A nice hike without step counter, ~1hr, ~3km
Daily hike – Taumoos, Niederrohrdorf
Sunny but cold … around 4000 steps, around 4km, around 40mins
Daily Hike – Reuss near Sulz
46min / 4798steps / 3.6km … only one picture
FSpit – Another simulator cockpit
Another new and old project is building a “cockpit” for a flight simulator, not really a cockpit with seats and coffee maker, just an instrument panel with some switches. In the past i already built some panels, but they were just some switches in shoebox with some light bulbs. Many years ago as a kid i started my virtual pilot career with the flight simulator 1 and since then i was flying with all new appearing versions. Not only those from Microsoft, also X-Plane and many others. Last year, after 14 long years, Microsoft published a long awaited new version. Now, with my new 3D printer i’m able to print big parts (40cmx40cmx40cm), time for a new desktop “cockpit”.
When i started the project i wanted to use 5″ TFT displays for the attitude and the system/weather/GPS-map display, they would have fitted perfectly in the top two panels. But unfortunately it turned out that their resolution is to low to read all the tiny numbers and characters, so i had to change to 7″ TFT displays … and of course they are to big for the already drawn console and of course too big for the printer. But maybe the overhanging panels will look pretty good at the end.
The electronics and programming are still pending, i first want to see how many switches and displays will fit into the available panels. I don’t want to build it bigger, it should stay a desktop console, easy to remove after my regular bad landings 😀
Update#1 / 210220 / CAD design and first panel printed
After deciding which switches and controls should be available for the pilot i continued designing the desktop cockpit. Some of them like a master power switch were easy decisions, others like bleed air switching or swim rudder retract/extension were not so easy because they are not existing in every type of airplane … turbine or piston, single or multi motor, seaplane or not seaplane. Since i want to use it for every type i skipped the bleed air switches but added a switch to extend and retract the swim rudder xD 😉
The first panel is printed and i assembled all switches. Of course as usual in a “prototype” something is wrong or fails or explodes … i totally forgot that there should also be a labeling and space for lables, i don’t want to accidentally dump my fuel somewhere in the middle of an ocean when i want to switch on the seat heating. Well, i think somehow i will be able to label the switches, maybe it will not look fancy then.
Update#2 / 210221 / Radio panel PCB
Some mind bending hours passed now, now the PCB for the radio panel is almost done. Laying some of the tracks seemed to be as walking in a maze without exit. But finally after rerouting some formerly layed tracks every signal found it’s place. Most of the parts are THT parts because i don’t like to solder those tiny SMDs. Just the 3 display controlers (MAX7219) and the port expander (MCP23017) are SMDs … but i’m thinking now to use more SMDs in the next design, that would at least make the PCB design process a little bit easier.
Update#3 / 210303 / Autopilot PCB and CAD preview
Some days are gone, another PCB design is done. The printer was busy too, after 64hrs of printing it spit out the main frame for the desktop cockpit, a picture will follow in a later update. Most of the panel/module are desigend and ready for the 3D printer, but have to wait a little bit to be printed, had to order new filament. Next bigger step will be the design of a master PCB which will connect to the simulator interface and the to all the switches and displays. Because i have a bunch of MCP23017s with DIL and SOIC packages i’m using them for all the digital DIOs, but because their number is limited to 8 devices on a I2C bus i will have to use a secondary I2C bus on my controller or maybe i have to add a secondary uC. I’m still not sure about that, but what i already know for sure is that i will use a Teensy3.5 as “main” controller.
Update#4 / 210317 / All panels printed and radio panel assembled
2kg dark grey PLA filament is gone and transformed into the desktop cockpit. I wasn’t sure about the finishing of the panels, should i apply a primer coating and some paint to them, or not ? … The decision was easy at the end, i keep the motto … rusty, dusty, dirty and unfinished 😀 …
The radio PCB arrived some days ago, all electronic parts are assembled and soldered and it fits perfectly into the panel. I had again some concerns about soldering the 4 SMD chips (LED driver, port expander) with the 1.27mm pin pitch, but by using some new solder paste and a tiny solder tip it was quite easy (High five to the solder stop mask 🙂 ). Fortunately i found some red filter acrylic plates i had as left over from an earlier project, the displays are looking much better this way.
The first digit of the COM and NAV frequency displays is hard wired and a bit brighter than the other digits controlled by the display driver. Not sure why that happened, they should have the same brightness. Maybe the i did something wrong when calculating the resistor value for the current setting of the display driver … but no big deal to change them.
In the upper part of the last picture you can see the full color TFT and monochrome OLED display which i will use to display engine/electric/hydraulic/and more parameters. Actually the OLED shows spoiler and flaps deflection.
Update#5 / 210322 / Autopilot panel
This was a run … the courier brought the blank PCB on friday evening, 24 hrs later it was already assembled and soldered. Had to print again the front panel, i forgot the cutouts for the rotary encoders on the backside. Now everything fits as expected, and again i won’t do any finishing to the ugly surface of the front panel … not rusty, not dusty, unfinished xD !
Update#6 / 230322 / Mainboard design and all parts assembled
The Teensy3.5 offers a lot of IOs, but even using 8 port expanders (MCP23017 ; 8*16IOs = 122IOs) isn’t enough. So i will use a secondary microcontroller, a Teensy3.2 because it was just there. When starting this project my plan was to build the master PCB on a simple experimental PCB, but now i’m too lazy, not motivated to make dozens of air wires and not in the mood for the troubleshooting afterwards … so i decided to make a dedicated motherboard. Routing is done, here is the PCB previes out of the CAD :
Finally all switches, front panels, indicators and displays are assembled to the mainframe. Now a lot of wiring and soldering and writing code is required, that will take it’s time, but i’m very eager to use it asap … it will be definitely not be a dust and rust collector 🙂
Daily hike – Aare, Beznau
Sunny, but due to the wind a very cold hike. Most of the snow from last weekend is gone but not everywhere. A hike between winter and spring.
5365 steps, 4.02km, 56 Min.
Chinese fake? rotary encoder
Faked products like handbags, perfume or sneakers … no new story … but faked mechanical rotary pulse encoders, i’m a little bit upset now.
For another ols and revived project, a multifunctional display for an airplane simulator, i need some of those dual rotary encoders. The outer knob for course value setting, the inner knob for fine value setting. Not really a must have, but a nice to have.
Normally i buy the stuff for my projects in a small local electronics shop even if it’s not the cheapest place to buy, but the faster delivery time and supporting small business is important for me. But sometimes, especially when i need bigger quantities of some parts i order them from one of those “ali’s” in china. E.g. small OLED/TFT displays are 10 times cheaper than here. So, i ordered 10 of those dual rotary encoders.
In several stores they sell “Japan New Original ALPS EC11EBB24C03 Dual Axis Encoder With Switch 30 Positioning Number 15 Pulse point Handle 25MM” .
Well, if would have spent some more time before ordering, i would have seen that the price for one piece at a big european electronics distributor is not much higher than in china (~16$ vs. 11$). And if i would have looked into the datasheet from ALPS i would have seen that there is a small mismatch in that product.
The yellow marks highlight the advertised product, the orange marks highlight the similar looking product single encoder with switch function, that is more or less what i received in my order. One shaft has the encoder function (outer shaft), the other has the switch function (inner shaft), reversed according to the datasheet for the similar looking product (EC11E0B2LB01). The biggest discrepancy are shown by the red marks, the pin arrangement of the encoder pins.
Now i was wondering what is going on inside of that thingy … carefully i opened it and was surprised about the guts inside of that body.
The outer shaft drives a cam plate interacting with the contacts as excpected, but the inner shaft just provides interaction with the switch contact. Instead of a cam plate there is a black plastic “spacer”, no encoder function even if there are contacts for it available.
All the parts don’t look like cheap manufacturing as it can be seen in fake products, everything looks like well engineered and manufactured parts. So now, is it really worth to fake such a product? Is it a fake, or maybe …
… just a bad batch out of the ALPS factory? – For me it looks now like a bad assembled batch of original parts from the original factory. Instead of beeing destroyed the encoders found a way of surving and irritating buyers like me 😐 … well, i will use them for another project, for the MFD project i will buy them for some more money here in europe.
Oh no ! … another new project
Due to the Covid pandemic a lot of video meetings are held … some are so boring and need some exhilaration. A fart and weird noise generator is needed. All the necessary parts i found in my “store” at home. A suitable case has been constructed in my favorite 3D drawing programm FreeCAD, the lower part is allready printed by one of my 3D printers.
The software is partly written, fart and other noise files are downloaded, the upper part of the case is beeing printed while i’m writing this … can’t await the next boring meeting 😀
Update#1 / Furzi or farty or farThing or fart thing
While waiting for the new PCBs for the FSpit i decided to to make the [WIP] to a [DONE] project 🙂 – The farting thingy is done now, but can’t fart right now … i need to to go to eat some beans before xD.
The software is working fine, except that some features of the MP3-chip (JQ6500) are not working as expected, especially checking the STOPPED status results in a strange behavior. But that doesn’t really matter, farty can burp, and will fart soon 😀
Daily hike – Reuss near Mellingen
Rainy, cold, wet hike along the river Reuss close to Mellingen, 201228
UGC2 – Case top part printed
After solving the nerve-racking clogging issue on the 3D printer i was finally able to print the case top part. I did not spend much time for a shiny finish, i will do that when i’m bored, which probably never will happen …
As always if a prototype is beeing build, there are small unforeseen issues in the design. You can take care of all what could be wrong, but there is always something wrong. The joystick can’t do a full move in both axes, the TFT display is not centered, the slot for the SD card is … , the footprint drawing for the NKK smart switches was wrong, all the keys are tilted slightly.
So now there is the big task to do a lot of programming and creating icons/sprites for the LCDs …
About it
Too many ideas, too less time …
… why should i spend time for this here ? – There are many reasons for me to start this blog. While the chemotherapy i had a lot of time to take care of many things which were “laying around” since many years. While searching for this and that in my home jungle i stumbled over many things i could not remember that i was engaged in. When i create and make a project, all the engineering is done with old fashioned paper work. If the project is done and working all the papers are landing on a big pile of papers … [DONE]
So i stumbled over many things done and a lot of unfinished thingys, collecting dust and rust. I found code i programmed years ago, i found circuits i soldered some day not knowing what it was for. Sorting out the pile of papers and putting all the papers in folders will take weeks and a lot of space, why not put all that into a blog, for me and everyone else who is interested in my boring hobbies …
geniusss rustronics 