Alex_rcpilot

Again, I carelessly overlooked important information :music_whistling: Thanks Deadman, I happen to have a bunch of cyan LED's, it's time to use them. :)

oops, I'm not sure. Lots of guys were quoting the Rockwell site, so I took it for granted that A-10C has CDU-900 installed. I saw Rockwell Collins on display during the Zhuhai airshow, but it was not until the show was over that I realized they actually made CDU for A-10's. Damn... it might have been a lot easier to get some information face to face than sending emails.

Thanks for the pics. Wow I'm confused now, it's already called CDU-900,how many different sub versions have they made? Judging from the picture above, I'd say the frame and buttons look like they're 0.1" high, pretty close to 3mm. Thickness of the finishing is still unknown. I sent a mail to an aviation enthusiast this morning, hope he happens to know someone with the right access.

oops, tell me how tricky it is to read a scanned image. lol Hey, check out these two civilian product specs, it'd be nice to have a side profile like these for the A-10C unit. lol http://www.cmcelectronics.ca/pdf/cma3000.pdf http://www.interfacedisplays.com/pdfs/ds_MCDU.pdf

Coooool stuff! That looks almost exactly like Deadman described. Except for the light source. I think this one uses LED's instead of EL sheet. And they put a diffuser plate on top on the LED's to spread out the light. BTW, Can anyone confirm that the panel back light is blue? Thanks. Regards, Alex

No problem with the new CDU, Deadman. You've already provided a lot of valuable information. Yeah I can download the PDF now. That helps a lot. I see it doesn't say anything about how far the Dzus are from either the top or the bottom edge, it helps understanding your point. I should keep working on the CDU with what I have. Thank you again for your help. Regards, Alex

It's really nice to have your reply, Total. When I saw the term "dome switch", the first thing came to my mind was one of these, regularly found on washing machines: I never thought anything like this could be found on a cockpit keypad, even though it's hidden within. I agree with what you said, they are more unreliable compared to regular switches. Tactiles and push buttons are better, I will look for a reliable model and build a cap on top of it. Thank you for sharing the info. Regards, Alex

Thank you Deadman, those are really helpful information. I still have a few questions however, hope you don't mind. Are we missing an attachment? All I could see is the Rockwell link. AFAIK, the forum wouldn't allow any upload recently. Sure they did, and they've offered us a great reference to start with. All we need to do is cross referencing with a couple of other sources to figure out more accurate data. Cool, Chibawang also posted this link on #74 of this same thread, and that's where I got the outline and screen dimensions from. But I didn't know the 0.375" sqr button size, I was going for 10mm, your information was really in-time. BTW, the CDU-900 on the Rockwell page looks a lot different from our other references, is this a different model? oops, I think I was misled by this mockup from Driven Technologies: I based most of my structural assumptions on this image, I took measurement from a bird's eye screenshot in the DCS cockpit, and cross referenced with a cockpit arrangement diagram someone posted not long ago. (is that thread deleted?) If the protruding white ring doesn't exist, I will remove it from my design. Then it would be less expensive and more realistic. I thought it was there to prevent inadvertent inputs. Could you clarify how thick the top plate is, and how high those buttons are above the main panel? Thanks. From your description on the newer bezel, it sounds like the real CDU uses SMD tactiles like this: Pressing one of these switches feels like pressing a button on a regular joystick. It makes a clicking sound and the button merely sinks any distance. Do the CDU buttons feel this way, or do they feel like computer keyboard while pressed? Thank you for your time. I've started purchasing materials to experiment on. I will upload some new render works when the next revision is complete. Best regards, Alex

Hi Shawn, that could be someone who knows your hobbies. Watch out later till (s)he emerges. lol Back to the topic. If I make stuff to share with people, it's best to set a high standard as there're many hard core guys out there. And it's often easier to lower the bar once you have already achieved it. That's why I did things this way. Each design is consistently repeatable.

It also sounds very reasonable to me to base my guesstimations on that, but if the fact proves otherwise, I'd be curious to know why. Deadman, should there be any discrepancy from Stefan's quotation, could it be because adjacent panels don't always have their bundary line sitting exactly at multiples of 3/8"? I figured that could be possible because those panels aren't supposed to be swapped around. And do you happen to have some data regarding the CDU dimensions? I'd really appreciate your info as I've been trying to perfect this unit. Thank you.

Thanks, and it's nice to have your reply Stefan, the document is very informative. The CDU-900 image is one of the references I had. And I just wasn't sure about how thick the acrylic is. Anyway, I adjusted the acrylic to 12.7mm now, and the Dzus measures 7.6mm in height. Put them side by side, what'd ya say? 12.7 still looks a little too think for me: Personally I'd like it to be thicker. That way I can have a wider selection on switches and integrate them within that space. I gotta adjust the dimensions and locations for the Dzus fastners to meet the standards. Will have the blueprint updated soon as it's done. A couple of questions still remain: - How high do the white frame and the buttons protrude above the surface? - What's the key travel distance of those buttons? - If I build a screw variation for Dzus fastners, what lentgh and thread type is prefered? Here's an exploded view of the 12.7mm version: *edit: I've also reduced the backplate to 1.5mm thick.

A couple of render shots just for a better understanding of the structure: If the PCB has to be embeded within the back plate, aluminum under the entire keypad area will be removed. Currently, the small slots along where the frame edge sits above are meant to hold back light LED's. I didn't give the DZUS studs any detail, because I'm planning on two versions. The cheaper solution involves replacing the DZUS studs with ordinary screws.

Guys, hope you don't mind about metric dimensions: Please try to spot anything wrong with this drawing. Some dimensions are not provided because there're simpliy too many of them, if you need to know something, just ask. I'm sure there are many mistakes in this diagram, coz a couple of screenshots and low resolution pictures are all that I could refer to. Currently the primary issues are: - If the DZUS fasteners on a real CDU is mounted on a receptical strip, is the hole spacing something like 9.53mm (0.375")? - Which type of switchs should I choose for the buttons? - How high do the LCD cover, the buttons and the transimissive frame protrude above the panel surface? - How long does a button or rocker travel when it's pressed? I may have to embed my PCB inside the aluminum back plate so it doesn't get stuck between the plate and the receptical strips along both edges. Sounds like a tough job, any suggestions? * Receptical strip reference image:

Nah... Still says not a vaild image file. Since photobucket is back, I'm giving up on the forum album. I'm finishing up the CDU sketch now.

Looks like a site issue to me. Coz I tried uploaded images I've posted before, no joy. Alright, photobucket is alive again. I was having problem with it a couple of months later. Imageshack is totally banned from here. This is what I was talking about:

By the way, how high are the buttons pertruding above the CDU's top surface? Something like 3mm? Now I can't upload images. No matter what I do, the forum keeps telling me 'This is not a valid image file.' :music_whistling:

Guys, which type of buttons do you think is used on the real CDU? Tactile is the most frequently discussed type of switch, but it looks from the game that those buttons on the CDU travel much farther than tactiles would do. Probably 2~3mm downwards. So I'm thinking maybe I should use something similar with the reset button on PC cases.

Awesome! Thanks, you've helped a lot.

A can of worms or not, there's only one way to find out. lol Don't get too hard on yourself though. Looking forward to your updates.

Wish you all the best. I wish I had the machine, but all I can do is looking for local companies providing CNC services.

Looks really good. You painted on the bottom and engraved mirror lables. Care to try the other method? Black matt paint on the top may look even better and more realistic? By the way, here's a couple of pictures that I took at Zhuhai airshow, China. Let's reverse engineer a little bit for fun. :music_whistling:

It's gotten worse for the passed few days. I kept getting this screen, sometimes lasing for hours.

Yes that's what I've been doing. I'm redesigning the CDU structure now. Correcting demensions and seeking a better way to build buttons with backlight. Currently I'm planning to have some buttons 3D printed. Then I'll use silicone mold and clear resin to multiply the prototype. After that, a layer of white paint with a layer of gray paint on its top. And finally CNC engraving. Probably another clear protective paint for the finishing product? But then I was thinking, why do I have to deal with this paint sh** every single time? In my mind: it smells, it takes long to dry, it's hard to keep consistent thickness, it's also inefficient to secure that many buttons to engrave with a CNC, and finally, in case you'll engrave too deep, it takes several trail cuts to get the right thickness of material removed. What if I build each character with clear resin into a signet shape with a solid base, and then use gray resin to soak it in a mold and form a composite structure? With 3D printing technology, I'm not too worried about accuracy. I will try it. By the way, do you mind if I append some figures in your thread so we can discuss about CDU dimensions? I don't think it's necessary to start a whole new thread. lol. At the end, the most important point though, is how we export the CDU text. It's already been discussed here but there's no official response from ED. So when the hardware is completed, it's still gonna be sitting there waiting for the data feed.

I've relocated, now I live in a city surrounded by various suppliers. Need to refresh my mind about what's possible. BTW, I tried fast prototyping a month ago. I designed a plastic case full of hyperbolic surfaces and this company fabricated the sh*** with a 3D printer. The then had it painted, silk skin printed and shipped to me. Gosh it was like an industrial final product.:)

Good job, you deserve to fly ahead of all of us. :pilotfly: