Simviation Forums

I just finished making two projects, a gear retract/autobrake panel and an overhead console, and now I'm tackling my next project: an autopilot panel.

Here's the deal: I got the Sweet-16 rotary encoder PC board and got the rotary encoders, HERE'S the clincher: I want to integrate 3-digit green LED number displays into my panel, reflecting the digital readouts on the virtual cockpit's autopilot panel. Is there some electronic gizmo which will take the FS autopilot numerical data and pass it onto the LED digits on my proposed autopilot panel? ANY help or insight would be immensely appreciated. Thanks!

Hello,

Try this: http://opencockpits.com/index.php/en/io ... able-cards

They have ready and kit version. Problem is you will have to purchase the master card and display card to connect the LED segment displays. The master card doesn't use USB; it is parallel port which is a minus at this time.

This post may also give you some ideas. Read the discussions and check the links.

http://prosim737.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=976

Bottom line; calculate how much it is going to cost you to finish it and up running. If it exceeds this: (http://www.goflightinc.com/collections/ ... lot-module) well you might as well get the professionally made and ready product.

Thanks,
ermias

Admittedly, the prebuilt autopilot is appealing in price, but two things detract me thus far: (1) the rather thick profile of the faceplate (rather trivial, but I was hoping for something a bit skinnier) and (2) in spite of the dollars spent, the different in price would be an acceptable 'tuition' in learning how to make these things.

I have indeed been looking at PoKeys, with a focus on their LED extension board, and wondering about the significant differences between PoKeys' 56U and Leo Bodnar's BBI-32. PoKeys claims their 56U supports digital outputs (autopilot numerical LED displays?), whereas the BBI-32 doesn't seem to have that capability, but I could be wrong. Either way, I wish these two blokes described features and properties of their respective products more adequately in common English. I guess I'm just old...

For most of my panels' (overhead console and gear retract/autobrake) functions, two circuit boards are used: Saitek's Switch Panel (for switches and gear indicator) and a Dell keyboard (for all else, with keyboard terminals mapped and then wired into a "matrix board" in lieu of the keys, using several 1x8 PCB-mount female sockets). Here's a pic...



It will support 104 switches and it's essentially used exactly like a keyboard, but with switches (toggle, rotary, pushbutton, etc.) instead of keys. FS2004 recognizes everything a'la keyboard, and other features are configurable with FSUIPC. To that end, I might be able to use the remaining keyboard keys for much (if not all) of the autopilot, thereby negating the 56U and BBI-32 altogether, but then the basic issue remains: getting digital LED readouts on my autopilot panel corresponding to those on the FS screen. I might just have to abandon the LED digital display idea altogether, just having functional knobs/buttons/switches, along with black rectangles for what would otherwise be the displays and just rely on on-screen data. In the end that might be best, but for the now I'm just looking and keeping all options on the table.

In the end, regardless of what the autopilot hooks up to, the LED extension board will be the one to get, so I can get illumination to the momentary and locking illuminated push-button switches on the console. Feel free to reply if you have any ideas, comments, etc., I'm glad you replied...seems like a slow place here lately.

Well, taking a small break and acting upon a dream: more authentic throttle levers. Since I have FSUIPC and it allows me to configure thrust reversers independently, why not make levers for the Saitek throttle quadrant which really resemble Boeing levers? Welp, off to Lowe's for $11 worth of stuff: aluminum flatbar, nylon washers, stainless steel machine screws and aluminum pivots. Since there was a bumper crop of extra Saitek quadrant knobs floating around, they got put to good use...


[/align]

The first shots show the completed lever skeletons, whereas the knobs--painted Boeing grey and clear-coated--cap off (pun intended) the appearance. Next step is to prop (another pun intended) the levers onto the throttle quadrant lever stubs: mix some J-B weld, install hollow knob collars onto the lever stubs (one was done for #1 to prepare #2), slather the J-B Weld onto #2, set, align, clamp and let cure. Next day, I'll fillet the joints with J-B Weld to make them stronger, again cure it all, install micro momentary pushbutton switches, wire it all up to the matrix board, assign them in FSUIPC and there ya go.

Whaddyathink?

Nice looking work....... keep it coming.

Nothing like heavy duty METAL for flight controls. Feels like the real thing.

best,

...............john

Thanks, John! Also managed to make up a speedbrake handle from an old '96 Sentra wiper control stalk and an authentic flap lever. I'll try to get thumbnails up in the next day or two. Also started the autopilot panel, decided to abandon the on-panel LED displays, makes things simpler. All encoders in place (VS uses a little wheel I had to make by hand, THAT was a 5-hour chore!), now I await 10 grey-button tactile momentary switches and 3 guitar blade switches...but at this rate I might just abandon those and use buttons since I already have autothrottle/autopilot controlled by yoke buttons and mixing buttons & switches just don't work ( I remember that song from Loverboy )

Anyway, pix in a day or two!

Sojourner wrote:I just finished making two projects, a gear retract/autobrake panel and an overhead console, and now I'm tackling my next project: an autopilot panel.

Here's the deal: I got the Sweet-16 rotary encoder PC board and got the rotary encoders, HERE'S the clincher: I want to integrate 3-digit green LED number displays into my panel, reflecting the digital readouts on the virtual cockpit's autopilot panel. Is there some electronic gizmo which will take the FS autopilot numerical data and pass it onto the LED digits on my proposed autopilot panel? ANY help or insight would be immensely appreciated. Thanks!

Seems like interesting project.. Have you completed it?