Warhog

I would be carefull... Those pedals, according to his dimensions, are really small. 12" x 8" overall. Just the width alone appears to be uncomfortablely narrow. Cut out a piece of paper that size, throw it on the ground in front of you. I think you will be surprised.

You should probably have a read through this thread. http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3899105/1 It will bring you up to speed on the interface you can create in order to talk to DCS as it relates to control axis's. I would also suggest you loose the potentiometer all together. If you going to spend the time making a custom collective you should consider using a better type of sensor than a pot. I'm in the midst of researching and designing new pedals and stick for my cockpit. And from what I have learned so far, the TLE5010 sensor and a round ceramic magnet will give you a much cleaner and a more precise input signal than a pot could ever provide. It will also last much longer than a pot would and the cost is negligible. Check it out and do some reading on it. There is lots of info available from a goggle search. Good luck with you project.

The 2 pins you chose are comm pins and cannot be used as you have done. Change the pins you are using... Pin 12 for the switch and pin13 for the LED. Do not wire the built in led directly to the Pin. You should have a 220 ohm resistor between the pin and the LED or you can damage the Uno. Try that out and see what happens. Btw, when you post code, please post the entire sketch. 2 lines of code are not enough to diagnose a problem. Let me know how that works.

Hi Neal I use those Tower Pro SG90 cheapy servo's. They are small and inexpensive. They work ok although they are a little noisy. For the flaps gauge and oxygen gauge they are perfect.

Hi Neal I have had all sorts of grief with pots regardless of using smoothing code for them. I decidided quite some time ago that they just arn't worth the trouble. So now I use rotary encoders and that solved the noise issue for me. Granted they act differently than pots but from my perspective they don't take anything away from the experience whatsoever.

Why was that Neal...not enough space for traces. One thing to note regarding this decimal point. The real radio uses a rolling tape display and its designed to provide a decimal point before the number. I have taken some graphic license and redesigned the panel to incorporate a 7 seg display. As a result the decimal point can only be placed after the number due to the layout of the digits. This of course would not have any impact on the UHF radio as it uses an LCD type display which will allow the decimal point to be located at the correct spot. As to turning it on (the dp), I had a feeling you would figure that out yourself Neal. Good work.:thumbup: Don't forget to post some pics of the radio when your done.

Hi Hans I believe that the RS485 bus can handle 128 units with the MAX RS-487 IC. Ian, isn't that correct? That said, I do not plan to use anywhere near that number. From a construction perspective I am planning on using 3 Megas, each as a Master. One for the left and right consoles and one for the MIP. It kind of makes sense from a construction perspective that I have one complete MIP including the Mega as Master which I can plug into the PC and run it separate from the rest of the pit. Same with the left and right consoles. I'm not sure if loading a single Mega with 120 odd units would tax its capabilities or not. My reasoning is based purely from ease of building that I choose to assign a Mega to each major part of the cockpit. BTW Hans, as to your question on combining panels, yes, I have started to do that now that I am actually assembling the consoles. Some panels only require a couple of pins and others need an extra 2 or 3 pins. As a result I decided to combine some of the Arduino Pro Minis to deal with these situations. It doesn't let me pull out an individual panel to service it but I'm starting to think that all I need to do is pull the entire console. They are not as large as I envisioned them to be when flying the sim.

Thats great Clay. Whatever gets your project up and running. I'm also considering using MMjoy2 as a centralized controller in addition to DCS-BIOS to help with rotary encoders. I have almost 35 rotary encoders on the left console. If I use MMJoy with a matrix on a MEGA I only use 20 pins vs 70 pins any other way. The R.E's are easy to assign in the options menu in DCS. You see, I need MMJoy2 to run my new stick and pedals so I thought I might use some of its other functionality at the same time. But I'm not yet decided on that because using the RS485 bus is really easy. With that in mind and the cost of a few extra boards I'll probably stay 100% DCS-BIOS. I was wondering if you have had any issues with your switches using long runs of wire. Whether you pick up any interference that causes switches to stutter or flip by themselves or not at all. John

I started out wanting to make an exact duplicate of the onboard clock for the A10C as it looks so cool. The problem is, its not an easy task. In fact, I was hard pressed to come up with a way to replicate it without spending a huge amount of time and energy trying to figure out a solution. :( ...So I gave up. BOOOOO! :huh: SO here is my clock almost ready to put into the dash of the A10 (assuming I already had a dash made). I just need to add some backlighting and blacken up some edges. I'm using .28" high common cathode 7 seg digits. I drive them with a MAX7219 IC. Because of size restrictions I couldn't include the bottom row (3 digits) that indicate which mode the clock is in. I didn't consider it that important and there wasn't enough room anyways. It was more important to maintain the overall size so it fits properly with the other 3 instruments that make up this panel. I used green acrylic for the bezel and I added a chamfer around the outside edge to give it some interest. It has a rather polished look to it even though it lacks the interest and complexity of the real clock. IMG_0865 by John Wall, on Flickr[/img] https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7461/27445479614_e22cb911b7_b.jpg' alt='27445479614_e22cb911b7_b.jpg'>IMG_0862 by John Wall, on Flickr[/img]

Thanks Clay. Haven't had anymore heart attacks since Feb. I can sure sympathise. I've been at this steady with virtually no breaks using every spare minute I have and its been just over two years since I began the cockpit. The panels were actually the easy part. The electronics and programming is much more time consuming and intense...and theres that damned learning curve that keeps popping up and getting in the way of progress. I've too have been playing with the design off and on for a couple of months now. I didn't want to get too serious until I found a display that was close to the correct size. I have one on order and when it arrives I let you know if its worth while. The TM frames are great for everyone else but they suck for us as far as size goes. They are way to small and that inside radius, as you quite correctly pointed out, is very annoying. Yes to the board No to the one standard board. It seems I'm always needing JUST ONE MORE UKING PIN. Talk about frustrating... it happens every time. SO now I just assume I will always use 2 Pro Minis or 2 Nano's for a panel. I really don't care because these little boards cost nothing comparatively speaking. BTW, I quite like the Nanos. I'm glad Ian pointed out the excellent price for them. I was always so focused on the Pro Mini's. I really didn't pay attention to anything else until Ian made me look.... (read: target fixation):smilewink: Another thing I started to do was combine panels. As I build a console I find that several panels needed only a couple of IO pins but the panel beside it needs more than a single board can provide so I decided to share IO pins. The Oxy panel only needs a couple of pins because much of it is not functional in the sim. The left over pins get used by the next closest panel. These panels are just inches apart so its not problem. In fact I am combining the three radios and treating them as ONE big radio. All the displays will be driven by one Arduino board and all of the rotary encoders by one or two or three Arduino boards. With the boards all in close proximity to each other its just makes sense. The RS485 IC's will be virtually side by side as well. Very efficient use of boards and space. ...and thats my storey and I'm stickin to it:thumbup: No Shit!! :thumbup: I sometimes wonder if I will ever get it finished. I'm also building a new stick and Pedals from scratch. I am not happy with the TM Warthog gimbal and the Saitek Combat pedals I'm using are rather substandard from my perspective. Once you see what really good pedals look like... well, there's really no going back. Kind of like a Warthog quality stick but for pedals. Unfortunately they are rather expensive. However, I'm sure I can make them with the same quality for very little cost. It just takes more time:music_whistling: .

Neal I expect that DCS does not export a decimal point. You will need to set it yourself by turning it on ( true/false ) at the digit you want it to be displayed. Glad it works for you. Compare it to what you started with and see what you needed to do to make it work. Try and make this a learning experience so you can show others what to do later on.

Hi Clay Haven't seen much you. Must be hard at work on the pit.:P I'm not 100% sure but I do not thick DCS BIOS wil work with a port expander without some major code writing. I see the rational for wanting to use one but there are other options that are extremely cost effective and do not require special code. I'm using Pro Minis and Nano's throughout with RS487 IC's to get them all talking. The code is already part of DCS BIOS and the cost of additional Arduno's is approx. $1.40. The circuit for adding the RS487 IC is also very simple and you can create a breakout board or integrate the IC onto your PCB. Anyways, it something to think about. Anymore pics of the pit?

The MAX 487's were definitely all bad. I had another batch from a different reseller. I first tested them with the sketch Ian wrote and they tested perfect. I then swapped them into the original devices where the last ones turned red hot and they worked fine. That would suggest the original ones were either totally defective or fakes. Nevertheless, I just received a third order of 50 MAX487's and they all work prefect. SO now its onward with the bus. We shall see how it performs over the next few weeks. BTW, I am using FQP30N60L mosfets. They are logic level rated for 30 amps and 60V. Maybe a little overkill but they cost almost nothing and they handle everything I could possibly want so I order 50 of the little buggers. That should do me for this cockpit and my Huey cockpit. Do a search on them. There's a lot of good info available.

As Ian said, mosfets should work just fine. Although I haven't installed magnetic switches, I am using mosfets that can handle 2amps and there are a lot to choose from depending on your specific requirements. As to PSU's no , the grounds are not connected. The backlighting is 100% separate from everything else in the pit. One issue I did have is an order for 30 MAX485's. Every one was fake or fried. Not sure which but they got super hot whenever I powered them. Ian and I ran a sketch to test them for basic functionality. They all failed. The chinese seller was most apologetic and sent replacements but I haven,t had a chance to test them.

Hi Tekkx I might be in a position to help you with this. I don't need the parts you've built as I have already made shields for three Mega's. I am using one Mega for the right console, one for the left and the third for the MIP. For the most part I have used breakout boards for the many Pro Minis and Nano's throughout the the pit. I have designed a similar board as you have that plugs in on top of the Arduino boards. For all those panels still under construction, I have integrated the MAX487 IC on to the panels PCB rather than use a breakout style of board. I opted to use screw down terminals rather than RJ45,s. The reason for this change is because the distance between each MAX485 breakout board is usually less than 6" so it didn't make sense to me to use CAT5 Cable and connectors for so many short runs. I just use twisted 22 ga. stranded core wire. With the breakout boards I designed , Tx and Rx are accessed from the five pin headers on the end of the Pro Minis and I get power from the same 5 pin header. The Nano was a little different in that it doesn't have any header pins so I accessed the side pins as needed. As to power, each MAX485 gets the same 5v as the Arduino board gets and all Arduino's are powered from the same PSU, an 850watt Corsair PSU for a PC. All MCU's are powered from this one PSU. I use a separate and isolated PSU for the backlighting. I'll post some pics later. So far I have run 3 panels on one bus without any issues. I am looking to have more connected over the next week or three. I am especially interested in how the bus performs when there are gauges and displays involved. I expect it will be a non issue but I'll report any issues or problems here on this thread so all can see how it progresses.

Ray, you are doing some really impressive work. Your attention to detail is outstanding. Your photography is also excellent. I guess you'll be starting the electronics part pretty soon. That's where I am now. I thought the wiring part was going to be a breeze but it's actually so much more encompassing than the panels. Lots of tedious stuff like wiring harnesses and power rails and so many PCB's. :doh:. Lots of fun.:music_whistling: Actually it is a lot of fun but extremely intense and time consuming. You'll love it. :thumbup:

Your not going to believe this but I went to White Oaks as well. But many years before you. 1971 I do believe. The year I discovered pot.:megalol:

If you are going to post on this thread it would help to read and understand what we are talking about. Otherwise you will continue to look the fool you just did.

Talk about small world... Oakville to Milton = 15mins.... 5 min by A10:smilewink: I haven't seen anything other than the worn cockpit mod by Ricardo. That's not to say there isn't one. I just haven't come across one in my travels here on ED. John

Me too Anton:helpsmilie: Just an update after some more research and comments. I wanted to use the Melexis MLX90333 as it would be a direct plug in to the TM controller but the more I read I realized that this won't work as you need a magnet at the base of a stick that moves in both axis . Mine doesn't do that. It has one axis at the base and the other is above it...if that makes sense. So far the TLE 5011 is the sensor I have decided to try. Its digital so no need for a ADC. Its sounds as though it quite easy to set up as well. and considering the cost is a couple of bucks...lets give it a try and see. The A1302 will not go to waste as they can handle the toe brakes of my pedals not to mention other things like a noisy pot that I could replace. Now for the springs....

This is what I wrote but I haven't had a chance to test it yet. I'm pretty sure it will work. Its also set up to be a slave for the RS485 bus so unless you already have a master in place you will have to comment out the 1st two command lines and insert the serial IRQ line from the template sketch. I've also added a crap load of comments to help everyone understand what the code is doing. /* The following #define tells DCS-BIOS that this is a RS-485 slave device. It also sets the address of this slave device. The slave address should be between 1 and 126 and must be unique among all devices on the same bus. */ #define DCSBIOS_RS485_SLAVE 11 #define TXENABLE_PIN 2 //The Arduino pin that is connected to the RE and DE pins on the RS-485 transceiver. #include <LedControl.h> #include "DcsBios.h" LedControl lc=LedControl(7,6,5,1); //This creates an instance of a single controller named "lc" /* The sequence of pins used above are in the following order... LedControl(DIN,CLK,LOAD,# OF IC's) pin 7 is connected to the DataIn pin 6 is connected to the CLK pin 5 is connected to LOAD the last number...(1) is for how many MAX7219 we have daisy chained. */ void onVhfamFreq1Change(char* newValue) { lc.setChar(0,0,newValue[0],false); lc.setChar(0,1,newValue[1],true); } DcsBios::StringBuffer<2> vhfamFreq1StrBuffer(0x1190, onVhfamFreq1Change); void onVhfamFreq2Change(unsigned int newValue) { lc.setChar(0,2,newValue,false); } DcsBios::IntegerBuffer vhfamFreq2Buffer(0x118e, 0x00f0, 4, onVhfamFreq2Change); void onVhfamFreq3Change(unsigned int newValue) { lc.setChar(0,3,newValue,false); } DcsBios::IntegerBuffer vhfamFreq3Buffer(0x118e, 0x0f00, 8, onVhfamFreq3Change); void onVhfamFreq4Change(char* newValue) { lc.setChar(0,4,newValue[0],false); lc.setChar(0,5,newValue[1],false); } DcsBios::StringBuffer<2> vhfamFreq4StrBuffer(0x1192, onVhfamFreq4Change); void setup() { DcsBios::setup(); //This initializes the MAX7219 and gets it ready of use: lc.shutdown(0,false); //turn on the display lc.setIntensity(0,10);//set the brightness lc.clearDisplay(0); //clear the display //The following series of "lc.setChar" commands are used to display the number 8 in each digit. This allows us to see each that LED segment is actually working. lc.setChar(0,0,'8',false);// The first number...0, means there are no other MAX7219's connected to the one we are using. lc.setChar(0,1,'8',false);// The second number...1, indicates the digit you are sending data too...digit numbering starts at 0. lc.setChar(0,2,'8',true);// The third number in single quotes is the character thats displayed lc.setChar(0,3,'8',false);// The statement... true/false is to turn on or off the decimal point (dp) for that particular digit. lc.setChar(0,4,'8',false); lc.setChar(0,5,'8',false); } void loop() { DcsBios::loop(); } I'm still in the beginning of the learning process myself. There are 4 lines taken from the control reference docs. Each for a specific digit of the display. Once you call for it you send it to the display as I have shown above. I sometimes get the lc.setChar mixed up with lc.setDigit. If anyone else can add to this to help explain...this is like the blind leading the blind.:music_whistling: :P

I'm a war junkie or as some would say a real pig for war hence ...War Hog. There's also that movie, Warhorse which is similar but not. Anyways, yes that universal looks crappy and I had my doubts but those end caps are in fact needle bearings and once it was assembled and I tested the motion I got this big smile across my face. Smooth as silk. Best $6 bucks I ever spent. What really impressed me was how easy it was to machine the acrylic to very fine tolerances and then once it was glued together it was incredibly strong.

If I were to use the MLX90333 could I then just plug in to the Warthog controller directly. I had been trying to find out what sensor it uses without taking it totally apart. Maybe I should take it apart. :music_whistling: I wouldn't need to tie up another USB port this way. Otherwise mmjoy and the Pro Micro will be the controller of choice. I tried mmjoy with a Mega and I was really impressed. I am surprised with the variety of new sensors. It's so hard to keep current now a days. Thanks for your help Sokol. Your comments have been extremely informative. And thanks guys for your most kind comments.

I will look into the IC's you have recommended. Thank you. :thumbup: As to the controller, I will use the TM controller for all of the switches/buttons on the stick but I will use a separate controller for the x and y axis on the new gimbal. Probably an Arduino Micro programmed with mJoy or similar. That way I don't have to worry about directly interfacing with the TM controller. I hadn't planned on using this gimbal as a drop in replacement but more as a means of getting away from the plastic gimbal that TM uses. I did some quick testing this afternoon with the A1302 and I am getting 4.9v at centre. It then drops to 2.6v at each end of the swing. I love how steady the values are that I get with the Hall sensor. There isn't any jitter like you get with pots.:D

Thank you Wedge. It would great if someone could develop a drop in gimbal replacement for the stick. (But Not me). I think it would be a product that might sell reasonably well considering how many Warthog sticks are now in the gaming community. To bad TM won't pick up the challenge and do something about it. My next big challenge are the sensors. BTW, just an update on the sensors...it seems that the A1302 IC's are in fact the sensor of choice as the other sensor I mentioned, the UGN3503, has been retired and the A1302 is its replacement. So now it's all about how you place the sensors and magnets to obtain a strong continuous signal. Should be a fun excerise. Once i have figured it out I will post my solution.