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@cavebatsofware cavebatsofware released this 26 Dec 18:37
· 4 commits to main since this release
v3.0.0
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SimRate Sharp v3.0 Release Notes

Major New Feature: Overtorque Protection System

Engine Protection (Optional Feature)

The headline feature of v3.0 is a comprehensive Overtorque Protection (OTP) system designed to prevent engine damage during flight operations.

Key Capabilities:

  • Multi-Engine Support - Monitors and controls 1-4 engines independently
  • Visual Monitoring - Vertical bar gauges with color-coded warnings (green → yellow → red)
  • Intelligent Throttle Limiting - Automatically reduces throttle when engines exceed torque limits
  • Proportional Response - Reduction severity scales with overtorque amount (configurable aggression factor)
  • Iterative Correction - Makes multiple adjustments with configurable stabilization time between interventions
  • Per-Engine Control - Only intervenes on engines exceeding limits, leaving others untouched
  • Audio Alerts - Claxon-style warning tone (dual-frequency synthesized audio) on intervention
  • Zero Overhead - No performance impact when disabled; fully opt-in feature

Use Cases:

  • Firefighting operations (e.g., CL-415, DC-10, 737 tankers)
  • Turboprop aircraft operations (PT6A, TPE331, PW100 series engines)
  • Training scenarios where engine management is being learned
  • Any high-workload situation where precise throttle management is challenging
Screenshot 2025-12-26 115601

Configuration (All Parameters Adjustable):

  • Max Torque % (default: 100%) - Trigger threshold as percentage of aircraft's rated maximum
  • Warning Threshold % (default: 90%) - When visual bars turn yellow before red
  • Reduction Aggression (default: 2.5x) - Multiplier determining throttle cut severity
  • Minimum Throttle % (default: 40%) - Safety floor to prevent engine stall
  • Intervention Cooldown (default: 2000ms) - Time between corrections for engine/prop stabilization

Technical Implementation:

  • Uses SetDataOnSimObject to directly write throttle positions, overriding hardware input
  • Percentage-based limits work with any aircraft (not tied to absolute torque values)
  • Array-based architecture for clean multi-engine handling
  • Lazy initialization ensures zero overhead when disabled

UI/UX Improvements

Display Panel Management

  • Integrated Reset Button - 1x reset button now part of Sim Rate panel (cleaner layout)
  • Consistent Spacing - Fixed panel margins for uniform appearance when showing/hiding displays
  • Dynamic Layout - Panels automatically adjust when toggled, maintaining consistent spacing

Visual Refinements

  • Removed Numeric Separators - Cleaner visual design with margin-based spacing
  • Consolidated Grid Layout - Reduced from 13 to 6 columns (plus reset button)
  • Torque Visualization - Vertical bar gauge system

Performance & Architecture

Optimization

  • Dynamic SimConnect Polling - Only polls data for visible panels (up to 86% reduction in SimVars when minimal panels shown)
  • Conditional Data Definitions - Rebuilds SimConnect data definition based on visibility settings
  • Zero-Overhead Torque System - Torque monitoring disabled by default; no resources consumed until enabled

Settings & Configuration

Enhanced Context Menu

All torque limiter settings are now fully configurable through the UI:

  • Enable/disable torque limiter
  • Show/hide torque display
  • Configure max torque percentage
  • Adjust warning threshold
  • Tune reduction aggression
  • Set minimum throttle floor
  • Configure intervention cooldown timing
  • View intervention count

Settings Persistence

All new torque limiter parameters are automatically saved to settings.json:

  • TorqueLimiterEnabled - Feature on/off state
  • ShowTorque - Display visibility
  • MaxTorquePercent - Limit threshold
  • TorqueWarningThreshold - Yellow warning trigger
  • ThrottleReductionAggression - Intervention multiplier
  • MinThrottlePercent - Safety floor
  • InterventionCooldownMs - Correction timing

Audio System

Synthesized Alert Tones

  • Claxon Effect - Dual-frequency (600Hz + 800Hz) simultaneous tones
  • WAV Synthesis - Generates proper audio waveforms in-memory
  • Professional Sound - Similar to real aircraft warning systems
  • Non-Intrusive - 150ms duration, 30% amplitude, attention-getting without being annoying

Bug Fixes

UI Stability

  • Panel Spacing - Fixed inconsistent margins when toggling display panels

Breaking Changes

None - All existing settings and configurations are forward-compatible. The overtorque protection system is entirely opt-in.

Upgrade Notes

From v2.0 to v3.0

  1. Settings Migration - Existing settings.json will automatically gain new default values for torque limiter parameters
  2. Clean Install (Optional) - If unexpected behavior is observed, delete %APPDATA%\SimRateSharp\settings.json before first launch of v3.0. This should not be needed unless the file was modified.
  3. Feature Activation - Overtorque Protection is disabled by default; enable via context menu → Torque Limiter → Enable

Recommended Configuration for CL-415 Firefighting

Max Torque: 100%
Warning Threshold: 90%
Reduction Aggression: 2.8x
Minimum Throttle: 40%
Intervention Cooldown: 3000ms

These settings provide smooth, effective protection during water bombing operations without interfering with normal flight operations.

Technical Details

Multi-Engine Architecture

Data Structures:

TorqueDataStruct:
  - Engine1Torque, Engine1TorquePercent, Engine1Throttle
  - Engine2Torque, Engine2TorquePercent, Engine2Throttle
  - Engine3Torque, Engine3TorquePercent, Engine3Throttle
  - Engine4Torque, Engine4TorquePercent, Engine4Throttle
  - NumberOfEngines
  - Helper: ToArrays() for clean array extraction

Algorithm:

For each engine:
  if torquePercent > maxTorquePercent:
    overtorqueExcess = torquePercent - maxTorquePercent
    throttleReduction = overtorqueExcess × aggression
    newThrottle = currentThrottle - throttleReduction
    newThrottle = clamp(newThrottle, minThrottle, 100%)

SimConnect Integration

Monitored SimVars (per engine):

  • ENG TORQUE:n - Absolute torque in foot-pounds
  • TURB ENG MAX TORQUE PERCENT:n - Percentage of aircraft's rated maximum
  • GENERAL ENG THROTTLE LEVER POSITION:n - Current throttle position (0-100%)
  • NUMBER OF ENGINES - Aircraft engine count for dynamic display

Control Method:

  • Uses SetDataOnSimObject to write throttle positions
  • Bypasses event system to override hardware input reliably
  • Updates all engines simultaneously with single SimConnect call

Credits

Developed by Grant DeFayette / CavebatSoftware LLC

Special thanks to the MSFS community for testing and feedback, particularly on the CL-415 overtorque protection use case.

License

GNU General Public License v3.0 - See LICENSE file for details

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