Searching for an volunteer, alfa-testing new DCS-BIOS RS485 transmitters

Hallo, dear community.

At first: This is not a hoax, joke or some kind of trap or trolling. I promise.

It has been a long long way cause I've been distracted by so many other - partially non DCSrelated - incidents.

But now is my actual project almost done:

I am almost ready to roll out "my" DCS-BIOS Bus-System. ("" cause the software is the great work of [thread=141095]FSF Ian[/thread])

I did some ready-to-run prototypes (really just prototypes as you can see at the pics. Due to I haven't enough panels to connect to, I can't do a significant test. Also is there a massive lack of time for that :(

Interested to perform some testing for me and to benefit the community later?

Want to be my Mine Dog?

The system works that way:

Upload the Master sketch to a Arduino MEGA

Hook my shield on that MEGA

Take some Arduino NANO

Upload certain sketches on them

Connect them to certain Panels and to one of my (now yours) Slave Modules

Link all together by standard Cat5-Cables

Plug 12V into the MEGA: Master Module and all Slave Modules incl connected Arduinos are provided with power.

System is able to provide up to 1 Amp per Channel (there are 3 of them)

Start connect-serial-port.com

Start DCS

Love it! (I hope so)

YOU:

- you understand the background of DCS

- you know how to write a sketch for Arduino and how to upload it

- you understand DCS-BIOS, best: you already use DCS-BIOS

- you are a pit-builder and your mashine is running out of USB-Ports

- best case: you live somewhere in Europe (even better Germany)

- worst case: you live somewhere overseas or Down Under (Freight Costs will kill me - or we have to share those costs)

Your flying and fighting skills don't matter.

I look for someone who can plug the whole stuff together, give them a sufficient load and can tell me, what sucks.

It is important to me, to get those results, so I can implement last changes/improvements and can roll out a first series to the community.

And: You have to be cool! 8)

I give you one RS485-Master-Shield and (at least) 4 RS485-Slave-Modules to your hands (maybe, I manage to manufact(!) some further more. There are 6 PCBs right now on the work bench waiting for assembling.)

For free! As a gift. Really.

Not really free, you have to do a little work with them and have to report your results (here or as PM, EMail or whatever).

First Pic shows the Master (hooked on a MEGA that I'll keep cause it's my last one atm).

Second Pic shows some Slaves.

Third Pic shows the next stack under preparation (obsolete meanwhile cause I add some failsafe features just after holidays).

You will need:

- one Arduino MEGA2560

- some Arduino NANO and same number of DCS-Panels to connect with

- one reliable 12V (2 Amps at least, 4 A are better) DC power supply with 5mm plug (standard to Arduino MEGA)

- some usual Cat5 Patchcables to connect the whole shit

I'm right now on some kind of "manual".

If testing is finished you can keep the whole stuff.

Next week I have to go to some holidays. Would be nice, if the items sent out before my departure.

I am really curious, if someone will do this.

Hi Tekkx

I might be in a position to help you with this. I don't need the parts you've built as I have already made shields for three Mega's. I am using one Mega for the right console, one for the left and the third for the MIP. For the most part I have used breakout boards for the many Pro Minis and Nano's throughout the the pit. I have designed a similar board as you have that plugs in on top of the Arduino boards. For all those panels still under construction, I have integrated the MAX487 IC on to the panels PCB rather than use a breakout style of board. I opted to use screw down terminals rather than RJ45,s. The reason for this change is because the distance between each MAX485 breakout board is usually less than 6" so it didn't make sense to me to use CAT5 Cable and connectors for so many short runs. I just use twisted 22 ga. stranded core wire.

With the breakout boards I designed , Tx and Rx are accessed from the five pin headers on the end of the Pro Minis and I get power from the same 5 pin header. The Nano was a little different in that it doesn't have any header pins so I accessed the side pins as needed. As to power, each MAX485 gets the same 5v as the Arduino board gets and all Arduino's are powered from the same PSU, an 850watt Corsair PSU for a PC. All MCU's are powered from this one PSU. I use a separate and isolated PSU for the backlighting. I'll post some pics later.

So far I have run 3 panels on one bus without any issues. I am looking to have more connected over the next week or three. I am especially interested in how the bus performs when there are gauges and displays involved. I expect it will be a non issue but I'll report any issues or problems here on this thread so all can see how it progresses.

Hallo Warhog.

Nice to hear from you.

It's a pitty: You would have been an ideal candidate :)

But it will be great to mix our experiences.

I went for RJ45 due to easy connecting/disconnecting. Thow this isn't relevant if the Pit is ready done :)

While the bus has enough power to drive all backlites at a channel (so is my thinking ATM), I havn't solved another problem yet:

If there are panels with high current consumption (as my SAS with - still under developement - MagneticHold-Switches will be): How to separate those heavy loads from the bus to connect them to a separate power supply. Just a MOSFET (or a Darlington as I plan to use there to drive the coil) can't do the job.

I thought about OptoCouplers (already ordered some) to drive these Darlingtons. At an early state of this project I didn't separate control- and power-circuits. As I am lucky, just at the paper. In Germany you'll have to pay for the FireFighters if they dispatched caused by stupidity :)

What is your approach in this matter?

Did you also separate the GND of your two PSUs?

If there are panels with high current consumption (as my SAS with - still under developement - MagneticHold-Switches will be): How to separate those heavy loads from the bus to connect them to a separate power supply. Just a MOSFET (or a Darlington as I plan to use there to drive the coil) can't do the job.

I thought about OptoCouplers to drive these Darlingtons.

 

What is your approach in this matter?

Why would you need optoisolation?

I am pretty sure that there are MOSFETs available that are beefy enough to switch a few amps at 24V or so (with a 5V control signal), especially if you screw them to a heatsink. As long as you only use a MOSFET as a switch, it will never create much heat, as it is either a fully closed switch (so ideally, it will have a resistance of 0 ohm and have zero power dissipation, in practice the will be some of course) or it will be fully open (infinite resistance, no current = no heat).

As Ian said, mosfets should work just fine. Although I haven't installed magnetic switches, I am using mosfets that can handle 2amps and there are a lot to choose from depending on your specific requirements.

As to PSU's no , the grounds are not connected. The backlighting is 100% separate from everything else in the pit.

One issue I did have is an order for 30 MAX485's. Every one was fake or fried. Not sure which but they got super hot whenever I powered them. Ian and I ran a sketch to test them for basic functionality. They all failed. The chinese seller was most apologetic and sent replacements but I haven,t had a chance to test them.

Ian;2826723']Why would you need optoisolation?

I am pretty sure that there are MOSFETs available that are beefy enough to switch a few amps ...

Shure. You are right. I solved all my backliting and some notification lamps with MOSFETs. Some 2N7002ET1G (SOT23) up to 300mA for some single or dual PowerLEDs, IRLR024 (DPAK) up to 60A for Backlights.

My system has never been very complex and everything was driven by just one circuit..

In therory the coils of my Mag-Switches I want to fire with MOSFET IRF3708 or with Darlington BDX34.

Each of these solenoids consumes about 1 Amp. SAS has 4 of them. Continuous.

OptoCoupling I plan to positively exclude any kind of side effects.

I let meanwhile the smoke out of so many things so I became some kind of scary and look for fail-safe gadgets as good as possible :)

One PC357 (simple and cheap Optocoupler) per heavy load appliance is a very small investment. I mean :)

Warhog: Are you shure, your MAX485 (not ..487?) are faulty? I encountered also some strange behavior, I trace it back to (hypothesis) unwanted oscillations over the Line with unknown causation. Faked ICs are just one option, fluctuating GND-potential another. (still researching)

Results are hot (or cracked) MAX487 and AMS1117. I became quite good in replacing SO8-packages :)

The MAX 487's were definitely all bad. I had another batch from a different reseller. I first tested them with the sketch Ian wrote and they tested perfect. I then swapped them into the original devices where the last ones turned red hot and they worked fine. That would suggest the original ones were either totally defective or fakes.

Nevertheless, I just received a third order of 50 MAX487's and they all work prefect. SO now its onward with the bus. We shall see how it performs over the next few weeks.

BTW, I am using FQP30N60L mosfets. They are logic level rated for 30 amps and 60V. Maybe a little overkill but they cost almost nothing and they handle everything I could possibly want so I order 50 of the little buggers. That should do me for this cockpit and my Huey cockpit. Do a search on them. There's a lot of good info available.

Hi Guys

Im Just wondering about the results, or did the project end well?

Cheers Evilfisher

At the end I was the volunteer :) I am using Tekkx ICB in my pit without any problems(after testing phase I have bought more from him), but still my build isn't completed so I didn't run whole stuff together(max 2 shields/4 Arduinos connected with master). Take look to my build there are lot of photos and also some videos of panels and gauges using ICBs....

Tekkx made also lot of updates to make the ICBs more user friendly in meanwhile.