Generic question re USB interfaces

[Barrykensett]

Have been flying around happily using Jeehell having made a number of hardware changes. I am left with one problem, my FDS FCU is an early standard and is not recognised in the software, I have been flying with that in a graphics window but want to try and get the hardware working. I know G2 the interface card is actually made by CP Flight but it is not recognised as that either. Up to recently I used AST software and they produced a G2 interface but it is very buggy and as I learnt that I was the only person ever to buy it so I am not getting any support.
Prompts a generic question. Is there a software programme that can tell me what signals are being sent out from a uSB interface card when I press switches etc? I then wonder if there is other software that would enable me to define what offsets should be sent relating to the outputs. I don't see anything in FSUIPC. I would need something user friendly as I was brought up before computers were invented.
JL helped me my MCDU's working with using a custom cfg but it occurs to me that if there is some generic method I can sort myself out.
Barry
www.a320sim.com (http://www.a320sim.com)

[JD-Slow-Thumbs]

Some related information that might help,
I am trying to build a helicopter collective that would be recognized as a joystick with sliders, through research I learned that some variations of Arduinos are just USB-Serial-Devices, while other variations are USB – Human Interface Device HID-Keyboard/Mouse/Joystick. The key difference is the main chip, the USB-HID variation has a 32U4 chip I think, U for USB.


If your parts are “just USB-Serial” then there is no way to get your computer / windows to recognize it as a HID-Keyboard/Mouse/Joystick.


Good luck
JD


I might be only a day ahead of you :)

[Barrykensett]

Yours is a different problem which can be solved using Leo Bodnar, Open Cockpits or similar joystick cards. My FDS FCU has a custom card built in which can be interfaced with AST software. The G2 card was actually made by CP Flight and is used in many 737 FCU's so probably will work with Prosim 737 but that is the wrong aircraft.
I had thought of stripping the card out of mine and replacing with Open cockpits joystick and display cards; I know how to do that but it is a bit drastic.
Barry
www.a320sim.com

[brianwilliamson]

Gooday Barry, I made my own MCDU's some years ago and I made the switches as a Matrix and used a card from Opencockpits:
http://www.opencockpits.com/catalog/usbkeys-kit-p-52.html?cPath=21_35
which was fairly easy to get going.
Perhaps look at the wiring setup and if it is a matrix, which is most likely is, then it is fairly easy to hook up to one of these cards.

Hope this helps....................Brian W.

[Barrykensett]

Thanks for the comments Brian. I made my own MCDU nusing OC bits but the FCU is a bit different. I know how to build one from scratch but I have an FDS one which I wanted to keep using but the G2 card seems only to be supported by AST (and not very well). I could rebuild but it is not as easy as grabbing the wires and putting them in OC cards as all the switches, LED's etc are on a printed circuit board so it really is a back to square one. I thought of buying a new one but the appearance would not match except the FDS one and that is the most expensive.
Barry
www.a320sim.com