Starting On Electronics


In the first photo below I have the PFD display and the ND display now sitting side by side in the main instrument panel.  The real ventilation fans (see part 17) are behind them.  To the right you can see a data switch mounted on the EICAS pedestal, and to the lower right you can see the wiring for the cockpit lights.




In photo #2 below you can see the data switch that will allow the ND display to be switched to the Upper EICAS display.  The EICAS display computer will have a "Y" vga cable to allow this..... routing one leg of the "Y" to the data switch.  The switch is set up for two computers and one monitor.  In the background is one of the vent fans.





In photo #3 below, you can see all of the wiring that will control the real cockpit lights.  All the lights used are 12V DC units.  They are controlled by a bank of lighted automitive style toggle switches.  All of the 12V DC wiring is connected with automotive quick disconnect blade connectors.  And every wire is labeled as to its function.... for debugging.




In photo #4 below, you can see the start of the 110VAC wiring.  These circuits will power all of the low voltage stuff in the pit via DC power supplies, plus will run the computers and monitors, and the powered usb hubs and network switches, and so on.  There are three separate circuits, plus the "hot buss" .... one 110VAC outlet that is always on that will power the fire detectors and the GMT digital clock.  The circuits are switched on the overhead panel with rocker style switches, and have indicator lanmps.




In photo #5 below you can see the start of the "spagettii" that all this wiring will be.  There will probably be 500 distinct wires in this pit.  And I have to keep track of all of them!!  






In photo #6 below, you can see the addition of a small shelf that will hold a number of the smaller components like power supplies, usb hubs, and so on.  




In photo #7 below, the shelf area has been painted black, and the DC wiring has been started.  An 8 amp 12VDC regulated supply (old ham radio unit I had) is already sitting up there.  As is a small 9 VDC converter used to power the smoke detectors.  Everything is clearly labeled..... because I can't remember my own name without looking at a nametag  .





And lastly, in photo #8 below... you can see the back side of the main overhead panel... and the start of the wiring of all the switches and indicator lights.  This will take a while!




SO... once again...... it moves forward.


best,

..................john

Hi John,

I've been giving some thought on the question you posed to Matthias on his "BAePanelProject" site about using some of his panel in your Simpit.

I believe he said the problem was that his xml.gauges use non standard variables (different from stnd FS ones) and that FSUIPC cannot access these variables, this is true but there may be a way around this.

On your main FS computer setup a pseudo panel for the aircraft on the main out of the window view, this will only need to be 1/2 inch in height and can be placed at the bottom of the screen at the level of the glareshield , fill this band with numerous click spots that activate or toggle the non stnd variables, you don't need any bitmaps as these are only a visual interface for us so that we know the state of the variable, i.e. Panel Lights On/Off etc....  Your interface is all around you !!!

Once you have your pseudo panel you can use "key2mouse" to assign keys to the clickspots then FSUIPC can access the variables by sending the appropriate keypresses.

Hope this is of some help.

Adrian W.

P.S. Do I get an invite when it's finished ???

A bit more done... but tough to photograph it.  Some blurry shots coming soon..... sorry..... camera is still an issue on close ups.

Tonight I "attacked" wiring up one more of the overhead panels .... did some very minor work on some others already. 

The one I selected tonight was the "Bleed Air / Packs" panel.  This panel will control a number of "real world" important functions in the pit.... such as all of the real air circulation blowers for my "creature comfort" while flying .  Unfortunately in the FS2004 basic sim, there is little FSUIPC data supported for the bleed air and the packs.  So I will have to "fake it" to a degree.  And I will add some "in sim" functions also as I go later.

The panel I made allows the APU and engine #2 and engine #3 to generate bleed air.  There is an isolation valve to separate the right air from the left air systems..... with the APU able to run either side.  For these bleed air switches to be "active" they will be "fed" from the panels that control the engine starts and the APU start.  No appropriate engine(s) or APU...... and the switches on this panel will do nothing.  (There are APU and Air and Packs annunciators located elsewhere.)

Once the bleed air is established and the switch lights up "green" , then the left and right packs can be selected and turn "green".  Once the packs are running, they will allow the two recirculation valves to be switched open (light "green") and warm/cold air to be directed to the flight deck, the structural anti-ice system, and the passenger cabin (non-existant).

What I am really controlling here is simply a supply of +12 VDC.  To get keypresses (eventually) into the sim itself.... I will use a couple of relays connected to the keyboard emulator or the Phidget inputs.  That will be addressed later.

If this 12V switching just involved a series of single switches.... it would be very easy wiring.  Feed the plus side of the 12V through one switch to the next switch...to the next switch... to the next switch.  Unless the whole "chain" of switches is "closed", no current flows in the circuit.  Simple... and that kind of thing will show up in a couple of places in the pit.

The "problem" with THIS panel comes when you want multiple possible switches carrying the 12V to be a "source" for something downstream.... and don't want ALL the indicator lights to light up no matter WHAT switch is thrown... and to not feed 12V power "backwards" down the interconnected wires.  That gets you results that are often "unexpected" as far as the "logic" goes  .

The "trick" to deal with this potential issue is to use a diode in the 12V + supply line.

A diode can act as a "one way valve" for electrons.  The flow of current goes from the anode side to the cathode side of the diode with a slight voltage drop across the diode (about 1 - 1.5 volts).  In the reverse direction....... until you get to a pretty high voltage (breakdown voltage)........ no current flows through it at all.  So putting these diodes in strategic locations... you can feed electricity down a "one way street".

I'll put up a picture and a schematic to explain this a little better later.

So the Bleed Air / Packs panel is now basically finished and all the lighted rocker and toggle switches function with the logic I desired.......... a bunch of hook-up wire amd solder and six 1N4001 silicon diodes later


best,

..................john


PS:  The diodes will handle 1 Amp forward current and the brekdown voltage is 50V... way above my 12V DC.   My blowers on a single circuit will not exceed 1 Amp draw each (there are two circuits to utilize).

oh i can remember about 1/3 of those symbols!!!!

lol, keep up the good work. you should invite us over, and like chage us $5 an hour, lol.

btw, done any more flying lately since the maiden flight?

Ramos

In the first photo you can see the rear of the "Bleed Air / Packs" panel with the wiring in place.  All of the 12V DC is set up to be connected via automotive quick disconnects... for ease of working on panels.  

There are three red +12VDC "incoming" leads at the bottom representing the APU, the #2 engine, and the #3 engine air sources.  The black negative 12VDC lead is common to all controls.  On the top left and right is the paired 12 VDC leads coming off the "Packs" that will power the pit air circulation.  The remaining paired lead is for 12 VDC that powers the indicatror lamps and comes in on the "Avionics" buss.

If you look closely, you can notice some of the diodes (as mentioned above) soldered in place.

At the moment the two pots on the extreme left and right lower edges are not connected to anything....they are for "eye candy" knobs.  They are the Flight Deck Temperature and Cabin Temperature controls for the heating / air conditioning.  At the moment there is none  of either .




In the photo below you can see the panel powered up.  As it is shown, the APU is running and supplying bleed air, which is routed to both the left and right Packs, with the isolation valve open.  (If the isolation valve was closed, the APU would not power the right Pack so it's indicator light would go out, and the isolation valve light would turn "red".  The left and right Recirculation Vaves are open (dimly lighted green toggles are hard to see in the photo.)





My apologies for the fuzzy shots below.  But I thouight they were important.

In the next shot you can see one of the small annunciator units from Flight Deck Solutions.  Here I have glued the engraved "GPU AVAIL" legend light plate onto the plastic housing with crazy glue.




In the next photo, the rear of the unit is shown.  This unit has two green LED's to give it a bright green display when the Ground Power is available.  It is s single state annuinciator.... it is either green, or is off.  The LED's are held in place with silicone glue.... in case they ever need replacing.

One important note here is the preparation of the LEDs for the annunciators.

"Stock" LEDs tend to sent the light out in a focused beam along the axis of the LED.  This creates a bright spot on the center axix point.  This does not work well for the annunciators with their paired side-by-side LED holders.  So I take the stock LED and file the domed face off flat with an 8" file.  I then take some 190 grit silicon carbide paper and "frost" all of the remaining plastic surface of the LED.  This "diffuses" the light and gives a nice ven glow to the annunciators.



In the last shot below, you can see the annunciator powered up on the "GPU / APU" panel.




So... it all continues.  Getting stuff "lit up" is very exciting!  


best,

...................john

Quint_Player,

Thanks!   


best,

...............john