Warhog

Nicely done. :thumbup: Could you post a link to the display you used. I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to handle the RWR for my cockpit.

No it isn't. This is the first time I have tried to install it. I also searched the HD to see if any of it installed and I found nothing.

Thank you Andrew. :thumbup:. I will give it a try.

As you all know F1 takes you inside the cockpit with the HUD. F2 removes the cockpit and displays just the HUD and in 2.5 it also shows left and right MFCD's. I would like to remove the MFCD's but I'm not sure what the file name is for the F2 view and where its located. The goal here is when I hit F2 ONLY the HUD will be displayed. Nothing else. Can anyone shed some light on how I might accomplish this.

SSA will not install on my new PC. Does this shed any light on the problem. PLATFORM VERSION INFO Windows : 10.0.17134.0 (Win32NT) Common Language Runtime : 4.0.30319.42000 System.Deployment.dll : 4.7.3056.0 built by: NET472REL1 clr.dll : 4.7.3110.0 built by: NET472REL1LAST_C dfdll.dll : 4.7.3056.0 built by: NET472REL1 dfshim.dll : 10.0.17134.1 (WinBuild.160101.0800) SOURCES Deployment url : http://dsteam.azurewebsites.net/SSA/release/SimShaker%20for%20Aviators.application Server : Microsoft-IIS/10.0 X-Powered-By : ASP.NET Deployment Provider url : http://dsteam.azurewebsites.net/SSA/release/SimShaker%20for%20Aviators.application Application url : http://dsteam.azurewebsites.net/SSA/release/Application%20Files/SimShaker%20for%20Aviators_1_2_0_0/SimShaker%20for%20Aviators.exe.manifest Server : Microsoft-IIS/10.0 X-Powered-By : ASP.NET IDENTITIES Deployment Identity : SimShaker for Aviators.application, Version=1.2.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=8d02fb54339bfb80, processorArchitecture=x86 Application Identity : SimShaker for Aviators.exe, Version=1.2.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=8d02fb54339bfb80, processorArchitecture=x86, type=win32 APPLICATION SUMMARY * Installable application. ERROR SUMMARY Below is a summary of the errors, details of these errors are listed later in the log. * Uninstall of application did not succeed. See details for more information. Following failure messages were detected: + ARP entry 2fb1f4f9443b853c does not exist. + Cannot delete a subkey tree because the subkey does not exist. * Activation of http://dsteam.azurewebsites.net/SSA/release/SimShaker%20for%20Aviators.application resulted in exception. Following failure messages were detected: + ARP entry 2fb1f4f9443b853c does not exist. + Cannot delete a subkey tree because the subkey does not exist. COMPONENT STORE TRANSACTION FAILURE SUMMARY No transaction error was detected. WARNINGS There were no warnings during this operation. OPERATION PROGRESS STATUS * [2018-06-16 3:44:39 PM] : Activation of http://dsteam.azurewebsites.net/SSA/release/SimShaker%20for%20Aviators.application has started. * [2018-06-16 3:44:40 PM] : Processing of deployment manifest has successfully completed. * [2018-06-16 3:44:40 PM] : Installation of the application has started. * [2018-06-16 3:44:40 PM] : Processing of application manifest has successfully completed. * [2018-06-16 3:44:44 PM] : Found compatible runtime version 4.0.30319. * [2018-06-16 3:44:44 PM] : Request of trust and detection of platform is complete. * [2018-06-16 3:45:09 PM] : Downloading of subscription dependencies is complete. * [2018-06-16 3:45:09 PM] : Commit of the downloaded application has started. ERROR DETAILS Following errors were detected during this operation. * [2018-06-16 3:45:10 PM] System.Deployment.Application.DeploymentException (InvalidARPEntry) - ARP entry 2fb1f4f9443b853c does not exist. - Source: System.Deployment - Stack trace: at System.Deployment.Application.ShellExposure.RemoveArpEntry(DefinitionIdentity subId) at System.Deployment.Application.ShellExposure.RemoveSubscriptionShellExposure(SubscriptionState subState) at System.Deployment.Application.SubscriptionStore.UninstallSubscription(SubscriptionState subState) at System.Deployment.Application.ApplicationActivator.UninstallApplicationAndRedirectActivation(Boolean& isShortCut, Uri& deploymentProviderUri, String textualSubId, Uri activationUri) --- End of stack trace from previous location where exception was thrown --- at System.Runtime.ExceptionServices.ExceptionDispatchInfo.Throw() at System.Deployment.Application.ApplicationActivator.UninstallApplicationAndRedirectActivation(Boolean& isShortCut, Uri& deploymentProviderUri, String textualSubId, Uri activationUri) at System.Deployment.Application.ApplicationActivator.CleanApplicationReInstall(Boolean isShortcut, Uri deploymentUri, Uri activationUri, BrowserSettings browserSettings, String textualSubId, String errorPageUrl, String deploymentProviderUrlFromExtension, String shortcutFilePath) at System.Deployment.Application.ApplicationActivator.PerformDeploymentActivationWithRetry(Uri activationUri, Boolean isShortcut, String textualSubId, String deploymentProviderUrlFromExtension, BrowserSettings browserSettings, String& errorPageUrl) at System.Deployment.Application.ApplicationActivator.ActivateDeploymentWorker(Object state) --- Inner Exception --- System.ArgumentException - Cannot delete a subkey tree because the subkey does not exist. - Source: mscorlib - Stack trace: at System.ThrowHelper.ThrowArgumentException(ExceptionResource resource) at Microsoft.Win32.RegistryKey.DeleteSubKeyTree(String subkey, Boolean throwOnMissingSubKey) at System.Deployment.Application.ShellExposure.RemoveArpEntry(DefinitionIdentity subId) * [2018-06-16 3:45:10 PM] System.Deployment.Application.DeploymentException (InvalidARPEntry) - ARP entry 2fb1f4f9443b853c does not exist. - Source: System.Deployment - Stack trace: at System.Deployment.Application.ShellExposure.RemoveArpEntry(DefinitionIdentity subId) at System.Deployment.Application.ShellExposure.RemoveSubscriptionShellExposure(SubscriptionState subState) at System.Deployment.Application.SubscriptionStore.UninstallSubscription(SubscriptionState subState) at System.Deployment.Application.ApplicationActivator.UninstallApplicationAndRedirectActivation(Boolean& isShortCut, Uri& deploymentProviderUri, String textualSubId, Uri activationUri) --- End of stack trace from previous location where exception was thrown --- at System.Runtime.ExceptionServices.ExceptionDispatchInfo.Throw() at System.Deployment.Application.ApplicationActivator.UninstallApplicationAndRedirectActivation(Boolean& isShortCut, Uri& deploymentProviderUri, String textualSubId, Uri activationUri) at System.Deployment.Application.ApplicationActivator.CleanApplicationReInstall(Boolean isShortcut, Uri deploymentUri, Uri activationUri, BrowserSettings browserSettings, String textualSubId, String errorPageUrl, String deploymentProviderUrlFromExtension, String shortcutFilePath) at System.Deployment.Application.ApplicationActivator.PerformDeploymentActivationWithRetry(Uri activationUri, Boolean isShortcut, String textualSubId, String deploymentProviderUrlFromExtension, BrowserSettings browserSettings, String& errorPageUrl) at System.Deployment.Application.ApplicationActivator.ActivateDeploymentWorker(Object state) --- Inner Exception --- System.ArgumentException - Cannot delete a subkey tree because the subkey does not exist. - Source: mscorlib - Stack trace: at System.ThrowHelper.ThrowArgumentException(ExceptionResource resource) at Microsoft.Win32.RegistryKey.DeleteSubKeyTree(String subkey, Boolean throwOnMissingSubKey) at System.Deployment.Application.ShellExposure.RemoveArpEntry(DefinitionIdentity subId)

I downloaded the ssa setup file and when I ran it on my new PC running Win10 Pro, it won't install. There is an error message saying it can't install it. ANy ideas...

I'm so glad your gauges are working now.:thumbup: I know how frustrating it can be. The loss of steps was my biggest problem when running more than two motors. Gauges were always getting out of sync. I didn't want to continually reset them to get them back into sync so I decided to keep it simple and use one motor one board. Just beware that whenever a motor has to react quickly, that is when you will probably lose steps or have issues in accuracy. Best of luck Draken.

Hi Draken You definitely cannot connect 4 stepper motors to one Arduino board. It just won't be powerful enough. Maybe 2 motors. I used one Arduino with 2 motors on the Accelerometer for the A10. It works but just barely because one of the motors rarely has to do anything. This is the code I used. #define DCSBIOS_IRQ_SERIAL //#define DCSBIOS_RS485_SLAVE 20 //#define TXENABLE_PIN 2 #include <AccelStepper.h> #include "DcsBios.h" struct StepperConfig { unsigned int maxSteps; unsigned int acceleration; unsigned int maxSpeed; }; class Vid29Stepper : public DcsBios::Int16Buffer { private: AccelStepper& stepper; StepperConfig& stepperConfig; unsigned int (*map_function)(unsigned int); unsigned char initState; public: Vid29Stepper(unsigned int address, AccelStepper& stepper, StepperConfig& stepperConfig, unsigned int (*map_function)(unsigned int)) : Int16Buffer(address), stepper(stepper), stepperConfig(stepperConfig), map_function(map_function), initState(0) { } virtual void loop() { if (initState == 0) { // not initialized yet stepper.setMaxSpeed(stepperConfig.maxSpeed); stepper.setAcceleration(stepperConfig.acceleration); stepper.moveTo(-((long)stepperConfig.maxSteps)); initState = 1; } if (initState == 1) { // zeroing stepper.run(); if (stepper.currentPosition() <= -((long)stepperConfig.maxSteps)) { stepper.setCurrentPosition(0); initState = 2; stepper.moveTo(stepperConfig.maxSteps/2); } } if (initState == 2) { // running normally if (hasUpdatedData()) { unsigned int newPosition = map_function(getData()); newPosition = constrain(newPosition, 0, stepperConfig.maxSteps); stepper.moveTo(newPosition); } stepper.run(); } } }; /* define stepper parameters multiple Vid29Stepper instances can share the same StepperConfig object */ struct StepperConfig vid28_1 = { 1260, // maxSteps 2500, // maxSpeed 10000 // acceleration }; struct StepperConfig vid28_2 = { 1260, // maxSteps 2500, // maxSpeed 10000 // acceleration }; // define AccelStepper instance AccelStepper maxPointerStepper(AccelStepper::DRIVER, 5, 6); // define Vid29Stepper class that uses the AccelStepper instance defined in the line above // v-- arbitrary name // | v-- Address of stepper data (from control reference) // | | v-- name of AccelStepper instance // | | | v-- StepperConfig struct instance Vid29Stepper maxPointer(0x1070, maxPointerStepper, vid28_1, [](unsigned int newValue) -> unsigned int { /* this function needs to map newValue to the correct number of steps */ return map(newValue, 4370, 65535, 0, vid28_1.maxSteps); }); // define AccelStepper instance AccelStepper minPointerStepper(AccelStepper::DRIVER, 8, 9); // define Vid29Stepper class that uses the AccelStepper instance defined in the line above // v-- arbitrary name // | v-- Address of stepper data (from control reference) // | | v-- name of AccelStepper instance // | | | v-- StepperConfig struct instance Vid29Stepper minPntr(0x1074, minPointerStepper, vid28_2, [](unsigned int newValue) -> unsigned int { /* this function needs to map newValue to the correct number of steps */ return map(newValue, 4370, 65535, 0, vid28_2.maxSteps); }); DcsBios::Switch2Pos accelPts("ACCEL_PTS", 7); void setup() { DcsBios::setup(); minPointerStepper.setPinsInverted (true,false,false); //This statement changes the direction pin maxPointerStepper.setPinsInverted (true,false,false); //This statement changes the direction pin } void loop() { DcsBios::loop(); } Try it using a serial connection rather than an RS485 just to test it. Just to clarify, the code above was originally written to control multiple stepper motors (12 in total) but it wasn't using an Arduino board. It was a 32 bit processor that uses the Arduino code which is C++. Its actually the base code for my EMI on the A10. I haven't tested it yet but it should run all 12 motors according to the developer of this 32 bit board. It better run, as the board was $75.00. I have tried using several motors but they do not function reliably with the Arduino boards. Thats why I scaled it back to one board = one motor. Its only $1.80 for a Pro Mini so adding one board for each motor was nothing compared to what I have already spent on the rest of the cockpit.

Sorry Draken but I don,t think I read your first post properly. So you are you trying to run more than one stepper motor on a single Arduino board? If that’s the case my recommendation is...don't. The Arduino boards, with exception of the more powerful 32 bit boards will not run several steppers. In my cockpit, I run one pro mini plus one Easy Driver board for each stepper motor I have. If you want to use a much more powerful processor, I’m sure you can do it but not with these little Arduino boards. One stepper motor = one Arduino board + Driver board. BTW Draken, what are you using to drive your stepper motors. Any pictures of your gauges you could post?

What about the master. You talk about the slaves but you haven't included the master in your description.

Hi Clay Good to hear from you. I haven't seen any posts from you in a while and was wondering how you were doing with your build. Hope it’s going well. This latest 2.5 release of DCS World has definitely made demands on PC hardware not to mention how many issues they've had with it. However, the new PC has, for the most part, has sure tamed it down so at least it’s smooth running and seldom crashes. Looking forward to seeing some updates on your build Clay.

I just built a new PC for my cockpit. Specs are in my signature. I downloaded a brand new copy of DCS 2.5 stable, reactivated all of my modules and flew for a couple of days just to get the feel back. Then I went to multiplayer in hopes of flying in the acrobatic server. All the servers were listed. When I hit Join... nothing happened. Tried with other servers and no luck. The button is there but it just doesn't respond. I also turned off Windows Defender...just in case. Still nada. Is this an issue with 2.5 that's yet to be resolved?

Yes I had considered it. In fact I have a JVC projector and a 120" screen. But the reason to not use a projector is two fold. Not enough space and cost. Cost associated with replacement lamps for my projector is $450 for 2000 hours of use. That's assuming you actually get 2000 hours of use. Last lamp was only 1500 hours before it went bye-bye. A decent 65" TV with TrackIR in a dark room will be more than satisfactory when you are sitting 4 feet away from it. That scenario will fill my entire field of view and I won't have any replacement costs 2000 hours down the line.

I wouldn't want to added it all up but a rough guess is that it’s been three and a half years. During that time, every waking moment not devoted to work has been given over to building the cockpit. I'm pretty sure I broke 4000 hours. It’s been a fabulous journey. What’s more exciting, my next cockpit will be far easier to build. With all this experience under my belt, cockpit no. 2 ( Huey?) will be so much more sophisticated and professional so stay tuned.

It’s actually a cheap Chinese tactical flashlight that I converted to attach to a small gimbal on the MIP. I think it was around $3.00 for twofold them. It’s a tad larger than the real one but I made a compromise considering the cost.:smilewink: If you can't find them on eBay, let me know and I will see if I can dig up the original order for you. I originally considered installing the TM MFCD frames which I've used for several years on a second monitor. But as you know, they are a little small compared to the real ones. And since my eyesight is not as good as it used to be, I wanted as large a display as possible. So I bit the bullet and built the larger frames so I could h@ve the larger display.

A couple more months and the cockpit should be finished. Here is where it stands at the moment. None of my panels are actually connected to the sim yet. They have however all been tested to ensure they function. I only have to wire the RS485 bus together and it should be ready to go. That's the next step. I also added a few extra panels to accommodate some of the basic PC/keyboard functions. I don't really want to have a keyboard in the cockpit so I have all of the function keys on one panel and then things like ESC, Pause, Loadout, Labels, FPS, etc. are all on another panel. The ADI and HSI are still a WIP. When Ian comes to Canada for a visit with me later this month, he and I are going to see if we can get the HSI to function with little to no modification. The display you see below is a 36" TV and is temporary. I have a 65" 4k TV on the way which will replace it. I also intend to totally enclose the cockpit. The less visual distractions there are, the better the immersion will be. I am using DCS-BIOS as the interface between cockpit and DCS World for virtually every panel and gauge in the cockpit. I am also using Overpro's HID software to handle the special panels I built for the function keys. To run everything, I have just finished building a new PC. You can check out the specs in my signature. A10 Cockpit unfinished by John Wall, on Flickr IMG_1052 by John Wall, on Flickr IMG_1055 by John Wall, on Flickr IMG_1056 by John Wall, on Flickr There are still lots of odds and ends to be dealt with yet. I expect (hope) it will all be completed by the end of summer. Besides really looking forward to flying missions with a squadron, I am also looking forward to my next cockpit... a Huey or an F18. Not sure yet but I am leaning heavily toward the Huey. I also have to say that running DCS 2.5.0 on my new PC is quite jaw dropping. These new graphics are simply amazing. And this new PC has let me max out all of the graphics settings. I easily manage 100 to 135 fps depending on location. So far the only problem I have have is the inability to join multiplayer. I hope that gets resolved before the cockpit is 100% functional. In closing, I normally post all my pics on my Flickr page to keep them all together. So if anyone is interested in seeing many of the panels and gauges I've built, this is the place... https://www.flickr.com/photos/jfwall/albums

So when do you start building...:pilotfly: :lol: But in all seriousness, that is great work Ray. And with luck, I hope to join you in the sky in maybe 2 months. Btw, did you run the mission in 1.5 or 2.5.0?

I noticed you were looking for an update on the status of DCS-BIOS 2.0. Ian has replied. https://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=3491212&postcount=837

The secret to soldering small is a good soldering station and a dissecting microscope. Looks like you now have everything you need to make it happen. Oh, I almost forgot, there’s one more very important tool... “solder wick!”. :music_whistling: I always keep several rolls on hand... you know, just in case. :smilewink:

Hans, you're just too good my friend. Most impressive work. I used those small 7 seg displays for the UHF as well. The hard part, I thought, was designing and cutting the PCB. To my surprise, it was soldering the damn thing that challenged me more than anything else.. Pull out the old microscope for this one.:thumbup:

Here is the layman's guide to DCS-BIOS. http://dcs-bios.a10c.de/docs/v0.7.0/userguide.html A quick read through this document should answer most of you questions about DCS-BIOS. DCS-BIOS makes cockpit building soooooo! much easier.

From my own personal experience, Chinese parts have been 99% reliable. The only time I have ever had an issue was with some RS-487 IC's that didn't work. I contacted the seller and they sent replacements immediately. I find that Chinese Ebay sellers are very careful about their reputation on eBay and they will bend over backwards to ensure you are satisfied. I have ordered literally hundreds upon hundreds of parts from china. I have no reason to doubt the quality of what I have received over the past three years. On the other hand, there is always the possibility of running into a bad seller. However you can avoid that by checking their rating on eBay. I should also warn you about this disease called Cockpit Builders Syndrome. Its an obsessive/compulsive disease that occurs at the very start of you deciding to build a cockpit. Its not curable and it can and will take over your life. :( Be careful about what you decide.:smilewink: :D:lol::lol: (maniacal laughter):megalol::megalol:

When you need to figure out how to wire a project, always start by downloading the data sheets on the components you need. For example, get the data sheet for the Max RS-485. I know a lot of the info on that data sheet is way over your head ( and mine for that matter:megalol:) , however there are always wiring diagrams and pinouts that will guide you. I have a rather large collection of data sheets that include LEDS, Max7219 for 7 seg displays, LCD 16X2 displays, hall sensors, stepper motors... and the list goes on. Initially this all looks overwhelming, but after your courses you will have a better understanding of how Arduino mcu's work. One more point I would like to make. Try and buy Chinese components whenever possible. The price of their electronic parts is incredibly low. eBay is where you will want to start. If it wasn’t for low priced Chinese parts, I wouldn't have been able to build my cockpit. Good luck with your project Petardo.

I'll try and answer a few of your questions. First, I started out just like you three years ago. Very little knowledge of electronics, no programming experience what so ever and no idea what an Arduino was. I did a lot of reading on the Arduino as there is SO much info on the internet. It wasn't that hard to get up and running. I did the same with electronics but on a novice level only. Fortunately there isn't any really sophisticated electronics required. Ian's DCS-BIOS made everything incredibly easy to implement even with my limited knowledge base. 1. the export.lua file sends (through Socat) the state of every cockpit switch, dial, gauge and display to the Arduino and then the sketch you write based on the control reference docs will select the info you need for whatever panel your building. I'm guessing here but I think that the info from the cockpit is updated every 30fps. 2. I would consult the developers guide at http://dcs-bios.a10c.de/ 3. ?? 4. Yes you need to run Socat for every board you are using. Each version of socat needs to be edited to provide the correct com port number that the Arduino is connected to. You can buy the Arduino Mega which has 52 pins for under $11.00 from China. Several of these boards will run a huge number of switches for you. 5. Unsure but I would stay with the more simple method using Socat and if you need to connect all your boards you can use an RS-485 bus. 6. Above my pay grade to be sure. Lastly, if you want to run just one version of socat, you can build an RS-485 bus and daisy chain all of your boards to a single Mega. You can incorporate the RS-487 chip into each panel (Arduino board). The RS-487 IC is very inexpensive and the bus itself is very easy to build. There are even template files (sketches) already written in the examples section of the Arduino IDE to make it extremely easy to create the sketch. Do a search for RS-485 or RS-487 on this forum and you should have plenty of good reading to get you started. http://dcs-bios.a10c.de/ has lots of good info on getting started. Anything else you might need can be answered by doing a search on this forum. There is a huge number of topics related to DCS-BIOS and panel building right here on this forum.

Chic What kind of latency and response times are you getting with the 65" curved screen. I am leaning toward the exact same screen as you are using.