Warhog

Hi Tekkx I see you are having issues with shorts on you PCBs. I too went through a period of smoke arising from various circuits I built with my own PCBs. I did find a solution to the problem. https://www.microscope.com/student-microscopes/middle-high-school-student-microscopes/motic-motic-sfc11-educational-dual-power-stereo-microscope.html I use this after every board is cut. Tiny pieces of copper were getting stuck between traces. These pieces were not visible unless I used the scope. I haven't lost a single component since then. Other than my CNC mill, this is the second most used piece of equipment in my shop. There are also digital high magnification USB pen style cameras that work well. I started using one but it died after 3 or 4 months. The microscope is far easier to spot shorts and that would be my first recommendation. I also believe there are less costly units available if you shop around. Best of luck Tekkx.

I've been using smd resistors and caps where ever I can but I have never seen these type of switches before. They would have been an interesting choice for the CDU. Most of my panels are now complete but maybe I’ll try them in my next build. Thanks for highlighting them.

Hey Calum That EMI will look so fantastic when your done. I can't wait to see it fully operational. I'm also pleased to see you are putting your TAIG mill through it’s paces. It is probably one the most indispensable pieces of equipment for cockpit builders. It makes everything so much easier. Do you have a board picked out to run everything. The Mega won't be able to handle all 12 motors in that it’s only a 16mhz processor. If you want a single board to run the entire panel you might look at the ChipKit Uno 32. It runs at 86mhz. That was my first choice. I haven't tested it yet as I spent all of July and August packing and Sept, Oct and most of Nov unpacking. I fully retired last July, sold the house and then we moved to a new house some 2000km from our old place. Nova Scotia for those who know a bit about Canada. I was wondering if you could talk about the controller you made. I just made one myself for testing various motors to determine performance in various types of gauges. I'd like to see what you put together. I think it might be a great project for cockpit builders wanting to use stepper motors in their panels. It’s also a good but easy learning excersise for the novice builders.

I certainly understand your comments Ray. Getting away from Helios was what motivated me to make actual gauges. The stutter I would get was extremely frustrating. With all the effort I was putting into the cockpit, I didn't want to rely on software that was unstable and no longer supported. I even ditched my Phidgets based caution panel and replaced it with a CP that ran on standard LEDs driven with DCS BIOS and an Arduino board. One thing about DCS BIOS is that it’s virtually version proof. That is to say, DCS would really have to make some major changes in its code for DCS BIOS to stop working. And with Ian’s devotion to his code, I doubt we will see him leaving this community high and dry.

Looking really excellent RK. I'm jealous too. I still have all my woodworking left to do. But that should be as much fun to build as the panels now that my wood shop is finally up and running. :thumbup:

I pulled out all of the synchros and replaced them with stepper motors. Easy Driver boards, Arduino Pro Mini's and DCS BIOS drives it all. Servos provide movement for the glide slope, ILS and bank indicator. I never wanted a working unit. Only that the ball was intact and the bezel unbroken.

Sorry but I haven't received any emails in a couple of weeks except one from Ian a few days ago.

Although I’m converting a real ADI for use in my cockpit! I would very much like to see how you make out with creating a graphic ADI driven by DCS BIOS. I hope you will post your progress with goal. Best of luck with it.:thumbup:

The designation cpa, csa, etc represent different environmental conditions that the ICs can operate in. More specifically temperature ranges. Most of the Chinese vendors offer the MAX 487 cpa IC. It seems to be the most common. That’s what I use in all my panels.

The chip you want is actually an RS-487. Read his schematic again.

It’s too bad that i didn't have the WS2812b LEDs when I built my caution panel. I might have been inclined to have some fun with color. Maybe a pale green that illuminates every cell label and when a caution turns on the cell label would turn red or yellow. Lots of possibilities.:smilewink:

I think that’s a very smart decision Ray. I decided to tie the OSB buttons on each mfcd to a hid device for the very same reason... possible future use on additional airframes. As you probably know, there are also a number of A10 panels that have no function whatsoever in DCS. Those panels could be prime candidates for hid devices as well.

Well done Quick. Looks like your on your way to a great cockpit. Keep posting those pictures.:thumbup:

I had to laugh when I saw that picture Calum. It so reminded me of my own build in various stages of destruction... I meant construction.:smilewink: Looking good my friend.

If you know for a fact that the load will exceed the max limit for the Arduino board you might want to do some research into logic level mosfets rather than use relays. Mosfets are easy to use, inexpensive and will handle loads of current depending on what mosfet you choose. There is lots of info on using mosfets with Arduino's so all you need to do is ask google.

The x27 motors are exactly the same as the VID series in all respects. I would investigate using the Easy Driver board with these motors. Much better control over stepping rates depending on what you are using them for. Do a search on the Easy Driver board and you will get lots of good info.

Excellent work Hans. :thumbup: That ILS is just fantastic. I love the clicks it makes as you change channels and the backlighting is perfect. There is something to be said about using original equipment as opposed to scratch building everything. You're going to have a really nice pit when all is said and done.

I agree with you completely Shredder...it is possible. It's just not possible with the present version of DCSBIOS. Nor is it as simple a task as you might think. Otherwise it would have already been done. I know for a fact that Ian wants to incorporate this kind of multifunctional integration with all airframes in DCSBIOS 2.0. But that's a big job and Ian has many things on his plate to deal with. In other words I would suggest we all make the best with what's available now. 2.0 is going to take a good amount of time to finish.

The code available in the control reference documents is airframe specific. Ian would like to create a system that would allow you to control different airframes with the same hardware but it's not possible using the present version of DCSBIOS.

I just received my eBay order for 20 additional MAX487 chips at a cost of $6.00 US. I wouldn't consider that expensive.

This may be of some assistance. https://www.arduino.cc/en/Guide/ArduinoISP#toc3

If you are referring to my post you might want to re-read it. I am suggesting that all NEW threads (not posts) are titled this way. For the purposes of searching all threads related to DCS-BIOS, it makes finding information much easier. I am also NOT suggesting that people continue posting in this thread.

I would like to suggest that all new thread titles be prefixed with "DCS-BIOS". That way a search using the argument "DCS-BIOS" will bring up all threads relating to same. Someone who is interested in looking at a number a number of DCS-BIOS issues will have a much easier time finding information. So again it's "DCS-BIOS <description of issue>" as the thread title.

Just a follow up on my previous post. This is the finished selector switch for the MFCD's. As you can see, I am using a mouse scroll wheel rotary encoder as per the link I provided to eBay. It fits beautifully within the small housing which I made from acrylic. I also had to make a custom shaft as the knob needed .25" diameter and the rotary encoder requires a .0625" hex cross section. Instead, I actually used a .07" diameter round cross section and with a little force, pushed it into the rotary encoders opening. Its just a friction fit but that's all it really needs . Maybe a drop of super glue to ensure it stays put. There are more pics of this on my Photobucket site if you are interested.

The post you quoted references using a 6 pin ICSP adapter for the Mega. Look beside the reset button and you will find a 6 pin header labeled ICSP. Thats where the programmer cable is plugged into the Mega. You need to find a data sheet on the Mega so you know what pins do what.