Kerbal Control Panel - Mk II

[mountaineerman]

After building my first Control Panel for Kerbal Space Program back in 2014 (reddit link),

I am happy to report that after playing with the mk I console for the last 3 years, the almighty Kerbal Winds of Inspiration have filled my sails and I intend to embark on another sleep depriving build: with even more lights, switches, gauges, and a proper stand for Jebediah!

 

I will try to update this as regularly as possible, as the build progresses. Stay tuned!

 

Milestones

•  Create post
•  Power Plan
•  Find good joystick. (4-axis potentiometer-based, and cheap!)
•  Evaluate existing electronics stockpile
•  Preliminary Documents:
  • Electrical Schematic(s)
  • Arduino Pin Assignment
  • Bill of Materials
•  Purchase Electronics
•  Cardboard Mockup
•  (WIP) Computer Aided Design (Fusion 360)
•  (WIP) Electrical Circuit Verification
• Build Aluminum Casing
•  (WIP) 3D Printing
  • Toggle switch tips
  • Switch guards
  • Precision twist switch handle
  • Analog gauges
• Assemble/Solder/Build Modules
• Programming:
  • Class Diagram/High Level Design (tool: ArgoUML)
  • Learn Version Control (using: Git and TortoiseGit)
  • Detailed Design
  • Implement & Test
• Design Mission Checklist

 

Documentation
Github repo: https://github.com/mountaineerman/KCP2

Pictures!
Found the interface for loading pictures via imgur was quite painful, so here is the google photos album:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/uBJ7KsR7KzYfuSmy6

CAD Model (Fusion 360)
TBD

Edited April 18, 2020 by mountaineerman

[Dimas152]

gud work bro, more pics?

[mountaineerman]

More pics, as requested 

[keb]

That looks fantastic, and I'm really happy my work inspired yours!

 

For the gauges, you can get them for much much cheaper than on adafruit.

I found mine on aliexpress: 45€ (~50$) for 25 pieces.

 

I couldn't really understand why you plan to use a separate power supply.

Each motor operating current is 15mA, so not more than a LED. With 12 of them that would be 180mA max. In reality the motors will not draw the current at the same time, so the actual power requirements are lower than that. But even with 180mA, it is still with the specification of the 5V output of the arduino.

[mountaineerman]

Thanks! I wish I had known about aliexpress, but too late now I suppose.

My reasoning for using the secondary power supply is a concern that I will overload the DC-DC converter on the Arduino. My preliminary tally is to drive 127 input/outputs. Along with the 12 stepper motor coils, it would be a substantial load on the dinky 3x3 mm converter - quite certain to overheat it.

[keb]

Indeed, if you have that many output that might become a problem, especially considering the voltage drop.

Anyway, don't hesitate to ask if you have some questions about those gauges.

[mountaineerman]

Thanks, will do!

[Freshmeat]

That looks really good. Especially the gauges, I have never been able to afford stepper motors and rely on two LCD displays for primary information; they tend to get cramped. I found that the ability to switch between airplane and rocket enabled me to expand my use of spaceplanes from novelty items to actually useful LKO crew shuttles.

Do you plan to use your regular joystick (from first pic) for attitude and the potmeter joystick for translation?

For power, I can heartily recommend a salvaged computer PSU. Has 12V, 5V and 3V directly with enough amperage to never worry again, and most of the time they are practically free if you know the right dumpsters. I saw the idea at @stibbons, credit where it is due.

[mountaineerman]

In my experience, using an off-the-shelf joystick was quite inconvenient: switching between rocket/plane mode (yay, mods!) used to be a hassle, and at times I found the sensitivity to be more difficult than just using the keyboard.

One of the key elements of the Mk II Konsole is it aims to customize the joystick experience. As I see that you have done @Freshmeat, I intend to add sensitivity control too - but mine will be a selector twist-switch with settings of 25/50/75/100% sensitivity. Additionally, I plan on using the one joystick for it all! Translation, Rotation, Rover-ing (mode selectable via a 3 position toggle switch), as well as Rocket and Plane mode (toggle switch).

Thanks for the tip about the PSU - if I run into any issues with my wall-adapter, I will check it out!

[Freshmeat]

In the rebuild (effectively IIa), I use a joystick similar to yours for attitude and a $2 thumb joystick for translation. Having both makes docking a lot easier. I ended up skipping the sensitivity control, something I regret. If you drive a lot of rovers, you will be happy about your momentary brake button, link it so your throttle goes to zero when it is pressed.

A suggestion: Your joystick has a top switch, which you could use for translational/attitude toggle. Then the selector switch could change rover/airplane/rocket modes, which then could also change what your gauges show. Airspeed is a must for planes, does not matter to rockets. Ap/Pe are only significant for orbital maneuvers, but my pilots have been saved by knowing their NS and EW deviation from the runway in the worlds most primitive ILS. For a rover, knowing actual slope of the hill you are climbing greatly assists in planning the course and deciding when to pres the brake button.

Good luck on your endeavor.

[mountaineerman]

I like your idea about using the top switch on the joystick for switching rotation/translation, I will use that.

Good point about wanting to know the angle of slope for a rover, I will add that in too!

Thanks very much for your ideas, is your own mk II project still in progress?

[Freshmeat]

Thanks, the code I used for slope calculation is:

slopecalc = acos(cos(VData.Pitch*0.01744)*cos(VData.Roll*0.01744))*57.3;

It gives the slope of the ground in degrees based on the assumption that the vehicle rests flat on the ground. Be aware, however, that two cosines and an arccos is rather expensive, I figure I could make a lookup table but ended up only checking every half second.

I never really did much work on Mk II after installing the altitude autopilot last year, instead I actually played the game and did a full infrastructure for interplanetary adventures, with a four kerbal mission to Vall to prove it. Programmed a few functions to display distance, velocity and a linear estimation of time to a target if the navball is in target mode, and finally some warnings in the annunciator. Late spring I started collecting pieces for a Mk III, using acrylic glass and laminated prints for the cover. I want to upgrade to a Leonardo to incorporate the USB keyboard directly into the rest of the control scheme, and make a proper matrix keyboard instead of using an old phone keypad. Programmable LED chains (WS2811) are going to replace MAX7219 driven red/green diodes, and the layout of the controller gets a throughout update based on lessons learned. That project then got sidetracked first by a summer trip to the Polar Circle and then by my daughter wanting an armor for LARP; I have been cutting, drilling polishing aluminum lamellae since mid October for a Christmas gift. I got enough 1 mm plate for two armors for €80, and another €20 for new tools is still a lot cheaper than the €300 a bought armor would cost.

[mountaineerman]

Are you converting from degrees to %incline? Haha, my partner teases me about how ever since I've become obsessed with this again, that it's been months since I've actually played the game. Wow! Those are pretty awesome projects. How was the polar circle?

[Freshmeat]

The incline is in degrees. I think it might be cheaper to do percent, but I am not entirely certain how to calculate it. And I have had long periods off the game while the controller got refitted as well, it adds to the lifetime of the game

Scandinavia is great. We live in Denmark, and took the trip by car, sleeping in our tent along the way for two and a half weeks. The actual crossing of the Polar Circle was marked by a campy tourist center, but the rest of the trip was beautiful woods and mountains, and sunshine almost all the way.

[mountaineerman]

3 hours ago, Freshmeat said:

The incline is in degrees. I think it might be cheaper to do percent, but I am not entirely certain how to calculate it.

I think I am missing something - isn't VData.Pitch just the incline of the rover, assuming the probe core is oriented the right way?

3 hours ago, Freshmeat said:

And I have had long periods off the game while the controller got refitted as well, it adds to the lifetime of the game

Best $27 dollars I ever spent was on this game! No other game has ever come close to captivating my imagination, fueling my interest to learn more about space exploration, and pursuing it as a career!  

3 hours ago, Freshmeat said:

Scandinavia is great. We live in Denmark, and took the trip by car, sleeping in our tent along the way for two and a half weeks. The actual crossing of the Polar Circle was marked by a campy tourist center, but the rest of the trip was beautiful woods and mountains, and sunshine almost all the way.

Sounds like a beautiful trip. I am so glad for this forum! I live in Vancouver, Canada. There isn't that many of us who want to build these control panels, so it would not be possible to connect with like-minded people without the internet.

[Freshmeat]

On 12/22/2017 at 4:46 PM, mountaineerman said:

I think I am missing something - isn't VData.Pitch just the incline of the rover, assuming the probe core is oriented the right way?

The pitch is indeed the incline of the rover, and important information. However, equally important is the incline of the ground, as that determines how directly I can go up a slope, if at all. For example, my Eve rover slides at 17 degrees, and looses speed if it goes up an incline of more than 13. So if a given slope is a few degrees above 13, I can still climb it if I don't go head on. If it is more than 17, I need to find another way.

[mountaineerman]

Ah, I think I understand now - thanks! Mentally picturing that at perpendicular to the slope, it is all pitch that indicates the slope angle; and parallel to it, it's all roll. Now I see why you need both!

[mountaineerman]

Cardboard Aided Design - complete!

[KerbolExplorer]

wow thats so cool

[KerBlitz Kerman]

Now all you need is a Razer sticker for your controller...

For the necessary MX switches on the controller...

https://pimpmykeyboard.com/dsa-relegendables-pack-of-10/

or

http://www.maxkeyboard.com/custom-backlight-compatible-keycap-for-backlit-keyboard.html