Posts

Posted on

Hat Switch mode added for a B8 stick thumb joystick

While testing a stick for last two weeks, I honestly couldn’t find a use for analog axes on a thumb joystick of a B8 stick grip. But, from time to time I noticed that  I could use a regular hat switch instead. So I decided to add an option for that to a master sketch.

#define B8_POT_MODE “HAT_SW” // HAT_SW or ANALOG

HAT_SW is now a default option (as I believe most users will find this behaviour natural), but you can always change it back to ANALOG and get two 8-bit axes, e.g., for searchlight control or something like that.

Download an updated .ino file from GitHub.

Posted on

Thoughts on sensitivity of controls

I have been testing new hardware more thoroughly and noticed, that different sims have very different controls sensitivity settings (and ways to adjust it).  More than that, some of the sims tend to react on even the slightest jitter from Hall effect sensors and ADC (which is really almost nonexistent), while others ignore it completely.  That means that often, there’s a need for per-sim or even per-aircraft setting.

Simchair MKIII cyclic and pedals are sensitive enough to emulate the control response of lightest and twitchiest helicopters out there. But what if you feel it is too sensitive for the particular helicopter model you want to fly? Or, maybe the sim you are flying in treats joystick sensitivity settings differently, or even doesn’t have proper controls settings at all? What if setting curves is not what you want, but your sim doesn’t have any linear sensitivity adjustment options?

Continue reading “Thoughts on sensitivity of controls”

Posted on

A better resolution for cyclic and pedals

While experimenting with adjusting controls sensitivity for different sims, I have found an interesting thing: in fact, the ADS1115 is so precise its values can be used without filtering at a 15-bit resolution! It is rather impressive 32768 points per axis. I can’t say the difference is as huge as between 8 bit and 12, but it depends on the game. For example, while I  only felt a marginal difference in DCS and X-plane, it was very noticeable in Arma 3. That’s why  I added an ADS1115_RESOLUTION constant to the master controller sketch.

You can set ADS1115 resolution like that:

#define ADS1115_RESOLUTION 15 //from 12 to 15 bits

I am now curious if changing a connection scheme of an ADC to a differential one will give even better results!

You can download an updated .ino file from GitHub.

Posted on

Helicopter pedals assembly manual added

You can find it here. These are a further evolution of Simchair MKII pedals, which were based on a simplified Mi-8 mechanics. The design turned out to be so simple and reliable, mostly aesthetical changes were made to it, along with some other improvements, including added centering, strengthened frame, and better ergonomics.

Posted on

A new beginning

Hi guys, hc625ma here. As a number of Simchair peripherals increases and they became more polished and sophisticated, the need for adequate documentation for the project grows. I think a better organization of files will help as well. All the software is now on GitHub, as every peripheral will have its own Arduino board (or ADC) inside from now on. This site will also be the place where I will be able to post development photos and a to keep a dev blog, and hopefully, receive feedback from you.

So, welcome aboard!