Heads-Up: New Simmeters Kit

[Jimbo]

Sorry if this comes across as an advert!

 

Just a heads-up. Simmeters (http://www.simmeters.com/) have just updated their site and now seem to have a heap of A10 specific panels and gauges. No prices as yet (am sure they'll be mega expensive!) but if its anything like their previous kit, i'm sure the quality should be pretty good.

[MTFDarkEagle]

Yep, talked to a guy from simmeters at the simweekend in lelystad couple of months ago. They had some A-10C stuff on display, and the quality was superb! But yes, I fear it will be very expensive indeed..

[Boltz]

They are bringing out "CAN-BUS" gauges so they should be a lot cheaper than the USB ones because they don't need any USB circuitry. It would be quite easy then to build your own interface to them from an Arduino, as long as they bring out A10 CAN-BUS gauges.

[Mr_Burns]

The "advert" for the A10 CDU on SIMMETERS is pretty funky, most of the "Amateur CDU's" on this great site look far better.....

[MTFDarkEagle]

Well, if that looks "funky", the "amateur" ones must be bloody superb. I've seen the CDU from simmeters IRL, and it looked great. We'll have to wait and see I guess.

[MacFevre]

Wow! It's like Simmeters went from steam gauges to the major supplier of A-10 related panels! Where did this come from? I'm wondering how much their panels will go for, as their indicators are pretty steep in my opinion. I wish they were in my price range. :( (I mean really, it might be worth it to some to pay $1,000 USD for 10 2" really close but not quite right engine indicators (&2 APU))

 

Anyway, it looks like they are offering all the panels. Even the LASTE, HARS, (really?) the KY. I think the CDU looks nice, the panels however I see personally as stock built by a lot of the builders on this board. There aren't any specialty switches or anything. The locking toggles are NKK's, regular toggles for landing/taxi light.

 

I will say this. Don't know why, but IMHO there is no contest between Deadman's knobs and Simmeters. They should have taken a lesson from DM.

 

Will be interesting to find out the cost though, as I still really need a landing gear panel. (And now they have me looking at the fuel indicator panel. :eek: )

[Deadman]

Wayne thanks for the high praise remember all of my knobs have been molded and cast from original knobs off of my collection of A-10 panels.

 

I have contacted Simmeter several times with no answers so that is strike one for them with me any way.

 

The pictures are not really high quality but just my first impressions are the panels are fair a bit disappointing for what i am sure will be fairly expensive equipment.

One example of a lack of detail using the current pictures posted and expecting that to be their final product.

 

The CDU with out any ruler impossible to judge the size of the unit and if it is correct. By correct I mean 5.75 wide on the back plate it makes no sense to spend several hundreds of dollars on an IFF panel copy when you can find real ones for $50.There for it is critical IMHO for the replicas to be the coret size you never know when you can purchase surplus at a great price.

 

the over all shape looks very close. I am curious why there does not appear to be a back plate for the Dzus connectors or copies to be mounted on.

The numbers font is incorrect as well as the letters font.

I am impressed that the fence around numbers and letter is there but disappointed that is is placed incorrectly. It excludes the W,X,Y and,Z

 

Now I know there are many that will say "Who cares about these items it will work" Personally I think the fellow builder that has an eye for detail and is building a replica yes a 1 to 1 copy of the real thing. That has spent a fair amount of money making it . These are just my opinions Simmeters is still in business so they must be doing some thing right. I just hope that these panel are actually affordable for some of the builders

Edited January 11, 2014 by Deadman

[JCook]

These look interesting. Very little information on the site. Switches and knobs included? Prewired, PBC, will it fit he Dzus rail? Hopefully they will have some answers and maybe some videos.

[michael1982]

Hi,

 

i found another side on the web of a company which are selling panels and flight instruments...

 

but sadly they are very expensive

 

but maybe its interresting for some of you...

 

http://www.i-jetpilot.de/joomla/index.php/kategorien/moderne-kampfjets/a10c/panels-a10c/flight-controls/gear-lever-panel

 

best regards,

 

Michael

[michael1982]

and also cockpit structure elements...

 

http://www.i-jetpilot.de/joomla/index.php/kategorien/moderne-kampfjets/a10c/cockpitstrukturen

[MacFevre]

Odd. These are looking like the same indicators as Simmeters. Down to the same descriptions, like the engine pack.

 

I wonder what the big push for the A-10C cockpits? It just seems like suddenly someone thinks there's a big market for Warthog pits? I can see those that are offering to create panels and the like for others in the community, but to actually make it a business? Hmm. Just didn't realize there was a big demand for it, I guess.

 

Brings me to another point. CAN-BUS. Is that going to be the big standard now? I can look on Google, of course, but does anyone know of a site that has how this works in relation to what we are trying to achieve here?

 

Thanks

[michael1982]

I did a little research on the website and the german description sayed that the instruments are from simmeters, so they are basicly only reseller...

 

the panels are made from simparts, a german company which outsource the selling part to them i guess....

[michael1982]

i found a german description what the canbus system does.

 

you can try to translate it which google translate.

 

if the translation doesnt work maybe someone with better english knowledge than me can translate it ;-)

 

 

 

___________________________________________________________

 

Prinzip der CanBus Technologie (stark vereinfacht)

 

Die CanBus Technologie zeichnet sich dadurch aus, das alle verfügbaren Daten GLEICHZEITIG ins System gesendet werden. So werden ALLE Komponenten eines Cockpits mit den gleichen Daten versorgt, was eine komplizierte und zeitraubende Vorfilterung bzw Aufteilung der Daten überflüssig macht. Die jeweilige Komponente "fischt" sich dann die für sie wichtigen Informationen aus dem Gesamtdatenstrom heraus.

 

So werden von uns die Komponenten (Schalter, Warnlampen, Instrumente) eines Panels am eingebauten, eigenen CanBus I/O Board angschlossen, und dieses überprüft den Datenstrom ständig auf für sein Panel relevante Informationen.

Das CanBus I/O Board des Panels (und somit das gesamte Panel selbst) wird mit nur einem einzigen Kabel mit dem CanBus Master Controller verbunden, der ALLE verfügbaren Daten sendet und empfängt. Der Master Controller wiederum ist ebenfalls nur über EIN Netzwerk Kabel mit dem PC verbunden und wird über dieses Kabel von der Simulation mit den Daten versorgt bzw. gibt Daten an die Simulation weiter.

 

CANBUS MASTER CONTROLLER

 

Der CanBus Master Controller besitzt 4 Ein-/Ausgänge. An diese können JEWEILS 80 ! CanBus I/O Boards (d.h. Panels oder Instrumente) angeschlossen werden, somit 320 Panels und Instrumente insgesamt. Die Panels und Instrumente werden in Reihe hintereinandergeschaltet (Diasy chained). Ein Panel wird dafür einfach über das beiliegende Kabel mit dem nächstliegenden Panel oder Instrument verbunden. Das sorgt für kurze Wege.

 

Der Master Controller wird VORKONFIGURIERT ausgeliefert. Die zeitaufwändige Programmierung, die mit Non-CanBus Panels für JEDES Flugzeug in JEDER Simulation vorgenommen werden muß, entfällt komplett!!

 

Für die meisten Projekte im HobbyBereich wird nur EIN CanBus Main Controller benötigt. Die gesamte Verkabelung innerhalb des Cockpits wird so auf ein Minimum reduziert (Baumstruktur) und USB Hubs werden für unsere CanBus Komponenten komplett überflüssig.

 

BEISPIEL

 

Nehmen wir als Beispiel das A10C Flap Panel, welches ja u.a. das Flap-Instrument und die Fahrwerksanzeigen enthält.

 

Dem Flap Instrument ist es völlig egal, ob das Fahrwerk ein- oder ausgefahren ist, diese Daten werden einfach ignoriert.

Andererseits sind Daten über den Winkel der Flaps natürlich sehr wichtig für das Instrument, werden in dem Datenstrom erkannt,

ausgewertet und angezeigt.

Die Fahrwerksanzeigen wiederum interssieren sich nicht für den Flapzustand, aber

eben dafür, ob das Fahrwerk ein- oder ausgefahren ist, und reagieren entsprechend nur auf diese Informationen.

[Deadman]

WOW that is expensive !!! But hey if any of you guys in the EU have the cash to drop om those I can sell you knobs that don't look like poo:music_whistling:

[metalnwood]

Here is a quick view of CAN. It was implemented on a number of TI chips I was looking at so when I was thinking about panels it was an obvious choice to use.

 

http://www.ti.com/lit/an/sloa101a/sloa101a.pdf

[Hansolo]

Holy c.... that is a lot of money :music_whistling:Even looks like e.g. the landing gear panel is without flaps indicator. Actually it looks like all the indicating stuff is not included :(

 

Well I am sure that guys like e.g. Glider_UK and others who are offering panels to the community, won't be out of business any day soon. Glad I have gotten some of DM's knobs inbound. That'll make my crappy looking panels look ok :lol:

 

Cheers

Hans

[jwausc]

simmeters

 

Hi,

 

to maybe bring a bit light in the CAN jungle. The CAN bus is something everyone uses everyday in his car. Its a bus system that is based on a special protocol the CAN Protocol. In this protocol the window opened switch is no longer connected direct to the motor but to the can box that sends the data to move the motor. And the motor itself has a CAN as well listening only on the window switch.

 

As I did a longer email conversation with simmeters the CAN system they used is based on CAN Aerospace and ATA Chapters and is a Plug and play system. So all the panels in Can version are equipped with one PCB The PCB holds the firmware a so called LRU (PCB) the LRU communicates with the master Controller and this is the only device that needs to be linked to your computer via USB. All the panels and gauges are daisy chained and get there information from the bus. No more programming needed. The lua script is implemented in the workspace software. And all data that is possible to be exported from DCS via the LUA script is implemented.

 

by meaning of hardware. the panels include 5V green backlighting and are DZUS MIL compatible.

As far as I understood the products result of 2 customer projects as initial.

 

regards Jürgen

[Devon Custard]

Are simmeters still in business? Their website is still in and has been in maintenance mode for at least 2 months now?

 

Wiki page is still up tho.

[jwausc]

Yes as far as I understood miguel he is changing the webpage to the new workspace and CAN based instruments at the moment.

[X93355]

One year on and their website is still down : ( I bought a couple of instruments (HSI and EDI) and I've fantastic support from this guy in Australia (who is actually from NZ) called bnepethomas - Thank you Peter :)