What dials to use

[mr_mojo97]

Hi all, I'm new to cockpit building and have started with panels such as HUD arm panel, SAS panel, refueling panel, battery panel, canopy panel with switches and buttons. But I'm not sure where to go with dials though, which ones to use or even how they operate. I'm not wanting to get too in depth so if it's too difficult or complicated I'll leave it be (I havn't got too much time on my hands!). I'm using Leo Bodnars X board and have pretty much filled the 32 switches up. Do I need another board - what about the 8 analogue ports, what can I use these for? Thanks

[JG14_Smil]

Hello,

 

The easiest way to get setup with gauges is with Helios on another monitor.

 

You use the analog ports to run more potentiometers for other axis like toe brakes, dimmers and such.

 

If you want more switches, you need another board. 32 switches per board is very limiting. My cockpit has almost 220 switches and it is not finished.

 

best of luck to you.

Edited August 11, 2012 by JG14_Smil

[Deadman]

My build thread list most switches and rotary switches found in my real simulator panels

http://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=1410861&postcount=212

http://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=1392598&postcount=153

As far as a control board try this

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=78955

Edited August 12, 2012 by Deadman

[mr_mojo97]

Nice one, thanks you guys for all that info. I'll let you know how I get on

[mr_mojo97]

OK, got my first problem I hope you can help with. I have a few switches and buttons installed to Boost pumps and the Master Arm panel and through Windows game controllers they work on and off.

I assume I'm using switches that are ok they're simple 12v on/off ones from a car and appear to be the same ones on the Warthog throttle.

They are mapped within DCS A-10C to the correct board but when I play in game the switches work - kind of. For instance the CICU, JTRS, TGP, Hud mode selector seems to only work one way ie when I flick the switch to the ON position it goes on in the sim but then I have to flick the switch to the OFF position then back ON for it to go off in the sim - if that makes sense. Where am I wiring it wrong here? Please help

[Faelwolf]

Sounds like you have a simple ON/OFF switch. The problem with this is that it will give an input by closing the circuit when in the on position, but turning it off is the same as just releasing a button, it does not send a signal to throw the switch the other way. So it is the equivelent of a single keypress. Given there are a number of switches that work the same way on the Warthog throttle, it is possible to get the sim to recognize states instead of keypresses, but I don't know how to do it. What you may want to do is find some ON/ON switches or ON/NONE/ON depending on how the switch is set up in the cockpit you are trying to emulate. Here are a couple links to switches you may find helpful:

 

http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/components/switch.htm

https://www.nkkswitches.com/pdf/switch%20basics_web08.pdf

 

There you can learn the different switch types, and can figure out what one is going to work best for you.

[hog_driver111th]

Get Helios and program the switches. Helios can read an off position and send the correct information to the sim (through programming).

[BigfootMSR]

OK, got my first problem I hope you can help with. I have a few switches and buttons installed to Boost pumps and the Master Arm panel and through Windows game controllers they work on and off.

I assume I'm using switches that are ok they're simple 12v on/off ones from a car and appear to be the same ones on the Warthog throttle.

They are mapped within DCS A-10C to the correct board but when I play in game the switches work - kind of. For instance the CICU, JTRS, TGP, Hud mode selector seems to only work one way ie when I flick the switch to the ON position it goes on in the sim but then I have to flick the switch to the OFF position then back ON for it to go off in the sim - if that makes sense. Where am I wiring it wrong here? Please help

 

You need to edit a .lua file to tell the sim about the other "position" and perform correctly.. I'm looking for the link that explains this. You need to do this for the switches like the cicu and what not..

 

EDIT: Here, read this thread. It contains pretty much all the information you need on how to set it all up properly. More specifically, watch the video on how to setup the board in DCS. http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=65998

Edited August 14, 2012 by BigfootMSR
updated information

[CubPilot]

DCS World / A-10C cockpit builder switches / LUA statement edits

 

Tigershark did a great job explaining how to change the LUA files for using toggle switches (along with his other info).

 

If you are using DCS World this information may be a bit outdated (unless it has been updated, I haven't checked). The LUA files needing editing have changed and do not look like those from the standalone DCS A-10C versions.

 

First, assign your switches in DCS World Options UI if that has not already been done.

 

In win7 the controller LUA files are located in C:Users\YOUR NAME\Saved Games\DCS\Config\Input\A-10C\joystick\NAME OF YOUR SWITCH/BUTTON CONTROLLER.

 

Use Notepad++ to open, edit, and save the LUA file, it won't cause problems like MS Notepad can when saving your edited LUA file. Also it might be a good idea to save a copy of the default LUA file as a backup if things go wrong. DCS creates the LUA files for your controllers but it can only write LUA code for switch/buttons to sense when a connection is made (closed), it does not write the LUA code when a connection is broken (open). So what needs to be done is to add the LUA statement that senses when a connection is broken (open).

 

Here's an example of a three position (ON-OFF-ON) switch (NOTE: There are three position (ON-ON-ON) switches but these are more $$). This is the AHCP ALT SCE switch. UP & DOWN makes electrical contact, the center position does not make any electrical contact and thus the LUA file needs to be altered to sense when the switch is placed in the center position. We do this by telling DCS A-10C when the connection is broken (as opposed to when a connection is closed as is the case with the up and down switch positions).

NOTE: The JOY BTN #'s will probably be different that shown below, they depend on where you wired them to your controller.

 

Example of Default DCS World LUA statements AHCP ALT SCE (ON-OFF-ON) switch:

{combos = {{key = "JOY_BTN2"}, }, down = iCommandPlaneAHCPAltSCEBaro, category = "Armament HUD Control Panel"},
{down = iCommandPlaneAHCPAltSCEDelta, name = "ALT SCE switch DELTA", category = "Armament HUD Control Panel"},
{combos = {{key = "JOY_BTN8"}, }, down = iCommandPlaneAHCPAltSCERadar, name = "ALT SCE switch RADAR", category = "Armament HUD Control Panel"},

In the LUA statements above it appears that DCS World A-10C will support three way ON-ON-ON switches without modifying the LUA code. There is a "down" statement for all three switch positions. However, for a three position ON-OFF-ON switch the LUA statements have to be modified as shown below because the middle switch position does not close a circuit, it opens it.

 

When looking at the LUA statements a "down=" statement indicates an electrical connection is closed and completes an electrical circuit (example: "down = iCommandPlaneAHCPAltSCEBaro"). An "up=" statement means that the electrical connection is broken and the circuit is open (example: "up = iCommandPlaneAHCPAltSCEDelta"). Which panel, which switch, and which position is stated after the "=" sign (example: "= iCommandPlaneAHCPAltSCEBaro" , AHCP panel, ALT SCE switch, Baro switch position).

 

Example of Edited DCS World LUA statements AHCP ALT SCE (ON-OFF-ON) switch:

{combos = {{key = "JOY_BTN2"}, }, down = iCommandPlaneAHCPAltSCEBaro,[color=Red][b] up = iCommandPlaneAHCPAltSCEDelta[/b][/color], name = "ALT SCE switch BARO", category = "Armament HUD Control Panel"},
{[color=SeaGreen][b]down = iCommandPlaneAHCPAltSCEDelta[/b][/color], name = "ALT SCE switch DELTA", category = "Armament HUD Control Panel"},
{combos = {{key = "JOY_BTN8"}, }, down = iCommandPlaneAHCPAltSCERadar, [color=Red][b]up = iCommandPlaneAHCPAltSCEDelta[/b][/color], name = "ALT SCE switch RADAR", category = "Armament HUD Control Panel"},

The statements in red above are added to sense when the BARO (UP) & RADAR (DOWN) switch positions are moved to the DELTA (MIDDLE) switch position. It does this by sensing when either the UP or DOWN switch positions are broken (not making contact). I determined what the "UP" statement should be from the statement in green above and changed "down" to "up" at the beginning of that statement segment.

 

 

What about ON-OFF switches?

 

Example of DCS World Default LUA statements for AHCP TGP (ON-OFF) switch:

{combos = {{key = "JOY_BTN3"}, }, down = iCommandPlaneAHCPTGPOnOff, name = "TGP switch ON/OFF", category = "Armament HUD Control Panel"},

Example of Edited DCS World LUA statements for AHCP TGP (ON-OFF) switch:

{combos = {{key = "JOY_BTN3"}, },[color=SeaGreen][b] down = iCommandPlaneAHCPTGPOnOff[/b][/color], [b][color=Red]up = iCommandPlaneAHCPTGPOnOff[/color][/b], name = "TGP switch ON/OFF", category = "Armament HUD Control Panel"},

In this case it's easy, copy the green part of the statement above and paste it after the copied statement as shown in red above, then change the "down" to "up" as shown in red above. Be mindful of where spaces & commas are in the LUA statements and do it in a similar manner.

 

I'm doing the same thing Tigershark did with the standalone versions of DCS A-10C. The only difference is ED has changed the LUA statements and they don't look like the A-10C standalone versions.

 

One tip I can pass along to make finding the switch statements in the LUA file easier is to look for "combos" statements. Using Notepad++ it's easy, search is your friend! Type "combos" into the search box and click NEXT until you find the combos statement you are looking for to edit.

 

Hope this helps!

 

 

:pilotfly:

Edited August 16, 2012 by CubPilot
fine tuning!

[mr_mojo97]

Thanks everyone for your comments. I've gone along the Tigershark route and taken to changing the LUA files so cheers for finding that for me. I have my simple on-off switches done now. But now I have the problem of on-off-on switches and on-on switches. Any ideas how to change the LUA files for this? I also got so excited about it that I went and bought some potentiometers for the light panel. Do I need to do anything with LUA scrpits for these?

[BigfootMSR]

Read the post above yours from Cubpilot. He talked about on-off-on switches. On-on switches I would assume you could just manually set in the controls page since both positions make contact and send info to the game. I'm a noob with this stuff though. But, either way, the principals that Cubpilot said should essentially work for all switch types. I have no idea about the potentiometers though.

[CubPilot]

Thanks everyone for your comments. I've gone along the Tigershark route and taken to changing the LUA files so cheers for finding that for me. I have my simple on-off switches done now. But now I have the problem of on-off-on switches and on-on switches. Any ideas how to change the LUA files for this? I also got so excited about it that I went and bought some potentiometers for the light panel. Do I need to do anything with LUA scrpits for these?

 

I have polished my post about switches & LUA edits a bit more today.

 

Check my post #9 for the info on how to edit LUA for the ON-OFF-ON switches. First of all are you sure that you have ON-ON switches ( I'm talking physical switches, not the action that a switch does in the sim)? ON-ON and ON-ON-ON switches are usually much more expensive due to the added contacts on the switch. Does your ON-ON switch have two positions or three. I only ask just to make sure that I understand what you really have as I have no idea as to how much you may know about switches.

 

Also, are you using DCS World or the standalone DCS A-10C v1.1.1.1 or lower?

 

Generally pots are used for a joystick,throttle,or rudder axis, etc, and can be wired to output either a variable voltage or a variable current.

 

I think for the light dimmer to use with A-10C that you talk about you need a digital rotary switch. This will send out pulses as the shaft is rotated (like turning a switch on and off quickly, when ON a pulse is sent to the sim) . They look very similar to a pot.

 

 

:pilotfly:

Edited August 16, 2012 by CubPilot

[mr_mojo97]

Cheers mate, I'll look into digital rotary switches a little more soon. now I have another couple of questions:-)

I'm using double throw switches for Master Arm, Gun/Pac and Laser but they don't seem to be working in game. Moving the physical switch up works and moves in the sim but when I move it down to safe it does not affect it in the sim. I have them wired up to all but Train (as I don't use it on any of them). I've changed the LUA files as Tigershark suggested without luck. I'm also have a similar issue with the Inverter switch (although with this switch I use only a simple on-off switch), but again switching the physical switch works well switching it on is does the same in the sim but does not affect it when switching off - I changed the LUA file to reflect the switch as an on-off switch rather than on-off-on like in the sim. Any ideas? Cheers

[CubPilot]

Cheers mate, I'll look into digital rotary switches a little more soon. now I have another couple of questions:-)

I'm using double throw switches for Master Arm, Gun/Pac and Laser but they don't seem to be working in game. Moving the physical switch up works and moves in the sim but when I move it down to safe it does not affect it in the sim. I have them wired up to all but Train (as I don't use it on any of them). I've changed the LUA files as Tigershark suggested without luck. I'm also have a similar issue with the Inverter switch (although with this switch I use only a simple on-off switch), but again switching the physical switch works well switching it on is does the same in the sim but does not affect it when switching off - I changed the LUA file to reflect the switch as an on-off switch rather than on-off-on like in the sim. Any ideas? Cheers

 

First, which version of DCS A-10C are you using?

 

The sim will not automatically write the LUA code for any OFF position (breaking a connection) of a switch. It only will write the code when a switch is ON and makes a connection.

 

ON-Off switches are easy. In push button terms there is only one "button", although in the case of a toggle switch the "button" can be held down as long as it is in a position to make contact. There are only two connections on the switch & it doesn't matter how the wires are hooked up with your + or (- GND) wire from the USB controller PCB.

 

ON-OFF-ON switches are different. Usually the two outer connections of the switch are hooked to the +, the middle connection to (- GND) of your controller PCB. Think of the toggle switch as two "push buttons", each outer + connection will be attached to a different button position on your USB controller PCB, the middle contact will be connected to (- GND) on the PCB. Either all the way UP or DOWN makes contact & completes a circuit, the middle position doe not make contact & is not a completed circuit.

 

In all cases when a connection is made a + connection will come in contact to a - connection completing the circuit. When this happens the controller PCB knows to send that output to the sim.

 

I would review your wiring using TS's excellent info and double check your wiring. Then refer to my post (for DCS World & DCS A-10C) on how to modify the LUA files for the OFF, no contact position of the switches. My post #9 (i think) shows both switch configurations .

 

One other thing, you need to edit the correct LUA files which should be in your C:Users\YOUR NAME\Saved Games\DCS\Config\Input\A-10C\joystick\NAME OF YOUR SWITCH/BUTTON CONTROLLER (in Win7, not sure about XP).

 

 

:pilotfly:

Edited August 22, 2012 by CubPilot

[mr_mojo97]

Cheers mate, I'm using DCS World A-10C now. Is there much difference between the codes. I have been using notepad++ to alter the LUA script but I'll re-check everything. Again!!!

Ta

[mr_mojo97]

Oh, I am confused now...... I'm trying to use On-Off-On switches for GunPac, MasterArm and laser. Is this even possible? Can I use the Off switch as Safe? (in the sim Options Menu, Safe for each has a button command). Or would I need to use On-On-On switches? I also hae the same problem with my IFCC switch - I have an Off-On-On switch where althougth the switch works through Test and On and back to Test, I cannot get it to go back to the Off position. I'm doing something wrong and i can't figure it out. I've also downloaded Helios and apparently you can can assign all the On's and Off's with that but again I'm unsure how to do it. Ta

[CubPilot]

Oh, I am confused now...... I'm trying to use On-Off-On switches for GunPac, MasterArm and laser. Is this even possible? Can I use the Off switch as Safe? (in the sim Options Menu, Safe for each has a button command). Or would I need to use On-On-On switches? I also hae the same problem with my IFCC switch - I have an Off-On-On switch where althougth the switch works through Test and On and back to Test, I cannot get it to go back to the Off position. I'm doing something wrong and i can't figure it out. I've also downloaded Helios and apparently you can can assign all the On's and Off's with that but again I'm unsure how to do it. Ta

 

Yes, it appears that what worked in the Betas and v1.1.1.1 are different from the DCS World version.

 

I would suggest that you be sure what toggle switches you bought ON-OFF-ON, ON-OFF, etc. Review Tigersharks videos on switches, he explains them in detail.

 

DCS A-10C will automatically write the LUA code, but only for a switch that makes contact (completes a circuit on your controller PCB).

 

You need to wire the switches properly, assign the different switch positions in A-10C Options tab in the sim (only the Full UP and full DOWN positions of a ON-Off_ON switch, or the ON position of a ON-OFF switch. This will write the LUA file for switches just assigned in Options. DO NOT try to assign anything for the OFF positions of these switches in /Options, it will not work because the OFF position does not make a closed circuit to your controller PCB connections. The exception to this would be the ON-ON-ON or ON-ON switches, but not many will use these as they are much more costly than the others with an OFF position.

 

Now go to the Saved Games folder, in Win7 use this path, C:Users\YOUR NAME\Saved Games\DCS\Config\Input\A-10C\joystick\NAME OF YOUR SWITCH/BUTTON/ axis CONTROLLER.

 

Now we will edit the LUA statements for all the OFF positions of all your switches. Use Notepad ++ to open your switch controller LUA file. Look at my post #9 in this thread, an example of editing the Lua statement is there for a ON-OFF-ON switch and for a ON-OFF switch. The black type is the unaltered LUA statement, the green type is also the unaltered LUA statement but I used that part of the LUA statement to figure out what to edit in LUA statement for the OFF positions of your switches, each LUA edit will be different for different switches.

 

In Notepad ++ I suggest that you use the search function. Type "combos" into the search window, click on "Find Next". Keep clicking "Find Next" until you find the LUA Statements for one of your switches. The "iCommand" part of the combos LUA statement will include the panel, switch, and switch position(s) by name.

 

For ON-OFF switches it is easy, this is for the AHCP TGP ON-OFF switch, the "key= xxxx" part is the joy/switch controller Dx button # and will probably be different for you:

 

{combos = {{key = "JOY_BTN3"}, }, down = iCommandPlaneAHCPTGPOnOff, name = "TGP switch ON/OFF", category = "Armament HUD Control Panel"},

 

The "down = iCommandPlaneAHCPTGPOnOff," is the LUA command sent to the sim when the TGP switch is ON (makes contact). We need to add something to let the sim know when the ON position is turned OFF (breaks contact). It's easy, copy the DOWN iCommand, in this case it is "down = iCommandPlaneAHCPTGPOnOff,". Next directly after this command type a SPACE, then paste "down = iCommandPlaneAHCPTGPOnOff,". Next change the "down" to "up" in the pasted portion of the iCommand. IT will look like this "up = iCommandPlaneAHCPTGPOnOff,". To see the full edited LUA statement look at my post #9. Don't include the quotes as shown above. Be mindful of the SPACE, forget it and it won't work.

 

Try this for the ON-OFF switches and see how it goes. Then we can take a shot at the ON-OFF-ON switches if you need help with those.

 

YES, ON-OFF and ON-OFF-ON switches will work in DCS A-10C with a little LUA editing!

 

 

:pilotfly:

[mr_mojo97]

Hi, after all that, I installed Helios and binded the keys through that. Everything works now - switches at least. Now about those rotary encoders......