[simpits-tech] a tale of Phidget Mania...

[Derek Higgs]

I must have been away for a while - I didn't know of the existence of 
these! Nor of your messing around with them...

Your link below is dead for right now, so I did a web search.... and 
besides the band of the same name (?) came up with this page... 
http://www.cpsc.ucalgary.ca/grouplab/phidgets/gallery/gallery.html .... 
'dats some weird stuff there!

Derek



At 01:04 PM 6/7/02 -0700, you wrote:

>As most of you know, I've been working on writing some software that will
>allow you to use various Phidgets (http://www.phidget.com) with your
>cockpit.  I've been working on this for quite a while, mostly not getting
>a whole lot done. :)
>
>The whole idea was to write an easily configured application in Delphi
>that people could use to interface MSFS via FSUIPC.  Well I worked on it
>for a while and it dawned on me that not only had I completely over-done
>the software feature set, I had yet to do more than move a servo.  I was
>so wrapped up in "I can add this, which makes this work like...", that the
>end goal became this fog enshrouded thing that really couldn't be named.
>
>This of course is commonly known as Creeping Featurism (it had actually
>become Feeping Creaturism by this point, but I digress).
>
>I completely pitched out what I was working on.  It was too complex and
>tried to do too many things.  "Rewrite!  Refactor!  Recode!", I yelled.
>
>This of course was stupid.  In a period of about two days, I ended up with
>an application that was even _more_ complex and feature over-loaded than
>the first version.  And it _still_ only moved a servo and merely
>initialzed the FSUIPC system.  I mean, this sucker was impressive as hell,
>but it didn't do a damn thing that was really _useful_.
>
>I threw all THAT code away and started again with 4 goals:
>
>1.  Read Switch state changes from the PhidgetInterfaceKit.
>2.  Set output states in the PhidgetInterfaceKit.
>3.  Read analog state changes from the PhidgetInterfaceKit.
>4.  Send data to the PhigetServo
>5.  Interface 1..4 to FSUIPC.
>
>Nice list, right?  Short and to the point.
>
>Well, I get hung up in #1.  I mean _REALLY_ hung up.  Because the Phidget
>library is an ActiveX control, it requires a fancy import unit to use in
>Delphi.  This is not really that bad since Delphi can generate the code
>for this unit automagically.  Well to make a long, agonizingly boring
>story a bit less agonizingly boring, Delphi choked when I tried to
>implment the code to handle the input events.  It _hated_ it.  It bitched,
>moaned, complained and I'm positive that had it been capable of wearing
>clothing, it would've begun tearing at it.  Seriously.  Delphi *hates*
>this poor little DLL.  Calls it all sorts of names and spits repeatedly on
>it.
>
>In a fit of pure desperation, I re-started this whole nightmare using
>Visual Basic.  Well to my _utter_ disgust, VB merrily got along with that
>pitiful little DLL.  <yoda>Fast friends became, they did!</yoda>
>
>My wonderful Object Oriented Uber Genius just got tromped by the Village
>Idiot.  How humiliating is _THAT_?
>
>Anyway, I have my little example program chatting quite happily with the
>Phidgets and the flight simulator software.  In the coming week, I'll get
>it finished off (still need to do the analog and the servo) and make it
>available to download.  It's not fancy by any means, but it will show you
>how easy it is to interface Phidgets with FSUIPC.  I'm sure that Rob Favre
>would be interested in doing something similar for Falcon 4.
>
>For those of you that don't know already, the Phidget line of devices will
>give you the same functionality as an EPIC setup, but you won't have to go
>dipping into the kids' college fund to pay for it.
>
>(Please note, that I have _no_ pecuniary interest at all with Phidgets,
>I'm just an evangelizer of a good product line)
>
>g.
>
>
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