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Boltz

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About Boltz

  • Birthday 12/16/2020

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  1. Well 2 years later and I finally got some time to work on the pit again. Trying to find some small weekend projects to do indoors. Got some code written for the X27 family of stepper motors. The SwitecX25 library gives smooth movement if allowing the motor to accelerate up to speed but is not useable for a constant data stream such as with DCS. The motion will end up very "jerky" as the motor attempts to move at full speed to each new position. Instead I am calculating a speed before every move giving very smooth motion even with very low update frequency. Results in a smoothing of stepper position and removes the jerking motion, see picture below. Only my PC graphics card appears to have died so can't test with DCS now but I can create a data stream with Python to send to the Arduino. Results are very nice. If it works well with DCS then it will be worth completing and likely as a new library.
  2. Thank you. Makes sense to have it both ways. Certainly going to go with that for the next one
  3. Does the real lever need to be pulled when moving both ways, Up -> Down and Down -> Up? My notes say it's only Up -> Down but I can't remember the source so no idea if that's accurate. I need to redesign my version to fit into a new instrument panel. Calum
  4. So sad to hear this. I have good memories of our discussions of pit building. Rest in peace Wayne
  5. Hi Deadmeat. Yes I added that functionality. From my research it should be pull-to-turn between OFF and STBY, both ways. I need to change out the alu gate plate on my one. I've currently got it only pull-to-turn when moving one way - this is incorrect.
  6. Thank you both for the suggestions. I haven't used the LedDisplay library but I'm looking at it now. The bottom row of displays are similar to HCMS-297x but for dimming the top line I think external PWM circuit is needed. Those displays are the SLG2016 and only have a Blank pin for dimming. Anton, that CMSP looks great. The external PWM circuit should give the best results for those displays. Hadn't heard of the Mega Mini before, having that many IO pins in the small footprint is giving me some ideas. I will probably get an updated PCB. There's a few changes I want to make now
  7. PCBs for the CMSP arrived last week so I tested them over the weekend. I am using an Arduino Mega, due to the number of inputs and outputs, which will be mounted within the panel. The dot matrix displays are working with DCS BIOS and for the first time I have added synchronised backlighting to a panel. The brightness is then controlled by the Console lights control in DCS. This means no external lighting system or dimmers are needed but you give up the ability to control the lighting without DCS running. There are 2 lighting channels on the panel, 1 for the illuminated switches and the other for the lightplate backlighting with a trim pot each so that the maximum brightness can be balanced and adjusted at any time. Also allows me to set the maximum brightness at the workbench and the set value will be stored in the panel itself. The brightness of the displays is controlled by the BRT potentiometer on the panel. This needs some more work with balancing the 2 lines of displays.
  8. Hi Dominick. It is under the Auxiliary Lighting Panel in the control reference if I remember correctly. There are a few controls which are under the wrong sections.
  9. Hi trigen. Nice work with the strain gauges, they are always an interesting topic. For the rotation you will need to use "Rotation of Axes" theory. You should be able to find the equations pretty easily but they are: x' = x*cos(a) + y*sin(a) y' = -x*sin(a) + y*cos(a) Where: x and y are your raw sensor readings, a is the angle of rotation (12 deg), x' and y' are the rotated results This will bring up the problem that microcontrollers don't like trig functions so you may need to create a lookup table for it. There is likely a library for Arduino built specifically for this. At a glance the Geometry library looks like it can handle the transformations. Coding this efficiently is way out of my abilities but hope it helps get you on the right path at least. Looking forward to seeing more updates Cheers Boltz
  10. Not much news on the pit. I've collected a few more parts which will take some work. Had some time this evening to start designing the AN/ARC-210 panel, need to start looking for a screen that will fit.
  11. Wow they look excellent! I'll definitely take one. Also interested in MFCDs and a throttle lightplate. Already got screens for the MFDs so would need to check the fit. Haven't had time to work on sim stuff for a while but I will get a couple weeks off at start of April to start catching up. I want to look at the ARC-210 panel, it looks interesting.
  12. Wow Anton! Fast progress and very professional. I like the new throttle panel, looks much better with green backlighting. MFDs and CMSC are absolutely top quality. Are you taking orders?
  13. Check TACAN and ILS knobs on the Intercom panel are pulled up. I think possibly some are down by default now
  14. Looks like you have the Function control on the left of the VHF radios set to the Emergency position. It should be in MAN (Manual) on both the AM and FM radios. That way you will transmit on the frequency you have entered i.e. 131.0MHz. Hope that helps
  15. Thank you Anton, I hope you are well. Progress is slowing now but I’ve made a start on a new instrument panel as well as the caution panel I have. It has some damaged components on one of the PCBs but I’m working to replace them. Failing that I will remove the original electronics and make something new. I’d also like to replace the bulbs with LEDs as currently the caution panel draws 4.5A at 28V when the Lamp Test button is pressed, so looking for some reasonably priced T1 3/4 LED bulbs. I’ve mostly completed the ILS panel, just need to make the lightplate. I took the frequency display and switches out of an old Nav radio from another aircraft and added them to a new backplate. Turned out that only 8 input pins were needed to cover every frequency so I was able to use an Arduino Nano here. Had to add the Power switch to the right rotary which is just a Grayhill switch and two small alu plates. The knobs are a combination of real ones from old panels and replica cast ones. Next up is the Intercom panel. I bought an old one from a C-130 a few years back. I had to add the Hot Mic switch which is just a cheap Push/Pull toggle from eBay. I also added a potentiometer to the top right volume control, since this was the old HM switch. Took a bit of time drilling and filing parts for it but now works well. Due to the number of analog inputs needed I used an Arduino Mega and designed a shield which includes RS-485 circuitry and small 10pF across the input and GND of each pot to reduce noise. Again, I still have to make a lightplate... I won a CRU-73 on eBay recently for the grand sum of £15. There is no way to use the real regulator for controlling DCS so I salvaged the pressure gauge and test ports to use in my own version. For the flow indicator, I’ve simply used a dim white LED which shines through some acrylic, painted with a single layer of black paint so the light still passes through. I was going to use a small motor to drive the real mechanism but decided against it. The back of this panel is very simple. For the NMSP, I salvaged the illuminated push buttons from an old Tornado panel and created new lenses for them. I split the inputs and outputs for this panel onto 2 systems. For the inputs I created a small enclosure with a Nano seen below. The lamps will be controlled by a central lamps system which will run all the annunciators. This is due to them being a mix of LEDs and bulbs running on different voltages and I will include the Bright/Dim functionality. Apologies for not having any photos of these lit up, I will get some soon. I would also like to replace these bulbs with LEDs since the switches get to the point of being too hot to touch with bare skin. Finally, I have finished the Landing Gear Panel. This is another panel which went through a lot of changes during the design and construction stages which is why the back of it is a bit of a mess. I still have to add the flaps gauge which will be built in a real 2” tube and will slide and clamp into the panel. The gear lever must be pulled outwards to move from UP to DOWN and there is a solenoid to lock the lever in the down position. Currently I have the solenoid disconnected since somewhere along the way I had the great idea of it defaulting to the unlocked position and when the solenoid is engaged it locks the lever. I thought it would be easier to build and would result in less wear on the solenoid. In fact it is the opposite and there is little point in connecting it up with the way I have it currently. The lever should be mechanically locked in the down position when no power is applied, and only becomes unlocked when there is no weight on the wheels, i.e. after takeoff. Progress will slow moving into the Autumn since I’m away from the pit but I will work on designs for the missing panels. Cheers, Boltz
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