MobiFlight Community Support

Hi everybody,

My name is Sylvain and I'm French. I have been intrigued and fascinated by airplanes for a long time, especially by the big Airbus planes ✈️

That's why I've been using x-plane for 2 years now and I'm particularly interested in interfacing x-plane with external physical elements, without going so far as to build a complete cockpit...

In this context I was confronted with the reproduction of the rotary switches, in particular of the cockpit of the A320.

There are many "commercial" switches but I wanted to respect the number of positions and the angle between each position.

Some switches have a large number of positions and therefore a reduced angle between two positions, others like the WIPER speed selector have a high angle between two positions (because only 3 positions).

After various ideas and prototypes, I arrived at the solution that you can visualize in images here.

The idea is to use a potentiometer and to simulate the positions through magnets. The position of the notch is "felt" by the attraction force of the fixed magnet and the magnets on the wheel.



The system is quite functional.

In absolute terms, it is possible to create atypical angles between positions such as:
1st position: 0°
2nd position: 20°
3rd position: 40°
4th position: 80°

In addition to being able to determine precise angles, the wiring is reduced. On the model in the picture, the "rotaray switch" has 6 positions but only a wire connected to an analog input can detect the 6 positions.

Perhaps this idea can give others ideas some

See you!
Sylvain

Hi

Thank you for the Input.
In base its a nice idea.... But it also have some Disadvantage.
Create the Inputs based on a Poti is more work and advanced in MF as to simply use a MultiPos Switch with simple single Press Commands for each Position.

Also the needed switches are available..... All we need is a 30° and a 45° switch. With those we can already solve 99% ....
The 1% e.g. 90° can be done with both by remove detents.
In theory also only 30° work by using Cogwheels.

I will not say your way is wrong.... Cause its a cool and smart idea....
But ask yourself why nearly every other cockpitbuilder use cheap 30° Rotarys instead.
At the end.... In the time you mount and build this magnets and where you build the deeper configs you would also wire and solder the additional Pins of a Rotary Switch.

Hi

Thank you for answer

I understand this kind of solution to acquire positions is not easy with MF (because not « firmware designed » for this I believe).

In a more global system, acquiring through potentiometer is a way to save 5 inputs in the case of 6 positions « switch ». Only one wire needed to get 6 positions, instead of six. Add a MUX and you can get 16x6 positions with just 1 ANA input + 3 DIG inputs = 4 wires.

Sorry, I don’t understand your sentence : « At the end.... In the time you mount and build this magnets and where you build the deeper configs you would also wire and solder the additional Pins of a Rotary Switch. « 

See you

Sylvain

I mean the ammount of time to build your switches and to configure them in MF is higher then using 12 Pos Rotary Switches.
Sure you need to solder 7 wires instead of 3 wires (Poti) for a 6 Pos Rotary Switch. But still faster then build your hardware.

Basically its always a question between Cheap and Easy. And here "Easy" is our prime concern.
If we implement a new UI Feature to define e.g. 6 Spots on a Poti and to set 6 different commands.... This is something new the users have to deal with.
In current system Inputs are done for all latching stuff same way.... The same UI and the same Wire Logic for Momentary Buttons, Latching ON/OFF and also for Multi Pos Roatry.

So i understand what you like to say.... But this "Save Pins" Philosophy is not our main target.
MF is still "cheap" cause you can use a Arduino for 10$ instead of expensive OC Boards (50$) in the past.
So it is not a main thematic for us to allow e.g. using of 200 Inputs with just 5 Pins by using Mux or whatever.....
200 Inputs need 3 Megas for overall 30$ For me this is cheap enough !

But sure.... If a user contribute code here and build this new feature.... AND .... Sebastian like the idea and the implement in the UI.
Then those things will come !

Hi

Thank you for your answer and yours precisions about the sentence I was not sure to well understand. All is clear now.

No problem, the aim of my post was just to share "ideas"

See you !

Sylvain