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Forming pit building group in CA for BS


rocketeer

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Thanks guys for the answers. You guys are great!

 

I'd get the russin version and try mapping the buttons to the sim, and/or Autohotkey or SVMapper.

 

I saw that they have 10 bit, and newer 12 bit version. I suppose the latter is better?

 

So the 8 analog inputs are seperate from the 32 buttons which are digital? in the sense for max input I can have 8 analog inputs, and 32 buttons? If so, that's quite a impressive.

 

Ok, if I want to max this thing, how many diodes do I need? One between each pin? ie. between S1 and S2, between S2 and S3 ... to S5 and S6. Then between S1 and S7.... in terms of between row pins and column pins? I've not used diodes before, are they uni-directional? what specs should I look for?

 

This is challenging and fun! This is for those with MUMBOs (Mentally Unstable Magnificient Big Obession, something I coined).

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Hi rocketeer, you have 36 buttons + 8 analog channels to go with.

4 out of the 36 work as 4 pov hat switches

You need 36 diodes. look at the diagram above, a solid triangle with a bar on one end signifies one diode. The triangle is anode and bar being cathode. Each switch is accompanied with a diode as per the diagram.

Get a hundred 1N4148 diodes, they are cheap and handy. Be ware to ask for through hole mount type. You'll be pissed if someone ships you 100 SMD diodes same size as sesame. lol

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  • 2 weeks later...
Calling Trigger, 33 Sniper or Oakes etc. ie. those making some pit and also have OC.

 

If you have the russian BS and OC, can you test if you can get the HUD or TV brightness knob to work with a pot or encoder? Cat says the TV brightness knob in the sim doesn't work with rotaries in X52 as axis, and we think it may not work with pots. If you guys have OC and BS sim and encoders or pot board for OC, please try if either pot or encoders will work, or it's currently a limitation of the sim. I am thinking if the pot or encoder can emulate keyboard commands, then the knob should be made to work since it's mimicking a KB entry when rotating it.

 

Appreciate if someone can test it out. We are trying to figure which board to use, and even which switch to use for these knobs.

 

 

I found some info on how to use toggle switches where as a push-button for connecting to cards like Leo Bodnars or Opencockpits USB Axis card.

 

The Problem

 

All simulators have understandably been designed to work with a standard keyboard, meaning they want momentary contacts to switch things (you press a key and then let it go, giving the sim only a short pulse telling it to do something). The big problem here is that toggle switches don't work the same way. They are meant for the real world, where you don't want something momentarily on and then off again, but either on OR off. In other words, toggle switches use permanent contacts. So if you were to hookup a bunch of toggle switches to a keyboard card and try to use them with your simulator, this would result in a key repeat which is definitely not what we want (flying around with your landing light going like a party stroboscope is probably not legal!).

The Solution

 

fig1.jpg So what can we do about this? Well, this simple circuit does the trick. Basically what it does is send a momentary contact to the keyboard card, even though all you see on your panel is a toggle switch. To understand how it does this, I will first explain some basic facts about the components used. If you happen to know all about this already, you may skip the next section. What almost everyone knows is that a capacitor can store electrical energy. What is often overlooked is what this does to its conductivity. A common comparison is that of the bucket: it can be filled with water, which can be kept there and then released when needed, just as a capacitor can be filled with electrical energy. But actually a toilet's water tank is a more accurate example. Just as with the bucket, you can store water in it, but there is one major difference: a bucket will overflow, but a toilet has the ability to stop the incoming water flow. And that is exactly what the capacitor is meant to do in this circuit, stopping the flow of electricity when it is full.

fig2.jpg As you can see from the schematic diagram (fig. 1), the circuit is made up of two loops, one with a power supply and the other without. Let's say you start with the toggle switch in the position without the power supply. The relay is in its rest position, meaning here that there is no contact on the keyboard card. As soon as you flip the toggle switch ("Positive rate of climb, gear up"), electricity will start flowing through the then closed loop (fig. 2). This means that the relay is triggered and will make contact on the keyboard card and that the capacitor starts charging. As soon as the capacitor starts to get full, there will be a decrease in current through the relay, making it break the contact.

As soon as you decide to toggle the switch back again ("Roger, cleared to land"), the first loop is broken and the other one closed (fig. 3). In this case the electricity stored in the capacitor during the first process will be released, again triggering the relay momentarily and then letting it break contact again as soon as the stored electricity runs out. If you decide to switch again ("Declaring missed approach, going round"), the whole process starts over.

fig3.jpg

 

Construction

 

Before we actually start building, first the required legal stuff: You may use this design for your own purposes only. Feel free to change the design anyway you like, but please contact the author before republishing it anywhere else, in either its changed or original form. The author is not responsible for any damage done to any person or property!

Now the fun bit:

All you really have to do to build a proper version of this design (one switch looks kind of interesting, but doesn't really satisfy one's needs) is repeat it once for every key you want to hook a toggle switch to. Making a neat row of the components on a circuit building grid is probably the best idea, unless you are willing to make a full printed circuit board for it. The value of the capacitor is the main way to change the time the relay makes contact on the keyboard card. You might have to change it slightly to get the system to work best for your combination of computer, keyboard card and relay, but the shown value seems to work in most situations.

I have read a number of ideas about the soldering of the leads to the keyboard card, but none of them really worked for me, so I came up with this possibility. You should be able to follow the tracks on the circuit board from the contact strips which stick out at the bottom (where almost everyone tries to put their leads) to the nearest soldering point. Believe me, it is A LOT easier to connect a wire to one of these soldering points than to the miniscule strips at the bottom!

 

Copied from:

http://www.flightsim.com/cgi/kds?$=main/howto/toggle.htm

 

As far as my own seup with OC cards I'll know more by the end of this week. Just to make it hard on myself (and prepare me for the rest of the pit) I'll start using SIOC and all cards connected to a second PC from day one.. I will keep you posted.. (and as far as I know the use of L-CTRL vs R-CTRL and so on is no problem in SIOC?)..

"But (504)Brewber said they were'nt friendly.. So I took'em out.!"

[sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]

 

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I was planning to do this in software with AutoHotkey if possible.

 

Working example for joystick buttons below:

 

 

;
; AutoHotkey Version: 1.x
; Language:       English
; Platform:       Win9x/NT
; Author:         A.N.Other <myemail@nowhere.com>
;
; Script Function:
;    Template script (you can customize this template by editing "ShellNew\Template.ahk" in your Windows folder)
;

#NoEnv  ; Recommended for performance and compatibility with future AutoHotkey releases.
SendMode Input  ; Recommended for new scripts due to its superior speed and reliability.
SetWorkingDir %A_ScriptDir%  ; Ensures a consistent starting directory.



1Joy1::
Send, 1d ; Sends 1d to the application
SetTimer, WaitForButtonUp1, 10
return

WaitForButtonUp1:
if GetKeyState("1Joy1")  ; The button is still, down, so keep waiting.
   return
; Otherwise, the button has been released.
Send, 1u  ; Sends 1u to the appliation
SetTimer, WaitForButtonUp1, off
return



1Joy2::
Send, 2d ; Sends 2d to the application
SetTimer, WaitForButtonUp2, 10
return


WaitForButtonUp2:
if GetKeyState("1Joy2")  ; The button is still, down, so keep waiting.
   return
; Otherwise, the button has been released.
Send, 2u  ; Sends 2u to the appliation
SetTimer, WaitForButtonUp2, off
return

:book:/Oakes

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Progress...

 

Here are some pics of my very first steps towards my simpit construction. As most things in life, you must start with a good and strong foundation. Well, this is the metal frame which will support my simpit structure. 18 guage 1" box tubing. Mig welded together. As my plan states, I want my simpit to be mounted on castor wheels so I can easily move it if needed. Six 4" castor wheels will mount to the frame and the wooden simpit structure will be built on top of this steel structure. Keep checking back for progress!

 

MadDog

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Wow, I wish I have a garage like you. Just renting a small place is tough without a place to call as workshop. Maybe if you put it on bigger wheels, you can move it a bit further, to my place!

 

If you need help in IO interface considerations, just shout. We'd be glad to help out.

 

I sometimes envy those OC guys that meet together. Guess Spain is a lot smaller and easier to meet the big US. There's so much to learn from each other when you just meet face to face and talk and analyze things together. Looking at the OC photo albums, they seem to have a pretty big group when they meet. Must be fun meeting fellow mentally unstable chaps.

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  • 4 months later...

Just thought I would revive this thread, since I was doing more work on my pit.

 

Wile working on the TFT screan I was searching for parts. taking apart old CRT screans and such. and found that one of the CRTs had a 5 button input on the front. Looking at the board I found 5 micro PB. So I just cut out the part of the PCB board that I needed and began building a way to mount it to my pit.

For the plastic buttons I gtst needed the right dril biy to dril holes for them to pass thrue the ply wood dash. I used a pice of the same sood to build a temp set up so as not to rewen my good dash. next was testing and wiring the PCB, and mounting it so the PB would line yo with the plastic buttons the pass thrue the dase. took some wood working to get the right hight. Put all the pices together and tested it. Works great. I had two empty spots on my KE-72, So I had to find three more. I got rid of the raido test button, training/weapons switch and the ADF switch as I have never had to use it. I wanted to post a video but my camre died and I dont have any more baterys.

Home built PC Win 10 Pro 64bit, MB ASUS Z170 WS, 6700K, EVGA 1080Ti Hybrid, 32GB DDR4 3200, Thermaltake 120x360 RAD, Custom built A-10C sim pit, TM WARTHOG HOTAS, Cougar MFD's, 3D printed UFC and Saitek rudders. HTC VIVE VR.

 

https://digitalcombatmercenaries.enjin.com/

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Pitbuilding for "tree huggers"..?

 

Just thought I would revive this thread, since I was doing more work on my pit.

 

Wile working on the TFT screan I was searching for parts. taking apart old CRT screans and such. and found that one of the CRTs had a 5 button input on the front. Looking at the board I found 5 micro PB. So I just cut out the part of the PCB board that I needed and began building a way to mount it to my pit.

For the plastic buttons I gtst needed the right dril biy to dril holes for them to pass thrue the ply wood dash. I used a pice of the same sood to build a temp set up so as not to rewen my good dash. next was testing and wiring the PCB, and mounting it so the PB would line yo with the plastic buttons the pass thrue the dase. took some wood working to get the right hight. Put all the pices together and tested it. Works great. I had two empty spots on my KE-72, So I had to find three more. I got rid of the raido test button, training/weapons switch and the ADF switch as I have never had to use it. I wanted to post a video but my camre died and I dont have any more baterys.

 

 

:thumbup:.. This is the kind of thinking I like ..! Recycle old parts for new projects..! D*MN GOOD JOB..!

 

(rep inbound for being "green"..:smartass:)

"But (504)Brewber said they were'nt friendly.. So I took'em out.!"

[sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
Is this limited to the Pit of the Ka-50? or can there be other pits? I have just started planning an F/A-18 Pit of my own, and some advice would be cool, but if not, that's fine.

 

EDIT: What about creating an entire Lockon/DCS pit-building forum? (just an idea)

 

Hey Guys, I don't live in CA , but fly there all the time. I would like to join the little club. I plan on making the Seat, cockpit, and panels on the CNC. We could all join up and split some panel making jobs where everyone would design a panel in Adobe based on some general specs. Just a thought! I have plenty of Ideas on the cockpit as well.

 

 

BTW- Here is my F-18 seat Kit -

 

 

nacesblack.jpg

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Damn, Flim, that puts my project to shame! :D

 

Great job :thumbup:


Edited by Aeroscout

DCS Wishlist: 1) FIX THE DAMN RIVERS!!! 2) Spherical or cylindrical panorama view projection. 3) Enhanced input options (action upon button release, etc). 4) Aircraft flight parameter dump upon exit (stick posn, attitude, rates, accel, control volume, control-surface positions, SAS bias, etc). 5) ADS-33 maneuver courses as static objects. 6) Exposed API or exports of trim position and stick force for custom controllers. 7) Select auto multiple audio devices

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Flim you shuld jump on our TS sever some time for a chat. Would be good to toss ideas around faster that typing them. Hitch and I are usaly on after 7PM PST. And lits us know when you will be in our area. mabe have a little groope meat up. Hitch still owes me a beer. ;)

Home built PC Win 10 Pro 64bit, MB ASUS Z170 WS, 6700K, EVGA 1080Ti Hybrid, 32GB DDR4 3200, Thermaltake 120x360 RAD, Custom built A-10C sim pit, TM WARTHOG HOTAS, Cougar MFD's, 3D printed UFC and Saitek rudders. HTC VIVE VR.

 

https://digitalcombatmercenaries.enjin.com/

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Crap thats right! I'd definitely love to hear your ideas as I've said I'm into a mre generic approach as far as pits go but its great to get ideas and chat about new ones! Thats going to be a killer seat. What kind of pilot are you Flim commercial/private? If commercial I really have questions about the pros and cons of being a proffesional pilot! In any case look forward to talking if we get a chance!

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yes you can find the IP on my web site of in the multiplayer squads thread page 2. Im not working right now so I am on just about all the time.

Home built PC Win 10 Pro 64bit, MB ASUS Z170 WS, 6700K, EVGA 1080Ti Hybrid, 32GB DDR4 3200, Thermaltake 120x360 RAD, Custom built A-10C sim pit, TM WARTHOG HOTAS, Cougar MFD's, 3D printed UFC and Saitek rudders. HTC VIVE VR.

 

https://digitalcombatmercenaries.enjin.com/

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  • 1 year later...

Christ, with the effort you guys put into your pits, why not just build a real one? Yeah my pit consists of a crappy wooden desk with a bigass computer tower on the left, a 24 inch monitor right in front of me, and an old 21 to the right of that. Then my joystick on the desk just kinda sitting there.

 

I win

 

Bow down to my epic sh*tpit

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