Pretty sure I felt Obi-Wan's hand on my shoulder as I completed this!



Some might have seen my post in the DCS forum's Firehouse/Hollo Pointe thread, saying that I saw the Saitek multi panels review on the front page, immediately wanted a switch panel, and then found out they can't be used with DCS. I was pretty bummed out.

I was searching around to see if there was any kind of programming fix when I stumbled across TigersharkBAS's great switch panel building tutorials on Youtube. It just blew my mind that it could be so simple! (Huge thanks to Tigershark!)

If I could just get the same kind of screw-terminal board and switches he used, I wouldn't even need to solder anything (and I did not know how to solder anything)!

Well, I live in Tokyo, so that part proved pretty hard. I was an amazon/google ninja for two days, using every combination of search phrases I could think of and just turning up ridiculously expensive PCBs with loads of features I didn't need. Then I found the blog of a guy who put together a 757 cockpit in his apartment, and in one of his older posts he was showing a cheap, simple PCB he bought for making a switch panel. Equivalent $24... I was sold!

Of course, the thing wasn't assembled, so I'd have to become a soldering expert using Youtube during the two days before the freshly-ordered PCB arrived. I found three great tutorials and one terrible one, so luckily I also knew what not to do^^

There was also something else about this that seemed like a bit of an adventure... to get switches, I could go to Akihabara and actually be a foreigner who is in the Electric Town for a reason! My wife was watching from nearby while I chatted with a switch shop owner, and she told me later that tourists kept on stopping to see what I was so interested in

In the meantime I picked up wire, soldering iron set, wire stripper, clamp, work mat (no garage in this tiny apartment, so I had to use my desk), plastic project box, and some sticker printing paper for the labeling.

So... tools and parts... check. Slightly nervous self... check.


Two hours later... (felt like a half hour)


Next day, switches...


Threading the wires into the PCB was a nightmare. Ended up snipping 2-3 strands off each just to get them to fit.

Then, I did the embarrassing thing of burning holes in my project box using the soldering iron. It worked fairly well, but breaking off the ridges of plastic around the holes with a pair of pliers afterwards was a real pain. Some of you may be shaking your head in dismay... yes, I do not own a drill. Subtract 1 man point. Also, the soldering iron is gonna need a hefty steel wool clean.

Wired up & ready (couldn't take a steady picture one-handed):


And finished! I'm not too happy with the sticker sheet... the black rubs off easily, leaving bluish smudges. But it'll do! No CNC machine handy for cutting the lettering myself^^

Tigershark's I/O thread in the DCS forum had some more great tips for getting the thing working in DCS... so now I have an Armament HUD Control Panel!
The PCB only has 12 inputs, so the ALT SCE and NORM/STBY switches are non-functional (I never use them anyway).

So... I've taken my first step! Somehow I don't think it'll be the last!
Of course, this is nothing compared to the works of art on display in this forum. Thanks to absolutely everyone who posts in here - every idea and tip has been a small inspiration!

Hahahaha!! You're doomed, DOOMED!! Resistance is futile!!




Anyway, very nice work! And you're right, it won't be the last!

Anyone have a link to that I/O thread?

g.

Hey Gene, here's that thread (specifically the useful page):

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=65998&page=26

Only thing I can't seem to do under the current DCSW options is make two-way switches NOT change the setting if they're the wrong way round when the mission starts (not a problem with the TM Warthog so it must be possible). Anyway, for the time being I'll just be making sure they're the right way round when I enter the jet^^

As requested in the Firehouse thread, here's a quick parts list/instruction guide for this switch panel:

TODAY'S RECIPE: ARMAMENT HUD CONTROL PANEL (serves one)

Ingredients:

[PCB]
XRay version: http://btos.jp/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=58
Your version: http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=235

[Switches]
4 x normal size ON-OFF-ON switches
1 x small size ON-OFF-ON switch

3 x normal size ON-OFF switches
2 x small size ON-OFF switches
(these can be ON-ON, in which case you just solder one side only)

[Wire]
Enough wire for 15 connections between your switches and your PCB, PLUS a different colour for daisy-chaining ground wire between each switch and the GND socket on your PCB.
(In my case, my PCB only had 12 input sockets/pins, so I used 12 connections and left two [useless] switches non-functional)

[Box]
Google "plastic project enclosure", etc. Or ask an old man in Akihabara, who will point you on a path of magical adventure to a project box seller.
I used a 9x6x17cm ABS box with a simple unscrewable lid. MAKE SURE YOUR PCB WILL FIT IN THE BOX! Mine did because it's tiny. Yours may not because it's huge.

[Also]
Heatshrink tubing if you need to insulate soldered connections to your switches. I mostly didn't, but it was vital for the smaller HUD DAY/NIGHT switch, etc.

Tools:
Wire stripper, screwdriver, plus soldering iron and tiny tiny bird pliers if you have to solder anything to your PCB or switches.
Buy a cheap & cheerful clamp if you need to solder switches - makes it easy to hold them upside down.

Let's get started!
1)Cut your wires long enough to be able to comfortably take the lid off your box without tugging on the PCB when it's all put together.
2) Strip off about 15mm from each end.
3) If you bought screw-terminal switches, just screw the wires in place. If not, it's solderin' time. Take care:
- On two-way switches, one terminal (ON) goes to the PCB input. The other (OFF) is your ground. We'll cover that in a second.
- On three-way switches... you get the idea by now I'm sure, but the middle terminal is your ground.
4) Daisy-chain a wire across all your ground terminals. This means, your first switch will have just one wire going from the ground terminal. Then you twist that wire together with the next for your second switch (so you have two wires going together to the ground terminal on your second switch) and so on until you reach your last switch. This one also has two wires, but the second goes to the GND socket/pin on your PCB. Simple!
(To make it easy to arrange the switches in the box, I ordered my ground wires MASTER ARM -> GUNPAC -> LASER -> TGP and so on down the switch panel.)
5) But XRay... is this really a circuit? One wire to the switch output... and a ground wire? Well, that's what I thought, and the answer is... it's magic, okay. Just magic.
6) Connect all your ON terminals to the PCB inputs. Don't worry about the order since these can be easily configured later in DCS.
7) Set your switches in your box, being mindful of what direction they are. You may have drilled holes in your box. Well done! You are not a failure. If you burned holes in your box with the soldering iron, welcome to the failure club! It's cosy and full of wrecked soldering irons. (Breaking off the resulting plastic ridges is easy with a fine pair of pliers... but it will take an hour or more.)
8) Mount your PCB in your box. Mine came with handy sticker-bottomed mounting pads. You may need some "circuit board standoffs." Get googlin'!
9) Close the box, and insert a USB cable through the hole in the side you hopefully remembered to make.

Your switch panel is now complete!

Programming:
Your PCB may need proprietary software (mine did) but it's bound to be very simple. The Groovy Game Gear board I think doesn't need anything.

Just head into DCS and you'll notice your new switch panel has been recognized by the sim and added to the list of input devices. Set your switches to their off positions, and start adding commands!

Now the (only slightly) tricky part: download Notebook++ so you can edit the .lua for your switch panel. Find the .lua in Users/Saved games/DCS/Config/Inputs/[Your board name]. Then, follow the examples here:
http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=65998&page=26
...to double up the inputs so that when your switch is NOT on, the in-game switch reverts to "OFF" or "TEST" or whatever.
Basically, you'll look for the "down = bla bla KablammoSwitchOn" command, and add in an "up = bla bla KablammoSwitchOff" command. Even an ape like me can do it! Save your .lua, and when you go back to the sim, it should all be working correctly.

Congrats! You are... as cool as me, I guess! Congrats?

Great job!

Unfortunately, you're working at a higher level than I was looking for. Thanks for the link though!

g.

Nice looking project, I think I need to make something similar. I was also on the fence about the Saitek controls. Like that I can just buy and play. But as I fly other sims then FSX, it would have been nice to be able to resuse the there also...

Does anybody know where to buy the GP-Wiz40 USB input controllers in Europe? Or have a good idea for an alternative (preferable without soldering needs).

Leo's Boards ship from the UK, they suport more axis and are similar priced, the simpler versions at least, but you may need to use diodes with that one to avoid ghost presses, he does have a version that doesn't require it though.

Do you have a link?

Is this what you're looking for ?

http://www.leobodnar.com/products/BU0836X/


cheers,

Andy

Yea that is just what I need

Now I need to begin finding out what switches to use, on-on etc.