The panel and software come ready-configured, and if you are running the X-plane FlyingIron Spitfire, it will work out of the box. But there are plenty of configuration options which can be used to make it run differently, and possibly with different aircraft models. The internal coding of different aircraft within X-plane may make certain adaptions impossible, but there is great scope for adjustment.

Configuration is done outside X-plane using a program provided, called configurator.exe, located in the SimmilPluginX folder. which configures the file SimmilPluginX.cfg, which is read by the plugin on startup.

The plugin’s job is to send data provided by the aircraft in X-plane to the panel, in a suitable format. This data comes in the form of datarefs, and there is considerable documentation on them in the X-plane ecosystem. Aircraft builders like FlyingIron create their own datarefs, and Simmiltec has too, when they have proved necessary.

If you run Configurator.exe and open up the file Simmiltec/SimmilPluginX.cfg form the “File/Open” menu, you will see the complete configuration (see picture above).

Each line represents a dataref that is sent to the panel. On the extreme right are the datarefs, and on the extreme left the board/pin numbers which tells the panel where to route the data. In between are the configuration options. From left to right:

1. : This isn’t used by the program, it’s there to make the configuration human readable.

2. : This gives the type of input the panel is expecting on that pin:

   • Gauge: a gauge readout.

   • Switch: input from a switch, on or off.

   • Light: a light, which can be on or off.

3. : The panel uses two types of gauge motor, which each use a different driver, either the A3967 of the VID6606. The switches have different drivers depending on how the switch inputs are encoded in X-Plane. The lights need no driver.

4. Max Degrees: This tells X-plane the maximum arc of movement for each gauge, so it doesn’t try to move the gauge to a position it can’t physically go.

5. Zero Stop Value: The datarefs are number values in X-plane, and the plugin must translate them into degrees from the left-most gauge position. For instance the Spitfire RPM gauges starts at 1000rpm, not zero. This option allows you to set this up, and can be altered if for some reason the gauge is not reading properly at the left-most end of the gauge.

6. : This is the second value that tells the plugin how to translate the dataref from X-plane into degrees of turn in the gauge. It contains the amount of change in the dataref that gives rise to one degree of turn. Negative values cause the gauge to go anticlockwise when the dataref increases, which is necessary for some gauges.

7. Calibration Value: Gauge calibration can be complex, because not all Spitfire gauges are linear. For the more complex gauges, the plugin uses addition calibration files, which can be found in the SimmilPluginX directory, with names like “Name.clb”. These contain tables of dataref value against degrees of gauge turn. It can be difficult to tell when the setup is correct, as when flying the dataref values are constantly changing. That’s what the ”Calibration Value” is for. Simmiltec have set up a special command called “Send Calibration Values”, which can be assigned to a hotkey within the X-plane settings. This will send the “Calibration Value” to each gauge, letting you check that the gauge is reading correctly.