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ButtonBox F/A-18C


Rapti

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Hello everyone,

I am in the process of designing a ButtonBox for the F/A-18C.

What functions should the box have in your opinion.

 

What I have planned so far:

 

Middle:

- UFC

 

Right:

- Caution Lights

- Ejection Handle

- Hook

- Canopy

- Wing Fold

 

Left:

- Handbrake

- Dispenser

- Master Arm

- A/A

- A/G

- Jettison

- LaunchBar

- Flaps

- Gear

- Master Cauton Light

 

what else?

- Console / Inst Pnl / Flood brigthness?

- Dispenser?

 

what doesn't make sense?

ButtonBox1.thumb.JPG.1efb6d93608f744ccbc8902eb06c91a5.JPG

ButtonBox2.thumb.JPG.b6ab45b531ce3ddaaa7106e34b0d01f7.JPG

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Have you considered selective jettision + station select?

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I'd recommend going through the checklist and listing In order what switches are used to start, taxi and takeoff. Obviously Some are more important than others...you need the gear handle during critical phases of flight...

 

Then do the same for weapons employment A/A & A/G. The HOTAS provided a lot of functionality as far as combat goes.

 

but you can increase or pare down the switches based on procedures rather than opinion...

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Laser, LSTC and TGP control, radar and INS rotaries, NVG and torch.

Hornet, Super Carrier, Warthog & (II), Mustang, Spitfire, Albatross, Sabre, Combined Arms, FC3, Nevada, Gulf, Normandy, Syria AH-6J

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Combat Wombat's Airfield & Enroute Maps and Planning Tools

 

cw1.png

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Its a button on a self made button box. Im usind DCS-BIOS to communicate with DCS and ardunuo

Some of them can't be accessed via DCS-BIOS. I recall reading that only the clickable cockpit controls were included in DCS-BIOS.

You'll probably need something like a Bodnar board to connect the switches as a "joystick" to DCS.

Then, if it needs a keyboard entry, software like joy2key can interpret joystick buttons as keyboard commands, including modifier keys and repeating.

e.g. the eject commands are keyboard only, and need to be repeated 3 times in a short period.

I figured out Joy2key, can auto-repeat Lctrl+E at a rate high enough to trigger DCS to eject.

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Some of them can't be accessed via DCS-BIOS. I recall reading that only the clickable cockpit controls were included in DCS-BIOS.

 

You'll probably need something like a Bodnar board to connect the switches as a "joystick" to DCS.

 

Then, if it needs a keyboard entry, software like joy2key can interpret joystick buttons as keyboard commands, including modifier keys and repeating.

 

e.g. the eject commands are keyboard only, and need to be repeated 3 times in a short period.

 

I figured out Joy2key, can auto-repeat Lctrl+E at a rate high enough to trigger DCS to eject.

Thanks, i will try it with a bodnar board
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I've been using a bodnar board for my project, the two big issues are the USB type B plug which is very large and and length to a project and the matrix wiring for switches can be a pest to work with if you are short on space. if you can work with that its great.

Hornet, Super Carrier, Warthog & (II), Mustang, Spitfire, Albatross, Sabre, Combined Arms, FC3, Nevada, Gulf, Normandy, Syria AH-6J

i9 10900K @ 5.0GHz, Gigabyte Z490 Vision G, Cooler Master ML120L, Gigabyte RTX3080 OC Gaming 10Gb, 64GB RAM, Reverb G2 @ 2480x2428, TM Warthog, Saitek pedals & throttle, DIY collective, TrackIR4, Cougar MFDs, vx3276-2k

Combat Wombat's Airfield & Enroute Maps and Planning Tools

 

cw1.png

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I've been using a bodnar board for my project, the two big issues are the USB type B plug which is very large and and length to a project and the matrix wiring for switches can be a pest to work with if you are short on space. if you can work with that its great.

 

There's a breakout matrix board available for the BU0836A:

http://www.leobodnar.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=94&products_id=274&zenid=3e26b42fb713cbfa71022bcb96b99934

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Yeah thematrix isnt the end of the world, theres just a lot of cable at the end of it if you are working in a confined space.

Hornet, Super Carrier, Warthog & (II), Mustang, Spitfire, Albatross, Sabre, Combined Arms, FC3, Nevada, Gulf, Normandy, Syria AH-6J

i9 10900K @ 5.0GHz, Gigabyte Z490 Vision G, Cooler Master ML120L, Gigabyte RTX3080 OC Gaming 10Gb, 64GB RAM, Reverb G2 @ 2480x2428, TM Warthog, Saitek pedals & throttle, DIY collective, TrackIR4, Cougar MFDs, vx3276-2k

Combat Wombat's Airfield & Enroute Maps and Planning Tools

 

cw1.png

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Hi Rapti great design, thanks for the inspiration will try to build it with a cheap used programmable keyboard and the boadnar board, i think it fits great to my a10 vr pit and i can change the a10 ufc with this one when i will flight he hornet

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ive just completed a button box based on this -

and adapted the code for use with a £16 Teensy board. Works great - 12 push-buttons, 5 on-off-on momentary switches, 4 rotary encoders all on a matrix wiring system - good for improving your soldering skills

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  • 1 month later...
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