This one is actually for a member of this forums who contacted me! Same idea as above, but with a bigger screen and the ability to slide it out from the top.
AND everyone needs a good autopilot system… This follows the same panel size as my previous 2 panels and can be mounted in the enclosure(s). I’m experimenting with mini touch buttons and creating more realistic buttons, but will most likely make a version utilizing the easy-to-use round buttons like the Garmin. Knobs and up/down wheel are also 3D printed.
If anyone is wanting to build and prototype these without waiting for me to make them available to the public, just give me a holler! I don’t want to release it until I have made them myself and verify it works as intended, but I don’t mind someone beating me to it.
This is just amazing. I was thinking to try to build a yoke with force feedback, the prices are a little bit unjustified from my point of view.
What puts me off these projects is the PC interface part. For a yoke I was reading some instruction and it seems still doable using standard drivers, but for something like this, how do you interface it with the game?
@ExpertBog216000,
The lovely brilliance behind these builds is they can use a USB Development board like a Teensy. In my first build(s), I used the Teensy 4.1. For the GPS and autopilot, I’m going to order the LC (low cost) board since I don’t need as many inputs.
It literally shows up as a “joystick” in Flight Simulator and I can program it as such. For toggle switches, I was able to work around the constant-on button bug (messed up adjustments via keyboard or joystick to your heading/altitude) by programming a joystick button press for on, then a “shift” joystick button if you will and the original button… Other methods is just as a normal toggle, or using the “set” function in-game to register whether the switch is on or off and replicate it in-game.
Programming is easier than you’d think. Using the libraries and examples included on the Teensy website, you shouldn’t have much difficulty at at.
For your project specifically, you can have up to 6 axis’ so a yoke would be possible if you can figure out the mechanical aspects of a pot or hal sensor. I bet it could also be possible to pull from Sim Connect and control some servos through it too for your force feedback. That’s out of my territory right now, but imagine its not impossible. I would LOVE to build something like this someday… Though I think I may tackle a throttle quadrant before a yoke…
Thanks Daniel (I’m trying to change my stupid ExpertBog name but I still have to find how to do it)!
See, my problem is that I design and build hardware, so when you say that you buy the board I think, come on, PCB layout is easier than you’d think and when you say programmer is easier than you’d think I reply, no, that’s pure black magic to me
I have been searching on internet and found that Microchip (I have all the development stuff for those controllers) has the libraries for the USB stack, so that side should be covered without too much swearing.
But you are right, I haven’t thought about that: MSFS will see it as a joystick and can be mapped as you like.
For the force feedback, my idea was to use a combination of motor and springs. I had many years ago a force feedback joystick that was some sort of direct drive, but I have the feeling that a motor linked with a spring to the control will give a more realistic feedback.
Well, it’s a matter of trying. But thanks for the hints and for putting your project online, it’s really fantastic.
Hi Daniel,
If your 3d printer supports pausing the print, (and if your face panel is facing up when you print the part), you can pause the print as soon as it starts printing the lettering, unload the filament, then load a white filament and restart the print. End result is it prints the text in white on a greay background and looks ok.
Thansk
PaulyFSPauly
Finished the autopilot panel but I cannot find keybinds for heading sync, altitude sync, VNAV, and IAS. Any help would be greatly appreciated in finding what these keybinds are called. It ticks me off some of what we can change… like air conditioning… yet we seem to be missing more critical functions!
Thanks @WzdOz for the suggestion. Just installed FSUIPC and will play around to see if I can come up with something.
I think I may be out of luck for VNAV… it doesn’t register an event when the virtual cockpit button is pressed in FSUIPC, so don’t know how I will get that one working.
As for the Heading and Altitude, I can see they are linked to “AP_HEADING_BUG_SET” and “AP_ALT_VAR_SET_ENGLISH” respectively, but I still have the same issue of it setting the value to zero (0), just like if I used the in-game GUI to program the button… Seems like I need to find a way to link “Parameter” to my current heading and altitude to get this to work.
Mocked up. Gonna make some faceplate changes. Then have to wire up. I was going to use a Pro Micro but realized I only get enough switches If they’re momentary not constant on. So I’ll use your Teensy board and sketch.
Its been a minute since I updated all of the files, but there’s been a good reason; I have been busy creating more panel designs! To make things easy, I have opted to create a page on my website to keep all my files easy for me to update. You can find them here.
For those wanting panels specific to the X-Cub or Cessna 172, you can find these new panels there too!
Not pictured are the under-desk mount, angled mounts, and linking brackets.
Additionally, you will find my under-desk mount for my saitek throttle quadrant; I wanted to have a mounting system where I could easily remove it for when I’m not playing MSFS. This also angled it slightly to allow easier manipulation of the controls.
Lol @soupy3712111, No one asked me to make that one, but I thought someone WOULD… Beat them to the punch only to find I was too late for you! Well you can do ANOTHER build. Honestly, I like what you have better than the new 172 panel.
I think the only thing that will stop me from using your new 172 panel is I don’t wanna buy more switches.
I plan to add more encoder knobs to the upper for more AP/radio functions like you have on the new panel and I’ll probably re-order the exterior light switches to match the 172. Love tinkering.
Well @soupy3712111, I was thinking about making some half width panels… tell me what you want or better yet a quick sketch or something and maybe I can get one going for you!
In total, there are 6 enclosures and 1 DIY front panel (blank, print and drill, or add your holes where you want). The front panel has an outline showing you the cutout size of the enclosure; keep your hardware inside this and you should be golden! The 6 enclosures are split into left and right, with a vertical, a 15-degree, and a 30-degree just like the full size panels. If you were so inclined, you could build a set like I pictured above… It’d look cool, but waste a lot of plastic! But hey! It would still be cheaper than buying pre-made panels… and they work without additional plugins!
Like the others, I have dumped them into my Google Drive.
As people build any of these panels, I would love some feedback… I’m really getting ahead of myself with how many I’ve designed and haven’t been able to print them all to check fit & function.
but I still have to find how to do it)!
