Joystick Controller B256A13

The applications are jstest-gtk, available as a package for Ubuntu, and the test application that is included with Bodnar's js_serial_preload.

 

I am compiling a kernel right now, to see if I can understand the HID drivers enough to find out why they don't find all 124 buttons per logical device.

 

I have a theory as to why there are 2 extra analog axes too. I think it is the POV hat, because I saw something in the kernel drivers that looked like it was code for exposing a POV hat as an X- and a Y-axis.

Excellent, thanks!

Excellent, thanks!

More updates :)

I debugged the kernel today on Ubuntu 12.04 with kernel 3.2.0-54 and found the issue. I am working on a solution for fun, but I don't know if it will make it upstream :) I have never done kernel development before, so I really don't know how to get the code into the mainline kernel, but when I have a fix I guess I'll try to find out :)

After browsing the kernel code online and checking various newer versions, I noticed that in version 3.8 and later a bug was fixed that missed 16 buttons, so with a newer kernel you will get 80 buttons per logical joystick instead of 64. I tried to patch that change to my 3.2-kernel and tested it with good results. I am upgrading to Ubuntu 13.10 now to verify that it works with an unmodified newer kernel too. I will then make my fix to that kernel version instead of the one I am using now, to have a newer base to work from :)

I've now received advance payment for two boards, and one more guy has told me that he's going to pay for a third board but hasn't done it yet. After that, there's only one more order needed for me to place the order for the fifth batch of B256A13's. That will most likely be the final batch. I thought so about the previous batch too, and orders are coming in an even lower rate now. That will also allow me to shift focus to producing the DTS-board

If you're interested, send me an e-mail as stated in the first post in this thread.

Hi brydling,

I got some troubles with B256A13 board today. The A0037 chip died probably. I can measure main power on the board but the device is not detected by any device driver. Even the loader application doesn't detect the board. I made the test on different USB Ports and had no success. Is it possible to buy a single chip for a repair?

Regards,

Mike

Hi brydling,

I got some troubles with B256A13 board today. The A0037 chip died probably. I can measure main power on the board but the device is not detected by any device driver. Even the loader application doesn't detect the board. I made the test on different USB Ports and had no success. Is it possible to buy a single chip for a repair?

Regards,

Mike

Do you have some kind of IM account? That way we can do some simple debugging. Otherwise it is possible to buy a replacement chip. You can even get it with the same serial number if you don't want the software to notice any difference. They can die from ESD, even several months after being subjected to it. Since you ordered the board as a DIY-kit, I can't offer you any guarantee I'm afraid. But a replacement chip is only 60 SEK + shipping (40 SEK to Germany).

Sorry, no IM account. My order is already on the way. BTW, this board is exellent. It would be perfect, if there would be an output device on board to control some LEDs.

Regards

Mike

Sorry, no IM account. My order is already on the way. BTW, this board is exellent. It would be perfect, if there would be an output device on board to control some LEDs.

Regards

Mike

Ok, I'll send you a new chip then :)

I have thought about making a general output board too, but haven't figured out the requirements. That will maybe be a future project. A very distant future project as it looks now.. I think the phidget-boards are good, but they are more advanced than they need to be, and therefore more expensive. Cockpit LED's doesn't need individual brightness control. I think it would be sufficient if you could set the brightness for a whole panel, or even less fine grained control than that. You can't adjust the brightness of a single panel in an aircraft anyway :)

Does the matrix encoder handle multiple switch ghosting?

If yes, how was that implemented?

Does the matrix encoder handle multiple switch ghosting?

If yes, how was that implemented?

Yes it does. It is implemented by the user with diodes.

@Brydling, I received my board today. That was very fast. I had no time to play with it yet, but looking forward to have some fun with it. Thank you.

Ski

@Brydling, I received my board today. That was very fast. I had no time to play with it yet, but looking forward to have some fun with it. Thank you.

Ski

Thank you for the info! :) I hope you will enjoy it!

Payment sent. I'm guessing it's not "next day air"...

I've been reading the posts in this thread but did not see if you have rotory encoder support figured out. I'll try going through the thread again in case I missed it the first time through. Can't wait to hook up al the switches and toggles I've emassed.

John

Thanks brydling, I got my package the other day. I still need to hook it up but It was quick getting here.

Payment sent. I'm guessing it's not "next day air"...

I've been reading the posts in this thread but did not see if you have rotory encoder support figured out. I'll try going through the thread again in case I missed it the first time through. Can't wait to hook up al the switches and toggles I've emassed.

John

Hi John!

I have received your payment and will send the board on Monday.

No rotary encoder support yet unfortunately. I haven't had the motivation to program at home lately.

Thanks brydling, I got my package the other day. I still need to hook it up but It was quick getting here.

Nice to hear! Thank you and good luck with your project :)

One week door-to-door. You rock Niclas!

Gonna go wire up some diodes and switches so I can paly around with it some. I'm going to have all my A-10c panels cut out this week.

THANK YOU!

John

One week door-to-door. You rock Niclas!

Gonna go wire up some diodes and switches so I can paly around with it some. I'm going to have all my A-10c panels cut out this week.

THANK YOU!

John

Thank you John! Feel free to ask me any questions you may have. Good luck!

/Niclas

Homemade breakout boards

Hi John,

Setting up all the input this may be of interest for you:

http://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=1800098&postcount=2

Fairly easy to make and makes connections a lot easier :music_whistling:

Cheers

Hans

Hi Niclas,

The panels are all set up to be cut. I'm waiting for the plastic to come in now and have ordered the toggle switches. I have 26 encoders left over from another project and was wondering if I will be able to use them with your board in the future. I will need another board anyways and would like to use another one of yours. I know you said that you might be able to do something with the chip to allow the use of encoders with your existing board and I'm trying to decide whether I should wait for that or buy a different board (like Leo's) that can handle encoders.

John

Hi Niclas,

The panels are all set up to be cut. I'm waiting for the plastic to come in now and have ordered the toggle switches. I have 26 encoders left over from another project and was wondering if I will be able to use them with your board in the future. I will need another board anyways and would like to use another one of yours. I know you said that you might be able to do something with the chip to allow the use of encoders with your existing board and I'm trying to decide whether I should wait for that or buy a different board (like Leo's) that can handle encoders.

John

Hi John,

I don't know when this board will handle encoders. Probably pretty soon now, but this is the third time I say that encoders will soon be supported and the first time was years ago.. :-) However there are bigger plans for this board now. There is a new version in development and that will probably benefit the old version as well. More info will follow.

Best regards,

Niclas

That sound really interesting Niclas. Looking forward to hear/see more when you have something to announce :thumbup:

Cheers

Hans

I'm hooking up my panels. Before I but a buy a Bodnar board to run my encoders I wanted to ask if you've made any headway with the update to allow your board to run them.

Thanks,

John

Hello guys,

Long time no see!

This post is to ask if there is still a desire for this product.

I still get an e-mail a few times a year asking if I still produce and sell these boards. I just now made a forum search for the B256A13 and I must say that I am touched by the posts speaking well of it in the last 8 years or so that I have been out of the market.

Someone guessed that I may have left the hobby. That has never been the case even though I spend some less time with it now. I work with real fighter simulators nowadays but I still love it enough to have it as a hobby as well. The real reason behind the disappearance of this product is I got an offer for the design of the B256A13 so I sold an exclusive license to use the design for commercial purposes meaning I am not allowed to sell these boards any more. I got this offer in a time when I was also quite tired of soldering these boards by hand during the evenings and weekends, even though I loved helping the community with a product that was needed. I received so much gratitude and love from my customers and that was an amazing feeling. Believe me, every request I have received since then I have been like "Aaw, I wish I could just make him a board" because as I understand there are still no alternatives available with similar specifications.

I miss the electronics hobby now and so I am thinking about making a new but similar design. However this time I would have them assembled by machine and so would require larger production batches than before to make it feasible. This new design would feature the encoder support that the B256A13 lacked. I am thinking about a price tag of 900 SEK for an assembled and tested board. Probably no DIY kits this time because packing these was quite time consuming as well. If you are interested drop me a PM or an e-mail (farbror_brydling@hotmail.com), or just give a shout here. If I receive enough interest I may launch a Kickstarter and get this going.

I would also happily receive some constructive critizism about the previous design. Personally I think that this design of button matrix was superior in that it allowed wiring up a panel with a lot fewer cables than for example a BU0836X. You could wire up a 16 input panel using just 8 wires or a 25 input panel using just 10 wires instead of having at one wire for every input + GND as on the 0836X. The drawback being you need to put diodes in the panels and it is a bit harder to understand if you're not into electronics. Does this scare some of you off? Would you rather have the diodes mounted on the board making this matrix connection technique to the panels impossible thus requiring more wires but a bit more straightforward connection?

Regards,

Niclas

Hi brydling.

It's been a while.

I dissembled my A-10c simulator in 2018 when I switched to VR, but I'm in the process of building a GA twin cockpit for MSFS. Digging through my box of Flight Sim hardware I came across your board. Every time I see it I wonder if you ever added encoder support. Any chance you found the time to do this in the last 9 years? ;D Is it possible to get the source code, to take a swing at it myself?

Thanks.

John