marques

They look interesting and obiously a good option to Arduino/electronics/soldering noobs like me. But, where can I buy them? Is there a link or something?

thanks a lot, hans. I will owe more than a couple of beers once I finish with this project, that´s for sure! What about the arduinos? I´ve seen at least seven different brands of Megas, are they all equal in terms of characteristics/components or should I look for specific things?

Hi! I´ve almost everything designed and it´s time to start building. Initially I need a couple of arduino mega, 2/3 nano and a bunch of max487 chips to experiment with the RS485 bus. In an initial search in aliexpress I have lots of options, aparently all similar but different prices. Hence my first question of many, what should I look? Are there specific characteristics that are mandatory, recommended or even things to avoid? Also, in Hansolo posts I´ve seen that he complements the arduinos with a terminal expansion board that looks very convinient to attach the cables. For the nano I´ve found several ones with a reasonable price, but for the megas the ones that I´ve found are much expensive than the mega itself. Is this correct? Should I search with a different term? Finally, if anyone knows a shop in china that is both cheap and reliable and has all our required hardware, I´d be grateful to know. Is the first time that I´m gonna use aliexpress and I´m a bit lost with so many options.

thanks a lot for the measures, I´ll put them to good use. Could you please share the model? I guess it´s in sketchup...

wow!

Hans, I´ve just read all your post. Congratulations! Now I´ve a bit clearer the hardware part of the Arduino and I think I have a good base to start studying. Thanks a lot for your dedication and effort in sharing and helping others.

bufff, I´m speechless and envious, I can tell you. I have a question, because I¨m thinking on trying to install a similar system but I fly also aircraft. Does the dampers have range enough to cover all joystick movement? What I have in mind is that, if so, blocking the sliders in the center produces a kind of standar spring-centered joystick, isn´t it? Well, with the advantage of having springs for every axis. Sorry for my english, I don´t know if I´m explaining myself....

Good, I have a clearer picture now. I think, then, that it´s worth it to have two Arduino boards, one for generic elements in joystick mode an the other for specific and more difficult elements that can run in DCS BIOS mode. It´s good news, because I´ve done a rough count of how many connections I could need, and they are plenty!

Sadly, in Spain we don´t have this kind of DIY culture. But the good news is that I don´t really need this concept as I´m a lucky person with my own space, my man´s cave. Actually, my project will require woodworking but I expetct to be able to do it myself, time will tell!

Thanks a lot, Hans, it makes a lot of sense. Only one thing is not fully clear. I understood that you an only setup one phisical element (switch, button, whatever) to just one element of an specific module. That meas that I cannot have a landing gear for every module, isn´t it? But the question is: Can I have different module´s elements programmed at the same time in just one arduino? I mean, for example, having in one arduino the ka-50´s ABRIS and the A-10 CDU at the same time, provided they are phisically different. Just in case, is there a simple and fast way of reprogramming an arduino for a module? And a related question with arduino, in either mode: the diode matrix needed to reach those 256 buttons: are they sold or you have to make one yourself? Now I have a more or less comprehensive list of elements needed, and I intend to make a first buy in aliexpress soon. Afterwards, I should start building...

No, never. But it is true that in both ocasions we were flying f-5s. But we always fly with full realism. Furthermore, the awacs menu was there, you could choose an AWACS and request, for example, tactical picture. The problem came afterwards.

I don´t know if thats a bug or that the editors in my virtual squadron are missing something, but since 2.5 we are having the same problem with f-5,s and AWACS with two different missions made by two different people. As you describe, you go to comms menu, f7, choose the corresponding awacs, try to send whatever request and the request is not sent (you don´t see your mesage going out in text and voice, as normal) and therefore the AWACS does not answer.

I´m starting my own project, similar to yours in the sense that is VR and multi aircraft focused. Appart from that, the quality is, let´s say, far more limited. In any case, I can recommend to you the leo bodnar boards. They are not the cheapest, but I thing they are probably the simplest to setup, if what you want are only switches and rotaries (meaning, no displays, leds or motors). Specifically, the BU0836X does not need a diode matrix and you can insert the cables without soldering. Regarding your console improvement, I think you have plenty of room to extend the surface to the front, so you can add the box without loosing the room for the already installed keypad. This extension could even go with an up inclination (is that correct in english?) to facilitate reaching those buttons.

Incredibly outstanding! Not only show great craftmanship from the pit building point of view, but also from the regular woodworking point of view. Congratulations!

Really inspiring, sir.

It´s actually a good idea, in my humble opinion. I don´t see why it should not work. I can imagine that if you set your radio selectors as modifiers in DCS, then the same rotary can move different radios. The only thing that I see is that in some radios you need six rotaries.

I envy the capability and the tools of some people here, like you yoreh. When I grow up, I wanna be like you!

Hansolo, Zeen thanks! Hansolo, that information is gold! to convert the arduino to a joystick simplifies a lot my work. I had a look to the links and a thing poped up fast: apparently an arduino mega can support up to 256 buttons,at least doing that modification. Is it correct? is this also the numbers of buttons supported in normal mode, i.e., with dcs bios? And now, a few more pictures of the "furniture". It was done with the final cockpit framework in mind, but meanwhile it can be folded a bit. It also include 3D printed wheel stops for the chair that work fairly well. And to finish, my warthog extension: The conectors are taken from a design in thingverse, made by No3BoB. The design was modified by me adding a "welded" and curved extension tube. The cable was a PS2 keyboard extension cable, cut to lenght and with a pin withdrawn in the male conector. I have to say that it works ok, but I have the impression that I will have to reprint the extension once I have ABS and a better knowledge of printing.

thanks, bignewy, but truth be told the looks are not good at all. In any case, it does not matter because now is just a proof of concept. A draft if I may say so. By the way, yesterday I digged a little in this forum and in internet and I think now I have clear that an arduino mega or two is a better option to continue this projet. Look as easy as with the leo bodnar and much cheaper. The only issue that I can imagine is that I have to rely on dcs bios, and not all modules are available.

Yesterday I tried to find his drawing threads, not only the f-18 one and looks like all of them has been deleted by the admin under his request. Why is this, I don´t know.

After literally years of reading almost daily this forum and not having much to give, I can finally start my own thread. The first thing I´ve to do is to ask forgiveness to my english. It´s not bad, hopefully, but maybe not good enough for a technicak post like this. Anyway, I´ll do my best to make myself understood. That said, let´s start. What´s my idea? I want to create phisical panels for being used in VR, and be able to use them in different modules, just changing the location. For that, I have the intention to create a framework around the seat (Work in progress, or in two weeks if you prefer) were I can allocate box modules in the aproximate location in which I see them in the VR cockpit. Therefore, I will naturally send my hand in the direction of the instrument and find it phisically. The concept means that aesthetics are not so important and that I don´t need to deal with lights or screens, witch I hope will facilitate greatly the project. Another think to take into account is that my intention is to create only those commands that are used in flight and/or very frequently. Cold start and shutting down are not an issue to be done with the mouse. I´ve had this idea for a while, but only recently I received the tool that I think will make the projet feasible: a 3D printer. With this I can design the module, print it (easily and very cheap), test and modify as needed and print a final version. Ok, what I aready had was a leo bodnar 32 and six rotary encoders, one of them including a push button in the axis. Also I have a few switches (ON-OFF-ON) and buttons. So the first step is to test the concept and see if it is true that I can reach and operate naturally a module without actually seing it. For that I´ve started designing the landing gear lever box and an UHF and TACAN boxes. Why those ones? The landing gear was an easy decision because almost all modules have one. And the two radio modules are used in many US modules and specially in the F-5, which I´m flying a lot lately, you have to operate them quite a lot in flight, as this aircraft is essentially manual. Finally, time for showing what I´ve done. You will see that I´m still using the table to hold the modules. As I said before, the final pit will hopefully have it´s own structure. This is the landing gear module. As you can see it has a simple switch with a printed lever and a button to depict the emergency release that all aircraft has in one way or another. Here you see it in the aproximate place of the ka-50. The next one is the UHF module, that can be used horizontally like in the A-10 or vertically like in the f-5. And the modules printed and located like in the f-5: I´ve already tested it in a couple of flights and it works great. I think that the concept is correct, so I´m eager to start making final modules. And here are my first questions: - I think I remember reading that the leo bodnar boards does not read well the ON-ON switches, or the On-on-on ones for that matter. Is that true? - I think I´ll need more USB boards. Leo bodnar has a 64 button board that cost around 40€. As I don´t foresee the need of axis, and in any case I already have up to 8 axis I think this is enough. But I´ve seen dcs bios and arduino boards here being used. I don´t need fancy capacities but arduino may be simply cheaper and solve the problem with the on-on switches. Any initial guidance with arduino? How many buttons can handle a, let´s say, an arduino mega? are they easy to setup and configure only for switches, buttons, etc..?

Exactly, that is the point, that I'm temporarily living in a foreign country. In any case, the decision was not easy, because all the options are, IMHO, quite good.

No, I don't think so. Actually, if you buy MFG from Germany you will pay taxes (vat). As I said, my problem ya not the price (MFG is the most expensive of my options) but the fear of having an issue with the French customs, that are unknown to me.

Curious that you ask precisely now, Schnelli, because just today I received te email from Milan, MFG, saying that my new pedals are on the hands of the post service. I expect to review them as soon as I receive them, in few days. Barefoot, the difference is huge. MFG sells within the European Union which is, in practical terms as my own country. No customs fees or clearances. The Russian brands, or any other non EU, sells from outside EU. That means that you costumer have to pay customs, etc... this is not necessarily automatic, and normally you need a customs agent (another fee). In my country I know perfectly how to do it, and the things that can possibly complicate the process. In France I don't know it, and I don't know their laws or even French. If something happens, it'd be a PITA to solve it for me. And things can be pretty nasty fairly quick with those things.

thanks for the info! Just to add to it, at least in the ka-50, if you show the pilot in cockpit he has the kneeboard in the left leg, and you can pass the pages as with the regular kneeboard "overlay", albeit the resolution and detail is not too much.