AllSportSystems FlightPanel Quick start guide

AllSportSystems®
FlightPanel™ Technical Guide
FlightPanel™ Flight Simulator Instrument Panels
Page 1 of 30

AllSportSystems®
Introduction to FlightPanel™ Flight Simulator Instrument Panels 3
Powering the FlightPanel 4
Getting Familiar with FlightPanel™ 5
The Red Mode Switch 5
IntelliPress™ Command Repetition 6
IntelliSpin™ Automatic Knob Acceleration 7
SwitchSync™ Aircraft Harmonization (FLEX only) 8
Configuring the Knobs, Push Buttons, and Switches 9
Printing Labels 10
Optional PanelBuilder Software 11
Connecting Multiple Displays to your Computer 12
Tips for for X-Plane 11 21
Disabling FlightPanel displays in X-Plane 11 23
Mapping buttons and knobs in X-Plane 11 23
Adjusting the Flight Camera 24
Installing and Using PanelBuilder 25
Adding or Removing Instruments and Gauges 26
Moving Instruments to the Correct Position 27
Recommended PC Hardware: 28
Graphics Card (GPU) 28
Processor (CPU) 29
32GB of DDR4 Memory (RAM) 29
500GB+ NVMe or SATA SSD 29
5x USB3.0 Ports 29
Drivers, Downloads, and More 30
Page 2 of 30

AllSportSystems®
Introduction to FlightPanel™ Flight Simulator
Instrument Panels
Thank you for purchasing a FlightPanel™ Flight Simulator Instrument
Panel! This user guide will explain how to make the best use of it with your
flight simulator.
The concepts behind the FlightPanel™ are simple:
1. Provide a generic airplane panel solution with knobs, buttons, and
switches that can easily be mapped to any function in any airplane.
2. Provide a generic instrumentation environment such that the
instruments you fly behind can be customized to any airplane.
3. Provide an intelligent solution that will work with any and all flight
simulators.
Page 3 of 30

AllSportSystems®
Powering the FlightPanel
If your FlightPanel includes internal screens or other accessories such as
an internal USB Hub, GPS Navigator, etc, these will typically require power
and other connections (HDMI or USB).
● Remove the Rear Access Panels being careful not to disturb the
internal wiring.
● Connect POWER and USB cables as needed
● Be careful not to overtighten screws.
● Some devices will need to be attached from behind while others will
attach through the front.
● We recommend connecting all add-in devices to a powered USB Hub
(included with CLASSIC and PRO FlightPanels). As always, be
careful not to disturb the internal wiring or the microcontroller.
● CLASSIC & PRO ONLY: Plug the 15’ USB cable cable into the USB
port installed on the back. Plug the other end into a USB port on your
computer.
● FLEX ONLY: Plug the 15’ USB cable into the microcontroller using
the connector nearest to the white reset button. Plug the other end
into a USB port on your computer or into a powered USB hub.
Page 4 of 30

AllSportSystems®
Getting Familiar with FlightPanel™
Once the FlightPanel™ is connected via a USB cable your computer
should detect a new keyboard. Please note that FlightPanel™ will not
begin sending keystrokes to the computer for 10-20 seconds after it is first
powered.
Open Notepad, or any other text editor, and begin turning the knobs and
pressing the buttons on your FlightPanel™. You will observe a unique key
being sent for each action.
The Red Mode Switch
The red “Mode” switch will alter the keys sent, so that most controls can
serve two purposes in your sim. On certain panels an LED is provided to
alert you to the position of the Mode Switch.
Page 5 of 30

AllSportSystems®
IntelliPress™ Command Repetition
Each push button sends a single keystroke per press. This includes the
push button functions associated with the knobs. However, the push
buttons can also send a constantly repeating keystroke if you press and
hold. You must hold the button for approximately one second for this to
begin.
By design, IntelliPress™ Command Repetition operates slower than the
IntelliSpin™ behavior described for knobs. This allows it to work well for
things like raising or lowering flaps on airplanes that require a handle to be
held while a motor slowly moves the object. It also allows you to use the
buttons for radio tuning, setting transponder codes, and many other “rotary”
behaviors when desired.
Page 6 of 30

AllSportSystems®
IntelliSpin™ Automatic Knob Acceleration
Each knob sends a single keystroke per detent, which you will feel while
turning the knob.
If you give the knob two quick short turns it will begin continuously sending
the keystroke rapidly. One it’s started, you can maintain the faster
IntelliSpin™ action by maintaining steady unhurried movement of the knob
in the same direction.
There are two ways to stop IntelliSpin™ Acceleration:
1. Stop turning the knob. IntelliSpin™ Acceleration will end
approximately ⅓ of a second later. This will result in 15-20 additional
keystrokes being delivered after you stop turning the knob.
2. Moving the knob one or more detents in the opposite direction. This
will stop IntelliSpin™ Acceleration immediately.
Page 7 of 30

AllSportSystems®
SwitchSync™ Aircraft Harmonization (FLEX only)
The FLEX panel includes silver toggle switches in addition to knobs and
push buttons. Note that these switches are not affected by the Mode
Switch. However, each time the Mode Switch is changed, the current
position of each switch will be sent to the computer as a series of
keystrokes. This allows you to quickly harmonize the switch positions with
the simulated airplane any time you like.
We recommend that you practice using SwitchSync™, IntelliSpin™, and
IntelliPress™ in Notepad to get familiar with how they behave. You will
soon discover that these are very helpful features for your flight simulator!
Page 8 of 30

AllSportSystems®
Configuring the Knobs, Push Buttons, and Switches
As far as the computer is concerned, FlightPanel™ looks just like a
keyboard. Each knob and switch will submit a unique keystroke to the
computer when turned or pressed.
Simply access your flight sim “keyboard configuration” screen, select the
control you wish to configure, and then turn or press the selected knob,
switch, or button to send the key.
Remember that the red Function Switch on your FlightPanel™ allows each
knob/button to serve two roles, so think carefully about the ideal position of
the Mode Switch as you are making your assignments.
You will likely want to configure more frequently used controls, such as
Altimeter, Landing Gear, Heading Bug, AutoPilot, OBS Rotation, Lights,
Radio Tuning etc with the Mode Switch in its default/off position.
You can then assign less frequently used controls, such as Fuel Tank
Selector, Magnetos, Starter, Transponder Digits, etc to auxiliary roles with
the Mode Switch On.
Note: If you are using P3D or FSX you may need a third party software
such as FSUIPC, in order to configure keystrokes for all of the aircraft
controls. Other flight sim packages, such as XPlane and FS2020 provide
full keystroke mapping without the need for third party software.
Page 9 of 30

AllSportSystems®
Printing Labels
Sample labels for the various controls can be accessed from Google Drive
here:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1tFYFYCxJFyeFC1VIexS7qF31l_RVj
qqP?usp=sharing
You will need to copy the label templates and save copies in your own
Google Drive. You will then be able to edit the files to match your
assignments.
After printing, simply trim the labels and insert them into the channels on
your FlightPanel™.
Page 10 of 30

AllSportSystems®
Optional PanelBuilder Software
If you ordered a license for PanelBuilder software it will be delivered as a
special USB key resembling a memory stick. Make sure the USB key is
connected to a USB port. Then download the software here:
https://simplugins.com/html/downloads.html
Refer to the SimPlugins website for instructions on using PanelBuilder to
replicate your favorite airplane instrument panel.
Page 11 of 30

AllSportSystems®
Connecting Multiple Displays to your Computer
Connecting your main displays and additional FlightPanel displays to your computer will
require the use of a high-end graphics card. We recommend one that can run at least
three separate screens at a time. You can find a list of recommended graphics cards in
the Appendix of this document, current as of the date of this writing.
● Your main displays should connect to your computer through the graphics card.
● While your graphics card may have more than three video connections on it, you
may not be able to use all them simultaneously. Check the specs on your card to
determine how many screens it can handle.
● Your graphics card may only have one or two HDMI connections on it, along with
DVI or DisplayPort connectors. You can use any of these connection types so
long as you have a matching cable or adapter to HDMI.
● Any remaining displays that cannot be run through the graphics card can be
connected to the motherboard using HDMI to USB 3.0 adapters.
HDMI to USB 3.0
(for motherboards)
HDMI to DisplayPort
cable
HDMI to DVI cable
●
Page 12 of 30

AllSportSystems®
● Take note of the diagram showing
where the motherboard and GPU are
found on your PC.
● Every PC is different, so the plug layout
may differ from the image shown, however
the general locations and plug types will
still be the same.
● USB 3.0 ports will have a distinct blue
color to them. Be sure to plug your
FlightPanel and any other USB 3.0 devices
into the correct ports.
The image below will help you identify the digital video ports found commonly on
graphics cards and/or motherboards.
Page 13 of 30

AllSportSystems®
For systems with GPS modules additional USB3.0/HDMI
adapters may be needed.
Page 14 of 30

AllSportSystems®
Configuring your multiple displays:
(Before configuring in windows)
● Plug your main displays directly into the GPU.
● Plug the FlightPanel displays into your USB3.0/HDMI adapters.
● Make sure all of your displays are powered ON before booting into
Windows.
1. In Windows - Open your settings and select “System”.
Page 15 of 30

AllSportSystems®
2. Windows may detect the FlightPanel screens as one single screen. If
this happens, select the display showing two numbers in one (for this
example Windows shows 1|2), then scroll down to the “Multiple
Displays” drop down menu and select “Extend desktop on 1 and 2”.
This will separate the screens into two independent displays
Page 16 of 30

AllSportSystems®
3. To verify that your displays have been separated, scroll to the top of
your display settings and select “Identify”. Each of your screens
should display a number corresponding with the Windows display
settings. Order all of your screens correctly from left to right.
Notice that Screen 1 is not correctly oriented. We will fix this in the
next step.
Page 17 of 30

AllSportSystems®
4. After taking note of which screen is not correctly oriented (in this
example it is screen 1), select that screen, scroll down to the “Display
Orientation” drop down menu, and select “Portrait (flipped)”.
Page 18 of 30

AllSportSystems®
5. Once the vertical FlightPanel display is rotated correctly, make sure it is
positioned correctly within Windows Display settings by clicking and
dragging it into place.
Page 19 of 30

AllSportSystems®
Please be aware…
You MUST reboot your PC:
1. Any time you change the screen ordering
2. Any time you disconnect/reconnect a screen’s HDMI cable
while your PC is running.
3. Any time you power off/power on a screen while your PC is
running.
The screens must all be powered on and physically connected before
booting Windows and running any flight sim software. Otherwise Windows
will not remember the display settings and/or orientation for your displays
and they will all need to be reset.
Page 20 of 30