Simulating a Russian countermeasures panel

[Extranajero]

I posted this picture in my thread about the SU-27 button and knob dimensions, but I thought I would explain exactly what I am doing in a separate thread if that's OK.

 

 

All the FC2 planes dispense countermeasures with three key presses - chaff, flare and continuous release.

 

Reading the SU-27 manual that someone ( can't remember your name, sorry - but thanks a lot ! ) translated into Spanish and posted here the real aircraft does it very differently - like you might expect.

 

The real SU-27 pilot has two buttons he can press - start and stop.

What happens then is determined by the settings on the panel.

If I have translated from Spanish correctly they are :-

Single release chaff

Single release salvo of 1, 2 or 4 flares

Single release both chaff and salvo of flares

Continuous release chaff with an interval of 0.1, 0.5 or 1 seconds

Continuous release salvo of 1, 2 or 4 flares with an interval of 3, 4, or 6 seconds

 

I have the Arduino acting as a USB keyboard and according to the knob position it replicates the functions above by sending Ins and Del key presses to the sim.

 

If you are wondering why I am using potentiometers instead of rotary switches it's because I am going to need almost all of the Arduino's digital pins to light the LED's which show the remaining quantities of countermeasures.

I will make a mechanical detent for the potentiometer so it properly replicates a rotary switch.

It might not be the best solution for everyone, but I think it is the best solution for me.

 

Because I want the panel to work with all the Russian aircraft, each of which have different quantities of countermeasures I am not going to hard code the amount into the sketch, the amount will be read on startup\reset from a 5 position pot hidden under the emergency jettison switch cover.

 

It would be possible to hard code some preset dispensing programs into the sketch, but I think I'll probably keep things as Sukhoi OKB intended.

[Mike Powell]

....

 

If you are wondering why I am using potentiometers instead of rotary switches it's because I am going to need almost all of the Arduino's digital pins to light the LED's which show the remaining quantities of countermeasures.

I will make a mechanical detent for the potentiometer so it properly replicates a rotary switch.

It might not be the best solution for everyone, but I think it is the best solution for me.

 

....

 

Using the analog input with a potentiometer is a clever solution.

 

Going forward with this idea...

 

Rather than adding detents to the potentiometer, you might use a mechanical rotary switch with fixed resistors forming a voltage divider which acts electrically like the potentiometer.

[Extranajero]

Thanks Mike.

The decision to use a pot rather than a rotary with resistors was down to the fact that I have a lot of pots and no rotaries...I'm trying to keep the cost to a minimum wherever I can.

Plus I have a small machine shop so it's no big deal for me to make a couple of detent mechanisms.

 

For someone who hasn't got machining facilities I think your idea is a lot better.

 

Another small advantage of the pot with detent is that I can replicate the exact spacing of the positions on the intervalometer dial. Not that it matters too much of course in the grand scheme of things.

[Esac_mirmidon]

I am the autor of the Su-27SK manual translation into spanish. If you need help of any kind with this part of the manual please PM.

Edited December 26, 2014 by Esac_mirmidon

[Extranajero]

I was the autor of the Su-27SK manual translation into spanish. If you need help of any kind with this part of the manual please PM.

 

Thank you so much for the manual !

 

My Spanish isn't great ( I live in Spain, but I am English ) although I can read it fairly well if the subject is one I already know about - like guns, motorcycles or aircraft :D

 

I was thinking about translating parts of your manual into English for the DCS community, do you think that is a good idea ?

[Esac_mirmidon]

Feel free to do so. If you need a word version of the manual for easier copy-paste text into online translators i can share it with you.

[Extranajero]

The file I downloaded has a word doc as well as a pdf, so I think I must have it already ?

 

It's a shame you live in Ferrol, I am on the Murcia\Alicante province border, so we couldn't be much further apart and still be in the same country :D

I would like to meet some Spanish sim pilots and help them with cockpit building...

[Esac_mirmidon]

Feel free to contact us in our spanish squad.

 

http://www.cruzdesanandres.com

[Clark]

Cool project, Extranajero!

 

Clark

Fellow Arduino hobbyist

[Akki]

Hi Extranajero!

I'm at Barcelona, not too far after all! Fluent spanish here :smilewink:

99% of the time I fly only russian birds, currently practicing and flying the MIG21.

 

Sorry for the off-topic, here we go..

Your project looks very interesting!! but in my case I do not understand a thing about potentiometers and such... maybe others has this issue too, for me and them, would be very nice if you detail the components in your pictures a little bit more.

 

BTW, how much is the estimated cost of the project taking into account that for me all components must to be bought?

 

Thank you in advance! :thumbup:

[Extranajero]

Clark, I wouldn't call myself a hobbyist yet, I only wrote my first sketch a few weeks ago ;) I do have some experience programming with C but it was a long time ago....

 

Hey Akki - the biggest component cost is the Arduino Uno. You can buy a genuine one for EU 20, Chinese clones are cheaper but I don't trust Chinese electronics ( or anything else cheap and Chinese :) ) very much. The potentiometers and other electronics might cost EU 10 ?

Probably you would be better using 3 rotary switches and resistors like Mike suggests, that will be a little more expensive.

How you make your panel will also affect the cost. I have a machine shop and a lot of materials like acrylic, aluminium, steel, brass ( and titanium :D ) so you could say it costs me nothing.

 

I love the Russian aircraft, but only the Blackshark and MiG-21 have clickable cockpits as far as I know. It seems that aircraft with non-clickable cockpits limit pit builders to the available key, axis and HOTAS assignments. Unless anyone knows better ?

 

For my countermeasures panel this isn't too bad because I run my own program on the Arduino and then send the correct number and timing of keypresses to FC2.

But stuff like the SU-25 weapon control panel is probably impossible to make realistic hardware for because functions like " ripple " and " interval " are single keypresses. So ripple goes 1, 2, 4, AUTO and the next keypress loops the setting back to 1.

I can't think how to deal with that using a rotary switch.

 

Autopilot panel is similar, it would be possible to have all the correct pattern of lights illuminated by the Arduino reading what has been pressed, but if the autopilot disengages itself or refuses to engage because of bank angle or pitch then the Arduino won't know this and the lights will be on when they should be off.

[FSFIan]

Chinese clones are cheaper but I don't trust Chinese electronics ( or anything else cheap and Chinese :) ) very much.

 

If there's one thing I trust Chinese suppliers with, it's electronics (as long as it's not mains powered)! The board that I order locally will have been produced in the same factory in China, except now I am paying for intermediate shipping (and re-packaging) to the middle men, and I also have to pay import tax (because the middlemen don't import stuff in increments smaller than 22 Euro).

 

I have had very good experiences with ordering Arduino Pro Mini boards and USB to Serial converters from chinese eBay sellers.

[Extranajero]

I'll take that on board Ian, thanks...

 

Edit :- " board " is NOT a deliberate pun :D

[Beerhunter]

I believe Joe Kurr in this forum does something equal:

 

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=21664&highlight=joe+kurr&page=51

[Extranajero]

Wow, how did I miss that ?

[Joe Kurr]

Hi Extranajero.

As you can see in the other thread, I'm working on the same panel, although I haven't done much in the last months due to time constraints.

 

I see you are using potmeters for the rotaries to save IO ports on the Arduino.

I had the same problem, and opted for some extra components to reduce the number of IO pins dramatically.

 

I added two 74HC165 8-bit parallel-in/serial out shift registers for the inputs, and one 74HC164 8-Bit Serial-In, Parallel-Out Shift Register for the LEDs, which are wired in a 4x4 matrix.

 

This solution now only uses 6 digital pins, 4 for input, and 2 for output, leaving the rest open for extra switches and / or LEDs.

[Extranajero]

I must get some of those shift registers and experiment with them.

I have stopped work for now on the panel because the software is 90% complete and I can't do much more until I can get some casting resin to make the knobs.

I wish I had some dimensions for Russian cockpit parts, but I can't find anything drawn to scale no matter where I look.

[Joe Kurr]

Maybe this might help you :)

 

These are the dimensions Wasserfall and I calculated based on other known dimensions.

From this, you should be able to determine the size of your knobs.

 

[Extranajero]

Thank you !!! - those dimensions are enough for me to scale most or possibly all of the parts I need.

 

I will have to make my CM panel again though, it is undersized.

[Zpigman]

More SU-27 parts

 

I am in the process of gathering the dimensions for the cockpit panels so I could make my own facsimile of the 27's cockpit. However finding any measurements is almost impossible and I was wondering if anyone has anything else I know a couple people have awesome set ups but I am new to the form and don't know how to directly message them. :helpsmilie: Thanks for any help that I get. And thanks for what looks like a cad picture, was going to recreate it but didn't know size of holes or locations.