My Simpit Project

[Just Jim]

Oh man, that is amazing!!!
I'm seriously drooling all over my keyboard... lol..... 

[Freshmeat]

On 15/1/2016 at 4:56 AM, Krewmember said:

Finally some progress to report!

I installed the glare shield, and the multi-function display on the commanders side , the monitor still needs a bezel but that's still in the works.

<snip awesome pictures>

Progress has been slow do to cold weather and a lack of supplies.   I'm hoping to have the frame for the overhead done by spring. We'll see...

 

This flew under my radar. It is really cool. What do you use for display, is it KRPC?

[Krewmember]

On 1/15/2016 at 11:56 AM, Starwhip said:

Awesome! I love how much data fits on the screen. Personally, I say readouts cluttered with info are the best kind.

 

Thanks. And since I'm probably going to have 3 monitors for displaying info 

On 1/15/2016 at 0:01 PM, Just Jim said:

Oh man, that is amazing!!!
I'm seriously drooling all over my keyboard... lol..... 

Thanks man

4 hours ago, Freshmeat said:

This flew under my radar. It is really cool. What do you use for display, is it KRPC?

No, it's orbiter MEDs that I found and photoshopped onto a image the same resolution as the monitor it's just for testing.

I have not had the time to get the software part of this project started.

[richfiles]

 

On January 15, 2016 at 9:56 PM, Krewmember said:

Finally some progress to report!
I installed the glare shield, and the multi-function display on the commanders side , the monitor still needs a bezel but that's still in the works.
Progress has been slow do to cold weather and a lack of supplies.   I'm hoping to have the frame for the overhead done by spring. We'll see...

Wow! I have no idea what you're using for that display, but it's impressive! That's gonna make one heck of a cockpit! Is that software on the computer, running off integrated an integrated graphics port, or is it a single board computer receiving telemetry? (**EDIT** A fake telemetry readout in a fake spaceship cockpit! Le GASP! Can't wait to see it done for real!) Regardless, it looks very professional! 

As for cold weather... I know how you feel. My own project has ground to a near stand still, as all my major wood and metal working tools reside in an unheated barn a town over, and that is far too cold right now to be venturing that far away, for that amount of time, to do that kind of work! 

Fortunately, I can still work on electronics, but cash flow has been slow, so parts are on a trickle supply. Furthermore, I've been focusing almost all my spare project time on my mechanical keyboard. It'll be only a couple weeks before the key caps show up, so it's a rush to finish by then. Very excited about finishing that project! It's oaky though... I'm really just waiting for 1.1 to launch, and for the mods to catch up to that... In the meantime, I'm busy having too much fun playing Fallout 4. 

I did have a major setback with my own project, specifically the FDAI (navball) controller. Turns out, an Arduino doesn't stand a CHANCE of communicating enough bits over I2C, or processing fast enough to control the raw data needed to feed the DACs at a sufficient rate to do the arbitrary waveform generation on 10 channels. one, maybe two channels, sure, but not 10. Fortunately, someone suggested a cheap DAC that featured an independent voltage reference input that allows me to use the DACs as attenuators. Now I only need to make a hardware 400 Hz sine generator, and feed that into the attenuator DACs... I only need to update those (x10) at the rate KSP sends telemetry updates, not at 400 Hz x timebase resolution x 10. Far more manageable! The good news, is that once I'm done with my keyboard, I think I'll go back to working on the FDAI controller. I need to actually BUILD the circuit... I've got almost all the parts for it already. Focus, me! Focus! 

The actual control panel itself has been untouched, cause the translucent synthetic paper (from Nekoosa paper products) that I plan to use for meter and control panel backlit panels... Is useless with a printer that doesn't print color well, anymore. When spring comes, I'll venture forth from my weather shuttered doors, once again, and find a print shop. Too darn cold! 

Anyhow, very, VERY awesome build you have going on, and that "glass cockpit" is looking mighty, mighty fine!

On January 15, 2016 at 10:56 AM, Starwhip said:

The fact that you have the Red Green show on greatly pleases me. I guess you really are a handyman if you can get that to work! XD

Well, if the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy! 

The new plan for it is to get one of those cheap little Raspberry Pi Zero boards (the ones that are super cheap). I want to set it up to play animations of the IVA and mission control characters (Gene Kerman, etc) at random. If I can make that work, then I'll mount the CRT in portrait mode. It'd be purely aesthetic. I don't know if it'd even have any interactivity, other than a "Coms" switch on the panel that will be able to turn it on or off.

That's one area where I plan to have non game switches to make it feel more "space capsuley". The various components of the system will each have their own unique power switches, with their own "DC Bus" or "AC Bus" supplies labeled ("DC Bus A", "AC Bus Aux", etc). I think it sounds like a cool, relatively "immersive" plan. 

Edited January 21, 2016 by richfiles

[Krewmember]

Quick update! I have started working on the caution and warning matrix

Its made out of polystyrene.

And I marked out and cut a hole in the dashboard for it.

 

I have also ordered some 5mm flat top LEDs and a MAX7219 matrix board. I will post a update as soon as i receive them

 

 

Shawn

 

Edited May 11, 2016 by Krewmember

[Ozymandias_the_Goat]

Love it so far. Take the kids to space...

[Freshmeat]

Nice work. I have had problems with the MAX chips if the signal is over long wires, the DP pin would not reliably work. It might have been the batch I was working with, but I will recommend hooking up so you do not use it. You have plenty of pins to spare with your setup.

[Krewmember]

4 hours ago, Freshmeat said:

Nice work. I have had problems with the MAX chips if the signal is over long wires, the DP pin would not reliably work. It might have been the batch I was working with, but I will recommend hooking up so you do not use it. You have plenty of pins to spare with your setup.

Thanks for the heads up, apparently the MAX7219 can cause electromagnetic interference so maybe that is why

Edited May 12, 2016 by Krewmember

[Krewmember]

The LEDs arrived in the mail today so I will get busy soldering them together.

I also glued the back of the annunciator on.

[Krewmember]

LEDs are glued in place

[stibbons]

On 5/12/2016 at 7:26 PM, Freshmeat said:

Nice work. I have had problems with the MAX chips if the signal is over long wires, the DP pin would not reliably work. It might have been the batch I was working with, but I will recommend hooking up so you do not use it. You have plenty of pins to spare with your setup.

That's weird. How long are you talking about? My setup uses three MAX7219s chained together, and somewhere around 12 inches of ribbon cable from the board carrying the controllers to the display boards. Only problems I've had were purely user error.

On 5/12/2016 at 4:19 AM, Krewmember said:

LEDs are glued in place

Looking good!

[Krewmember]

14 hours ago, stibbons said:

Looking good!

Thank you 

 

I did get the LEDs soldered together. but I hooked up the MAX7219 wrong and let the magic smoke out of the chip

I will just order more MAX7219s

[richfiles]

Max... MAX!!! NOOOOOOOOO!!! 

Looking good though! You have anything planned for the other 3 columns the MAX7219 chip supports? Is that gonna be other panel lights, or are you ignoring the columns?

 

Edited May 15, 2016 by richfiles

[Krewmember]

I'm not sure at the moment.

Edited May 15, 2016 by Krewmember

[Krewmember]

The annunciator is still on hold do to a lack of parts, but I have been working on other things why I get more parts.

 

I finished the translation controller panel

Just need to modify the arcade joystick so I can push and pull for forward and backward translation

I also started work on the main flight stick pedestals. For the flight sticks I'm using Logitech Attack 3's they are cheap to get and have no twist for yaw, which is good because I'm going to use a set of CH Products Pro Pedals for yaw control.

 

I also closed off the pedal compartments.

 

Edited May 26, 2016 by Krewmember

[richfiles]

I am enjoying being creative and trying to pack as much Apolloishness onto my own desk mounted controller as I can...
Still, it is truly a shame I can't find the room for something as truly awesome as your simpit! Keep up the awesome work! 

This is a truly inspiring simpit! 

[Krewmember]

I'm glad I can give some inspiration back to all you awesome people

[johansen]

What about sitting horizontal?

[Krewmember]

1 hour ago, johansen said:

What about sitting horizontal?

I'm not quite sure what you mean, can you explain?

[richfiles]

He means having the seat laying you on your back, either partially or fully, to simulate a launch position...
That would be pretty hardcore, but probably not something comfortable for long term play. 

[johansen]

4 hours ago, richfiles said:

He means having the seat laying you on your back, either partially or fully, to simulate a launch position...
That would be pretty hardcore, but probably not something comfortable for long term play. 

It could be toggleable haha, i was thinking on the apollo simulators

[Krewmember]

Now I see, thank you for clarifying

I guess it could be done, but at this point in the build all I can say Is maybe

 

Heck, if I were to make it go vertical why not just make a full motion platform

[Freshmeat]

Looking good. Someone was working on a translational mode for an arcade joystick, The idea was to place it in an enclosure with rollers and a micro switch front and back, and a spring to make it return to zero. Cannot find it right now, but it might be a way to go.

[stibbons]

45 minutes ago, Freshmeat said:

Someone was working on a translational mode for an arcade joystick,

I believe the thread you're thinking of is this one. 

 

[Sputnix]

On 5/12/2016 at 7:26 PM, Freshmeat said:

Nice work. I have had problems with the MAX chips if the signal is over long wires, the DP pin would not reliably work. It might have been the batch I was working with, but I will recommend hooking up so you do not use it. You have plenty of pins to spare with your setup.

 

On 5/13/2016 at 0:24 AM, Krewmember said:

Thanks for the heads up, apparently the MAX7219 can cause electromagnetic interference so maybe that is why

Not sure if this is going to help; I had issues with my 7-segment controllers too (6 in total, all connected together).

You can read about it here. Or you can query this post I found talking about it.

In short: 

Quote

There was discussions about SPI and data lengths. These people were trying to run SPI lengths of like 30 feet, or something silly.

Anyway - one commenter mentioned that they twisted the clock and data lines together to eliminate interference.

I figured I'd do a test-try to see if this would work. I twisted the cables of both the lines from the 7-segment, and the respective lines from the flex cable - and it works!

Keep this in mind if you're having any issues with GPIO assigned SPI devices!

This may help eliminate issues. It did for me!

Oh and excellent work
It's looking amazing! I would definitely go with a fully mobile simpit (if I had time, money, space) - but a fully enclosed experience is just as good!

Edited June 20, 2016 by Sputnix