rocketeer

I use exactly the same type of encoder with a push button. The two highlighted lines are code for the same switch, the encoder part and push button part. One side with 3 pins, the middle is ground, the left and right determines clockwise or anti-clockwise rotation. The other side of the switch with 2 pins, one controls the push button, the other is ground. That's all to it.

Front dash done. All gauges are just printed paper with acrylic for reflection. Except for TISL and Circuit Breaker panels, all other panels and switches are wired and working via two Arduino Megas for the front dash. Feels good to be able to press every switch in the game directly instead of the mouse.

Thanks guys. The PNEU switch is a momentary rotary switch. No such switch exist in the market, except for a CAM switch which is 5 times bigger. And certainly not rotate momentarily 45 degrees to one side and 90 degrees momentarily to the other side. So to keep it simple, I used a MOM-OFF-MOM flat toggle.

The SAI cage/uncage switch needs a push, pull encoder, not pot. I found the perfect candidate for less the $3. It has encoder and a switch. Works consistently. :)

The standard TM MFD lacks a rotary switch and a rocker. So I added them. I realized that the rockers at the four corners on the TM MFD are named differently than those in the A-10 MFD. I had to go into DCS controls and reassign them to match what i see in the sim.

Bought a pvc pipe from home depot. Sliced it into several pieces. And put them over the instrument panel and painted them. Added a piece of acrylic sheet in between and printed gauges paper at the bottom.

The push buttons on the TISL are the same type on the CMSP, square buttons with round body, easy to drill hole for. But the buttons are still too small. Again I stuck 3/4" acylic squares on them seem to be the perfect size. Then add a bunch of cheap push buttons ($4+ for 10 pcs) and you get a circuit breaker panel. :music_whistling:

Added a touchpad to the fake paper screen since that space is not used as I fly only VR. Now I can a mouse within reach, and a fully functional CDU.

I love these pots. So cheap. They are the special push, pull type. Exactly what is needed for the INTER panel. Works flawlessly. Perfect matching caps for 64 cents for 10 cap. 9 needed for the panel. :)

for the two panels on the left console with the switch guard, putting a small push button behind didn't work well. Any slight moment the cover opens in the sim as it think the cover has been flipped. I changed to using a ON-OFF-MOM toggle. The cover when closed push the MOM side down. When opened, it goes to OFF position, causing cover in the sim to open. Beautiful.

Got a pair of Normally Closed magnetic window contacts for 85 cents. Put the magnet under the cover Put the switch with wire on the outside Run DCS Bios. When you flip the cover open, the two pieces meet and in the sim the cover opens. Works very consistently. Thanks Craig for the tip. In the past I tried using a reed switch with a strong magnet. Result was very intermittent.

Nice! :thumbup:

Thanks DM and Hansolo for sharing this solution. Initially i used the cover to press down on a push button. but it has to be pressed down all the time, firmly. any slight movement will be interpreted as a release. so the cover flips by itself easily. then i tried a reed switch with a magnet. works better but still not consistently, depends on the closeness of the magnet to the reed switch. the 3 way toggle works consistently. but it is not latched both sides according to your solution. one side is momentary. unfortunately, the base of the cover has a metal protrusion that will line up with the vertical slot in the toggle body and hold the toggle in place and prevent them from rotating from each other. but the toggle facing that side of the slot is the latched side. so when the cover is closed, it will push the toggle down to one side, but because it is the latched side it stays down when the cover is flipped open. the cover needs to push the momentary side of the toggle when closed, then when opened the toggle recovers to the middle OFF position by itself. if we rotate the toggle by 180 degrees, the cover will push down the correct MOM side, but the toggle's slot is now 12 o'clock while the metal protrusion is still at six o'clock. they are not lined up. so the protrusion will prevent the body to be fit through with the cover base. We need to cut off the metal part in order for the toggle body to fit into the cover base's hole. then the cover will push down the MOM side.

Craig, it's this switch. I just camouflaged it black. Since it's just a lever itself it does not need to press another button. i also used this for the air refuel control lever and canopy disengage lever, well, a pair, for each of those. I actually borrowed your idea of adding a small push button to the back of the toggle guard after watching your youtube video. :thumbup: I have still yet to digest your latest video on instrument gauges and RS485 solution. Amazing work and extremely good craftsmanship. not to mention neat and tidy. CNC machines gives it such a factory quality feel to it. my work in comparison looks sloppy and crappy. For the extend ladder cover, when opened it is a light and soft flip so it does not have enough push to press down a push button. So I elected to use this tiny lever instead because any gentle press by the back of the cover will cause a click. You are right about adding static display to the UHF too. Already done that but didn't upload picture. :music_whistling: now my radio stack looks more complete. With all the rage for building F18 cockpit now we're still building the A10 that came out like 10 years ago. :D Well i need to finish what i started. still love the A10, though the F18 being fighter and attack, and carrier landing etc. makes it very cool.

Combined ILS knob and the base of another knob, to form knob for VHF. more static radio window display. :doh: Added a small push button to the back of the switch guard to tell DCS it's being flipped open. For canopy jettision panel, there is a small lever at the back to detect case open for boarding ladder. jettison handle extended using another push pull switch.

DM, yes these are realistic replicas. You will notice i sell several pieces of each item. 1. real parts are limited and hard to find more than one piece at a time 2. real parts cost a lot more than what my price, yet they are old and banged up and scratched

digikey is not cheap. or any other US websites like Mouser, Newark, Allied, Future Electronics, Onlinecomponents etc. Plus they may charge processing fees or high shipping fees. nowadays i buy from aliexpress in china. takes a long time to get to the US. But 5 times cheaper than buying from US websites, and free shipping if order is small. I've been able to buy many switches on a small budget. and aliexpress is in english, and is for retail, unlike alibaba which is for wholesalers.

this one just for show. static display

Over a dozen F16 and ACES items just got listed for sale at https://www.ebay.com/str/therealsimworld.

More F16 and ACES stuff just got listed at https://www.ebay.com/str/therealsimworld.

my simple/lazy solution to the oxygen regulator panel's handles. :music_whistling: on the left is still a rotary switch on the outer ring and an encoder inside. i've explained in the past how i did it. A bit tricky but with patience it's still doable. you have to open up the rotary switch, taking care of the two ball bearings inside might shoot out and lose them, so you open it up in a big clear zip lock bag to catch the ball bearings. as for the long spring inside rotary switch, you need to cut it into two parts, and trim them shorter by 10% each. in the middle you put a rod through the hole in the rotary switch, then insert the springs on both sides of the switch, then the ball bearings, then close them without letting the ball bearings fall out, which is the tricky part. without trimming the springs, with the rod taking some space, the springs might be too squeezed so it'd be difficult to load the ball bearings and close up the switch. below the rotary switch you need to drill a hole into the stem of the encoder to stick the rod in. so that the inner inner above can turn the encoder below the rotary switch. to the right of the ILS i've changed to a simpler solution than the past. now it's a concentric encoder. one for frequency, one for volume.

guys, i think such cockpit floodlight in the past used to be red? nowadays, is it typically yellow, or green, or white in RL?

you have amazing top notch workmanship. :thumbup: