Warhog

Yup, that was me. I love them as well for panel back lighting. It makes it so easy. This is my UFC with the same strips although I am going to paint the sides of the buttons to reduce the light leakage. And BTW, if I haven't mentioned it, your panels are looking rather excellent.:thumbup: Have you decided on a display for the CDU? One other question, after looking at you PCB, I can't figure out how all the grounds are wired together. Is it a double sided board?

I agree...those are really well made panels. They look stunning with the backlighting. A couple of questions for you. I'm not sure what the "reverse engraved lasermark text plate" is all about. I very much like the double white acrylic panels for diffusing the LED's. That's a great way to attack the issue of hot spots. I wonder if multiple thin layers of the milky white acrylic alternating with thin layers of clear acrylic would provide the same effect in a an overall thinner package. I assume you are using .125" acrylic for each layer?? Are the 7seg displays .36" high numbers? BTW, I love the way you snuck TrackIR into the SAS panel. Who would even notice, yet its something that is used a lot. Well done.:)

Looks like it didn't take you long to get the hang of a laser cutter. Well done. Everything looks great. :thumbup: I was wondering though, if you use MDF for your back plates, how would you provide backlighting? The acrylic makes that so much easier. I noticed your CDU screen. Could you tell me what size, resolution and where you purchased it. That looks to be a perfect size. I haven't been able to source one at a reasonable price.

I just spent an hour trying to diagnose why I can't hear my engines anymore. Now I find out it was ED that adjusted the sound. :mad: The sound of engines increasing or decreasing is an extremely important part of the senses adjusting for not being able to FEEL the acceleration or deceleration in the aircraft. If ED considers that this is an improvement I would strongly suggest that they revisit this decision. It makes flying the A10 a "lifeless" experience.:(

First, your presentation is excellent and easy to understand. I expect the next part will deal with the 7219 chip and how that will be included into the wiring? This is really good stuff and needed for all those who would like to build this panel but don't know how to begin. I was wondering, Tigershark, where you would locate the resistors for each row of LEDs? I would think they should be between the Anode side of the row and the 7219 outputs. I'm looking forward to your next post. As Tigershark will probably agree, there are numerous ways you might approach wiring this panel. The rats nest of wires is the least preferred route. You want to keep it as clean and simple to help troubleshoot later on when something doesn't work. :( I have always tried to build my projects as a series of pieces or components or whatever you want to call them. My approach to this panel is to make 2 PCB's. One for the LED's and another PCB to house the MAX 7219 chip and arrange all of the LED traces for multiplexing with the 7219. That board will then connect to the Arduino board to run the whole mess.:thumbup: I have attached a PDF of my first draft of a PCB, actually two PCB's. The first one is the actual caution panel with all 48 LED's. If they don't look familiar its because I am using 5050 surface mounted LED's. Tigershark has proposed a 6x8 matrix. From my very limited knowledge of electronics that appears to be the perfect arrangement and that is what I am going to use. To that end, I have arranged my LED's into 8 groups of 6 and they all go to 14 pin connectors in the centre of each 2 groups of 6 LED's. I will then use ribbon cable to connect them to a second board that sorts everything into the appropriate pin assignments for the MAX7219 chip. From there you just need 4 leads to attach it to an Arduino board. Please refer to the PDF as you read this so you understand what it is I am trying to do. The board with the MAX7219 is a single sided board so I need to use some jumper wires. But you only need six. The jumper wires are represented by the extra thick lines that connect C2...C8 to traces that lead to "seg b" thru "g" and DP. Trying to engrave a double sided PCB is a process that requires exact registration and for having to use only 6 jumpers I opted for a single sided PCB. Its just so much easier. I haven't had a chance to test this yet but I don't believe it will blow up and destroy the world. However, this is still very much a works in progress and if you see anything that I screwed up in the layout, please let me know in this thread. And also note that I am just learning all of this too, so I could very well be totally out to lunch on how I am approaching this as well. I just wanted to use this layout as an example of yet another way of potentially wiring up the caution panel. I have had to edit the PDF that is attached with this post. It had some inefficiencies so it has been deleted and replaced with the a new PDF which has more information explaining what I have done. It follows Tigersharks excellent example but the layout is somewhat different as I have already explained above.

I'm having the exact same problem with DCS crashing after I add a Sabre to an existing mission. I too am running Helios but how does that cause an issue? Many people run Helios so if it's related to the export.lua file then this needs to be resolved and soon. If anyone can shed more light on this please post a response. N.b. no mods installed. Only Helios but it wasn't running at the time. BTW, it also happens in SP missions. Not when you add it in the ME but when you start the mission.

I ran a two display setup with the lower monitor running Helios on a touchscreen. At the time I had a GTX680. It was barely ok. I put in a 780 and it ran well although I still had some settings turned low or off. Distance view, water, HDR are still set low even with the 780. It's amazing how easily DCS can bring a powerfully graphics card to its knees. Not that the GTX780 is That powerful. Also beware that Helios can cause its own issues. I was getting extreme lag between DCS and Helios to the point it was almost unplayable. Don't know how or why. Then one day it stopped on its own. Now I get stuttering. When Helios is turned off...no more stutter. Go figure:huh: I think it's very much machine dependent. Try it and see how it runs. You won't be disappointed with the touchscreen though. It really is great technology.:)

Your panel engraving turned out very nice. Have you tried backlighting it yet. I purchased 5m of green 5050 leds from China for $13.00: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/261426610696?var=560314535922&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649 I cut them into small strips and since they have double sided tape already on them, I just peel it off and stuck three or four 5" strips behind a panel. It distributes the light evenly throughout. With your white acrylic it should read beautifully. I too was wondering what paint you were using. Before I started using engraving plastic, (Rowmark-ultra thin black layer over 0.06" thick white), I was using white styrene plastic and airbrushing it black. I use Modelmaster or Tamiya Flat or semi gloss acrylic paint thinned with 20% thinner. I airbrushed the front with an Iwata Eclipse airbrush and my compressor is set at 16-18lbs pressure. Several THIN coats, did I say thin?...Yes THIN coats ;) and several of them. Although it dry's almost instantly when using THIN coats, it still needs 24 hours to harden up before you attack it with a laser of cutting tool. @Thick8 - a quick video on airbrushing would be a good idea. Not that airbrushing is difficult to do or to do well but a video really would help those who have never even held an airbrush before. For those who prefer the white plastic and painted surface, an airbrush is the best way to achieve an excellent finished product. Although if you do go to all the trouble of setting up an airbrush station it might be much more cost effective just to buy some engraving plastic and be done with it. You are then assured of a perfect finish. What panel dimensions are you looking for DC? I have a few panels drawn in AutoCAD. If I have any you might need I am happy to send them your way in one of several formats (.dwg .dxf .pdf) I've used AutoCAD for 20 years. I do everything in it. Let me know what your looking for. I've attached a quick and dirty PDF of one of my panels. It was a trace over from a picture of the panel with some minor adjustments to fit a 1x8 LCD display. As I get closer to setting up panels with LCD displays I find they all need adjusting to fit what is commonly and inexpensively available. Trying to find a display that is an exact match is difficult so some of these panels, if not all, will require some massaging to get an LCD display in place.

And to continue from where Metalnwood left off , I use those same encoders specifically for setting pressure in the altimeter, setting up my HSI heading and course as well as the radio frequencies of the Comms and nav equipment on my A10. One more thing they are particularly good at is adjusting the gain for my NVG. Push of the button turns them on, left and right adjusts gain. Fast easy access and sensitive enough to make whatever adjustments you need. There is also software on Bodnars site that allows you to adjust the pwm so you can fine tune them for your specific need. It sure won't hurt to try a few and see what you think for what they cost.

I bought 20 of these off ebay and they have worked great with the Button Box BBI-32 from Leo. http://www.ebay.com/itm/10pcs-New-12mm-Rotary-Encoder-Switch-With-Keyswitch-US-/290598955713?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43a90c2ac1 How can you go wrong with a price like that. They also have the push button built in which is really handy. Three tabs on one side of the encoder. Centre tab is ground and left and right go to inputs on the board. Stupidly simple I must say. There are two other tabs on the opposite side for the switch. Buy a few and play with them.

Thanks Boltz. That's what I was hoping. When my new cockpit is finished I want to remove Helios from my PC. It's been a constant source of problems and frustration. And if I may reiterate Aginors comment...well done. This looks to be an awesome piece of work.:thumbup:

I just started to try things out and no I haven't made a connection between my two machines yet but after I did get the export.lua file updated. I looked at the switch commands in the config file and realised that I have no clue on how to alter that to make anything work. :dunno: Way over my head. I was wondering though, what is the role of Helios with A2DCS and what does it do to the export.lua file during the initial setup you wrote about.

:D Really??? It will suck right through a piece of MDF?? That is truly amazing. I was wondering about a spoil plate and whether or more importantly HOW I could use it with a vacuum table. So the MDF is porous enough to allow the suction to carry through it. I need to try this for sure. That would reduce my consumables cost by a significant amount.:D

But there shouldn't be that much variation in the surface of a copper clad board to begin with. I usually see issues because it isn't lying flat but that's what DS Tape is for.:thumbup: BTW, Anyone here have a vacum table. I've been thinking about getting one no bigger than 8x10". DS tape is getting expensive and I go through quite a bit of it. @DerekM... yes it sure is a mother of a forum. Lots of good info and that place covers everything you could think of related to CNC.

The term is actually "Auto Zero". It is a function built into Mach III and is dead simple to make. I made my own with a scrap piece of single sided copper clad board and an alligator clip. It comes in handy if you are constantly changing the zero for a variety of different thickness of materials. Another little toy you can buy for a CNC mill is a web cam that you chuck up and then turn on the video window in Mach III. It looks down on your table so you can easily zero in the x and y axis. It has cross hairs like a rifle scope and there are 6 LEDs to light the area. BTW, if I may suggest to all new CNC users that you join the CNCZone forum. There are several sections on desktop milling, engraving and Mach III. There are a number video tutorials for Mach III on YouTube which will be important for new CNC users as well.

This is my Caution panel. Actually it's my second caution panel as I wanted to implement some of the tricks I learned from doing my first set of panels. Its still a works in progress but it is .117" Lexan. I did all the horizontal and vertical lines with a .0625" 2 flute end mill to a depth of .040". It was then sanded with 800grit paper after which I did a cleaning on it and then I airbrushed several coats of Tamiya semi gloss black paint. Let dry 2 days and then engraved it with a 60 degree .010" ball nose cutter. Ran the code twice to clean up the edges. Now it's ready to be cut to size to insert into the frame of the caution panel. Next I will design a PCB for SMD LED's and some 32 pin connectors on the back for the ribbon cable.:)

How's that for a quick and dirty PCB? The holes are 0.03" diameter. Yes they do have to lie perfectly flat and those copper clad boards have a bias in them so they always bow in or out or whatever. Pain in the ass. But that's where the double sided poster tape comes in. Give the board a bit of a bend to get it close and then cover the whole thing with tape. It sure as hell will lie flat after that. Feeds and speed need careful attention here as well and depth of cut is absolutely critical. It should be just shallow enough to break the copper. I set my cutting depth and then cut a little circle beside my work as a test. I throw on a ohm meter to make sure it actually broke the copper. If you go to deep you might need to reset to zero and run the gcode again. It cleans up some of the crappy edges if you went to deep and burrs. @Metalnwood... I couldn't live without Scotch Double Sided Tape.:smilewink: Nothing else that I have tried works this well. And they must know that because it costs a small fortune.:cry: @Stevos...I couldn't see the product since I'm in Canada and Staples only lets you see their products from a Canadian site. But fear not, if all else fails go to the Scotchbrand web site. Product No. 109. Its realty thin tape.It holds well and it won't damage anything. When your good enough you can set your cutting depth so that you just cut through the work and not hit the table as the tape is just thin enough to act as a buffer. http://www.scotchbrand.com.au/wps/portal/3M/en_AU/APAC_ScotchBrand/Home/Products/Catalog/?PC_Z7_RJH9U5230G7N10I6F2EBGJ1O03000000_nid=VLBGMC8S77gsP628PQJ3NLglT1NWM3L5MKbl I have some pics of a recent engrave I did on acrylic that I will post shortly so you can see what to expect. It is recommended that you use a ball nose cutter for engraving acrylic. I use a 0.10" ballnose and I always run the gcode twice.

To be more accurate I would replace "arrogant and idiot" with intelligent and helpful. And I too have had several of those moments as I travel this road. I would just like to have one with the Arduino board sooner than later. All it really requires is someone to explain some of the basics in a way that it can be easily understood. Your short dissertation was a really good start. When you started by using terms such as "function iterations",:dunno:I started to worry but then you began to describe things in real world terms. The problem is using terminology that a novice doesn't understand and as a result can not connect the dots when all is said and done. Once the communication gap is filled then learning becomes much easier. You did that and I understood what you were talking about. As I learn more I will also start to understand the terminology associated with this discipline and then everything will start to fall in to place much easier. Sorry Dudester22. We got a little sidetracked here but I do believe you understand what your options are now. If you have any more problems, this is the place to come.:thumbup:

Thank you for the offer DC. I will definitely take you up on it as I start to learn more about it. BTW, that was a good explanation. I actually understood what you where talking about. You know what will happen when I learn how to more of this stuff... it scares me.:lol: With respect to the toggle switch though, if you have a common ground on it and two additional contacts ,both attached to B3 on the card, only one of those 2 contacts can be shorted at a time. So if you flip the switch to one side it shorts to, B3. When you flip it the other way it would again short to B3. It is in effect toggling the APU on and off as he wanted. Each flip of the switch sends a pulse as B3 to DCS. That is of course assuming you use an On-On toggle switch. I do believe that's how I wired mine up as you can't assign 2 different buttons (say B3 and B4) to one command on the options page so you have to resort to resending the same button press to toggle it on or off. Thanks again for the offer. I'll be in touch. I look forward to reading your tutorial on the coding for Arduino on the Wiki. I sure am pleased that the Wiki got started.

Sorry DC but that just flew right over my head. :cry: Unfortunately, my ability to understand some of the programming aspects of electronics is severely lacking. To that end I try and keep it simple from my perspective and as much as what you described is probably a much better solution, it is black magic to me.:dunno: However I am really good at following instructions so once the Wiki explains how to do it, I will be able to cut and paste things into whatever and everything will work perfectly.:D DC...is there anywhere you know of that has a simple "how to" for setting up an Arduino mega to use with DCS. By simple, I use the BBI-32 board as an example. That was easy to understand and implement. Soon as I need to start downloading multiple sketches and make them all work together, I'm out of my league.

That's an easy fix but you can't use the same toggle switch. I assume you are using on-off toggles with two connections. In these situations you use an on-on switch. It still switches to two positions, up and down, but has three connections. The middle is the ground. The other two are joined together and go to one input on the board. When you switch up it toggles, let's say B3 and when you switch down it toggles B3 again. So now your APU is turning on when switched up and off when switched down as it should. You will find that you need several different types of toggle switches to make all the A10 panels. Have you been through Tigersharks thread on Building flight panel controller? http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=65998 It is an absolute MUST read before you go farther. It deals with all of the issues you will come across. Read all of it and watch all the videos. It will prepare you for what could be a very frustrating time if you don't.

Metalnwood ... What font are you using? Is it a stick font or a TT font? That blowup of the engraving is pretty much what I get. Nicely done. Now for great backlighting I would take that piece, flip it over and create a pocket 0.035" deep behind each line of text assuming the work piece is 0.06" thick. If you use a several lengths of strip LEDs from China ($15 for 5m length of 5050 LEDS) in an enclosed space behind the panel it will have a beautiful green glow with no hot spots. For work holding I have experimented with maybe 8-10 different types of double sided (DS) tape. I find ds tape to be the most effective means of keeping the work piece in place. Scotch DS Poster Tape is the best I have found to date. Tuck that bit of info away for when you start engraving as it will save you needless hours experimenting with all sorts of tape. One more bit of info...CamBam is an excellent little CNC package that you should try out. First 40 uses are free. That will give you a lot of time to decide if $150 is a good price for a way to draw what you want to make, select multiple types of milling actions, set cut depths, speeds and feeds and then output the Gcode to Mach III to cut your work piece. I've had an opportunity to try out several similar type packages and in terms of value, this program was on the top of my list. It is perfect for beginners and easy, very easy to use.

I think that's an excellent reason for going with a CNC mill. That precisely why I purchased a mill. Mind you that was a long time ago. Just recently though, I was very seriously considering buying laser but when I asked myself what I would do with it after I finished my panels... well I didn't come up with much. I may however purchase another machine...a dedicated rotary engraver. It is less expensive than a laser, no special ventilation requirements and no special cooling system required. The advantage for me is the large bed they have. Hobby type CNC mills are small and as such have a small bed. I can engrave all my A10 panels with it but I have other panels, much larger, that I would like to engrave and the bed I have is too small. The quality of rotary engraving is excellent for our needs but I would have concerns with the Shapeoko for doing fine engraving like we are doing. The spindle looks to be like a dremel tool and the run out on those things are terrible. I couldn't even drill holes in a PCB (0.03" dia drill bit) with mine using a drill press holder. The bit visibly had to no fixed end point you could see because the run out was so bad. All of these machines require a certain degree of precision and that unfortunately costs money to obtain. As Metalnwood said you don't need coolant for acrylic. Just a constant stream of compressed air on the end mill with good feeds and speeds gives me excellent cuts. I too use a mister for milling aluminum and although I do have a flood cooling system in place, it rarely gets used. Whatever you decide it must have precision and consistency. Without either of those attributes you will have wasted a lot of money.

I thought that issue was solved in this post... http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=120945 I ran his program and it did export the CMSP and a few other displays. I couldn't get the radio frequencies to export.

Thanks DC. I didn't realize that. I will spend some time looking at that file in detail. I guess it safe to say that there really isn't any need to change that file. So what if it exports the CMSP info and you don't have a CMSP. It has no impact on anything so there is no need to delete that from the file, is there?