Basic questions for sim building

[zcrazyx]

Electrical noob here!

Just thought i'd make a thread as i have zero electrical knowledge and i am rather interested in perhaps starting a sim.

As i understand it USB encoders are detected by windows no differently to a hotas, does dcs world and dcs bios also detect a usb encoder? 

For switch types I have a question on switch states.

A nav light switch would often have an on-off spst switch which would act accordingly, however does dcs or any flight sim detect which state a switch like that is in, for example if I turn it to the on position then back to the off position does the sim act the same? Or would an on-on switch be required.

For amp and voltage ratings, is this meant as the spec it can run up to, or the spec in which is required to run it. Eg a 12v switch.

Also would be a good way of running an entire panel off of a single USB, seen builds of a10s and f16s that run off a power supply and a usb cable and that is just witchcraft to me.

 

 

[No1sonuk]

6 hours ago, zcrazyx said:

Electrical noob here!

Just thought i'd make a thread as i have zero electrical knowledge and i am rather interested in perhaps starting a sim.

1) As i understand it USB encoders are detected by windows no differently to a hotas, does dcs world and dcs bios also detect a usb encoder? 

For switch types I have a question on switch states.

2) A nav light switch would often have an on-off spst switch which would act accordingly, however does dcs or any flight sim detect which state a switch like that is in, for example if I turn it to the on position then back to the off position does the sim act the same? Or would an on-on switch be required.

3) For amp and voltage ratings, is this meant as the spec it can run up to, or the spec in which is required to run it. Eg a 12v switch.

4) Also would be a good way of running an entire panel off of a single USB, seen builds of a10s and f16s that run off a power supply and a usb cable and that is just witchcraft to me.

 

I added the red numbers to make it easier to separate the answers:
 

1) Yes.  DCS will automatically detect USB game controllers, keyboards, etc.
ANNOYINGLY so.  The controls screen will automatically assign controls it thinks you want when it detects a new device - this isn't always a good thing.  It sometimes causes clashes, and this is particularly problematic with analogue axes.

2) How DCS handles switches is entirely down to the individual module and how it's coded.
For example, the flaps switch on the A-10 Warthog Throttle unit is a SPDT ON-OFF-ON switch.  This is represented in the USB controller output as 2 buttons.  In the UP position, one button is pressed.  In the down position, the other is pressed.  In the centre (MVR) position, neither is pressed.
The A-10 interprets those as 3 different states and moves the flaps accordingly.
The P-51 interprets the "up" as up one step and "down" as down one step, and does nothing in the middle.

3) Those are the maximum ratings, not required.  So a 12V, 2A switch shouldn't be used over those numbers, but is perfectly fine with lower numbers.
Also, that 12V, 2A switch MIGHT be OK with 24V at less than 1A.  The ratings are a safety margin mostly to do with the quality of the contacts - too much current will damage them.

4) How many devices to run off one USB is a matter of personal choice. How complex you make it depends on your own abilities.  You might find it easier to use a lot of individual USB devices to keep failures and fault-finding confined.  You might want to run each console of a separate hub to save wiring.  There are many options, and no single option is the "right" one for every situation.
IIRC, "The Warthog Project" uses separated USB input and output so the controls and switches can be used with different modules.
The external supply is because the PC USB port can't supply much current, so you need external power.