Hi guys!
Had a little chat with Trevor last night, and promised to put up some pics of my flight setup and the switchbox and radiostack I am currently tinkering with.
Tinkering, because I got the boxes working with FSX back in 2015 already, but the interface software for it does not exist anymore, and I mostly fly MSFS2020 nowadays - which does not communicate with FSUIPC 4 for some reason beyond my comprehension. It does use FSUIPC 7, however, and there is a new interface software since 2015 that does not only talk to FSUIPC, but also to SimConnect directly. That means that ALL variables in MSFS2020 are in principle accessible and quite litterally the sky is the limit.
So I am now in the process of converting my switch panel to this new interface software: Mobiflight (
mobiflight.com).
The switch panel is based on the cockpit layout of "my own plane", the Aquila A210. I designed it to be able to build some tactile and muscle memory while practicing procedures during my PPL training. Here's a little video of the startup sequence of the Aquila, simulated in FSX with the trusty C172:
https://youtu.be/rFKc2pCc0oQLeft to right: starter (key) switch, ALT/BAT, Fuel pump, Avionics, Anti Colision Lights, Strobe Lights, Landing Lights, Panel Lights, Flaps switch, Flaps Position indicator LEDs.
It's just rocker switches with only on/off positions, and a couple of multi-position rotary switches ans three LEDs. The biggest challenge at the time was to program the LEDs to stay on while in transit, until the next position is reached, in both directions. But as you can see from the video, it worked then. Now, with MobiFlight (MF), I have not gotten that bit to work correctly yet, so I settled for the LEDs being off while in transit and indicating a position when "locked" in that position. Much like gear LEDs, So far, I have been able to convert the switch box without changing it, so I can still go back to the old FSX functionality. But I tink I may have to rewire differently to solve the Flaps Position Indicator LEDs problem. That would be a point of no return, but then again; I don't really fly FSX anymore, so that should not be a problem.
My current situation is in the attached picture. On top of the Saitek yoke, there's the switch box, and on top of that is my radio box that currently only works with FSX. I am going to make something entirely new to repalce that, and it will be more lake a real Bendix King radio stack. On top of the box you can already see an Arduino Mega, with an 8-digit 7-segment display unit attached, which is displaying the active COM1 frequency 122.800 (Unicom). I will need one of those for COM1/2 Active and standby, NAV1/2 Active and standby, and one for the Transponder value. Maybe I will also do ADF and/or DME as well, as I have them in my current radio box (and I sometimes use them, especially DME). There will need to be rotary encoders for all of those to set values, and momentary switches to toggle active / stand by. So that's my second simpit project I have going on.
I'll post pictures and stories as I *slowly* progress. But be warned: this takes time. I am not in a hurry, and I have lots of other projects and not much free time to do it all in. But I guess that holds true for most of us
