desertowl Posted September 20, 2020 Share Posted September 20, 2020 Hello All! Started to work on a super cheap ICP. The Bill Of Materials should be around 30-40 bucks - still didn't finish the PCB design. The structure is all 3D printed, PCB is done via JLCPCB, the communication to DCS is done via an Arduino nano and DCS-BIOS. The electronics excluding the PCB are roughly 7 bucks. I still need to finalize the electric design, print the parts and check for flaws, write the software and of course check the entire assembled product. All the design schematics and files will be open source and free for the community to use and create. I have no intention of producing and selling those, except for my own private use. The 3D parts design is partially based on the excellent work done by Jonah Tsai https://github.com/JonahTsai/F16 The electronics design is inspired by the board made by Vipercore. Any comments or ideas are welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cupra Posted September 20, 2020 Share Posted September 20, 2020 If it is really that cheap as you promise I am in for one :D Just plug it in, assing buttons to DCS and done, right? No tools, no software skills, no programming oder any other annoying stuff needed? DCS F-16C Blk. 40/42 :helpsmilie: Candidate - 480th VFS - Cupra | 06 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOYKILLA Posted September 20, 2020 Share Posted September 20, 2020 I want also one :-) Gesendet von meinem SM-G980F mit Tapatalk [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Thrustmaster Warthog SLM - F/A-18 , MFG Crosswind V2 , Cougar MFD`s , HP Reverb , PointCtrl , i9@5,1Ghz/2080Ti, :joystick: DIY 2DOF Motionsimulator with 4Ch Simshaker :joystick: https://www.facebook.com/micsmotionsimulator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertowl Posted September 20, 2020 Author Share Posted September 20, 2020 If it is really that cheap as you promise I am in for one :D Just plug it in, assing buttons to DCS and done, right? No tools, no software skills, no programming oder any other annoying stuff needed? Well, There are a few drawbacks to the super cheap approach. Basically you will need to do the following: 1. print the 3d parts 2. solder a few pads 3. assemble it all (few screws) 4. upload the software to the arduino 5. connect to USB and run the DCS BIOS Hub I might create a future software which recognizes the panel as a HID (like a joystick) and then you can assign anything you want in DCS or any other sim. If the design is successful, hopefully others will manufacture and assemble at a cheap price and sell it ready to go to other community members. Once all the drafts are ready, I will upload it all to github. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icebeat Posted September 21, 2020 Share Posted September 21, 2020 skip DCS BIOS and just use MMJoy2 easy and pain less Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No1sonuk Posted September 21, 2020 Share Posted September 21, 2020 The problem with setting up as a HID is that, IIRC, the commonly-used Arduinos can't do it. Only a couple have the right USB interface firmware to act as a keyboard/joystick/etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertowl Posted September 21, 2020 Author Share Posted September 21, 2020 Well, usually I use PSoC 5 evaluation kit for such tasks, which can be easily programmed as an HID device, however, since I aim for the community to use the design, I thought Arduino and DCS BIOS is the way to go. I also intend to make the backlight SW programmable via a FET and PWM signal, so when you change cockpit illumination it will control the ICP backlight as well, so DCS BIOS will solve that connectivity. What are your thoughts? is HID better than DCS BIOS? I can still change the design. BTW, here is a link to the PSoC 5 eval kit: https://www.cypress.com/documentation/development-kitsboards/cy8ckit-059-psoc-5lp-prototyping-kit-onboard-programmer-and It is superb for cockpit building as well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MustangSally Posted September 21, 2020 Share Posted September 21, 2020 skip DCS BIOS and just use MMJoy2 easy and pain less Does mmjoy read DCS exports? Ryzen 9 7950X3D - MSI MAG X670E TomaHawk MB, ASUS ROG Ryujin III 360 AIO 64gig Corsair DDR5@6000, Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4090 AORUS Winwing Super Taurus, Orion2, TO / Combat panels, Collective with Topgun MIP Winwing Skywalker pedals, NLR Boeing Mil Edition Simpit, Trackir Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No1sonuk Posted September 21, 2020 Share Posted September 21, 2020 DCS-BIOS would be better for some, HID would be better for others. If there's feedback to the device required, then I don't know if the HID interface could handle it. As for lighting, I've been playing with WS2812B LEDs (AKA Neopixels). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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