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  1. #1
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    Opencockpits IO cards

    Hello,

    I'm seriously looking at Opencockpits IO cards for my 'big' sim as they seem to offer the combination of value and flexibility. Are their cards easy to interface with FSUIPC? I see they have a programming environment to configure them. Does this mean the customer needs to purchase additional software to drive it, or be a C programming expert?

    Which other cards are worth looking at? I use Phidgets at present for their shear plug-n-play capability. However FS2Phidget isn't so flexible at times. From what I've seen, hooking up the SIOC cards is about nominating which input or output connects to which FSUIPC variable, and that's it. Although daunting because it IS programming, it seems so simple and convenient over using a graphical interface such as FS2Phidget, although not so much so if you make an error, no doubt.

    Any guidance from Opencockpit card users or people who've considered them, would be gratefully received.

    Paul
    VANCOUVER
    Jet fighter / single pilot sim, plus thinking of a 777 as a secondary sim.

  2. #2
    500+ This must be a daytime job 737NUT's Avatar
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    Software aka SIOC simply AWESOME!!!! Cards, quality is faltering. I suggest, buy the kits and build them yourself. At least then you have no one to blame but yourself. Stay away from the usb joystick card, rest are ok but have had allot of little annoying issues. For a complete and documented list of problems i have had, pm me. Just so you know, i have used OC stuff since 2002. Last `several purchases have resulted in some prblematic boards.
    Rob

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  4. #3
    500+ This must be a daytime job kiek's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Paul G View Post
    Hello,

    Any guidance from Opencockpit card users or people who've considered them, would be gratefully received.
    Hi,

    I'm using OC cards since 2003. I have 2 USB expansion cards, 5 Master Cards, 6 Display II cards, several pcbs for 7-segment display, several break out boxes, 1 MCP737NG and 1 USB outputs card.

    All run without any problem. If you are not skilled in electronics I'd recommend to buy the already assembled and tested cards (like I did).

    For programmng there are two possibilities, the basic IOCards software with a GUI type interface or the advanved SIOC programming language. If you have no experience with programming at all, I guess you better go for the basic version.

    For more information have a look at my website http://www.lekseecon.nl. There is a HowTo page about SIOC programming.

    And yes interfacing with FSUIPC offsets is very easy.

    Regards,
    Nico Kaan

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  6. #4
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    Thanks Rob and Nico.

    Nico I have been on your site a few times, not least because of your Level D work (in the days when I was into the 767). While I have no doubts I could solder the board, I simply have no interests in doing so unless it's $20 in kit form vs. $500 complete. In the case of OC there's actually little difference in price, so a no brainer.

    They advertise the Master IO board as having inputs AND outputs, as well as all kinds of other capabilities. Is this true? Are the inputs matrixed? I'm not incapable of programming. With the help of this forum I think I could achieve just about anything

    I figure I have to budget for the Master board with the extenders to allow easy connection to input/output.
    VANCOUVER
    Jet fighter / single pilot sim, plus thinking of a 777 as a secondary sim.

  7. #5
    500+ This must be a daytime job 737NUT's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Paul G View Post
    Thanks Rob and Nico.

    Nico I have been on your site a few times, not least because of your Level D work (in the days when I was into the 767). While I have no doubts I could solder the board, I simply have no interests in doing so unless it's $20 in kit form vs. $500 complete. In the case of OC there's actually little difference in price, so a no brainer.

    They advertise the Master IO board as having inputs AND outputs, as well as all kinds of other capabilities. Is this true? Are the inputs matrixed? I'm not incapable of programming. With the help of this forum I think I could achieve just about anything

    I figure I have to budget for the Master board with the extenders to allow easy connection to input/output.

    You can actually do what all the USB boards do thru the mater board, it just eats up I/O's rather quickly.

    For the record, i still think these are the best bang for the buck solution out there for serious sim builders who don't mind a little programming.

  8. #6
    500+ This must be a daytime job kiek's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Paul G View Post

    They advertise the Master IO board as having inputs AND outputs, as well as all kinds of other capabilities. Is this true? Are the inputs matrixed?
    Yes, 72 inputs, 38+7 outputs and you can connect up to 4 Display2 cards to 1 Master Card giving you in total 64 digits to control
    No the inputs are not matrixed (which is a lot easier, from a programming point of view)

    BTW I recommend to use the USB expansion board as a starting point, do not try to connect the Master Card to the parallel port.

    Nico

  9. #7
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    I'm not sure my computer even has a parallel port. So is the USB thing a Parallel - USB convertor, or a circuit board?
    VANCOUVER
    Jet fighter / single pilot sim, plus thinking of a 777 as a secondary sim.

  10. #8
    500+ This must be a daytime job kiek's Avatar
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    It is a special card that can connect up to 4 Master Cards and it also provides 4 analoque axis.

    You connect this card to your PC via USB, it has nothing to do with a parallel port.

    Nico

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    it sounds perfect then. If the analogue inputs are seen as joystick axis, i.e. configurable in FSUIPC, then that's even better. I need a few axis to play with so this is a bonus.
    VANCOUVER
    Jet fighter / single pilot sim, plus thinking of a 777 as a secondary sim.

  12. #10
    500+ This must be a daytime job 737NUT's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Paul G View Post
    it sounds perfect then. If the analogue inputs are seen as joystick axis, i.e. configurable in FSUIPC, then that's even better. I need a few axis to play with so this is a bonus.
    The master card and USB adapter will NOT be seen by FSUIPC. The analog inputs will have to be set-up with IOCards or SIOC. Sorry

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