FS-BUS Servo Guage Question

[Brian2sos]

Hello Everyone,

I hate for my first post to be a plead for help so I'll try to start off by introducing myself. I am committed to take on a flight simulator project.

The cockpit will be the test platform for a new motion platform design. The aircraft of choice is the p-51D mustang.

I have no problem with the button interfacing, motion platform etc. However, I am getting a little confused when it comes to simulated aircraft instruments.

The interfacing is what confuses me. After researching for several days, it seems the easiest solution would be to use servos and steppers to supply the drive. The FS-BUS servo board can control servos and seems the most "user friendly" as far as interfacing between FSX and the instruments.

However, some instruments would of course need a continuous rang of motion. This would require either stepper motors or a modified continuous servo. However, using the FS-bus a rang of 0 to 266 can be used to control the servos. In this case how would you control say an altimeter gauge or an acrobatic gyro?

I have read through Mike Powell’s “building Simulated Aircraft Instruments” which has a wealth of information as far as building gauges and even the controllers that operate using PWM signals.

How would you extract the data for gauges using FSUIPC and “send” that to the controllers.

If you guys have any input I would greatly appreciate it. If you know of any other way of doing this I would like to know.

I should also mention that I want to build the gauges myself and keep the controller for the gauges relatively low cost as well, less than $300.00 preferably.

Again thank you for your Help!

Regards,
Brian

[Brian2sos]

Any comments anyone?

I also found the opencockpit.com iocards which seem fantastic, but their shop is down. Do any of you know if they still sale items?

[HansJansen]

Any comments anyone?

I also found the opencockpit.com iocards which seem fantastic, but their shop is down. Do any of you know if they still sale items?

I have no problem logging in to my account on their shop... Certainly, they still are selling! They even add more products all the time...

[Mitch Hanby]

Hi Brian,

I have the same problem you have and I hope someone can help. I am building a general aviation cockpit using FS-Bus NG as the interface. I have already built the communications pcb, I/O pcb, and servo controller pcb. I have made a prototype switch panel that works. I then purchased Mike Powell's book Building Simulated Aircraft Instrumentation and I just finished my first gauge (turn coordinator) that uses 2 servo motors. I also want to make gauges using stepper motors (heading indicator, altitude indicator, etc...) where they need to move past 360 degrees but I also don't know how to write an application program to interface with FSUIPC. I would like to use FS-Bus but it currently cannot drive stepper motors and I don't know when it will be updated. Any help in interfacing with Mike Powell's gauges would be very helpful.

Best Regards,
Mitch

[Brian2sos]

Hey,

I actually have already bought several IOServo and IOstepper cards from open cockpits.com. The programing is very easy and most of my gauges require less than 6 lines of code. opencockpits does sale the stepper card controller and is accepts the photointerrupts required to calibrate. Check it out I recomend it to anyone.

Regards,
Brian