homepage

Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel

Posted By: LazerPotatoe

Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 11/01/07 04:52 AM

Hi Guys,

Here is a quick tutorial on creating a simple, inexpensive USB panel.




UPDATE: I've moved this tutorial to my website, so I can keep it up to date easier.
(for example, the APAC controller website does not seem to work any more, so I've provided some alternative easy controller board alternatives)

Easy SIM Panel Tutorial


Posted By: GrizzlyT

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 11/01/07 08:15 AM

Our little Lazer's not a virgin anymore.......Oh, they grow up so fast.

Seriously, nicely done.
Very clever using the CD drive enclosure, too. I just love that kinda stuff!
Your sitting around thinking, "How the hell am I going to do that?", then the lightbulb in your head lights up...."What if I try this?"......
In the end, 0% cost and 100% ingenuity.

Keep up the good work. You're well on your way to a complete lack of disposable income. \:D
Posted By: HitchHikingFlatlander

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 11/01/07 07:13 PM

Very cool, I need the extra inspiration right now, trying to get back to my control box project. Does that board support rotary encoders?

EDIT: NVM I checked the link! \:D
Posted By: GrizzlyT

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 11/03/07 07:25 AM

There are plenty of encoder boards out there (Opencockpits, Hagstrom, etc.) but most are kinda pricey, for what you get.
Unless you need it to control an axis (or to respond to acceleration) and you're just mapping key presses, you can get away with using a simple pulse switch.
(Sometimes referred to as a "knitter" switch, too.)

A pulse switch is dual-pole, momentary contact, rotary switch that sends out a different stream of switch pulses, as it's rotated CW or CCW. Your controller sees it as two momentary switches and it doesn't require a control voltage either. The key feature being that unlike a standard dual-pole rotary switch, when you rotate CW, it sends out only CW pulses. The same for the CCW rotation.

I get mine here: @ Mouser

A very easy way to get rotaries, into the cockpit!


Posted By: Coot

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 11/05/07 12:37 AM

That is great looking! I love seeing folks make stuff like that and being creative. So does this guy have a usb wire and plug that comes out of it now? And now it can be programmed? Neat stuff.
Posted By: LazerPotatoe

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 11/07/07 07:13 PM


Yes, there is a 6-foot USB cable coming out the bottom of the panel.

You just plug it in to your PC, and it shows up like a joystick. (in Control Panel->Game Controllers)

Then you run the SVMapper program that I mentioned above and setup your mappings.

So for example, I flip the top-left switch up. SVMapper sends an 'f' key to the Sim, which turns the flaps on. I flip the top-left switch down and SVMapper sends another 'f' key to the Sim, which turns the flaps off.

Thanks for the questions.

I think I will add more detail about wiring to the tutorial, and maybe make a video of the panel in action.

Cheers,
Posted By: Coot

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 11/08/07 04:57 AM

I'd love to try something like this out. I've never done any electronic soldering before but maybe with some patience and taking my time I could do something like this. I've never done anything with electronics before but I do small wood working projects and other things and love working with my hands and tools. Do you have to have electronics know how for something like this?

I wonder if I could find some pre-fabricated electrical boxes or something to that affect at home depot for the actuall houseing. That's what's neat about this though, I'm sure there are several things you could come up with.
Posted By: LazerPotatoe

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 11/08/07 06:29 AM

I really don't know much about electronics, and I didn't use any electronics knowledge to build this.

All you need to know is:
how a basic single-pole, single throw switch works
how to use a drill
how to solder


Here's a good video intro to soldering:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=BLfXXRfRIzY

For enclosures, also consider Radio Shack -- they have different sized metal and plastic enclosures specifically for electronics projects.
http://www.radioshack.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=2032276&cp=2032058.2032230

Or just use a tupperware type container. Paint it black -- no-one will know ;\)


If you DO want to learn more about electronics, I recommend "Getting Started with Electronics" by Forrest Mims.
http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Started-El...94503283&sr=8-1
(no affiliate crap)

Also, this guy also has some good introductory videos on electronics:
http://youtube.com/user/electroninstructor

You can do it. Just do some research, and take it one step at a time.

Cheers,
Posted By: GlynD

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 11/08/07 12:38 PM

Cheers for this excellent tutorial. I do have a couple of questions regarding switches...

If the switch is not "momentary" (i.e only sends a single pulse when switched to the on or off positions)can the SV Mapper just send a single keypress command instead of a stream (i.e. like if you were holding down a particular key)?

Also am I right in my understanding of switches that there are 2 basic types i.e. momentary and not?

Cheers
Posted By: LazerPotatoe

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 11/08/07 05:46 PM


 Originally Posted By: GlynD
If the switch is not "momentary" (i.e only sends a single pulse when switched to the on or off positions)can the SV Mapper just send a single keypress command instead of a stream (i.e. like if you were holding down a particular key)?

Exactly -- that's the beauty of it. You use software to change from "always on/always off" into momentary keypresses.

Otherwise we would be stuck with only using momentary switches with this board.

Posted By: Coot

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 11/08/07 08:11 PM

Because the electronic board has screw-sets on the poles, does that mean the only soldering is done at the switches? Also, do you place anything under the chip inside the cd drive case or is it just sitting loose on the inside? Is it ok for it to be touching the metal on the inside of the case?
Posted By: LazerPotatoe

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 11/09/07 04:44 AM

 Originally Posted By: Coot
Because the electronic board has screw-sets on the poles, does that mean the only soldering is done at the switches?
That is correct.

 Originally Posted By: Coot
Also, do you place anything under the chip inside the cd drive case or is it just sitting loose on the inside? Is it ok for it to be touching the metal on the inside of the case?
Forgot to mention that. I just used a piece of cardboard between the card and the case.
Posted By: Coot

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 11/11/07 01:18 AM

How would those rotary knobs you bought work? Does it have to be wired to several of the chip's polls or just one and then the software takes care of it?
Posted By: LazerPotatoe

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 11/11/07 02:26 AM


It is possible to use potentiometers(pots) with the board, which can give you an analog range of motion. So, in theory, you could even create custom joysticks/pedals with these. If you use pots, you also may need to use resistors as well.

Or you could use a multi-position switch, but it would take multiple poles/terminals.

Or you could use one of the pulse switches that GrizzlyT mentioned above, and it would take 2 poles. But it would take some crazy custom programming with AutoHotKey, and would only tell you if you were turning it up or down. (is that right Grizz?)

I've never done any of these things, so maybe someone else could pipe in.

Cheers,
Posted By: Coot

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 11/11/07 03:46 AM

So toggle switches and push buttons are the way to go without getting too techy? It will be a challenge enough as it is for me just to figure out the wiring and soldering. I look forward to trying out and building the actuall case.(That's more within my means) I think I'm more worried about figuring out the wiring and then the programming software.
Posted By: GrizzlyT

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 11/12/07 09:29 AM

 Originally Posted By: LazerPotatoe
...Or you could use one of the pulse switches that GrizzlyT mentioned above, and it would take 2 poles. But it would take some crazy custom programming with AutoHotKey, and would only tell you if you were turning it up or down. (is that right Grizz?)...

Well, I'm not sure it would take any crazy programming. (Not any more than any other switch.)
It's basically just 2 momentary switches. It has very light detents that, as you rotate it, triggers the momentary switches. I think there is aprox 12-15 detents per revolution. So, if you rotate the knob CW, then one switch will "pulse" out momentary switch closures for every detent and the other switch will do nothing. Rotate it CCW and it's reversed, with the second switch sending out "pulses" and the other one does nothing.

The three type of rotaries you have mentioned have different applications and limitations. You need to ask yourself what it will be controlling?

A. A potentiometer (pot) can be wired up to the A-Pac and other controllers. However, doing so usually assigns it to an axis (X,Y,Z,Xrot, etc.) If you want your rotary to control an axis, for example to control a rudder, then a pot would be what you want. It also depends on your software. Because some apps (like TM Cougar software) allow you to re-map the axis to keypresses. So, in a round about way, a pot can control keypresses....just not natively.

B. A rotary switch (Multi-position) is best used when each detent position has a different function, or uses a different keypress. (For example, a radar mode switch. Position 1 is ground radar, position 2 is air radar, position 3 is FLIR, etc.) Each position is a fairly stiff detent and it's own seperate switch, so depending on how many positions it has, that's how many switches you will need to assign/wire-up.

C. A pulse switch is best for natively controlling keypresses, or when your software doesn't allow for an axis pot to be re-mapped. A regular rotary switch (Even a dual-pole one) will send out switch closures for each pole, regardless of the direction of rotation and they will all be toggle switch closures. Whereas, a pulse switch sends out momentary closures and only triggers one switch (pole) at a time, depending on the rotation. It would be for something like a range knob. Let's say the sim uses R for radar range increase and Shift+R for decrease. You map the CW switch to the R key and the CCW switch, to the Shift+R key.

Then, there is the limitations of your hardware and it's software. An A-Pac allows pots to be assigned axes and allow toggles....A Cougar allows pots to control axes and to be re-mapped to keypresses.....a USBKeys does not allow either pots or toggle switches.
So as you can see, it does really depends on the limitations of your controller and what you are trying to control.
Posted By: DD-Sloan

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 11/24/07 09:39 PM

Thanks for the details Grizzly. I went out to radioshack and got a bunch of project boxes and switches. I started thinking about it and I think I may have a little problem.

Let's say I want an "on/off" switch to activate and deactivate a plane's wing strobe lights. Upon switching it from off to on, the keyboard encoder will send the "L" key turning them on. The problem is, if I'm correct, when you turn the switch from the "on" position to the "off" position, the switch won't send a signal. Theoretically I need it to send the "L" key again. Is this possible, either from a wiring standpoint or a software standpoint?

Also, I'd rather not use the switches which are momentary (and which automatically default to a netural state) if I can help it. I'd like, for instance, for the wing strobes to be on when the switch is in the "on" position and off when it's "off".

Sorry if this isn't worded in the clearest manner, it's sort of confusing in my head as well. \:\)

Any help is GREATLY appreciated. I can't wait to get started.
Posted By: LazerPotatoe

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 11/24/07 11:49 PM

 Originally Posted By: DD-Sloan
Is this possible, either from a wiring standpoint or a software standpoint?

Yes, from a software standpoint -- it works.

 Originally Posted By: DD-Sloan
The problem is, if I'm correct, when you turn the switch from the "on" position to the "off" position, the switch won't send a signal.

You are correct that the encoder does not send a signal at that time. But the SVMapper software (mentioned above) can detect the change from a steady "on" signal to no-signal, and will send a keypress at that time.

 Originally Posted By: DD-Sloan
Also, I'd rather not use the switches which are momentary (and which automatically default to a netural state) if I can help it. I'd like, for instance, for the wing strobes to be on when the switch is in the "on" position and off when it's "off".
Yes, I am using on/off toggle switches(with no neutral position) to do similar tasks to what you have mentioned.

I will try to post a video soon which may help to clear things up.

Good luck with your project -- let us know how it goes.

Cheers,
Posted By: 531 Ghost

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 11/25/07 12:14 AM

Nicely done LazerPotatoe!
Posted By: LazerPotatoe

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 11/25/07 09:42 AM


Thanks Ghost!

BTW, I'm a little concerned that the cost of shipping for the A-PAC may be high for people outside North America. ( see related post )

Anyone know of similar cards that are built on other continents, which could be used as an alternative?

The criteria for the controller must be:
  • show-up as a joystick or game controller in Windows;
  • be inexpensive;
  • use screw-in terminals (break-out board)

I'll do some research too. Thanks in advance.
Posted By: 531 Ghost

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 11/25/07 11:20 AM

Well, what I've done in the past is, take the PCBs out of, controllers/joysticks. Now that typically doesn't fit your third criteria, but, if you know how to use a solder sucker/wick and a soldering iron, it's not that big a deal.
Posted By: Sokol1

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 11/26/07 10:47 PM

 Quote:
Anyone know of similar cards that are built on other continents, which could be used as an alternative?


With U$10 of worldwide postage - from England- the best option (IMO) is BU0836.

Dont use screws terminals, but their fitting terminals are easy to set up, and in any way a project like this requests basic knowledge of welding.

Sokol1







Posted By: GADGET

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 11/27/07 10:03 AM

For me the best solution is the SimMeters iBoard.

Check this out: http://www.aviadoresvirtuales.org/foro/index.php?topic=3657.msg41571#new
Posted By: AD

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 01/27/08 03:26 PM

Just ordered an A-PAC this evening, looking forward to trying to make something that resembles your panel!

I don't really have a great deal of tools, or any kind of work shop (I live in a condo), but overall this project doesn't seem too demanding. The only trouble I'm having currently is sourcing a metal box to mount the panel in. The CD drive is a great idea but mine are (fortunately) all functioning.

I considered buying some steel and working it into two pieces to look like this:
(cross section)

 Code:
 
 ___
|   |

|__|


I would mount everything in the top section and drill 2 holes on each side. They would be fastened together with nuts/bolts.

 Code:
  _____
-||___||-



Both top and bottom pieces would be identical in width. Another reason I like this idea is that it would allow a sloping of the top of maybe a 20 or 30 degree angle.

Sorry for the poor ascii art!

Cheers
Posted By: AD

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 01/28/08 11:20 AM

Well I thought of something else; A biscuit tin.

I made this up this afternoon. Still needs to be painted obviously, and as you can see the buttons are not really in particularly neat rows. It's not easy knocking holes in a box like this with a screw driver and a hammer that my girlfriend describes as "cute". \:D

I was going to put another 4 toggle switches in the front side (where I drew those two parallel lines but as soon as I started trying to hammer the holes the side started to collapse.



I'll post another picture when i've finished painting it.
Posted By: GlynD

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 01/28/08 02:53 PM

Why not use the lid? You can turn it back to front and cut the holes etc from the reverse so that it does not bend (i.e. it is on a flat surface and supported) when you are whacking it with the hammer!

Cheers
Posted By: 531 Ghost

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 01/28/08 03:24 PM

You could even use a Project Enclosure...
Posted By: AD

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 01/28/08 03:41 PM

 Quote:
Why not use the lid? You can turn it back to front and cut the holes etc from the reverse so that it does not bend (i.e. it is on a flat surface and supported) when you are whacking it with the hammer!


The reason I didn't use the lid was that I wanted to put switches onto two surfaces of the box (top and front). If I had used the lid for one of those surfaces, then I would of needed to solder a ground wire from the switches on the lid to the switches in the main box. Doing so would of prevented the removing of the lid.

I could probably find some books or wood to put in the box to support me banging holes in the front, however as this is a first attempt I'm quite happy with the panel as it is. 8 momentaries and 1 toggle should be enough functionality for now. If I want to increase the functionality I can always buy another box of cookies! \:D
Posted By: AD

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 01/29/08 03:38 PM

I hooked up a power supply (USB), a resistor and an LED and did a quick test of all the switches today. The blue switches are fine and work as planned, as does the toggle. The white switches however appear to work in reverse. Depressed = On, pressed = off. Is this going to be a problem? I presume in the SV mapper tool I can it set up the white buttons so that the "Mapped key on press" is blank, and the "Mapped key on release" performs the key press?

Cheers
Posted By: 531 Ghost

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 01/29/08 03:50 PM

Swap the wire placement on the white buttons?
Posted By: LazerPotatoe

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 01/29/08 04:59 PM


Switches can be Normally Open (NO) or Normally Closed (NC). I think the problem is that the white switches are Normally Closed (NC).

I think you're right -- SVMapper should handle the reverse key presses.
Posted By: GrizzlyT

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 01/30/08 04:38 AM

Lazer is correct. The switches are NC and by the look of them, the wires probably cannot be swapped. Like most momentary switches, I'm guessing they only have 2 terminals and not an NO side and an NC side??? (Like some toggle switches have.)

Be very aware of your controller's limitations and your future design plans, when using these type switches! Even though some software may allow reverse mapping, alot of controllers have limits to how many NC closures they can handle at one time. This may severely limit the rest of your design, or worse cause keypress conflicts.

Personally, I avoid using them, at all costs. They're more trouble than they're worth!!!
Posted By: AD

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 01/30/08 09:07 AM

Thanks for the confirmation and information gents. The current state of progress:



Slightly less like a biscuit tin and slightly more like a controller. I have yet to start on the wiring . I'll post a picture of the insides once I'm done.

 Quote:
Like most momentary switches, I'm guessing they only have 2 terminals and not an NO side and an NC side??? (Like some toggle switches have.)


This is correct, only 2 terminals and swapping the wires makes no difference. I'll email ultimarc and find out how many NC switches the controller can handle.

I have some toggle switches with 4 terminals I presume that means one side is NC and one side is NO? The terminals on the on side appear to be slightly wider apart than on the off side. Does anyone know how to wire up these 4 terminal toggles so that the LED inside the switch will light when the switch is closed?

 Quote:
Even though some software may allow reverse mapping, alot of controllers have limits to how many NC closures they can handle at one time.


Is there any way to tell whether a 2 terminal switch is NC or NO simply by looking at it? Some kind of marking or configuration of terminals? I live in a foreign country and it's difficult to communicate these kinds of questions to the people working in the electronics shops here.

 Quote:
Personally, I avoid using them, at all costs. They're more trouble than they're worth!!


I could pop them out and replace them with the 4 toggle switches I have, but as I'm making this for EECH where there generally less things to toggle I'd prefer to keep momentaries. I'll wait for ultimarc to come back to me and I'll found out if there are any issues.

By the way, for anyone else new to switches I found this tutorial:

http://www.bcae1.com/switches.htm

The diagram at the bottom is especially useful for visualising toggle switches.

Cheers
Posted By: GrizzlyT

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 01/30/08 10:41 AM

 Originally Posted By: AD
I have some toggle switches with 4 terminals I presume that means one side is NC and one side is NO? The terminals on the on side appear to be slightly wider apart than on the off side. Does anyone know how to wire up these 4 terminal toggles so that the LED inside the switch will light when the switch is closed?

No. If they are lighted switches, then two of the terminals are for the switch and the other two are for the LED. (There should have been a wiring diagram, on the packaging?)

 Originally Posted By: AD
Is there any way to tell whether a 2 terminal switch is NC or NO simply by looking at it? Some kind of marking or configuration of terminals?

There may be markings, either lightly moulded into the side of case, or silkscreened on the side but not always.
Again, the packaging should have the number of poles, number of throws, throw configuration, and switch type listed.
(e.g. DPDT (on-off-on) toggle switch...meaning a double pole, double throw toggle, with up and down being closed and the center position off, or NC pushbutton (mom)...meaning a momentary contact pushbutton switch that is normally closed.)

 Originally Posted By: AD
I could pop them out and replace them with the 4 toggle switches I have, but as I'm making this for EECH where there generally less things to toggle I'd prefer to keep momentaries.

I am not suggesting you discount the use of momentary switches at all. In fact, I use them all the time.
Only that NC pushbuttons are trouble.
Posted By: AD

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 01/30/08 11:05 AM

 Quote:
No. If they are lighted switches, then two of the terminals are for the switch and the other two are for the LED. (There should have been a wiring diagram, on the packaging?)


They don't seem to be functioning in this way. I've found that wiring to the terminals on either side of the switch will allow the switch to function. Neither side appears to light the LED. I've also found that using the terminals on either side the switch, results in NO operation. There's no packaging because I found these switches loose in a box and merely took 4.

 Quote:
There may be markings, either lightly moulded into the side of case, or silkscreened on the side but not always.


The only markings I can see on the side are:

6.5A - 250V
13A - 125V

Which I presume is the maximum stated current/voltage the switch can take.

 Quote:
I am not suggesting you discount the use of momentary switches at all. In fact, I use them all the time.
Only that NC pushbuttons are trouble.


Understood. I'll most likely go back to the electronics store this weekend and ask if they know which switches are NO and will replace the 4 NC switches with those. I've used SVmapper and a normal flightstick to try to "simulate" having 4 closed switches producing keystrokes on release and it seems to work ok.

My current plan is for this panel to be a target aquisition system and counter-measure panel. If everything works out as planned I'll most likely do a second panel for controlling weapons and radar functions.



Cheers and thanks for your help.
Posted By: AD

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 02/01/08 10:38 AM

A quick update for anyone interested;

I replaced those NC switches with NO switches.
Also, this weekend I'm going to make a second panel for controlling the more general aspects of the helicopter.



I bought 8 of these switches. I believe they are double pole, single throw. Hopefully this type is ok?

LazerPotatoe,

I noticed that in your first post you state the A-PAC can take a maximum number of 28 switches, whereas on the website it says it can handle 32. Am I failing to understand something?

Here is the latest progress:





I was thinking about making 2 MFD controller panels. Each would have 9 or 10 buttons and would allow me to directly select which MFD page to display on each MFD rather than have to cycle through, which can be clumsy and slow.

Cheers
Posted By: AD

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 02/02/08 04:03 AM

I shifted things about a bit and decided to make the final panel a radar controller.



Fabrication is complete and I'm pretty happy with the quality of the unit considering the humble components. The 3 units are held together by a total of 4 bolts. Two horizontal bolts connect the left and right panels together, one bolt connects the top panel to the left panel, and one bolt connects the top panel to the right panel. There are rubber 'feet' on top of the left and right panels. These allow the top unit to be pulled down tight on the bottom units and prevent any wobbling.

There are 2 holes in the unit that allow cables to run between the top and left panels into the right panel. The A-PAC will sit in the right panel. The only wire that will feed externally is the USB cable. The overall unit feels suprisingly sturdy, however I need to find some way to stop it wanting to fall over backwards. Any ideas?

There is just some soldering left to do, and then of course the painful wait for my A-PAC to arrive. Once it arrives it *should be* as simple as screwing in all 28 wires (25 switch wires + 3 ground wires) and setting up a profile.



Can any one recommend a good method of stensiling/writing the switch descriptions?

Cheers!
Posted By: GrizzlyT

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 02/02/08 01:40 PM

 Originally Posted By: AD
I...The overall unit feels suprisingly sturdy, however I need to find some way to stop it wanting to fall over backwards. Any ideas?...


You could attach angle brackets, at the back corners.
You could put lead or steel plates, along the bottoms of the lower cans, for more weight.
You could use Velcro strips, on the bottom, to hold them down.

Posted By: AD

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 02/03/08 02:55 AM

Thanks for the suggestions. The unit is very light so I think the lead plates could work, it's just a matter of trying to find some.

I think I may go with angle brackets. It should be easy enough to find some shelf brackets and modify them for my needs. Using brackets I can also place them in a way that they will grip the sides of my PC so that the unit won't yaw.

Wiring is complete and I only burnt myself with the soldering iron once! ;\) It's amazing how many meters of wire you can get through. I used roughly 5 meters of red wire and 3 meters of black.

I'm considering building two of these in the future.



Cheers
Posted By: AD

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 02/05/08 02:19 PM

I'm struggling to find a way to stencil on lettering. Does anyone have any tips for doing this?

Cheers
Posted By: Mike Powell

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 02/05/08 04:11 PM

I used to use white dry transfer lettering then give it a few light spray on coats of clear matte finish. Worked well. Problem today is finding a supplier. Computer drawing programs have reduced the need from transfer lettering, but you might find an online art supply store with some.
Posted By: GlynD

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 02/05/08 09:57 PM

This any use? http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BRJCDS?smid=ARLZM71758WOV

Cheers
Posted By: AD

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 02/06/08 09:27 AM

Thanks for the tips Mike, if I can find those I'll give them a go.

I managed to buy a plastic stencil similar to this.



The letters are about 5mm tall and it should be perfect for this job.

GlynD,

Those look like the sort of thing I'm looking for.

Cheers and thanks for the help
Posted By: AD

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 02/06/08 03:37 PM

Well I tried with the stencil and a tiny brush and it looks blimming awful. Don't even think about attempting it unless you are Picasso reborn with the eye sight of an Eagle and arms as steady as a CNC machine.
Posted By: AD

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 02/08/08 12:31 AM

Here's the final unit.



In the end I decided to go with Grizzly's idea of using angle brackets. I actually screwed them into the table to get the unit feeling really secure. Hopefully the APAC should arrive today.

Thanks again for the help.

Cheers
Posted By: ZappaTime

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 02/22/08 11:55 PM

My recent switch box, using the A-Pac unit - which will actually give you a total of 62 inputs with its shift function, the red labels on the panel are the shifted function of either the push-to-make switches or the momentary toggle switches (I've used both (on)-off-(on) and (on)-off-on types), some are un-allocated in the panel layout shown for IL2:




Posted By: Beercamel

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 02/23/08 02:38 AM

 Originally Posted By: AD
Well I tried with the stencil and a tiny brush and it looks blimming awful. Don't even think about attempting it unless you are Picasso reborn with the eye sight of an Eagle and arms as steady as a CNC machine.


Check out this link if you haven't seen it already..

http://www.mikesflightdeck.com/center_pedestal_4.htm
Posted By: AD

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 03/06/08 12:11 PM

Nice work ZappaTime! That's a very neat wiring job. Good use of the switch function also.

 Quote:
Check out this link if you haven't seen it already..

http://www.mikesflightdeck.com/center_pedestal_4.htm


Thanks for the link.
Posted By: Kodiak80

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 01/19/10 01:47 AM

I recently decided to give LazerPotatoes excellent tutorial a shot. I have to say this was well worth it, the A-PAC is incredibly easy to use, and the added functionality is fantastic. I love being able to start up my P-51 with toggle switches. That said, I've already realized that there are some things I wish I had done differently. I used the switches available from my local Radio Shack, which was almost exclusively toggles and rockers, and I added one 6-position rotary. However, momentary (on)-off-(on) switches would have been a good addition. I'm thinking about doing another panel, this time with a little more fore-thought. Before I start, I just wanted to ask a few questions:

- Has anyone used a pot with the A-PAC? If so, for what and what software did you use to assign functionality?
- Is there a maximum number of controllers that Win 7 will accept? With my X-45, Saitek Peddles, and one panel now, I just want to make sure there is room for expansion.
- Any recommended sources for momentary switches? I've searched Digi-Key, which has an overwhelming selection. I'm not a hardware guy and readily admit its a bit overwhelming.

Appreciate the help
Kodiak80

Posted By: Sokol1

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 01/19/10 02:10 AM

Quote:
Is there a maximum number of controllers that Win 7 will accept? With my X-45, Saitek Peddles, and one panel now, I just want to make sure there is room for expansion.


Windows Direct Input accept up to 16 joysticks.
And from each joystick see 8 axis, 32 buttons (you overcome this with keymapper software), plus HAT.

But depend of game too, IL-2 see only four controllers. Old games, ie. Red Baron 3D see only one...

Sokol1
Posted By: Coot

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 01/20/10 03:43 PM

I have few other questions.

1. What type of wire do I need? Does it have to be a certain gauge? I have an old power supply I'm no longer using that has tons of wiring on it. Can I re-use that? Red and black wire. Is that two different hots?

2. Do I have to solder the switches? Can I just tightly wind the wire into the poles and put a dobble of hot glue on them?

Thanks for your help and patience with my questions.
Posted By: GrizzlyT

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 01/21/10 11:14 AM

Originally Posted By: Coot
What type of wire do I need?

Most wire will work. It depends on what you are using it for. I would stay away from solid core wire and stick with stranded wire. Otherwise, they will eventually break from flexing and re-positioning.
You don't want to use wire that's way bigger than you need, though. Electrically it's bad and it takes up too much room and is difficult to route.

Originally Posted By: Coot
Does it have to be a certain gauge?

For 110v, I use around 14-16ga. For most DC panel wiring, I use 20-24ga. For triggering keyboard encoders and such you can use lighter stuff still. (I often use ribbon cable, which I think is 26 or 28ga.)

Originally Posted By: Coot
I have an old power supply I'm no longer using that has tons of wiring on it. Can I re-use that?

You can but it's a bit of overkill. Besides, the cost of a few small spools of wire isn't that much!

Originally Posted By: Coot
Red and black wire. Is that two different hots?

On a PC power supply there are three colors...Red, black, and yellow. Red is positive wire, for 5vdc. Yellow is the positive, for 12vdc. And the black wires are the grounds. (In a 4 pin molex, there are 2 blacks. One ground for each positive voltage.)

Originally Posted By: Coot
Do I have to solder the switches? Can I just tightly wind the wire into the poles and put a dobble of hot glue on them?

It's your world squirrel!!! You don't have to do anything that you don't want to do.

Having said that....it's a very bad idea. eek
You can find switches that have blade connections and use crimp-on connectors instead, if your soldering isn't up to par.
However, this will seriously limit your switch choices. (In this hobby, you really should just get used to the idea of soldering.)

And don't go practicing on your final product and ruin it, either! Practice on some scrap wire/parts/PCBs, for a while.
Just keep in mind... flux is your friend. yep
Posted By: LazerPotatoe

Re: Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive Panel - 01/12/13 10:23 AM

shameless bump biggrin
© 2024 SimHQ Forums