Simviation Forum - Cockpit Construction (Part 24)

Mar 28^th, 2006 at 4:28pm

JBaymore Offline
Global Moderator
Under the curse of the
hombuilt cockpit!

Gender:
Posts: 10261

Exploring New Virtual Panel Gauges

March 2006

Well..... starting to find some time to get back to the simpit now. Been a long while since I had any spare time where I was not "brain dead" from work. I think this is entering about year four of the project. Shocked

With FreeFD now being an apparently "dead" piece of software, I have been looking at some alternatives to see if anything offers possibilities for some of the stuff I want to do. I will likely continue to use FreeFD for some of the displays in the simpit...... but I am always open to new ideas.

One of those new ideas is FsXPand. Be warned here however that this is payware, not free software like FreeFD was. But the price for this wonderful program is so low when compared to the nearest (and pretty much only) competitor, "Project Magenta" as to be effectively freeware Wink

.

FsXPand basically consists of two modules. One acts as a data link for sending information to the panels located on remote networked machines and it runs on the main FS machine, sending data out to the clinet machines.

The second part is a panel construction and display module. THIS is where the whole FsXPand concept really shines! This section lets you set up custom panels to display whatever gauges you want from a "picklist" of available gauges. It is very flexible in doing this, and the user interface is very intuitive.

At the moment, this program is targeted more at the GA market.... rather than the heavy jet crowd. But Gert Heijnis (the author) is moving it more toward commercial jets with every update he makes. A new update is forthcoming next month. It already has a significant EICAS option for up to four engines, piston, turbo, or jet.

I've been playing with it a bit in the demo version (time limited to 15 minutes a "session") over the past few evenings. It shows real promise for custom panels.

Main Instrument Panel Instruments

In the image above you can see the captains side of the MIP showing the primary flight instruments below the glareshield. In the center you can see the FreeFD PFD and ND displays with the FreeFD backup "steam gauges" to their right.

On the left is a less than full screen (3 1/2" x 7") window panel that holds three of the gauges available in the current FsXPand suite of possibilities. On the top is the marker lights. In the middle is the radar altimiter. And at the bottom is a general flight status annunciator.

Needless to say.... the realism of the MIP is getting there Grin

.

I'll keep playing with the FsXPand stuff and keep you posted. If I get it to do the things I want...... I'll be sending off my money to register it.

best,

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

« Last Edit: Apr 23^rd, 2006 at 4:30pm by JBaymore »

Intel i7 960 quad 3.2G LGA 1366, Asus P6X58D Premium, 750W Corsair, 6 gig 1600 DDR3, Spinpoint 1TB 7200 HD, Caviar 500G 7200 HD, GTX275 1280M, Logitec Z640, Win7 Pro 64b, CH Products yoke, pedals + throttle quad, simpit

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #1 - Apr 8^th, 2006 at 8:16pm

JBaymore Offline
Global Moderator
Under the curse of the
hombuilt cockpit!

Gender:
Posts: 10261

Phidgets LED 64 Module

In order to drive 64 of the annunciators lights, master caution lights, marker lights, and other such indicators I will be using the wonderful Phidget line of interfaces coupled with the freeware FS2Phidget
software by Alan Dyer. Phidgets offers a large line of modules that allow stuff like analog inputs, rotaries, relays, text displays, and servos. I have had a Phidget LED64 unit sitting in a box here for about a year and a half now...... time to get it hooked up!

The Phidget LED64 unit will drive 64 discrete LEDs with the levels of brightness being variable. The FS2Phidget software lets you assign what variable the indicator is activated by, and what value or values cause it to light.

The LED64 board however is just a raw circuit board.... there are no connectors for the LEDs on it. It just has solder tabs. So I wanted to construct a card that would allow me to easily connect and disconnct the leads running to the LEDs in the simpit.

So here is the perfboard that will hold the screw terminals and the LED64 card. On one side the wiring terminals are mounted, and on the other side the LED64 unit will go.

Below you can see that I made some metal "L" brackets to mount things out of some scrap metal I had. A little drilling and filing and pretty soon things went together. About 3/4 of the screw terminals are in place here.....but not yet soldered onto the board.

In the shot below you can see the brackets screwed in place on the LED64 unit, awaiting mounting.

In the picture below you can now see the LED64 mounted to the terminal board.

Later I will start soldering ribbon cable from the LED64 unit to the pins on the terminal strips.

More to come.

best,

.......john

Intel i7 960 quad 3.2G LGA 1366, Asus P6X58D Premium, 750W Corsair, 6 gig 1600 DDR3, Spinpoint 1TB 7200 HD, Caviar 500G 7200 HD, GTX275 1280M, Logitec Z640, Win7 Pro 64b, CH Products yoke, pedals + throttle quad, simpit

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #2 - Apr 9^th, 2006 at 8:49pm

JBaymore Offline
Global Moderator
Under the curse of the
hombuilt cockpit!

Gender:
Posts: 10261

OK... started soldering on the ribbon cable to the LED64 tonight. Took some thinking to lay out how the wiring will sit on the back of the board so that I can get access to all the solder points.

I soldered on a single pair of wires first to make sure that this thing was going to work correctly before I spent hours and hours soldering. Fired up the sim, started the FS2Phidgets software, and assigned a single LED to the landing lights. Flipped a switch in the pit for the landing lights.... and bingo.... the Phidget LED came on. Yippee Grin

SO once I knew that it was working as a concept... I started stripping wire and soldering. For 64 outputs.... this is going to be a multi-evening project. But it is on its way. See the photo below.

best,

........john

PS: Sorry about the fuzzy pictures... my digital camera still is having problems focusing close up. Macreo is shot, I think.

Intel i7 960 quad 3.2G LGA 1366, Asus P6X58D Premium, 750W Corsair, 6 gig 1600 DDR3, Spinpoint 1TB 7200 HD, Caviar 500G 7200 HD, GTX275 1280M, Logitec Z640, Win7 Pro 64b, CH Products yoke, pedals + throttle quad, simpit

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #3 - Apr 10^th, 2006 at 10:31pm

JBaymore Offline
Global Moderator
Under the curse of the
hombuilt cockpit!

Gender:
Posts: 10261

Established between tonight and last night that it takes one hour to plan, cut, strip, tin, and solder the 16 connections for running 8 LEDs off the LED64 board.

So the soldering alone on this screw terminal interface will take a total of about 8 hours! Shocked

That's not counting the fabrication of the boards themselves. Nor doing the connections to the annunciators.

This is why a project like this takes years and years.

best,

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

Intel i7 960 quad 3.2G LGA 1366, Asus P6X58D Premium, 750W Corsair, 6 gig 1600 DDR3, Spinpoint 1TB 7200 HD, Caviar 500G 7200 HD, GTX275 1280M, Logitec Z640, Win7 Pro 64b, CH Products yoke, pedals + throttle quad, simpit

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #4 - Apr 13^th, 2006 at 9:59pm

JBaymore Offline
Global Moderator
Under the curse of the
hombuilt cockpit!

Gender:
Posts: 10261

Quick Note on progress here..........

Soldered some more on the LED64. Sigh...... slow...slow...slow.

On another front, I ordered a Phidgets TextLCD /8/8/8 unit two days ago....and it arrived today. After some playing around with the sodftware setup (I hate Windows) I now have the basis for my overhead fuel tank level gauges.... which will be digitally showing the tank percentages slowly stepping down toward zero. Another thing that needs doing now....making the panel facing to hold it.

That unit will also serve the basis for my throttle quadrant, 8 more annunciators and a few switches on the 8 digital output /8 analog/8 digital input part. Slick little unit.

Work goes on.

best,

.........john

Intel i7 960 quad 3.2G LGA 1366, Asus P6X58D Premium, 750W Corsair, 6 gig 1600 DDR3, Spinpoint 1TB 7200 HD, Caviar 500G 7200 HD, GTX275 1280M, Logitec Z640, Win7 Pro 64b, CH Products yoke, pedals + throttle quad, simpit

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #5 - Apr 15^th, 2006 at 8:09pm

JBaymore Offline
Global Moderator
Under the curse of the
hombuilt cockpit!

Gender:
Posts: 10261

Spent a few minutes this evening setting up the Phidgets software that controls ALL the Phidgets you might want to add ......onto the #3 computer in the pit that also now handles Teamspeak and the Free FD ND and backup insturments. Easy install and debug. It was a snap.

And it works like a charm........ now the Phidgets TextLCD (sitting on the glareshield for the moment) is showning me multiple individual digital readouts of the fuel in my tanks. Just have to make the facing for the panel now. Yipee.

best,

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

« Last Edit: Apr 15^th, 2006 at 10:57pm by JBaymore »

Intel i7 960 quad 3.2G LGA 1366, Asus P6X58D Premium, 750W Corsair, 6 gig 1600 DDR3, Spinpoint 1TB 7200 HD, Caviar 500G 7200 HD, GTX275 1280M, Logitec Z640, Win7 Pro 64b, CH Products yoke, pedals + throttle quad, simpit

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #6 - Apr 15^th, 2006 at 10:14pm

flyboy 28 Offline
Colonel
Jacksonville, FL

Posts: 13323

Are you sure those aren't Legos in that second shot..? Wink

Just kidding John, looks great!

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #7 - Apr 21^st, 2006 at 12:01pm

JBaymore Offline
Global Moderator
Under the curse of the
hombuilt cockpit!

Gender:
Posts: 10261

Digital Fuel Gauge Display

After cutting out the space for the LCD display on a 2" x 7 1/4" blank panel facing, the overhead now has a digital display of the fuel content of the tanks rendered on a Phidgets TextLCD /8/8/8 unit. It is mounted on the left side of the overhead just above the fuel management panel in easy view from the captains seat. In the photo below, I have circled the two line, 20 character per line display in red.

These displays are easily configurable to any variable that is availabe in FSUIPC via the freeware "FS2Phidget" interfacing program by Alan Dyer. The procedure is very simple to do.

The display is set up to show the left main tank, the center tank, and the right main tank percentages on the top line. The second line shows the left aux tank, the total current fuel flow, and then the right aux tank.

Still havent had time to start on using the 8 analog inputs, the 8 digital inputs, and the 8 digital outputs that are "bundled" into the TextLCD board....... but I will. Wink

best,

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

Intel i7 960 quad 3.2G LGA 1366, Asus P6X58D Premium, 750W Corsair, 6 gig 1600 DDR3, Spinpoint 1TB 7200 HD, Caviar 500G 7200 HD, GTX275 1280M, Logitec Z640, Win7 Pro 64b, CH Products yoke, pedals + throttle quad, simpit

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #8 - Apr 21^st, 2006 at 6:54pm

chuckcrc Offline
Colonel
Simpit builder
Australia

Gender:
Posts: 170

Looks great John. Cheesy

You are obviously a real pro with that soldering iron now!

Those Phidget devices look interesting. I might go and take a look at them and see what they can do.

cheers
chuck

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #9 - Apr 23^rd, 2006 at 4:17pm

JBaymore Offline
Global Moderator
Under the curse of the
hombuilt cockpit!

Gender:
Posts: 10261

Quote:

Are you sure those aren't Legos in that second shot..? Wink

Just kidding John, looks great!

Yeah... they do look like Legos in the photo don;t they? Grin

And thanks.

best,

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

Intel i7 960 quad 3.2G LGA 1366, Asus P6X58D Premium, 750W Corsair, 6 gig 1600 DDR3, Spinpoint 1TB 7200 HD, Caviar 500G 7200 HD, GTX275 1280M, Logitec Z640, Win7 Pro 64b, CH Products yoke, pedals + throttle quad, simpit

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #10 - Apr 23^rd, 2006 at 4:20pm

JBaymore Offline
Global Moderator
Under the curse of the
hombuilt cockpit!

Gender:
Posts: 10261

Quote:

Looks great John. Cheesy

You are obviously a real pro with that soldering iron now!

Those Phidget devices look interesting. I might go and take a look at them and see what they can do.

cheers
chuck

chuck,

Yeah..... the soldering is getting better and better. Have a backgound as a ham op (KA1HLI General Class)...... so used to do a lot of soldering... but haven't built much except this for years and years.

The Phidgets are really great units. There is a WIDE spread of types...and the FS2Phidget software that Alan does is first rate.

Thanks for the kind words.

best,

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

Now on to PART 25

Intel i7 960 quad 3.2G LGA 1366, Asus P6X58D Premium, 750W Corsair, 6 gig 1600 DDR3, Spinpoint 1TB 7200 HD, Caviar 500G 7200 HD, GTX275 1280M, Logitec Z640, Win7 Pro 64b, CH Products yoke, pedals + throttle quad, simpit

Back to top

IP Logged

	Search the archive: