[simpits-tech] Now I'm lost.

[Matt Bailey]

On Tuesday 30 December 2003 11:10 pm, you wrote:
> In a message dated 12/30/03 7:58:54 PM Pacific Standard Time,
>
> mattb at rtccom.net writes:
> > Cool, thanks. You just using a hacked keyboard (all the keys share a
> > common
> >
> > ground anyway, right)? How did you do the LCD panels? Wouldn't happen to
> > be a
> > variant of the rig posted on digital-flight.com would it?
> >   I'll probably end up going the Hagstrom or phidgets route at some
> > point, I
> >
> > want to also have a mini systems panel for things like icing systems,
> > lights,
> > gear, flaps, etc, and I want to use toggle switches for all that so I
> > know what setting I've got without having to have something on the
> > on-screen panel.
>
>         Thanks. No, the inputs are based on a 64-input USB card from
> www.betainnovations.com. The interface card lives in my main panel, and is
> connected to two 34 core ribbon cables, one of which goes to the radio
> panel, The other goes to the switches, knobs etc in the main panel - flaps,
> lights, alt setting, avionics master switch, etc. I have a total of 78
> controls that way, the 64 from the USB card and 12 from the yoke that I
> hacked and installed in the main panel. I'll go ahead and u/l a picture of
> that too.

	Hmm, site is down but I think I get basically what you're doing. How much 
programming was required to get the USB stuff working?

> I decided not to use a hacked keyboard because although you can get more
> controls that way, the wiring's more of a pain. Using the USB interface,
> all the switches share a common ground. A keyboard is a matrix, so you
> actually have to run two wires from the card to every switch, and keep a
> track of all your wiring so that the common ground of the rotaries can be a
> shared row or column of the matrix.

	Ah yes...........I can see how it might get messy but for me it would be 
worth it since I don't know how to program. :)

> The problem with toggles for the switches is that as toggles they're not
> necessarily in the same position as the real controls. It's better to use
> FSUIPC and have a "light on' command to the 'make' and a "light off"
> command to the 'break'.
>
> Richard

	Yeah I know......some controls in X-Plane (and MSFS, for that matter) 
already have seperate keystrokes for on/off (or up/down, in the case of 
gear), but most don't. I'd either have to use plug-ins in X-Plane, or just 
make sure to sync up all the controls in software on startup (could work ok 
since X-Plane can be set up with all switches in the off position by default).
	I can see that for my full cockpit I'm going to end up programming. :) I 
just have too many things I want to do that would be tricky or impossible to 
do right with just Simkits, Hagstrom, and monitors placed behind the panel, 
but would be probably relatively straightforward if I was decent at 
programming.......things like GPS and radar software (just think of a working 
panel-mounted Garmin......how cool would that be!), accurate avionics, actual 
working annunciator lights, etc.
	Speaking of which, it's a shame real GPS panel units are so pricey, seems 
they would be trivial to interface to sim software as all they really need 
from the sim is XYZ position.

	-Matt Bailey