Simviation Forum - Switch Question

Reply #15 - Jan 16^th, 2008 at 4:23pm

JSpahn Offline
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beaky wrote on Jan 16^th, 2008 at 6:11am:

JSpahn wrote on Jan 15^th, 2008 at 10:01pm:

Well if anything it has been a good overview of how to use FSUIPC and the pros and cons of different controllers

Lets not forget the added cost of the relays when you consider going this route. 5 bucks a relay with the possibility of 30 inputs Shocked

The haggy makes sense if you absolutely want switches

Uh, yeah... or the other possibility: fabbing switches that latch mechanically, but provide a momentary closure... I actually considered that (very briefly).

The Hagstrom products cost more on average than Bodnar's stuff, but you get a lot more channels and no need for relays or fancy mechs.

Personally, I've got to have proper latching toggles for some things...half the reason I'm building a pit in the first place! Grin

There has to be a toggle out there that uses some sort of cam that will latch on and off. I would think it has a single input and each direction results in a keypress.

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Reply #16 - Jan 16^th, 2008 at 4:38pm

JSpahn Offline
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I think this is it:

http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/category/700525/Standard_Toggle.html

cat# sts-115 ??

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Reply #17 - Jan 16^th, 2008 at 9:37pm

beaky Offline
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Nope; that's a momentary switch. It will always want to return to the center (off) position.
Very useful for some things (I plan to use a few in lieu of rotary switches for simple increase/decrease controls), but not a latching switch at all.

I went through all this on my own... I don't think you're going to find a toggle that latches while providing a momentary closure, as that kind of thing is usually done with a switch and a relay.

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Reply #18 - Jan 17^th, 2008 at 3:45am

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Reposting this link because it's clear that some folks didn't look at it.

http://www.flightsim.com/cgi/kds?$=main/howto/switches.htm

Check out Figure 9 and Figure 10. Two resistors, one capacitor and one 35 cent chip (price reduction available if buying in bulk).

Total cost for 100 circuit assemblies would be around $50 plus some assembly time. You could modify a standard size toggle to incorporate a microswitch and provide the same functionality... at around twice the cost.

Forget relays... do it solid state.

Steve (Silver Fox) Daly

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Reply #19 - Jan 17^th, 2008 at 8:42am

JSpahn Offline
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That looks promising and the circuit is not that complicated being farmiliar with opto isolators which are used in medical equipment too much. Not to hijack this thread too much but I have a question.

This setup would not recognize down as off and up as on if you say load a flight or shutdown the sim and restart later without setting all the toggles to off.

My question is does a properly setup haggy recognize the physical position of a switch? or would that require a more elaborate setup?

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Reply #20 - Jan 17^th, 2008 at 7:22pm

beaky Offline
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SilverFox441 wrote on Jan 17^th, 2008 at 3:45am:

Reposting this link because it's clear that some folks didn't look at it.

http://www.flightsim.com/cgi/kds?$=main/howto/switches.htm

Check out Figure 9 and Figure 10. Two resistors, one capacitor and one 35 cent chip (price reduction available if buying in bulk).

Total cost for 100 circuit assemblies would be around $50 plus some assembly time. You could modify a standard size toggle to incorporate a microswitch and provide the same functionality... at around twice the cost.

Forget relays... do it solid state.

Ah yes- I'd seen it, but forgotten. The "etc." in my "relays, etc."

Grin

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Reply #21 - Jan 17^th, 2008 at 9:05pm

JBaymore Offline
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JSpahn wrote on Jan 17^th, 2008 at 8:42am:

My question is does a properly setup haggy recognize the physical position of a switch? or would that require a more elaborate setup?

You can tell it to "remember" or you can tell it NOT to remember in the ini file. They are very programmable and versatile.

Some of this issue is particluar to the model aircraft you are flying. SOme will "lose" some or all switch positions.

I run a checklist for shutdown just like in a real aircraft. That way everthing is configured correctly "cold and dark" when I arrive again in the "plane".

best,

.........john

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Reply #22 - Jan 17^th, 2008 at 9:25pm

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I was thinking the same thing

. Run a shutdown procedure that way Im covered either way.

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Reply #23 - Jan 18^th, 2008 at 4:19am

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I remember seeing a simpit website a couple years back where the guy had used the "relay" method of achieving this functionality. He came up with a novel solution to the occasional need to match switch position to sim position.

What he did was make the "circuit breakers" out of momentary switches. One breaker hooked in parallel across each switch allowed him to pulse a specific command at need.

I recall thinking that setting the plane to cold and dark was a better solution, but to each his own.

:)

Steve (Silver Fox) Daly

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Reply #24 - Feb 11^th, 2008 at 6:26pm

Padser Offline
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~S~ all,

I've been reading this thread with interest (just dropped in after a long time away).

I use latching switches with Leo's controller (on-off-on) so some of them (gear, flaps, lights, and what-not) are one for a good while while I am flying. I have them mapped as joystick buttons rather than sending key strokes and have (as far as I can tell) experienced no problems.

I fly IL-2 rather than FS (my poor old machine won't run FSX properly - maybe when I (can afford an) upgrade... Wink

) - IL-2 is pretty greedy of processor and memory esources, too, though... Still, I fly it with all the sliders on full and haven't noticed any particular (or progressive) tailing off of performance even in busy online servers. My machine isn't particularly high-end nowadays - AMD 2800+ Barton processor with 2GB ram and an NVidia 6800S graphics card.

Is there a difference between simply sending the button signal and using a keystroke (I've thought about using something along the lines of Total Game Control to do this in the future). I ask because I'd like to be able to use proper on-off toggle switches on my next project - looks like that capacitor solution mentioned by SilverFox might be the way forward for me (I'd prefer to use the BU0836 if it looks feasible - I like Leo, like his controller, like his prices... Wink

TTFN

Pads

JBaymore wrote on Jan 15^th, 2008 at 7:55pm:

What I am tactfully trying to say is that for THAT particular controller...... use momentaries...and save the toggles and wafer switches for a different interface. Wink

best,

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

http://www.234squad.org.uk

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