Just a couple of pictures of how rudder pedals are made: some scrapped Al alloy piece mounted as a pantograph for the movement and two rubber wheels to transfer the movement to the potentiometer.
The potentiometer is connected to a joystick male connector and it's translated into a USB connector for the PC by means of a commercial device.

Pneumatic instruments (altimeter, climb/pitch speed, anemometer through pitot tube, etc.). I've mounted an old monitor to use it for their visualisation in the center of the instrument panel.

Program in use. Well CFS3 has really a good grphic, but I have tha idea that, even if setted at max realism, is not so close to what piloting such a warbird is like as the IL2 series. In particular FB+PF are my favourite.

CFS2, anyway is the one that goes the best on my PC, and the one that offers the major number of freeware downloads on the web. 

Therefore CFS2 and IL2 are my main sw.

Never heard of Shockware's BoB: where can I find it?

Bye!
Andrew.

Hi Andrew

I think I found that link about the software to extract the gauge data from IL2. It looks like you can run this over a lan setup and have the gauges displayed on a second pc/monitor.

check it out.
http://forums.ubi.com/groupee/forums/a/tpc/f/23110283/m/4001089673

cheers
chuck

Hi Andrew

That device link software looks good, and those soft gauges look fantastic-- ( there are Me109 gauges as well as the Spit now available) all you would need to build is a face panel to go in front of your monitor and have the cutouts so they match the layout of the plane you are flying.

(curse CFS3 for not being able to extract data)

I think you can even save the position changes of the gauges. This would mean you could have different gauge/positon combinations for different aircraft.
You could design a system of removable face panels that you would slide into their holders in front of the instrument monitor. This would give more flexibility for your simpit and would look great.



Anyhow lets get onto the subject of your interface for all the switches and levers.
Are you going to buy a USB type control unit or are you going to try and do this with a hacked keyboard only and just use old stripped down joysticks for the analog control(ie prop pitch etc)?

I originally had a stripped down joystick that I used for the throttle quadrant. This worked fine.(cfs2 can have 16 joysticks -don't know about IL2 )
All of my switches,levers (gear & trim panels) all worked into a hacked keyboard.
Now the main problem (curse) of hacked keyboards are that you can only use momentary switches.  This doesn't make for a very realistic cockpit where you want toggle switches , rotary switches, rocker switches etc you want a bit more variance than just simple momentary push buttons.  



So this means you have to build the electronic and mechanical front end if you like to the hacked keyboard to allow all those other switch types to work with it.
This has just complicated your project a hundred fold.
Trust me as someone who has actually built one of these simpits-- using a hacked keyboard is the most complicated way  to go if you want realistic switches etc in your pit.


I have developed electronic circuits that have overcome these problems and I have working electronics for rotary switches that work ok ( things like trim control,flaps etc see my thread p51b trim controls) that I am happy to email you copies if you want to go this path.  I haven't done an exact costing on the difference but I would be surprised if there was much difference between buying all the additional electronic hardware for a hacked keyboard or buying a USB control unit that can do all the functions.



So what I'm trying to say is that a USB controler may be easier to install and wire up in your pit than the keyboard and would most likely be about the same price after you bought all the electronics and your time in soldering the keyboard electronics.

Now having said all that what you have to know is that if you are choosing a USB controller you need to check if it needs diodes for the scan matrix or not and if it can take toggle switches. If it can't then you will end up having to put the same front end electronics for it to recognise toggle switches as you have to for a hacked keyboard so your costs go up heaps and the wiring hassles also !

(curse CFS3 for not being able to extract data)

Andrew have a think about which way you want to go and we can fine tune the electronic option when you decide. (of course I haven't mention the other factor that impacts greatly on simpit building--- "the wife!"-- this requires very careful consideration if approval for final design plans are going to succeed.-- schedule regular outings for dinner etc as this will help a lot with the approval process !!!! )

cheers
chuck



 

Hi Andrew
hope you had a nice holiday.

To get the info on USB controllers have a look at this link.

http://www.betainnovations.com/
The Plasma Lite was getting a software upgrade that allowed for toggle switches to interface directly to it with no other hardware.

There is a usb controller home made kit called the "mjoy"  I don't have the link at the moment and there is another over at Ubizoo forum-- made by Leo Ionbar (I think??) but I think that needs a diode matrix.

Anyhow have a look at the Beta Innovations stuff and see what you think.

The choice gets down to cost and how handy you are with a soldering iron.

About the book idea -- I'm not sure -- as there is so many ways you can build this stuff. This is what this forum is about -- getting ideas from everyone and then selecting the one that works for you.

cheers
chuck

Just a shot out of a dry run with CFS1; I'll repeat the experiment with IL2 and attach a pic of it too.

Bye everybody!!!
A.

Andrew,

Looked at one of the videos.... wow..... pretty interesting.

I'm trying to visualize how this would "feel" in a simpit environment.  Not sure I'd want the outside visual display moving the viewpoint around as I turned my head.

I'd appreciate your thoughts about how to use this in a pit.

But for someone just flying with single or multiple monitors and the 2-d or virtual cockpit..... looks like a real "winner" to me.

best,

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

Quote:


Hiya,

The chap's name is Leo Bodnar and you can find his joystick controller here: http://www.lbodnar.dsl.pipex.com/joystick/

It's a snip at £20 and works very well - I've used two to date for a trim control and switch box (pics here - http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=homebuild;action=display;n...) and more recently for a long shaft joystick. Leo is also very helpful and was more than willing to answer questions, give advice, too. I was really pleased with the results.

6 x 6 switch matrix (32 + 4 high hat) & room for up to 8 potentiometers (10k linear recommended).

You would need diodes if you intend to use switches that will remain in an 'on' state. This isn't difficult though - even for someone with such limited (non-existent) electronics knowledge as myself...

TTFN

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