IOCards & Displays

I'm looking at building my radio stack next and need some info about the IOCards from Opencockpits. How hard is it to interface the 7 segment displays with FS2004? I already have the switches, dials, etc connected with the GammaTron from Beta Innovations. The IOCards seem to be the most cost effective (outside of $30 to ship them) but I'm not familiar with how to interface the 7 segment displays to FS. Can anyone give me some insight on doing this? Or if anyone has a better/easier/cost effective solution let me know. I do know that Flight Deck Tech is out of the question...Too pricey for my budget. Thanks.

Hi

The hardware from Opencockpits is the easiest to use. It is very simple in getting everything to work through Opencockpits. The best way is to learn a bid how to program SIOC, not hard. It took me about a week to learn. Once you got the hang of it, you cant believe how easy it is. Just take an example file from the forum at Opencockpits, change it to your settings and that is all.

If you need a bid more help just ask. At the moment I am working ont he Overhead von PM and the MCP from Opencockpits. Which I have to say is great.

Hope that I could help you.

Cheers Norbert

PS SIOC is not hard to learn.

Hi,
Here a piece of SIOC code about how to not only use the IOCards DisplayII card, but also the Rotarie. Note that driving the Display is actually just two lines, one line in Var 3:

&D_HDG = &HDG

and one line defining the Display (3 digits):

Var 5, name D_HDG, Link IOCARD_DISPLAY, Digit 0, Numbers 3

Have fun with SIOC!

Cheers,
Nico


///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
//
// SIOC: How to read (Display) and write (change) a
// FSUIPC read/write variable
//
// The example details the AP HDG but other
// application area's are: AP SPD, VS, ALT
// VOR freq and CRS
// HF radio freq and CRS
// ILS freq and CRS
// ... and so on
//
// Note that your hardware and the sim are
// always synchronised, whether you are using the
// mouse or the rotarie.
//
//
// May 19, 2006
//
// Nico Kaan
// The Netherlands
// www.nicokaan.nl
// email: flightsim@nicokaan.nl
//
//
//

Var 1, name X_HDG, Link FSUIPC_INOUT, Offset $07CC, Length 2
{
// convert from fsuipc range to degrees:
L0 = DIV &X_HDG, 182
IF &HDG != L0
{
&HDG = L0
}
}

Var 2, name HDG
{
CALL &OutHDG
}

Var 3, name OutHDG, Link SUBRUTINE
{
&D_HDG = &HDG
// convert from degrees to fsuipc range:
L0 = &HDG * 182
IF &X_HDG != L0
{
&X_HDG = L0
}
}

Var 4, name RO_HDG, Link IOCARD_ENCODER, Input 36, Aceleration 4 Type 2
{
L0 = &RO_HDG // * -1 turning right should be plus
&HDG = ROTATE 0, 359, L0
}

Var 5, name D_HDG, Link IOCARD_DISPLAY, Digit 0, Numbers 3

Nico, you make it look simple :) I still have my IOcards sitting in a box (about a year now). With help like you just given, I look forward to get back at it again :)

Thanks Nico :)

Thanks for the info everyone. I'm ordering my IOCards tonight. I downloaded the SIOC information from opencockpits site and the powerpoint presentation actually does a decent job of explaining SIOC. Does anyone have any good resources that has tutorials, examples, etc that are well documented. Example code is good, but if it's not documented or explained it's tricky to figure out until you get the hang of it.

Thanks!

Hi,
There are some HowTo examples at the downloads page of my website www.nicokaan.nl

I have also a page on IOCards with a section explaining SIOC.

Nico

Hi,

I have programmed the full airbus cockpit in sioc. It look difficult in the beginning but once you get the hang of it. It is a very powerfull script language and quite advanced functions can be programmed with it. (ex airbus radio panel, airbus autobrake system,...)
If you need help just post in this forum and there are several guys who can assist you....no reason to keep the hardware in a box for a year, you know....
Thats what this forum is for ... right ?

Greetz Peter Depoortere

More than a reply it is a question. I have a 737NG OVH panel from
FDS working with its cards, however , the displays for LDG altitude
and CRS altitude are not functional.I purchased the I/O cards from
Opencockpits to enable these functionalities since FDS cards cannot handle rotary encoders or 7seg LED's . My problem is the actual wiring of the LED's to the 7seg card. My LEDS are on a mount card with a ribbon
connector as supplied by FDS. I am sure there is a way to connect this.

I must confess that I am not an engineer but I can solder cables :). As matter of fact, I wired some switches in th OVH myself. Programming is
not an issue for me, but wiring the hardware is since I have never wired
7seg LEDS.

I would appreciate any help from the pros :) . By the way, I already fried a rotary analog pot by wiring the negative wrongly to a phidgets card that
I used to make the rudder trim of the Cockpitsonic pedestal functional:(

Thanks

Ok. I was able to wire my 7seg's an rotary encoders.

Has anybody used Opencokpit s cards to interface to pmSystems.?

You better ask this question in the Opencockpits forum too, there are people doing that over there...

Nico

Thanks Nico. I will