Cheap & Easy DIY Panels on Android & iOS

zbmtwo · November 5, 2016

I found a cheap way to make custom panels on iOS and Android devices - here's one I made for the MiG-21:

Thought I'd share what I'd learnt so others can make panels for whatever devices they have handy.

As mentioned in a previous post, I've been having a crack at making panels for a Nexus 7 using a program called LEA Extended Input

It's a client / server type setup that runs on PC and works with Android and iOS devices. Timed trial or purchase for something like $4.

Here are some pics of where I'm at as of now:

A-10C on Nexus 7: http://imgur.com/a/EmTZy

MiG-21 on Nexus 7: http://imgur.com/a/zdLwg

Github link to the files for these panels - very much WIP: https://github.com/mejtoogood/DCS-LEA-Panels

It works really well with DCS although the UX of the editor is a little rough. LEA Extended input provides up to 512 DirectInput buttons and 32 joystick axes via four vJoy instances. You can create a multitab custom interface using buttons, sliders, and even the sensors on your mobile device.

It supports bidirectional comms via TCP loopback (*relatively* trivial to interface via export.lua), which means you can incorporate annunciator lights, C&W panels, sync switch states, show inventory, etc. Docs and SDK here: https://github.com/tomi17250/LEA_Extended_Input_SDK_CS

Going to keep plugging away at this, but would appreciate any feedback or assistance that is available.

MA_Goblin · November 5, 2016

Interesting, I will follow this.

huzar · November 7, 2016

I gave it a try yesterday and I'm really impressed. Easy to configure yet it has pretty much all option I can think of and it's dirt cheap. In about an hour I have installed it, configured for DCS and successfully created comms menu (F1-F12).

I'll be buying full version.

sea2sky · November 7, 2016

does it work via USB or wireless only?

Highspeed1964 · November 8, 2016

does it work via USB or wireless only?

I'm checking this application out at the current time. Works great with my cell phone, but now I need to dig up my old tablet so I have some good screen real-estate to work with. Just getting started so it will be a bit.

To answer your question, it looks to be wireless only at this time but if you have a method of making the USB work as an IP connection you may be able to get it working that way. YMMV, of course.

Thanks for the tip on this one, zbmtwo!

Highspeed

Highspeed1964 · November 23, 2016

So I've gotten the LEA Extended Input program and have been spending some time getting familiar with it.

Now I'm working on panels for the UH-1H Huey! Coming along nicely, but still very early alpha. However, I want to share a couple of screen shots with you (hope you don't mind me "hi-jacking" this thread). I've captured each of the individual sub-panel images for the Center Console and the Overhead Panel and placed these as a background image for each of the panels I used to create each screen. Next I added the buttons and edited them for the correct panels. (Actually, the buttons came first for a quick layout and test, but I've redone them since putting in the background images.) I'm making the buttons transparent with no labels so they become "hot-spots" on the screen and you can use the actual panels as guidance for where to touch.

In the following images, you can see there are still quite a few buttons that are not transparent so you can compare to those that are to see what I mean. In the first screen (Center Console) the top half of the panel is done with transparent buttons as well as the intercom panel. The armament/countermeasures panels do not yet have buttons but they will.

On the Overhead Panel, I'm even adding the circuit breakers and yes... they will be live! Additionally, the lighting controls (as well as some of the volume controls on the Center Console) will be sliders that will be usable via joystick axis control.

One final note, I've turned off the top menu on all screens except the Misc. screen for more room to put stuff. I've left it on in the Misc. screen so that you can access the Edit button to exit the program. But the screens are selectable by buttons at the lower left of each page and the current page is indicated by "lighting" the appropriate button.

Let me know your thoughts on this and if one of you wouldn't mind, I'd like to send the project file to test the distribution process for when the project is more ready for prime time.

Highspeed

Tecat · November 23, 2016

Let me know your thoughts on this and if one of you wouldn't mind, I'd like to send the project file to test the distribution process for when the project is more ready for prime time.

Highspeed

That look quite nice :thumbup:, could you share it with me ? thanks

what do you mean by: the circuit breakers are live ?

Tecat · November 23, 2016

Going to keep plugging away at this, but would appreciate any feedback or assistance that is available.

Nice work! :thumbup: I've tried the A-10C on a cell phone but there were some button that didn't seem to work, it come from the label that seems to be over the button making the button stop working, to make it work again you just need to right click on the buttons labels and click on send to background in the right clic menu. :smilewink:

evry thing work well for the MIG-21. :thumbup:

Edited November 23, 2016 by Tecat

Highspeed1964 · November 24, 2016

That look quite nice :thumbup:, could you share it with me ? thanks

what do you mean by: the circuit breakers are live ?

Sure can! It's still a work in progress, but I've moved it forward quite a bit in the last couple of days.

The circuit breakers in the Huey are working components and I have them running on the LEA panel. I'm still testing all the functionality and I had some challenges with getting the right ones to respond to my inputs. Come to find out, the assignments were programmed wrong in the Huey module within DCS! Found the LUA file that had those mappings and fixed it so there's a couple of files that will need to be added to your DCS install to fix this.

I'd like to include the button mappings in my distribution package but I'm not sure how best to go about doing that yet. Assuming that you have some understanding of the LEA Extended Input system, you know that it creates four virtual joysticks but the naming is odd. It seems to use some sort of GUID designation in the device name and that may change from machine to machine. So it's not a simple matter of copying a definitions file into your user/saved games folder.

Could you do me a favor and let me know what the exact names of your virtual joysticks are so I can compare to mine?

In the meantime, I'll work on packaging up a distribution file I can send to you. It may be a day or two with the holidays but I'd love to get your input on it.

Thanks,

Highspeed

Rangi · November 24, 2016

This looks great, I will have to check it out this weekend. Looks like my son may have to cut down on his tablet time as I take over.....

Highspeed1964 · November 25, 2016

Here's the alpha 0.1 release of my Huey Panels for LEA

Hey guys,

I've attached a quick and dirty package of my files for the LEA Huey input panels. Please review the readme.txt file as it has some important notes.

Of particular note - I have included an updated default.lua file that has the Input Configuration mapping updates necessary to fix the incorrectly mapped circuit breaker (CB) input fields. Without it, you would have to match up the CB inputs to the actual panel one-by-one on a trial and error basis. For example, in the Input Configuration screen in DCS World if you were to map a button to a specific CB you that button would activate a different CB that what the input description says. (e.g. the HOIST POWER CB input would activate the NAV LIGHTS CB instead!) The included default.lua file will fix the mapping so that there are no surprises.

Also bear in mind, I built this and tested it on a 4.5" cell phone screen. It should work fine on a tablet, too. In fact it will probably be even better on a larger screen. Let me know if you have any issues.

Anyway, I wanted to get this out to you. Let me know how it goes. The screens are built to be run in "Portrait" mode so you may have to poke around in LEA to get that set up. I'm not sure if the Import of the .ppk file will set that for you.

I'm going to start a new thread for this project but until then, I'll be watching here for comments or you can IM me.

Thanks,

Highspeed

DCSWorldUH-1HLEAPanels.zip

Edited November 25, 2016 by Highspeed1964

The LT · November 25, 2016

Is that a trellis keyboard on the left controller?

Highspeed1964 · November 25, 2016

Is that a trellis keyboard on the left controller?

I'm not sure if you're referring to my pictures of the Huey panel, but if so and you're talking about the set of white squares in the middle of the left column then no, that is not a keyboard. In the Huey center console there is a radio that has preset channels and that is simply a placard where the technician that programmed the channels would label what frequency is assigned to which channel. This is simply a display item on my panel for completeness.

Highspeed

Edited November 25, 2016 by Highspeed1964

Mr_Burns · November 26, 2016

I have the PC on CAT5 to the router and the iPad wirelessly to the router, but I am a spazz with IT and couldn't work it out. Looks like a nice program I could use for a few sims, but maybe not KSP.

Tecat · December 1, 2016

I have the PC on CAT5 to the router and the iPad wirelessly to the router, but I am a spazz with IT and couldn't work it out. Looks like a nice program I could use for a few sims, but maybe not KSP.

did you download and install on your PC the server ? if I remember correctly there is a video of how to install it on youtube.

https://www.leaextendedinput.com/download.php

Highspeed1964 · December 12, 2016

New thread for my Huey panels on LEA is here:

https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=178768

I've gotten the designs roughed in for all the remaining screens so the screens you'll be getting in this project are:

1. Center console

2. Overhead panel

3. Instrument panel - Co-pilot's view

4. Instrument panel - Pilot's view

5. Cyclic and Collective sticks

6 Miscellaneous functions - for now just a matrix of buttons but I may get a little creative on this one, too.

Anyway, you can follow my thread for developments and new downloads as they become available.

Highspeed

klem · June 3, 2019

If anyone is stilll interested in LEA I have made one for the FA-18C. Some Console switches and Rotaries are not working, I have focussed on Startup, Navigation, UFC, HUD and DDI Buttons/Switches.

The UFC and DDI buttons work but of course there is no live data on-screen, you must look at the cockpit displays. On the LEFT Console is a CAT button which hooks you to the catapult and the Throttles move to/from Idle. On the RIGHT Console the Seat Arm works, there is a C button for the Canopy, the Battery, Anti Ice and Bleed Air work, INTR LT does not work and Rotaries work on SNSR panel. I have not bothered with EMC yet.

Import into the LEA Resource Manager the ppk file in FA-18C.zip

You will need the Keyboard profile (Keyboard.diff.lua) and I'm pretty sure I have not changed any default keys so you should be ok but in any case back up your own Keyboard.diff.lua if you have one.

To be honest I still use the mouse for some static actions like the startup routines just for the immersion although most can be done in LEA but it comes into its own once in the air especially using cockpit controls, the DDI buttons and UFC, there's no need to reach for the mouse.

Apologies for the photo quality.