First panels - DCS Bios

Hi

After many months of contemplation I have finally started my panels. I have started with my UFC and Caution panel.

The faceplates are made on a laser cutter using 1.5mm laserable laminate with a black face and a white back layer. These are then mounted on a 3mm green acrylic. I have used the highly technical method of hot glue to fix all of my switches. All of my switches, pots, encoders etc are all sources over many weeks from china, using multiple suppliers.

I am using the fabulous DCS Bios, which is so far very simple and intuitive. I have purchased a teach your self how to programme Arduino so that I can have half a chance of understanding the rudiments of programming.

I will post more as I work on them.

Best wishes

Neal

Very nice. Are you planning on back lighting them with LEDs as well?

Hi

I am exploring options at the moment, one which I am looking at is a bit of a blunt instrument; I am installing an LED flat panel inside my side panel structure, effectively turning the whole lot into a big internally lit box. I will then have various 'slots' cut in the facing material (plastic cardboard, with duct tape seams). The UFC I am installing a series of 5050 LEDs. All the back lighting will be connected to the main electrical panel 'Power switch' using a double pole switch.

It all sound good in theory, but maybe a horses arse of an idea in reality!

Great fun experimenting.

Neal

Gotcha. I'm experimenting as well. I just learned that ping pong balls make a nice diffuser. So I may play around with that! :)

How quick was it to learn dcs bios and arduinos and get them working together as one?

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Hi

once i had the face plates and back plate done, mounting the switches took me about 2 evenings for the electrical panel and about 4 evenings for the UFC. The wiring on the electrical took me 2 evenings and UFC 6 evenings (an evening for me between bathing kids and eating is about 90minutes).

The setup for Arduino and DCS Bios was the easiest and quickest at about 1 evening each. I have also built the Caution panel, but that was a pig to do and took me 3 weeks of evenings to wire. The DCS Bios about 3 evenings. To be honest I manufactured the faceplates late 2015, but until DCS Bios came along I struggled with learning .lua, which was veryy difficult for me.

Happy to provide any further information if you want?

Regards

Neal

RS485 Network - The first step

Hi

I have decided to attempt to setup all of my panels by using the MAX485 chip and as such have purchased 6 to begin with. I am reading up on the topology and have so far made the following assumptions/choices:

a. I am going to use Cat5 as the networking cable - I am not sure yet how to wire in the 120ohm resister; more reading needed!

b. I am going to use Arduino Uno as the slave boards and will have 3 Mega boards as 3 masters. This will be left, right and dashboard. Not sure yet how many Uno's I will need. I am wiring each panel to a terminate on a prototype board fixed to the back of each board. These 'junction boards' will then have a connecting cable direct to each Uno, in this way the panels can be removed without disrupting the Arduino connections. I THINK THAT MAKES SENSE?

c. I am wiring each panel and then setting up the sketch for each panel independently to ensure they work. Once all tested I will group them together to effectively 'fill up' each Uno pins. This is where I am not sure how then to setup: I am assuming that if I setup a new skeetch using the slave template and then add the sketch for all panels connected to each Uno, effectively making it a looooong sketch with all switches added in. IS this a correct assumption?

Any thoughts or comments would be greatfully received please.

A it scared by the birds nest of wiring I am creating and how the heck I will record how it all comes together; any suggestions?

thanks as always

Neal

These 'junction boards' will then have a connecting cable direct to each Uno, in this way the panels can be removed without disrupting the Arduino connections. I THINK THAT MAKES SENSE?

RS-485 is a daisy-chained bus, each board is connected to the one before it in the chain. It does not handle a star topology very well, the "stubs" that extend from the main bus to the individual devices should be kept as short as reasonably possible.

I would just give each panel or set of adjacent panels its own Arduino Nano. That way, each board or group of boards can be built, tested and maintained/repaired independent of the others. Start writing your sketch in DCSBIOS_IRQ_SERIAL mode. Once it works, comment out the DCSBIOS_IRQ_SERIAL line and add the two lines for DCSBIOS_RS485_SLAVE <address> and TXENABLE_PIN.

The only wires between panels would be the RS-485 bus A and B lines, power, and ground.

As long as the total length of one RS-485 bus does not exceed about 10 meters and you are using the slew-rate limited MAX487 transceivers, you do not need the 120 ohm termination resistor.

VHF PANEL

Hi

I am now looking at my 2 VHF panels and was wondering if anyone had written a sketch, specifically for the interface with a MAX 7219 chipset?

Thanks

Neal

[FSF]Ian

thank you for your response, much appreciated.

The Nano and Uno board have 14 digital pins, which for some panels is insufficient, I understand I can use the Analogue pins as digital, would this require me to write any additional code i.e. pinMode(A0, OUTPUT);

digitalWrite(A0, HIGH);

if that is required, would I enter this under void setup?

Any advice greatfully received?

Thanks

Neal

Hi Neal,

That is looking great!

I started with DCS Bios and Arduino after the 476th DCS Bios podcast and have a lot of fun.

However, would you mind to share what kind of buttons you are using for the UFC and especially what caps you have for them?

Awesome would be if you have a link where you bought it.

I have been looking for some time and can't find the right buttons with the caps for a UFC. I am located in Germany, but would order it from anywhere if necessary.

Thank you so much in advance.

Pete

Using pinMode() is required both for analog and digital pins, but it is handled by the DCS-BIOS Arduino Library. Just use them like digital pins, specifying the constant An instead of the pin number:

DcsBios::LED masterCaution(0x1012, 0x0800, A5);

Note that on the Pro Mini, pins A6 and A7 are analog only.

Hi Pete

I think it is important to state that my cockpit is not intended to be an exact facsimile of an A10C, I am trying to get the look similar (but as close as possible!).

The buttons I have used are:

10pcs White Square Cap Momentary Tactile Tact Push Button Switch 12 x 12mm x 8mm

by sourcingmap

Link:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0087ZF6ZE[/

I am using a dymo label machine to create the lettering, which is on a metalic tape.

I hope that helps, let me know if you need anything else?

Happy building.

Neal

Hi Neal,

That helps for sure and I found them also on amazon in Germany now. Before, my searches always gave me the samller buttons.

I am planning to build myself a UFC and a Radio Stack with both VHF Radios, UHF, ILS and TACAN.

Thanks again!

Pete

Hi Pete

I have my panel files in Coral Draw if that would be useful starter?

Neal

How quick was it to learn dcs bios and arduinos and get them working together as one?

 

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Hi Elmo...DCS Bios and Arduino is realy easy to learn. Here and there a challenge but there is lots of support out there.

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Hi Neal,

Do you mean the labeling or something like construction drawings?

Pete

Hi Pete,

I have constructed my panels in layers:

a, Layer 1 is the face plate and is in 1.5mm laserable laminate which has a black finish and white base

b. Layer 2 is a green acrylic 3mm thick.

c. Layer 3 is a special light panel taken from a flat panel LED light, this is fitted with a strip of LED on two sides, this light panel refracts light to create a single light source.

The coral draw files are of layers 1 to and 3.

Neal

More progress

Hi

I have been working slowly on my panels, more progress, lots more soldering to go!

Neal

Nice...very nice!

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