data

Response for reading IO2CAN Gateway data ( in case of success )

Response for reading IO2CAN Gateway data ( in case of error )

Request for writing IO2CAN Gateway outputs

Response for writing IO2CAN Gateway outputs ( in case of success )

Response for writing IO2CAN Gateway outputs ( in case of error )

Setting IO2CAN Gateway output communication timeout

For the IO2Can Gateway outputs a watchdog can be activated. If the timeout is not set to 0, the watchdog is active.
If the IO2Can device does not receive CAN packets for the set duration, all outputs will be set to low.
This allows a connected hardware to react, if the control software controlling the IO2Can device crashes.
To deactivate the setting again, set it to 0.

Request for setting IO2CAN Gateway output communication timeout

Response for writing IO2CAN Gateway outputs ( in case of success )

Response for writing IO2CAN Gateway outputs ( in case of error )

Override control

To disable all overrides, pass zero for the axis field.

Override IDs

Override name	Override id	Description
Scale factor override	0x01	Allows overriding the force scale factor, which is normally calculated from force factor and current airspeed.
Trim position override	0x02	Allows overriding the trim position.
Autopilot enable override	0x03	Allows overriding the state (on/off) of the autopilot in the hardware.
Autopilot position override	0x04	Allows overriding the target position of the hardware autopilot.
Vibration override	0x05	Allows overriding the vibration settings of the hardware. To manipulate vibrations, or the force offset, this command needs to be applied, even if no simulation is connected. Take care when setting vibrations! Start with a force of 50 and work you way up in increments of 100 to get a feel for the strength of vibrations or force offset.
Position override	0x06	Axis Positions will not be sent to simulation.

Request for writing override

Response for writing setting

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