rocketeer

For some of the knobs like volume I guess we'd be using pots, while others maybe using encoders. When using pots, how does one decide how much resistance to use? I see pots from 5K to 500K. Does it matter?

Please share some pictures. :)

Try adapting this guy's method to create the rows of indicator panels. http://www.f16simulator.nl/cautionpanel.pdf He has several PDFs that are good ideas.

Thanks for the info. If it's mostly just moving the panels around, I'm ok with it. The design of my cockpit will be flexible to move the panels around instead of drilling specific hole positions. By countermeasures you mean the chaff/flare panel is missing in the C model? That's good to know. Then I won't make that panel.

Ok, I'd get the book. Thanks for the info.

can you pictures of the two pages? I'm curious what I'd get when I buy the book. Thanks.

Thanks for the info. I'm aware of this book's existence, but I thought it's only about the A model. By pics of the C model, hopefully that includes a detailed picture of each of the panels. Since I have pictures of the A model, I can do a comparison. Think I'd buy the book. Has anyone bought the book before and can confirm that it has detailed pictures of the side panels for the C model? I'm trying to do a preparation (although it sounds early right now) for the A-10C cockpit for the DCS release. Making the panels and switches will take a long time to design and make. So if I know how the panels for the C model will look like I can have a head start.

I know the new A-10C front panel have the two MFDs and a different weapons control panel compared to the A model. Does ED or anyone else know what are the differences for the left and right panels between the A and C models? From a high level picture the panels look the same as the A model's. From the released pictures of the C model by ED earlier it's not detailed enough so I can't make out the details to compare against the A model. Just can't find detailed pictures of the C model side panels on google.

I don't have butt kicker, but have experience with others. I started with the Aurora bass shaker. It felt pretty good. Later I tried the ivibe. Didn't really like it. Support was lousy. Then I switched back to the aurora bass shaker. I found out that it feels better if you don't stick the bass shaker directly below your seat. That's too direct and feels a bit unnatural. I mounted it onto a piece of wood, then mounted the wood a few inches below the seat. The vibration spreads out to the legs first. The rumble feels great.

That is one gigantic tv display! Do you intend to add any switches/buttons?

Wow, I wish I have a garage like you. Just renting a small place is tough without a place to call as workshop. Maybe if you put it on bigger wheels, you can move it a bit further, to my place! If you need help in IO interface considerations, just shout. We'd be glad to help out. I sometimes envy those OC guys that meet together. Guess Spain is a lot smaller and easier to meet the big US. There's so much to learn from each other when you just meet face to face and talk and analyze things together. Looking at the OC photo albums, they seem to have a pretty big group when they meet. Must be fun meeting fellow mentally unstable chaps.

Now that the english Black Shark is released, I hope DCS will provide some info on the PCIP.

Bases on what I gathered: A-10C improvements - smart bombs (JDAM and WCMD) - sniper XR pod (includes mid-wave FLIR (forward-looking infrared), dual mode laser, CCD-TV, laser spot tracker and IR marker) - upgraded cockpit with 2 MFD - situational awareness datalinks - helmet mounted sighting system! - new stronger ceramic/titanium bath tub armour - Night Vision Imaging Systems (NVIS) - radar? - engine upgrade - new HOTAS

That MDF video is impressive. What I don't like about the simmeters website is that the link to the documentation for the client Workspace is always pointing to the iboard, not the workspace itself. It has never been corrected. Then the link to the client workspace demo is always broken. So potential buyers can't even try the demo or check out the documentation. They should always check all links are working.

You should also have a toggle switch for the ABRIS on/off.

Yes Oakes, please help us understand how to wire the 3 legs of the encoder to the two pins on the BU0836. Do you use some component to link two legs together? Do you have schematic diagram, or better still, photo of your wiring from your encoder to the card? That'll clear things up a lot.

Looking at this link: http://www.leobodnar.com/products/BU0836/ Scroll to the bottom and you'd see: Rotary encoder CTS288 model 288V232R161B2 : £4.49 integrated momentary push switch I am getting this for the right rotary on the ABRIS and it requires a pusb button. I'd also get the normal rotary without the PB for the rotary on the left of ABRIS.

Looking VERY good, mate!

You should consult Oakes on this. He has done this for the ABRIS. He is using the BU0836 card to do the job, using rotary encoders instead of pots. I think the knob on the left you can use a normal encoder. The one on the right you should get an encoder with a push butto build it, as per the function in ABRIS. I think you can get the encoder with the push button at the Bu0836 Leo's site.

Thanks guys for the answers. You guys are great! I'd get the russin version and try mapping the buttons to the sim, and/or Autohotkey or SVMapper. I saw that they have 10 bit, and newer 12 bit version. I suppose the latter is better? So the 8 analog inputs are seperate from the 32 buttons which are digital? in the sense for max input I can have 8 analog inputs, and 32 buttons? If so, that's quite a impressive. Ok, if I want to max this thing, how many diodes do I need? One between each pin? ie. between S1 and S2, between S2 and S3 ... to S5 and S6. Then between S1 and S7.... in terms of between row pins and column pins? I've not used diodes before, are they uni-directional? what specs should I look for? This is challenging and fun! This is for those with MUMBOs (Mentally Unstable Magnificient Big Obession, something I coined).

Hey Oakes or other experts, it says this BU0836 uses standard windows gaming device calibaration. How about assigning of keys? I guess it's in the sim itself? Are we limited to just simple key presses like CTRL + G? No bands or waiting or pulses etc. kind of tricks I suppose? It says can connect 32 buttons. i know 6 x 6 = 36, then less then last 4 = 32. but i'm not familiar with this matrix configuration thingi. i see two rows, one says columns, another says rows. how do connect the wire to support 32 switches? or is just 12? if you mean split a pair of wires, one to row, one to column etc. to get the combinations, isn't one of them the ground wire, then which one to the row or column or it doesn't matter? somebody please elaborate. thanks.

Hey Oakes, thanks for the info about the BUO836 that it can do encoders. Seems to relatively 'cheap' if it can support 8 encoders, compared to other IO cards for its price. Since the rotaries work for ABRIS for this card, did you try using this card for the brightness? I guess the brightness works only for rotaries, not switches, then if you use the keyboard emulator it's more for switches, that's why it didn't work. Or is your KB emulator also encoder enabled? If so, then I could be wrong. Maybe you can test the brightness using the BUO836's encoders? Hope to hear the results.

Alex, that's the price for the encoder board, not the encoder itself. I think that the average market price for encoder boards. They tend to be more ex than keyboard emulator boards. The encoder card from OC is 22 EUR, and it only supports two encoders (unless I read wrongly). I found a gray type encoder at Hispanels.com for 2.5 EUR, part CTS288. I think it should be the type you are talking about, rotating endlessly without limit. It should work like GoFlight's RP48 encoders. I think encoders should solve this brightness assignment problem, but need someone using OC to test it out.

Calling Trigger, 33 Sniper or Oakes etc. ie. those making some pit and also have OC. If you have the russian BS and OC, can you test if you can get the HUD or TV brightness knob to work with a pot or encoder? Cat says the TV brightness knob in the sim doesn't work with rotaries in X52 as axis, and we think it may not work with pots. If you guys have OC and BS sim and encoders or pot board for OC, please try if either pot or encoders will work, or it's currently a limitation of the sim. I am thinking if the pot or encoder can emulate keyboard commands, then the knob should be made to work since it's mimicking a KB entry when rotating it. Appreciate if someone can test it out. We are trying to figure which board to use, and even which switch to use for these knobs.

yes our little pit building thread has grown quite a bit. hope to see more colloboration and more members. CALLING NEW PIT BUILDERS! JOIN THE FUN! Don't worry, we'd help out if you are new. If all fails, there's always Trigger!