DeadMeat

Hi-jacking a bit here - K-lu, can you see what the P/N is on the ground power reset switch? Wondering if it is an 8869K10X / MS21353-851

Ah yes now I get it :) Yes, on-off-on will also work fine. It is even easier. If you check out the DCS BIOS reference documentation (for e.g. the flaps switch) you'll see that the default implementation of the 3 position switch calls for just two input pins (+switch ground pin needs to connect to arduino ground). If there is no signal on either pin then it knows it is in the middle position (well, actually it looks for when you change position). If you go into advanced view mode, you can also specify discrete pins for each position (like if you have a rotary switch with multiple positions), but for a on-off-on switch you only physically have 2 pins (or 2 pairs if 2-pole), so just use the standard code. If you have a couple of switches and any arduino it is relatively easy to play around with the circuits and the DCS BIOS code to figure out what works. Just follow the basic examples and work your way up copy+pasting code snippets.

You're absolutely right about DCS BIOS. It has worked fine for me so far. ON-ON works just as fine as ON-OFF if you only wire a single terminal and ground. That way you get either a signal or nothing, like DCS BIOS expects. For an ON-ON-ON to work like an ON-OFF-ON you just need to wire common ground and then a single terminal in each end that is not connected in the middle position. For a TL switch that corresponds to Ground = 2 or 5; Keyway = 4; opposite keyway = 3 See page 3 here. Same logic goes for Eatons or whatever although their terminals can be named differently so you'd have to check the specific switch, see e.g. page 85 here.

No problem I hope you can use the inspiration. I think I may have missed one or two. Will check it tomorrow. Both the warthog and the viper have more toggle switches, but I like hornet. I think it has a bit more of an exotic selection what with all the pointy eatons and the huge variety of mag switches. Doesn't make it easy or cheap to collect though :huh:

We're in deep rivet counter territory here :) Here's my notes on toggle switches. I've spent a fair amount of time peering through datasheets and staring at pictures of elastomer seals and locking levers.. I think I may have some input on the ones you are uncertain about. Of course if someone had access to real panels it would be easier for us all :smartass: Delimitations Here's my current list [i]Nomenclature[/i] -Panel/switch action (notes or specific switch) Action: ON = maintainted, (ON) = momentary, (ON)* = solenoid held Locking: ON<-OFF = locked in direction of "ON", ON<->OFF = locked in both directions Position: keyway - center - opposite keyway (Eaton catalogue is the opposite way) [i]Regular switches[/i] [b]2 position switch (e.g large 1TL1-3 or 8500K9, or small 11TW1-3 or 8868K7): 10[/b] -ALE-39/Reset ON-ON (doesn't belong in the DCS hornet bureau no.) -FCS/Gain override ON-ON (1TL1-3) -Gen tie/Gen tie ON-ON (1TL1-3) -HUD/Brightness ON-ON (tan seal indicates 8868K4) -HUD/Altitude ON-ON (tan seal indicates 8868K4) -Int lts/Test lights (ON)-ON (11TW1-8) -Ldg gear/Ldg lights ON-ON (like 1TL133-3 but with screw instead of center jewel) -MC/Hyd override ON-ON (1TL1-3) -Sensor/LST ON-ON (1TL1-3) -Spin/Spin recovery ON-ON (11TW1-3) [b]2 position locking switch, round head Honeywell/Micro Switch style: 4[/b] -FCS bit/FCS bit (ON)<-ON (1TL1-8F, also seen as pointy Eaton on some Hornets) -Nuc/Nuclear consent ON<->ON (1TL1-3D) -OBOGS/OBOGS ON<->ON (1TL1-3D) -Wing fold/AV Cooling (ON)<-ON (1TL1-8F) [b]2 position locking switch, pointy head Cutler-Hammer/Eaton style: 7[/b] -Comms/ILS UFC ON<->ON (8855K8) -Comms/Master ON<-ON (8855K7) -C.measures/Aux rel ON<->ON (8855K8) -Elec/Gen L ON<->ON (8855K8) -Elec/Gen R ON<->ON (8855K8) -Ldg gear/Anti skid ON<->ON (8855K8) -Master/Master arm ON<->ON (8855K8) [b]2 position locking switch, flat top Honeywell/Micro Switch style: 1[/b] -Ext lts/Int wing ON<->ON (11TW1-3D, also seen as round top, e.g. 1TL1-3D) [b]3 position switch (e.g large 1TL1-1 or 8500K1, or small 11TW1-1 or 8868K1): 21[/b] -AMPCD/HDG (ON)-OFF-(ON) (red seal and space constraint indicates 8869K2X) -AMPCD/CRS (ON)-OFF-(ON) (red seal and space constraint indicates 8869K2X) -Ant select/Comm 1 ON-OFF-ON (1TL1-1) -Ant select/IFF ON-OFF-ON (1TL1-1) -Comms/Mode 4 ON-OFF-ON (1TL1-1) -ECS/Eng anti ice (ON)-OFF-ON (1TL1-5) -EFEI/Video rcrd 1 ON-OFF-ON (1TL1-1/DCS hornet doesn't match NATOPS for the bureau no.) -EFEI/Video rcrd 2 ON-OFF-ON (1TL1-1/DCS hornet doesn't match NATOPS for the bureau no.) -EFEI/Video rcrd 3 ON-OFF-ON (1TL1-1/DCS hornet doesn't match NATOPS for the bureau no.) -Ext lts/Strobe ON-OFF-ON (1TL1-1) -Fan test/Fan test (ON)-OFF-(ON) (1TL1-7, omitted on DCS hornet) -Fire test/test (ON)-OFF-(ON) (8501K2) -Gnd pwr/Reset (ON)-OFF-ON (1TL1-5) -HUD/Reject ON-OFF-ON (tan seal indicates 8868K1) -HUD/Attitude ON-OFF-ON (tan seal indicates 8868K1) -HUD/video ON-OFF-ON (tan seal indicates 8868K1) -Ldg gear/Flaps ON-OFF-ON (12TW19-1-A002 or something like 8533K1C27) -Seat/Seat adjust (ON)-OFF-(ON) (1TL1-7) -Sensor/FLIR ON-OFF-ON (1TL1-1) -Spin/IR cooling ON-OFF-ON (red seal and space constraint indicates 8869K1X) -UFC/ADF ON-OFF-ON (1TW1-1, sub miniature) [b]3 position locking switch, round head Honeywell/Micro Switch style: 4[/b] -C.measures/Dispenser ON<->OFF<->ON (1TL1-1A) -ECS/ECS Mode ON<->OFF<->ON (1TL1-1A) -Elec/Battery ON<->OFF<->ON (1TL1-1A) -Fuel/Refuel probe ON<-OFF->ON (1TL1-1E, uncertain, could also be 1TL1-A) [b]3 position locking switch, pointy head Cutler-Hammer/Eaton style: 3[/b] -Comms/RLY ON<->OFF<->ON (8855K4) -Comms/G XMT ON<->OFF<->ON (8855K4) -Defog/Anti ice ON<-OFF->ON (8855K5) [b]3 position locking switch, flat top Honeywell/Micro Switch style: 5[/b] -Comms/Crypto (ON)-OFF->(ON) (11TW1-7N, action is debatable, also seen as pointy Eaton) -ECS/Cabin press ON<->OFF<->ON (11TW1-1A) -Fuel/Ext tks wing ON<->OFF<->ON (11TW1-1A, also seen as 1TL1-1A) -Fuel/Ext tks center ON<->OFF<->ON (11TW1-1A, also seen as 1TL1-1A) -Int lts/NVIS ON<->OFF<->ON (11TW1-1A) [i]---Mag switches. P/Ns are not 100% correct, but the action is and the alternate listed is valid[/i] [b]2 position mag switch (e.g. 26ET61-T): 1[/b] -Ldg gear/Hook bypass (ON)*-ON (26ET61-T) [b]2 position locking mag switch (e.g. 26ET61-T-F): 4[/b] -ECS/Pitot anti ice (ON)*<-ON (26ET61-T-F, although non-locking 2-position on some hornets) -Engine/APU (ON)*<-ON (26ET61-T-F) -Fuel/Fuel dump (ON)*<-ON (26ET61-T-F) -LTD/R (ON)*<-ON (26ET61-T-F, updated to two-position switch in latest OB) -Ldg gear/Launch bar ON->(ON)* ([url="https://datasheet.octopart.com/26ET86-2-G-Honeywell-datasheet-44398581.pdf"]26ET86-2G[/url], with special T style locking lever) [b]3 position mag switch (e.g. 27ET61-T): 7[/b] -Canopy/Canopy (ON)*-ON-(ON)* (27ET61-T, solenoid only used in one position) -Engine/Eng crank (ON)*-ON-(ON)* (27ET61-T) -Gnd pwr/1 (ON)*-ON-(ON)* (27ET61-T) -Gnd pwr/2 (ON)*-ON-(ON)* (27ET61-T) -Gnd pwr/3 (ON)*-ON-(ON)* (27ET61-T) -Gnd pwr/4 (ON)*-ON-(ON)* (27ET61-T) -MC/MC (ON)*-ON-(ON)* (27ET61-T)

Chiming in here - thanks for your work on DCS BIOS, Ian. I'm having a lot of fun building stuff with it.. Hope to see you back sometime

:thumbup:

Yes it's night and day right? For the other buttons you should consider P1-11118 which has a slightly lower force but easier on your pinky and index finger.. For the paddle you should still go for the full force (P1-11122).. Be aware that you need to do some filing on the paddle lever if you do that one - worth it though!

Nitpicking now.. But the 4 SAS engage switches are missing the characteristic red elastomer seal at the base of the levers. IIRC they should look like the Anti-skid and Anti-collision light switches.

Psst.. You could strap a real landing gear switch to the side of your box https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=220201 These things pop up on ebay from time to time..

Yup, I made a thread on it here https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=220201 Basically it's just a used gear switch out of a Tornado I found on EBay. It's wired up to an Arduino nano running DCS-BIOS.

Try https://www.peerlesselectronics.com if you're in the US, otherwise https://www.mouser.com is a good source or Ebay if you're lucky.

Have a look here https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=140340

:thumbup: Good job troubleshooting the thing. It's part of the learning experience messing with these things. Always nice when it pays off!

Ya mean this?

Well, we're getting somewhere with this thing :) I'm not sure why the solenoid doesn't pop back off upon landing/restart though. I'm not an electronics expert but I wonder if the MOSFET has trouble turning all the way off. Code is the same as I have so I think we're looking at a hardware/wiring issue. We gotta be careful about not shorting things or electrocuting ourselves here, but perhaps try energizing the coil as normal (take off, no WoW), then manually pull the signal wire from the arduino (which is like sending the LOW signal in code). The mosfet should turn off and the coil de-energize. Depending on what happens there could be a grounding problem - a loose connection - or a circuit problem (mosfet incorrectly wired) but I just can't tell from your pictures, sorry. Check your connections (especially your soldered common ground wires), connections on the Arduino, dupont wires in the screw terminals on the 24v supply (these are notoriously loose)..

Yes please :) we need that FCC3 footprint

The sparkfun one was just an example (that I haven't tried myself) but if your power supply is bad and doesn't supply what it's supposed to it could explain the problem. I would go for at least 12V 1A supply though to be sure. I haven't seen anyone else with your gear lever so we don't actually know if it is possible to stick with 12V, so moving up to 24V could make sense. Of course since the gear lever is *used* there could be a mechanical problem that we wont solve with higher voltage so bear that in mind The adapter you linked to has some pretty bad reviews, so maybe spend like 5 bucks more and get something like this https://www.amazon.com/SHNITPWR-100V-240V-Converter-Transformer-5-5x2-5mm/dp/B07Q29CD7J/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=24v+wall+wart&qid=1569747130&sr=8-4 note that this one has a 5.5x2.5 mm plug but looks like it comes with the female connector that fits..

Not sure what the problem is though 0.5A supply could be cutting it close, but to be sure you could measure the resistance over the coil and see what it will draw. I measured 40 ohms I think (0.3A at 12VDC) on mine. There could be a current spike when you turn it on that exceeds your supply, but I'm not sure that's actually an issue on DC solenoids in the first place.. More likely the problem is voltage and wear/friction. The solenoid is meant to work at 28V as the chart on the lever says, so 12V is really at the lower end of where it'll actually actuate. Combine that with possible mechanical friction in a used piece of hardware and well you see why you might need a little more to get it going. I had similar issues at 12V at first but now it's running fine for some reason, but then it is also a different model. I also run very real Honeywell mag switches (locking and normal action) at 12VDC with no problem even though they're also meant for 28V, so I figured that yours would also work at that voltage.. You could try a 24V adapter (easier to find than 28V) which should definitely get you going. Note that the current draw is higher at higher voltages - Hansolo measured 0.65A at 28V on his landing gear lever which is similar to mine. Probably yours will draw similar amps so get a PSU that provides enough. As for the connectors, as long as there's a connection it's fine I guess. You should maybe hot glue them in place so they don't come loose.

Sickdog, that's just fantastic! I know a few folks around here have these gear handles laying around, so hopefully you'll have inspired them to get theirs hooked up as well.

Looks good! The circuit is similar to mine. It is really simple actually, you need to hook this up the same way you would a toggle switch. As I mentioned above I would recommend that you get DCS BIOS running with something simpler first though so you know your arduino and code works. Regarding your gear handle there's redundant switches in there so you can hook up to any you want. For example, the left most on the diagram connects pin X as ground with pin W when the handle is down, and X to pin Y when the handle is up (or perhaps it's flipped, you can fix that in software) For a quick and dirty solution, you can simply solder wires to the corresponding pins on the back and plug into your arduino: X to ground and W and Y to two digital ports, e.g. 3 and 4. Load a blank DCS-BIOS sketch in your arduino IDE, paste the landing gear code snippet from the control reference and tell it what you have connected. You need to go into "Advanced" view to get the code that uses two pins instead of a single (like a push button would have) For the A-10C it could look like this Flash the board and connect the com port. You should be able to use the handle in game. You can just flip 3 and 4 in code if the action turns out to be reversed. The downlock solenoid is activated by running at least 12V positive on pin C and pin D to your 12V ground (e.g. connect a 12V wall wart power supply to a DC barrel jack adapter). If you want to control the solenoid with the arduino you need a logic level mosfet circuit as the arduino can't handle 12V directly. Wire one up yourself or get a pre-made kit - just make sure it is logic level switching. You can use the WoW code I posted earlier to activate the circuit if you want. The lights are 28VDC bulbs so either feed them that or switch them out for 5V LEDs and run them directly from the arduino. Just be sure to put a pre resistor in there. They look to be in parallel so factor that in. Connect pin B to ground and pin A to a PWM enabled arduino pin (e.g. 5) and paste code from the control reference just below the gear lever code and give it some PWM dimming code, e.g. like this for the A-10C: No sweat this is the fun part, messing with these things trying to get stuff interfaced :)

I can confirm that gear animation arguments are the same for at least the A-10C AJS37 AV-8B N/A F-5E F-14, F/A-18C F-86F L-39 M-2000C MiG-15, 19, 21 only the Harrier has an additional argument for the main/rear center wheels, like so: defineIntegerFromGetter("EXT_WOW_REAR", function() if LoGetAircraftDrawArgumentValue(343) > 0 then return 1 else return 0 end end, 1, "External Aircraft Model", "WoW Rear Gear")

Well as luck has it I have found a new way to determine WoW that is more realistic and does away with reading gauges.. DCS-BIOS can output the state of all animation arguments for the external aircraft model, so I just check the state of the landing gear strut compression. If it is fully extended there is no WoW. I check all three landing gear. Luckily most aircraft seem to share animation arguments (going back to FC3 it seems). I have only checked the A10 and F18 myself though. The function is built into vanilla DCS-BIOS, but you currently have to call it and add whatever exports you want to your aircraft libraries yourself, like so for the A-10C and F/A-18C: local defineIntegerFromGetter = BIOS.util.defineIntegerFromGetter defineIntegerFromGetter("EXT_WOW_NOSE", function() if LoGetAircraftDrawArgumentValue(1) > 0 then return 1 else return 0 end end, 1, "External Aircraft Model", "WoW Nose Gear") defineIntegerFromGetter("EXT_WOW_RIGHT", function() if LoGetAircraftDrawArgumentValue(4) > 0 then return 1 else return 0 end end, 1, "External Aircraft Model", "WoW Right Gear") defineIntegerFromGetter("EXT_WOW_LEFT", function() if LoGetAircraftDrawArgumentValue(6) > 0 then return 1 else return 0 end end, 1, "External Aircraft Model", "WoW Left Gear") You can put the code at the end of the file, before "BIOS.protocol.endModule()" If you're using DCS flight panels fork the function is already included in most aircraft libraries (they use it to export external lights), you can skip the first line and just add the gear exports. My Arduino code that uses this new WoW determination for the F18 looks like this /* Tell DCS-BIOS to use a serial connection and use the default Arduino Serial library. This will work on the vast majority of Arduino-compatible boards, but you can get corrupted data if you have too many or too slow outputs (e.g. when you have multiple character displays), because the receive buffer can fill up if the sketch spends too much time updating them. If you can, use the IRQ Serial connection instead. */ #define DCSBIOS_DEFAULT_SERIAL #include "DcsBios.h" byte NoseWow = 0; //weight on wheels - check if variable needs to match unsigned int byte RightWow = 0; byte LeftWow = 0; /* paste code snippets from the reference documentation here */ //---Check for WoW void onExtWowNoseChange(unsigned int newValue) { if (newValue == 1){ NoseWow = 1; } else { NoseWow = 0; } } [color="Red"]DcsBios::IntegerBuffer extWowNoseBuffer(0x54c2, 0x4000, 14, onExtWowNoseChange);[/color] void onExtWowRightChange(unsigned int newValue) { if (newValue == 1){ RightWow = 1; } else { RightWow = 0; } } [color="red"]DcsBios::IntegerBuffer extWowRightBuffer(0x54c2, 0x8000, 15, onExtWowRightChange);[/color] void onExtWowLeftChange(unsigned int newValue) { if (newValue == 1){ LeftWow = 1; } else { LeftWow = 0; } } [color="red"]DcsBios::IntegerBuffer extWowLeftBuffer(0x54c4, 0x0100, 8, onExtWowLeftChange);[/color] void setup() { DcsBios::setup(); pinMode(9, OUTPUT); //Output for solenoid control } void loop() { DcsBios::loop(); if (NoseWow == 0 && RightWow == 0 && LeftWow == 0){ //all wheels off the ground digitalWrite(9, HIGH); //activate solenoid to retract downlock } else { digitalWrite(9, LOW); } } Note that I have a modified F18 library, so the addresses in red will probably not work for you. Copy the code snippets from your own control reference and use this as inspiration for the code logic. Here's video where I test the new code. Not sure you can see anything but you should at least be able to hear the solenoid activating as the wheels leave the deck, unlocking the handle.

Has anyone tried this particular model? Well feel free to chime in if you have.. It is different from mine for sure, but I guess the functions should be similar. You have the pin diagram printed on top and it looks like you have the solenoid (including diodes across the poles) and two lamps in there. It should be straightforward to wire this thing up based on the pinout and try it. Then pins on the back side should have the matching letters. You need to feed the lamps 28V or switch them out for 5V LEDs+resistors (or 5V bulbs if you can find them). For the solenoid I would recommend trying 12V and see if it latches like mine does.. To control the 12V with the Arduino you need to build a MOSFET circuit: https://bildr.org/2012/03/rfp30n06le-arduino/ just make sure your MOSFET gives full output at 5V, like this IRL540NPBF Also as I mentioned above check out Hansolo's thread for inspiration on driving mag switch solenoids and maybe Joe here if you don't mind his TACAN constantly beeping haha no it's good stuff

Guys, regarding the FLIR switch issues it seems that the latest updates have changed some things, including how the LTD/R ARM position is implemented. Not sure which version of the F18 library you're on (v1.0 on this thread or the v1.1 update on DCS flight panels github) - but neither worked for me out of the box. The following changes have my switches working: define3PosTumb("FLIR_SW", 62, 3001, 439, "Sensor Panel", "FLIR Switch, ON/STBY/OFF") define3PosTumb("LTD_R_SW", 62, 3002, 441, "Sensor Panel", "LTD/R Switch, ---/SAFE/AFT") -- ARM position is handled by another parameter defineToggleSwitch("LST_NFLR_SW", 62, 3004, 442, "Sensor Panel", "LST/NFLR Switch, ON/OFF") You'll notice the device ID must be 62 (the TGP) and the counters skip one command ID (3003) controlling the ARM position - this you will have to add somewhere (like the end of the library) defineToggleSwitch("LTD_R_ARM", 62, 3003, 441, "Sensor Panel", "LTD/R Switch, ARM/SAFE") As you can see this function has the same clickable ID (441) as the rest of the LTD/R switch. The switch is working but it is not pretty.. Maybe someone can LUA the LTD/R back into a single parameter with a custom toggle switch function in the library?