Joystick Controller B256A13

[rocketeer]

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=80106

 

I can assign toggles, push buttons, pots, rotary switches, even encoders, after watching his videos. Thanks ragtop!

[TomDK]

Little help needed .....

 

I used my B256A13 for some month now with on panel (fuel panel).

Last week I added a phidgets64 LED pcb. This works for 2 days and suddenly the B256A13 run mad. Switches are ghosting, on HELIOS and on the windows7 joystickscreen. Some are flashing, others are on and off randomly.

 

Due my soldering was not the finest ... might here be the error or may I find the fault with the LED-card ?

 

Maybe by hazard with the LED-board or more a harwarefailure on my panel ? Diode ? PCB ?

 

Thanks

Tom

[bnepethomas]

Do you,have sufficient separation between the inputs of the controller card and the output of the phidgets led? I had a similar issue a few years ago, basically crosstalk was the root of the problem. You can check by powering off the phidgets led.

 

Cheers

 

Peter

 

I used my B256A13 for some month now with on panel (fuel panel).

Last week I added a phidgets64 LED pcb. This works for 2 days and suddenly the B256A13 run mad. Switches are ghosting, on HELIOS and on the windows7 joystickscreen. Some are flashing, others are on and off randomly.

 

Due my soldering was not the finest ... might here be the error or may I find the fault with the LED-card ?

 

Maybe by hazard with the LED-board or more a harwarefailure on my panel ? Diode ? PCB ?

 

Thanks

Tom

[TomDK]

Thank you ! Checked it .. thats not the point , but might have started all my trouble. Meanwhile I resoldered some diodes. Very strange ... maybe a diode is broken.

On Helios screen for the joystick there are around half the switches open even I have only connected around 16 switches.

If I use a switch 4,5,6 other switches also change position.

Very strange ...

[bnepethomas]

Thank you ! Checked it .. thats not the point , but might have started all my trouble. Meanwhile I resoldered some diodes. Very strange ... maybe a diode is broken.

On Helios screen for the joystick there are around half the switches open even I have only connected around 16 switches.

If I use a switch 4,5,6 other switches also change position.

Very strange ...

 

That sounds like you've got a short circuit somewhere

 

Cheers

 

Peter

[brydling]

Thank you ! Checked it .. thats not the point , but might have started all my trouble. Meanwhile I resoldered some diodes. Very strange ... maybe a diode is broken.

On Helios screen for the joystick there are around half the switches open even I have only connected around 16 switches.

If I use a switch 4,5,6 other switches also change position.

Very strange ...

 

If you have any IM client then maybe we could do some debugging around 20:00 (Swedish time)?

[TomDK]

Thanks Peter and bryling

 

I check the panel with a multimeter for short circuits but did not find one.

 

I tested from common to all other in the common row with switches on and switches off. On switches on the common circuit ends after the diode of the other "leg" . On switches off the common ends on the switchs other "leg".

 

So it looks good that switches and diodes are working.

 

Any more ideas ?

 

I am sorry, I do not have any messenger or VOIP installed.

Maybe we will solve it here in the forums ...

 

I will build qiuck an other panel with 2 or 3 switches to test this .

 

Thanks

Tom

[TomDK]

Very strange :cry:

 

I connected one single switch with diode.

I used a new short cable delivered with the pcb.

2 Joysticks are detected under win7 and HELIOS.

 

I start a configuration in Helios, add both Joysticks.

Watch one joystick , move the switch and 6 buttons are pushed.

Watch the other joystick, move one switch and also 6 buttons are pushed.

 

Connected my panel. Started HELIOS, on joy1 half the buttons are pressed, pushing the cable and the plug ... everything is going mad on joy1 and also on joy2.

 

May I have killed the chips on the board ?!

 

 

 

Edit:

I rebooted the pc and checked the joysticks ... sill half of the switches are closed even there is nothing connected to ....

Edited July 5, 2012 by TomDK

[brydling]

Something must have happened with the board. We can try re-flashing it. I will post instructions tonight. If it still doesn't work I can send you new chips.

[TomDK]

Okay !

 

Let us try this, hopefully new flashing will be the solution.

 

Thank you so far !

Tom

[brydling]

Here are the instructions:

 

Unplug all the B256A13's except the one that you are about to flash.

 

Unzip Utils.zip.

 

Unplug the B256A13.

 

Press and hold the pushbutton on the board and plug it back in.

 

Start HIDBootLoader.exe.

Click "Open Hex File" and choose the firmware .hex-file included in the attachment.

Click "Program/Verify".

Click "Reset Device".

Close the program.

 

Start B256A1310_config.exe.

Use the menu to set the Serial Number back to what is printed on your device (Axxxx).

Unplug the board and plug it back in again.

Utils.zip

Edited July 7, 2012 by brydling

[TomDK]

Thank you for the manual and the flash, I will try it later on and report what happened !

 

Tom

[TomDK]

Okay, the flash was no problem but the serial:

 

Enter new S/N: A0022

Error sending values

Press any key to exit...

 

Will try to connect the panel again, but the name is now "Z9999".

[brydling]

That has never happened before. I will look into it. But does the board work as it should now?

[brydling]

I have updated Utils.zip with a new version of the configuration tool now. Please try it out.

[TomDK]

Enter new S/N: A0022

Values sent. Unplug your device and replug it again to make the changes.

Press any key to exit...

 

 

:thumbup:

 

At least with the "wrong name Z9999" it works as before !

I just changed the name and will check in tomorrow in my simpit. But I am pretty sure it will work !

 

However ... there are 2 possiblities for the loss of flash:

 

Phidget LED64 pcb may have killed the card.

 

My whole pc has bad problems even it was bought in january. I guess my overckocking to the limit kill sme my starting win7 on every 15. booting. Win7 comes up with an error, repairs it, reboots and works until the next problem. I guess this is due to my many cards, extensions, etc or the overcklocking. Maybe this killed the flash from the card.

 

Thanks again for the good support !!

 

 

Cheers

Tom

[acemark]

Hello Brydling

I would like to know if I can connect a Hall Effects sensor to the analog input, on your board.

Thanks Mark.

[brydling]

Hello Brydling

I would like to know if I can connect a Hall Effects sensor to the analog input, on your board.

Thanks Mark.

 

You can connect anything that gives an output signal between 0-5 V :)

[acemark]

Well thats good news. I plan to try rudder pedles first.

Thank Mark.

[BigfootMSR]

brydling, do you still have these boards available?

[TomDK]

Slight problem ....

 

I connected a selfmade UFC to the B256A13 card.

It is plugged into the second row I33 to I64 and using Common on C4.

 

From 30 used switches I have 3 strange reactions:

 

"Steer Up" pushes 49 and 65

"SEL -" pushes also 49 and 65

"Function" and "LTR" push both 64

 

The strange thing is that input 65 is on the 4th row :helpsmilie:.. it is not connected.

 

I checked my wiring .. looks good. Diodes are okay.

 

Any idea what is going wrong ??

[Hansolo]

Hi TomDK

 

I got some strange inputs when using C1 and C2 as a common for I1-I32. After deviding so that I1-I16 goes back to C1 and I17-I32 goes back to C2 it worked. I am not sure C1-C2, C3-C4 etc can be seen as common for the whole plug.

I may be wrong so just a suggestion which seem to work for me-

 

Hans

[TomDK]

Mange Tak Hans :)

 

I will give it a try, first I isolated all cables a little better.

Also strange, my first (fuel-) panel is also flickering if the second plug is plugged in. What will happen if all plugs are plugged in :helpsmilie:

 

Cheers

Tom

[TomDK]

Okay ... after reflashing the board again it works.

 

I figured out that the fifth row (I1 17 33 49 113 97 81 65) are crossconnected. :cry:

 

Pls. Brydling let me know, is this a feature or a bug ?!

 

Its going on :thumbup:

[brydling]

Hi TomDK

 

I got some strange inputs when using C1 and C2 as a common for I1-I32. After deviding so that I1-I16 goes back to C1 and I17-I32 goes back to C2 it worked. I am not sure C1-C2, C3-C4 etc can be seen as common for the whole plug.

I may be wrong so just a suggestion which seem to work for me-

 

Hans

 

That is the right way to do it. I1-I16 should go to C1 and ONLY to C1, I17-I32 to C2, I33-I48 to C3 etc.

 

Okay ... after reflashing the board again it works.

 

I figured out that the fifth row (I1 17 33 49 113 97 81 65) are crossconnected. :cry:

 

Pls. Brydling let me know, is this a feature or a bug ?!

 

Its going on :thumbup:

 

Sorry for a very late answer. I have been ill and am also about to move (again!). Have you tried disconnecting all the connectors from the board and just tapped with a single wire (no diode needed) between I1 and C1, I17 and C2, I33 and C3 etc? Be careful not to connect two different commons together, for example C1 and C2.

Edited September 9, 2012 by brydling