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TEDAC Display Unit


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Oh yes, I know this sort of friends very good. 😄

 

At the time I was building my old pit, I was very, very low on money and used a lot of cheap and easy to cut material for it (had not enough space for all my tools or even the circular saw), so I made a lot out of Styrodur, which is more stable and better to edit as Styropor, and cased it with thin pressboard plates (I used the back walls of old damaged cabinets for this). Only the ejection seat and the frame where my CRT with the little Overhead was placed, respectively the frame beyond the rudder pedals, was made out of wood and very stable.

 

So you had to step over the side wall and also the console, grab the neck-rest of the seat to hold the balance, and stand at the seat before sitting down in the pit. I told it all my friends ever and ever again, that this whole thing is only made of Styrodur and the frame arround is only for the immersion, not to step on it, however two of them have managed to destroy the left sidewall and parts of the console shortly in series. Since then my pit or my projects are "FOR MY HANDS ONLY". If someone else will ever be allowed to use it, it will only be a pit-builder-companion, who knows what kind of work you have to put in such a project.


Edited by Viper1970

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23 hours ago, Viper1970 said:

that sound very good!!! I admire your work on doing all this electronics stuff. I also tried this a while ago with Eagle and I have also a very small circuit board etching device, but the results weren't really good 😄.

 

I considered to buy such a small cheap china cnc mill only for PCB engraving, but my little workshop is already bursting at seams. For most of my projects the Pokeys cards where able to do it and they are relatively cheap in price if you choose the one without the terminals. But if you can produce special electronics like you are able to do, this is a completely other story. Great work!

 

CNC for PCB is great if you need a quick proto PCB and are in a real hurry but now days it's very cheap to buy small quantity PCB from China, like 5-10 USD for 5 pcs 100x100 mm max the expensive part is shipping via DHL/UPS/etc. unless you are prepared to wait 4-6 weeks for standard mail to arrive.

 

Checked the manual for PoKeys and they have some nice features like the keyboard programming etc. and then just plug it in on any computer. One of the reason I'm going the MMJoy2 way is that I can get it exactly as I want it and my brother have some old HOTAS that needs to be updated to USB so I can reuse the TEDAC Controller for them 😀

 

23 hours ago, Viper1970 said:

 

I would love to do some teamwork, maybe there are some other guys too, which are interested in it. I always had the belief that if some guys will put there minds and ideas together, we could really make some cool things for our beloved hobby.

 

I'm sure more people will show up when AH-64D releases to EA it's still very early days. When released I suspect the AH-64D forum section will fill up quickly. Know quite a few people that waited almost 25 years since LB2 for this - me included.

 

23 hours ago, Viper1970 said:

 

My CAD (better said 3D modeling) skills aren't very high, rather very low 😄. But I was always able to use things in an unconvential way to get the things done I wanted to have. That's the only talent I'm good in. 😅

 

Heeh, I think you are under estimating yourself. If your 3D modelling skills are low mine are at -100 😆

 

20 hours ago, hannibal said:

my 3d prints wont be pretty either.

my wiring will definitely be a spegehtti mess lolol

im trying to balance between function and time.

so much to do, just want something quick and up and running

 

I say, progress over perfection in our case as a hobby. IMO it's better to get something up running than never.

 

Tinkering with electronics and 3D is fun but you must have time to use the stuff you build and fly as well. You can always improve it in the future if you get a better 3D printer.

 


Edited by KeyCat
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5 hours ago, KeyCat said:

I'm sure more people will show up when AH-64D releases to EA it's still very early days. When released I suspect the AH-64D forum section will fill up quickly. Know quite a few people that waited almost 25 years since LB2 for this - me included.

 

i simmed before janes, like amiga commodore. i never did janes, but i heard great stories of that game espeically multiplayer..

i hope someone makes dcs missions for it based off the janes longbow

 

find me on steam! username: Hannibal_A101A

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On 10/8/2021 at 3:42 PM, hannibal said:

i simmed before janes, like amiga commodore. i never did janes, but i heard great stories of that game espeically multiplayer..

i hope someone makes dcs missions for it based off the janes longbow

 

LB2 was great for it's time and one of the first sims to offer multi-crew MP over LAN, up to 4 IIRC.

 

Routed the controller PCB last night so I can send it off to make a few of them then load up MMJoy2 firmware and hope I didn't make to many mistakes 😜

 

controller.png

 

 

 

 

 


Edited by KeyCat
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Hey Keycat,

 

great work! Looks totally professional!

 

I'm still at my last HOTAS and at the moment things are a bit difficult. After modeling for nearly 10 months now, I have no real desire anymore, but I wanted to finish the HOTAS parts. I'm looking forward to do some manual work at the pit now, while the printer will do all the HOTAS work for me 😄

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Ok, I moved here. I started with the TEDAC grips now (maybe only one is needed and can be mirrored). It's just the rough shape made from 2D to 3D.

 

I will add some more details now, forming it a bit better and make it more smooth, but I still have also to do finish my Osprey controls.

 

 

AH-64D - TEDAC - 02.jpg

 

AH-64D - TEDAC - 03.jpg

 

AH-64D - TEDAC - 04.jpg

 


Edited by Viper1970
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50 minutes ago, Viper1970 said:

Ok, I moved here. I started with the TEDAC grips now (maybe only one is needed and can be mirrored). It's just the rough shape made from 2D to 3D.

 

I will add some more details now, forming it a bit better and make it more smooth, but I still have also to do finish my Osprey controls.

 

Wow, and I was just about to tell to not be in a hurry with it to avoid you being burned out on 3D modelling 😃

 

IMHO a mirrored hand grip will be just fine and if I understand Hannibal correctly he doesn't aim for 100% replica either. Don't know how many buttons you plan on giving room for but according to the pictures I found it is as follow (trigger on each is counted as 2 since it's dual stage IRL) doubt there will be room for all 27?

 

LHG 27 Buttons + 2 Analog Axis

LHG  21 Buttons + 2 Analog Axis

 

That being said take your time and don't feel any pressure with the hand grips, would be a bummer if you actually did burn out! Keep your own pace and finish some of the other stuff you are doing if you feel for it. We must remember that it's just a hobby and not work, a hobby is all about having fun.

 

Hannibal is already on the run 😜 but personally I'm in no hurry and the AH-64 is not even in EA. I'm gonna start with modding some old HOTAS first before I actually build the TEDAC so for me this project will be a long one...

 


Edited by KeyCat
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Same for me! My pit will definitely take a long time to finish and I have to decide for which modules I start to make it ready. I thought one helo and one aircraft should be good enough for the beginning and I wanted to have this running until next summer. Maybe the Tomcat and the Apache will be my first ones (altough I will print all the parts after I finished modeling - they will spent some time in the cabinet first 😄, but I must have all parts to be able to exactly align all the places for the changeable systems).

 

I will try to model all the switches and analog sticks at the TEDAC-grip(s) and for sure also the dual-stage triggers. But I will use different electronics, cause I will use a Pokeys board for it But this doesn't make any difference in the grip itself, so it will be useable for anyone I think.


Edited by Viper1970
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Did some more work at the shape and adjusted the size. The handle is now 160mm in height. The rest of the dimensions should be also relatively fine in dependency to the height, cause I used the front- and the side view drawings for it.

 

I also adjusted the handle a bit after a photo I found here, where you can see the transition from the side to the backside a little bit better as at the drawings.

 

https://www.defencetalk.com/military/photos/us-army-ah-64d-apache-cockpit-gunners-station.49903/

 

Still very early stage. Next I will do some first work in Meshmixer.

 

 

 

AH-64D - TEDAC - 05.jpg

 

AH-64D - TEDAC - 06.jpg

 

AH-64D - TEDAC - 07.jpg

 

AH-64D - TEDAC - 08.jpg

 

AH-64D - TEDAC - 09.jpg


Edited by Viper1970
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Looking sexy @Viper1970!!

 

About the grips..I have decided to make them independent. Also separable, each with its own controller board. I will allow them to detach so that it can be hand held like vr controllers...but of course no vr motion control lol.

 

Since each grip will have a board..no worries on excluding buttons

 

I hope the finish the mfd section in the next 2 or 3 weeks. And hopefully apache will be in access while i start to design grips


Edited by hannibal

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Looking sexy @Viper1970!!

 

Thanks! 😅

 

If TinkerCAD works like it does at the moment, I will be ready in 20 years! Just smashed my mouse, cause the work I did the last two hours at my Osprey controls is gone away! Even the backup project I made can not be loaded anymore! It says something about that the design can't be loaded ("Knoten kann nicht geladen werden" - in german).

 

I already had this sometimes, but I always was able to get the project loaded after a few tries. This time it looks like it is really gone away. I have backups of all the work offline, but if you reimport the things you have to position the parts exactly aligned and you can not go some steps back again if something is not the way you want it. It's also of course not at the final state 🤬.

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Ok, calmed down a bit, new day, old mouse (the good one is trash). What a fool I am, but I was so angry (maybe it has also to do with the fact that I'm trying to stop smoking at the moment 🤔😅).

 

I hope TC is running better today. It was a real disaster the last week. Most of the modeling-time fades away while waiting for TC to connect some parts of the model, if it even does the job. Sometimes it hangs and I have to reload the project again and again, cleaning the browser cache and so on.

 

I will work on both models in parallel now, my Osprey controls and the TEDAC grips, so it could take a while until I'm further. How far should I do them? I would like to make them similar to the rest of my grips, but I don't know if this is ok for you. Maybe some of you want to have them in an earlier state and doing the rest on your own.

 

 

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Another thing that came to my mind. Are you making the MFD-part of the TEDAC for VR only? I have lying arround to small TFT's from my old pit here. One is a 8'' and one is a 10'' TFT. Very simple, only the display and electronics, no case, no touchscreens. The 8'' has also only a VGA connection and is only able of a 800x600 (4:3) resolution. The 10'' is DVI and can do 1366x768 (16:9).

 

I'm thinking about integrating one of them to the TEDAC if possible 🤔.

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18 hours ago, Raptor9 said:

For anyone making their own TEDAC handles/grips, hope this helps in determining how each switch and button should physically operate.

Thanks for sharing Raptor, very usefull!

On 10/13/2021 at 8:46 AM, Viper1970 said:

Another thing that came to my mind. Are you making the MFD-part of the TEDAC for VR only? I have lying arround to small TFT's from my old pit here. One is a 8'' and one is a 10'' TFT. Very simple, only the display and electronics, no case, no touchscreens. The 8'' has also only a VGA connection and is only able of a 800x600 (4:3) resolution. The 10'' is DVI and can do 1366x768 (16:9).

Personally I'm skipping the display since I'm planning to go VR (if budget/GPU availability allows!) but for a cockpit build it would be nice and skimming thru the other thread it looks like hannibal is planning a display.

The real thing has a ~5" x 5"  LCD with 960x960 resolution but finding a 5" x 5" square LCD for a reasonable price looks difficult.


Edited by KeyCat
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I will do one with a display, but first I have to finish the whole other stuff. This will take a while more as I thought, cause I just found a second Suncom throttle base in my parts-box.

As the 4 engine quadrant is really complex and will take a lot of time to print (and I have still to do all the screwings also, cause I missed to do them), I thought about constructing a new one with two SFS base-mechanics in parallel and one of those little wood-boxes as housing. The quadrant is the biggest and the most complex part on the mechanical side of all I've done so far and using prebuilt mechanics, saving much time and and also a lot of fillament here could make things a lot easier 😅.

I will work at the TEDAC from time to time, but my focus is on the pilot controls first. Maybe a guy who has already made the TEDAC until I'm ready is willing to share his work with me 😄.

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  • 5 months later...

I'm in for making this too. Controller board wise I use a Leobodnar BU836X USB board. It has 64 bit inputs. Windows only see's the first 32 but fortunately DCS see's all 64.
Ok its birdsnest wiring but this board has simple insert holes to bite the wire. Wire I get from "recycling" RJ45 LAN cables 4 lots of 2 pair wire small enough to get into most places.

 

This is my UH1 console which has 120 switches, so I used 2 boards. The collective is Bodnar board again.
 

20211015_205012.jpg

20211013_225750.jpg

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5 minutes ago, McNasty_UK said:

I'm in for making this too. Controller board wise I use a Leobodnar BU836X USB board. It has 64 bit inputs. Windows only see's the first 32 but fortunately DCS see's all 64.
Ok its birdsnest wiring but this board has simple insert holes to bite the wire. Wire I get from "recycling" RJ45 LAN cables 4 lots of 2 pair wire small enough to get into most places.

 

This is my UH1 console which has 120 switches, so I used 2 boards. The collective is Bodnar board again.
 

20211015_205012.jpg

20211013_225750.jpg

Hi.

Check this. I have done it (three Megas at a time!) and it works incredibilly.

https://forum.dcs.world/topic/97434-an-arduino-usb-hid-controller-composite-usb-controller

 

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On 3/29/2022 at 3:50 PM, hannibal said:

Thanks.. how is your builds going? What's new

Complete standstill here.

PCB's are all done but due to the ongoing global chip shortage it's (close to) impossible to buy the MCU at the moment. Been on back order for several months now but hopefully someday I will get them...

Mean while I will try to upload some pics of the other PCB's I done.


Edited by KeyCat
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Gave it  a new name since it's not bound to be used as TEDAC controller. Gonna build a bunch of them to convert my old TM FLCS and TQS to USB and another one as a generic upfront button panel and hopefully someday 3D print the TEDAC hand grips for a simpit.

Main Controller PCB to be used with MMJoy2 firmware.

USC Main PCB.png

Generic 28 buttons + 4 Encoders PCB (fits on top of the main PCB) and uses cheap 6x6 mm PCB buttons available in various heights and is simple to make a front panel. Also have 5 LED's to be used as optional "mode indicators".

USC-28B4E 6x6.png

6x6 mm PCB buttons and colored tops

6x6 PCB Switch.png

6x6 Colored Tops.png

If I ever need more buttons or need them at a different place expansion is done via P10 using shift regsters. This one use same 6x6 mm PCB buttons as above.

USC-8B 6x6.png

This use a 12x12 mm square PCB buttons instead...

USC-8B 12x12.png

Like these, also available with various heights and tops.

12x12 PCB Switch.png

This one uses 3x2 mm SMD PCB buttons and can easily be placed wherever needed as a tiny PCB,

USC-8B 3x2.png

Like these

3x2 SMD.png

 

Will update as soon as I got the MCU's and built s couple of them.

 

 


Edited by KeyCat
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On 3/26/2022 at 8:05 AM, McNasty_UK said:

I'm in for making this too. Controller board wise I use a Leobodnar BU836X USB board. It has 64 bit inputs. Windows only see's the first 32 but fortunately DCS see's all 64.
Ok its birdsnest wiring but this board has simple insert holes to bite the wire. Wire I get from "recycling" RJ45 LAN cables 4 lots of 2 pair wire small enough to get into most places.

 

This is my UH1 console which has 120 switches, so I used 2 boards. The collective is Bodnar board again.
 

20211015_205012.jpg

20211013_225750.jpg

 thatis a beast of wiring..

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find me on steam! username: Hannibal_A101A

http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197969447179

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