My DIY Cessna 172 Cockpit
(work in progress...)
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In this page i will try to document my work on the Cessna 172 cockpit i'm building, which may help someone trying to build the same. Even if not the same, you might get ideas for some of the components. For this project I'm using as much DIY as i can to spend less money. Until now it has cost me around 80 Euro (not including some parts i already had). It is not finished yet but i can fly with it. The 22 inches monitor looks too small but i'm focusing on the cockpit for now. I have 2x22 inches monitors to put in front and later i'm planing to use one projector and 2x22 inches monitors on the sides. Things to be done: Radio Stack, GPS, Parking brake, Fuel selector and fuel cut off switch, Trim Wheel, Flaps handle, Covering the top with leather, Pedals - in progress, Projector setup. |
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The idea of the project has begun pretty early but didn't start until now. This is a hobby so no rush ;). I had planed to build a motion platform as well but we will see, i might do it later. You can find the sketchup file in the 3d warehouse if you would like to download it and take a look at it. I had planed to build the motion platform from wiper motors but i might change that as well. Cessna 172 simulator sketchup in 3D Warehouse |
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Dimensions
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When i started the project i wanted to make a 1:1 cockpit, so i found some measurements that someone did (i don't know the author) and tried to apply those measurements. On the right side you have only 4 pictures but you can download all of them (44 pictures) below. Since i have never been in a Cessna Cockpit, this was a great help to get a sense of the size of the cockpit and components (the cabin is pretty small lol, only 1m). |
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The panel
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To build the Main panel, Lower panel and the Gelarshield, i choose 4mm Alucobond (you can choose different material). Also commonly referred to as "Diabond" or "ACM", aluminium composite panels consist of two aluminium cover sheets and a core made of low density polyethylene. It is lightweight, weather resitant, unbreakable, shock-resistant, vibration absorbant and easy to install. It is at the same time stable and yet flexible. In addition, aluminium composite panels have a smooth glossy surface and are available in a number of standard colours which can reduce the need to paint the product. |
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One other reason I went with the ACM was that i have sheets laying around in two colors, the perfect ones for the cockpit. I found a Cessna 172 1:1 Panel drawing on the internet (you can download on the right side the original version) but I had to modify it. I modified the gauges size (made them smaller which helped me later with the bezels) and separated the whole panel in two parts: Main Panel and Lower Panel (for the lower panel i used black alucobond). I also deleted the Radio Stack and GPS panel and will cut them later when i will be ready for them. You can modify the panel the way you like it.The credit of the original drawing goes to the Author which i found on mycockpit.org. |
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Since i have a CNC, I exported the drawing to ArtCam and made the modifications there. You can do them either in AutoCad or ArtCam. On the left side below you see that I have mirrored the panel, so i could open channels for the rotary encoder wires. As i said i have modified these in artcam so i only have the artcam files if anyone wants to have them, you can find them below. Since you can't open Artcam 2010 files with ArtCam 2017 i have uploaded them both.
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Caution: If you use PDF than you have to print it on an A0 paper or use software to print it in several A4 papers.
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One thing you should keep in mind is that, before building the panel, you need to have the monitor for the gauges. This way you measure the size of it and modify the panel before cutting so the monitor fits inside the panel and you don't have to cut the Glareshield. My gauges screen is 22 inches and i did measure it but didn't want to have it to far to the right because of the radio stack and gps that i will add later so a tiny piece of the monitor is left on the left upper corner of the panel and i had to cut the glareshield. I did this because i was going to cover the glareshield with leather anyway, but i could easily not do that as it looks great even without leather (alucobond looks great). I should have moved the monitor a little bit to the right so i didn't have to cut the glareshield at all but it is already done so you should think about that before starting to cut the gauges.
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After cutting both panels with CNC, i bent the lower part of the main panel and upper part of the lower panel and connected them together using rivets. I did this for two reasons, to connect them together and to lay the monitor on that edge. The frame as you can see is made of 20x20mm square metal profiles. Aluminium would be even better or even wood can be used as well. Frame dimensions are 100mmx40mm and the height to the botom of the panel is 47mm. |
Rotary encoders
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After finishing the frame and attaching both panels, i added the rotary encoders. I tried first using mouse wheel encoders because of the thickness but i wasn't quite happy with the results. It was difficult to and not stable so I replaced them with normal short encoders. There are 6 such encoders needed, or 7 if you wish to use one for the altimeter setting. These encoders may be a couple of mm thicker, but that doesn't make e big difference. If you really want to have no gap between teh screen and the bezls, you can leave the bezels a bit biger so they touch the screen. In my case i didn't do that because I was happy with the result. Link on ebay for short encoders $4.17 10 pcs.
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Knobs
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For knobs, i found similar ones like the picture in the left here localy and paid 5 euro for 6 pcs. If you can't find them locally, there are plenty of places to search on internet. here is a link on ebay for these knobs. I used the mouse wheels encoders for : Altitude, Heading bug, Gyro drift, VOR1, VOR2, ADF hdg. but if you have more of them is not a bad idea, maybe you'll need them later when building ther radio stack and the gps unit. Knobs on e-bay $4.50 for 10 pcs (you only need 6) including shipping. |
Bezels/Screws
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To make the bezels i used plastic cups. There are different ones, but i found the perfect fit for the big gauges. These cups have a diameter of 74mm on the inside and 79mm on the outside. The only problem was that i couldn't find them in black, so took some blue ones and painted them black. For the small gauges i used the same , just cut a piece out of it and glued them on the panel using CA glue. To cut them i just put them on the panel and cut them with a sharp knife from the other side.
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For screws that hold the gauges in place i couldn't find black ones locally, so i just bought white and painted them black, drilled the holes around the gauges, cut the screws 4mm length and glued them using CA glue. You could also use nylon screws like in the picture. If you can't find them locally, search on ebay, there are plenty of them and pretty cheap. In the pictures below you will see the back of the panel with the channel for rotary encoders wires, and with the bezels end screws mounted.
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3D Printed Bezels
If you happen to have a 3D Printer or have access to one, you can 3D Print the bezels. The author is allanglen. He has done a great job on designing a lot of parts to 3D print.
User Bosal has made these bezels slightly smaller, below you will find the thingiverse link where you can also check the dimensions (thank you Bosal)
Decals
After finishing with bezels and screws i printed the placards. For the main panel I used transparent sheet to print them, then i used transparent packing tape to protect the writings and glued them on the panel with glue stick and it's holding until now, you may come up with a different idea. Of course having transparent sticking sheets would be better, si I will purchase some of them from internet and replace the existing ones. For the lower panel, i printed the decals on normal A4 paper, and put some transparent packing tape on top to protect them. Underneath I used double sided tape so i could stick them to the surface (becomes the same as pr emade stickers).
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Below are the decals for the main panel and the lower panel. The credit for the decals goes to the author Zahid Sadal from Home cockpit builders on facebook for doing a great job. You can download them as .psd file and edit or print them. Please change the tail number to your desired one, the one in the decals is used by me D-DEDT. For the lower panel i printed the placards on normal A4 paper and cut them as close as possible to the letters, which will minimize the color difference between the panel and the text background.
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The decals gave the Cockpit a nice look :)
Switches
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I purchased the key from e-bay. It's a 2 position key (on/off) for motorcycles and it cost me $1.74 free shipping - here is the link. There are 5 position switches on the market but they are more expensive, so if you want more realism, you can purchase one of them. On desktop aviator page i found one for around $39. You can also find a 5 position rotary switch and use that as a key as well, it depends on you. I found Bat/Alt double switch and the Avionics switch both locally for 0.80 Euro. They both were red with 0 1 numbers written on them. I sanded a little bit and painted the Alt Bat switch red and the Avionics switch white. I purchased the rest of the switches from ebay (Fuel pump, Bacon, Land, Taxi, Nav, Strobe, Pitot heat). 10 pcs for $1.96 - free shipping here is the link. |
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Ignition key
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To build the Ignition Key, I used a cheap motorcycle key, a volume knob and a 5 position rotary switch which cost me about $3.96 in total (and there are still 9 knobs left from 10 pcs purchased :) ). First I removed the springs and the plastic part that prevented the key from fully rotating. Drilled a hole on the knob and using ca glue glued it to the plastic part of the key (you can remove the key which is not glued to the knob) and since the rotary switch needs a knob, there it was :). To be sure i used ca glue on the knob as well. For the moment there is no spring so the key turn back from the start position to the both position, I will maybe check later for a method to do that.
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The yoke
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I found the yoke on e-bay kleinanzeigen in Austria for 45 Euro + 5 euro shipping to a friend of mine. It is a Ch products Yoke. I found an even better offer, but it was only for pick up and i couldn't get it (Saitek yoke + throttle quadrant + Saitek pedals + Saitek multipanel + Saitek radio = 150 Euro, i know it's a very hard deal to find, obviously the guy wanted to get rid of them, so always keep en eye on internet, who knows you might be lucky and find such deal.) I like the yoke but i had to do some changes. First i had to change the stock shaft with a longer one. I found a water pipe the same diameter and opened the channels on both sides on the inner half of the shaft. I cut the wires and replaced the shaft and then connected the wires with servo connectors. I also painted the yoke black with spray. I printed a Cessna logo on a normal A4 paper sheet, put on top of it transparent packing tape to protect the
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logo, and put double sided tape on the other side. The roll axis works great, but the pitch axis has some problems. It is hard to flare because of the friction (with the stock shaft as well), so i will change the structure of the pitch axis using drawer slides and springs. I found them locally very cheap, 1.7 euro for two pieces like in the picture and I'm using the same slides for the pedals. I will document the yoke mods in more details later when finished.
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Finally got some free time to work on the modification of the CH Yoke. Below the list of things needed:
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In the picture above you see the yoke using springs, i have replaced them with rubber-band because they were making to much noise. I have also replaced CH Yoke Potentiometers with some normal ones (10k) because their travel was too short and I wanted to have a travel as close as possible to the original. If you check the pictures of the Cessna above on the Dimensions part, you will see that the Cessna yoke travel is about 190 mm, so the length of the rack about 200 mm. After replacing them and calibrating the joystick under USB Game controllers in windows, it is working very smooth and it has the same movements as in the plane (FSX). I will post some pictures or videos as soon as I can.
Note:
This is a work in progress and it is not finished yet, so parts may change, be modified or added. Also this is done to modify the CH Yoke, if you intend to build from scratch, you may need to adjust and modify. Feel free to use the files and modify them according to your needs.
This is a work in progress and it is not finished yet, so parts may change, be modified or added. Also this is done to modify the CH Yoke, if you intend to build from scratch, you may need to adjust and modify. Feel free to use the files and modify them according to your needs.
Below you can see the modified yoke:
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And here are some videos of the yoke in action:
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I have also been thinking on making a dual Yoke with the same system. I am struggling a bit if it might be difficult to push because it might get stuck or not, but anyway whenever i have some free time i might give it a go. below you can modify or adapt the yoke to your needs, as I have shared the files on tinkercad.
Throttle / Mixture
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For the throttle/mixture i purchased 3 knobs on e-bay like in the picture below (you can purchase them here about $4.3 for 3 pcs incl shipping). On the inner side I cut a piece from a pencil and glued to the throttle/mixture knobs. On the mixture knob i also glued a small camera cap that i had and then drew a circle with the inner circle of a CD on an aluminium tape, cut it and taped it on the front. For Throttle and Mixture holder, i used the plastic handle of an old screwdriver and since i didn't have a dremel, i used my rechargeable drill as in the picture below to make those forms. you may find plastic forms that look similar so you don't have to work that much to get that shape. |
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3D Printed Throttle Parts
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3D Printed Throttle/Mixture Box
The user DeeRam has made a 3D Printable Throttle/Mixture box which you can download on thingiverse, below you will find the link. Thanks DeeRam for sharing it with the community :)
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Thingiverse link: www.thingiverse.com/thing:2918231
Trim wheel (DIY)
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To build the trim wheel, i found an alucobond circle i had laying there that i had probably cut for a project time ago which had a diameter of 15 cm and i thought i'm going to use that instead of cutting a new one. I took an old PC Power Supply cable and cut the rubber open. I had to be very careful to cut it as straight as possible. Then, using CA glue, i glued it to the circle and painted the whole wheel in black. Also opened the channel in the panel where the wheel will be mounted. To use the wheel i'm planning to use a mouse. I will mount a shaft on the middle of the wheel and connect it to a mouse wheel (using mous wheel encoder) which will then be connected directly to pc using the usb port, this way i will spare an input on my Arduino. Since the mouse has three more switches, i'm thinking on using two of them for the brakes and one, well i don't know yet, i'll see. I'm also looking for spheres that i could glue to the wheel to make it look more realistic.
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You can follow the pictures to see how Installed the trim wheel using a mouse. The wheel is not finished yet, I will sand it and paint it again for a better look and will try to find some spheres to glue them on the wheel. After installing the wheel, under FSUIPC -> Miscellanous and check the Trim option next to Mousewheel. This way you will be able to controll the elevator trim using mousewheel. If you happen to have the wheel rotating the opposite direciton, you can find mouse programs on internet to reverse the direction of the mousewheel, that's what i'm doing myself.
3D Printed Trim wheel
Here is a prototype made by Hannes1 (www.modellbau-technik.at)
Project Magenta GAIFR
To display the instruments on the main panel, i'm using Project Magenta General Aviation IFR panel demo version until i finish the cockpit. On their website there are no prices so you have to send them a Pricelist/Quotation request. I like the software very much and i recommend it as it looks great, is very easy to use and works flawlessly on my setup. I have found a glitch with the speedometer but increasing the Max Airspeed, solves the problem. To download a demo or to purchase the PM GAIFR software, go to their website (click here) and register (it's free). After you register, if you want to download a demo, go to Downloads and choose General Aviation IFR Panel Demo so you will download a demo time limited version, which will give you an idea how it works. If you want to purchase it, go to Pricelist/Quotation request and fill the form. You will receive an e-mail with the quotation from Project Magenta. PM GAIFR contains four types of cockpits: Piper panel, Black Instruments, Cessna Panel and Twin Panel.
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I'm using the Black Instruments because you can move the instruments around with your mouse (while right clicking on a gauge and while holding the right click, moving the mouse around you position the gauge where you want it). You can move each gauge separately or the entire gauges by right clicking on an empty spot and moving the mouse around. You can also increase or decrease the size of one gauge or the entire gauges by clicking on it and using + and - on your keyboard. So you position the gauges in the right places, and when you exit the program, next time it starts with the arranged gauges. To access the Settings, you pres ESC on your keyboard and select the right settings for you.
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I really like the gauges and I can only recommend them.
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Air Manager
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Another great sofware for gauges is Air Manager from Sim Innovations. It is a great sofware for showing gauges on the screen. You can download a lot of gauges that are available online and place them the way you want. The price is also great, 28 Euro (at the time of writing this guide, makes it even better :). But it is not just the price, the quality of the gauges is awesome. So i decided to go with the Air Manager on my cockpit. You can download a DEMO version here and test it, I'm sure you will like it. I'm not associated to Sim Innovations in any way, but the software is really great. Below some pictures, click on them to expand. |
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And here is a look at the Ari Manager in action:
Rudder pedals
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And here is a short video of the Rudder.
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Radio stack - PCB Version
(Radio Stack Gerber files)
Update 20.02.2023 : I have decided to post the Gerber files for the Radio Stack, Arduino Shield, GPS as well as all downloadable files on a separate site. For all the time I have been working on it, i will be charging a small amount of money for the files, the prices you will find on the other site called "Downloads" ( I didn't do all this work for money but money is still needed to buy all the components and all this work is time consuming ). Only for personal use, if you want to use it commercially you need to contact me first.
The radio is working. Please check Radio components below before purchasing PCB.
The radio is working. Please check Radio components below before purchasing PCB.
Radio stack V3.1 (work in progress)
Update October, 2023
Changes:
1. Arduino Mega 2560 directly attachable to the back of the PCB (only one Arduino Mega 2560 Pro (small arduino) needed, no need for Arduino shield).
2. Added input shift registers (74HC165) for the push buttons, the number of Arduino pins reduced a lot.
3. Added output shift registers (74HC595), all LEDs are now handled through 74HC959 shift registers, supplied externally with +5V, no current drawn from Arduino
4. Replaced the Transponder rotary switch with a smaller one.
*Faceplate needs to be redesigned because of some alignment changes (not done yet).
1. Arduino Mega 2560 directly attachable to the back of the PCB (only one Arduino Mega 2560 Pro (small arduino) needed, no need for Arduino shield).
2. Added input shift registers (74HC165) for the push buttons, the number of Arduino pins reduced a lot.
3. Added output shift registers (74HC595), all LEDs are now handled through 74HC959 shift registers, supplied externally with +5V, no current drawn from Arduino
4. Replaced the Transponder rotary switch with a smaller one.
*Faceplate needs to be redesigned because of some alignment changes (not done yet).
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Radio stack V2.2
Update March, 2023
Changes:
1. Replaced DIY dual encoders with EC11EBB24C03 dual encoders
2. Added GND to the first Arduino shield (Arduino shield V2.2)
You can require the gerber files on the Downloads site.
1. Replaced DIY dual encoders with EC11EBB24C03 dual encoders
2. Added GND to the first Arduino shield (Arduino shield V2.2)
You can require the gerber files on the Downloads site.
Pinouts looking from the back of the Radiostack.
Radio stack V2.1
Update November, 2020
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I have found some free time lately and I have done some fixes in the Radiostack.
Changes: 1. Fixed the Transponder 5 pin switch alignment, now the 5 position switch should fit in place 2. Fixed GND Pin issue in the Encoder, Switches and Leds connections 3. Moved Nav2Mhz+- and Nav2Khz+- to Card2, moved DmeKhz+- to Card3 4. AP Alt GND is also connected. 3. Radiostack pins aligned with Arduino Shield pins. 4. The rest of arduino ports usable now You can require the gerber files on the Downloads site. |
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Use below pictures as reference to solder the resistors (click on the picture to zoom in). As the capacitors are only two types, it is easy to solder them based on their shape.
or download below for better quality
or download below for better quality
| radiostack_v2.1_reistor_values.rar |
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In the picture below you will see the pinouts looking from the back of the board
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The excel file will help you to program the radio with mobiflight. For example:
Com1AudioSwitch is connected to Arduino number 3 on pin 22 and so on ... O LED is connected to Arduino number 1 on pin 31 ... DIN1 is connected to Arduino number 1 on pin 22 ... 
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Arduino Pinouts
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Arduino Extra Pinouts
Radio stack V1.1
A little update: I've been working on creating Radio PCB's and GPS PCB which would be better and cleaner even though I don't have enough time.
I have chosen to go with the whole board version, it will be less wires and easier to be mounted.
Arduino shield will be mounted on the back ov the radio with spacers and will be connected with 3 x 40 pin flat ribbon cable. Max7219 chips and 7 segment displays will be replaceable because on the pcb I will be soldering IC sockets for both displays and max chips.
Here you can see the PCB layout.
There are going to be 3x40 outputs from the Radio to be connected to the Arduino shield.
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I have added the possibility to use either +12V or 5V DC Input.
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There are 3xArduino Mega2560 boards needed for the radio to be fully funtional.
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Arduino shield will be mounted on the back of the radio with pcb spacers and will be connected to the radio through 3x40 pin flat ribon cables.
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Update 04.03.2018 The PCB's arrived and I started to install the components.
Backlight Option
The radio is designed to also use buttons with leds for backlight buttons. With the switch you can turn on/off the lights and dim them as you wish. The problem with these switches are the knobs which are hard to attach, so you have to come up with a way (maybe 3D Print them). You have to take that in consideration if you choose to go with this option.
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Radio Components
Update 29.05.2023
Below an excel file with the components and links (no affiliate links).
Below an excel file with the components and links (no affiliate links).
| BOM with links updated 29.05.2023 |
(I'm not part of any affiliate program, the links below and in the entire website are the cheapest I could find on the web. You should always search for new prices)
Since the most expensive part of the radio stack and the GPS are the dual concentric encoders, my intentions were to make it cheap, so you need two encoders EC12 plastic encoders (EC12 link here) to mount on both sides of the PCB based on this principle:
Dual concentric encoders.
If you don't have a 5V power supply, you can use this step down converter
24V/12V to 5V 5A converter
It is also designed to have tactile buttons with led's built in it like these ones:
Tactile buttons with leds.
A problem about the led tactile buttons is that it is hard to install the knob if you look at one of them. That's why this is optional as these normal tactile buttons have the same dimensions and were meant for it in the first place.
Normal Tactile buttons
Knobs need to be 3D Printed ( you can download them HERE ) or if you don't have a 3D Printer you can use these ones for the bigger knobs
Big Knobs
and these for the smaller ones
Small nobs
As connector you can use this headers:
Headers
And the cables here:
Cable
For PWR ON/Off encoder I wanted to use this one with a different knob:
On/Off Encoder
And the V1 Enc is a normal Encoder.
If you use the buttons with leds, you need Resistors on the back (size needs to be calculated from you depending what tactile buttons you are going to use).
7 segment displays:
3 digit 7 segment display 0.36inch CC RED
4 digit 7 segment display 0.36inch CC RED
6 digit 7 segment display 0.36inch CC RED
10 x 5 digit 7 segment display 0.36inch CC RED
If you don't want to solder the displays directly on the PCB than you can use these sockets in case any of the displays won't work you can change them
Round Sockets
You need 18x Max7219 Chips
20 x Max7219
If you don't want to solder Max7219 chips directly to the board so you can change them if any one gets burned than you can use this sockets
Max7219 socket
3mm Led mount
5mm Led mount
330 Ohm resistors
10K resistors
3Pin 2 Position Switches
25V 10uF Capacitors
50V 0.1uF Capacitors
2.1mm DC Power suply Jack
You also need 2x 2 digit 14 segment displays for NM and KT letters. Just search on ebay, amazon, aliexpress or elsewhere for them but you need to be careful and purchase Common Cathode. Common Anode doesn't work with Max7219 chips.
Since the most expensive part of the radio stack and the GPS are the dual concentric encoders, my intentions were to make it cheap, so you need two encoders EC12 plastic encoders (EC12 link here) to mount on both sides of the PCB based on this principle:
Dual concentric encoders.
If you don't have a 5V power supply, you can use this step down converter
24V/12V to 5V 5A converter
It is also designed to have tactile buttons with led's built in it like these ones:
Tactile buttons with leds.
A problem about the led tactile buttons is that it is hard to install the knob if you look at one of them. That's why this is optional as these normal tactile buttons have the same dimensions and were meant for it in the first place.
Normal Tactile buttons
Knobs need to be 3D Printed ( you can download them HERE ) or if you don't have a 3D Printer you can use these ones for the bigger knobs
Big Knobs
and these for the smaller ones
Small nobs
As connector you can use this headers:
Headers
And the cables here:
Cable
For PWR ON/Off encoder I wanted to use this one with a different knob:
On/Off Encoder
And the V1 Enc is a normal Encoder.
If you use the buttons with leds, you need Resistors on the back (size needs to be calculated from you depending what tactile buttons you are going to use).
7 segment displays:
3 digit 7 segment display 0.36inch CC RED
4 digit 7 segment display 0.36inch CC RED
6 digit 7 segment display 0.36inch CC RED
10 x 5 digit 7 segment display 0.36inch CC RED
If you don't want to solder the displays directly on the PCB than you can use these sockets in case any of the displays won't work you can change them
Round Sockets
You need 18x Max7219 Chips
20 x Max7219
If you don't want to solder Max7219 chips directly to the board so you can change them if any one gets burned than you can use this sockets
Max7219 socket
3mm Led mount
5mm Led mount
330 Ohm resistors
10K resistors
3Pin 2 Position Switches
25V 10uF Capacitors
50V 0.1uF Capacitors
2.1mm DC Power suply Jack
You also need 2x 2 digit 14 segment displays for NM and KT letters. Just search on ebay, amazon, aliexpress or elsewhere for them but you need to be careful and purchase Common Cathode. Common Anode doesn't work with Max7219 chips.
Faceplate, knobs and buttons
Update: 27.03.2018 Working on the face plate of the Radiostack. It will be 3D printable, in separate pieces. I have also been working on the knobs and buttons. This face plate fits only on the PCB version of the radio and CAN NOT be used with the DIY version of the radio because it is different and has different dimensions. I'm still working on it so changes may apply.
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Another possible way would to print the letters engraved to the buttons and fill them with white color. I never tried this method, so you could see if it will probably give better results. I will links you have only one button (Com1) to try it out, if it turns good than you can print them all.
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If you wish to modify the faceplate, in the download section you can request the link for the tinkercad file. Feel free to modify it as you need.
Radio stack - DIY version
Work in progress . . .
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If some of you don't want to go with the PCB version of the radio stack, you can start building it yourself with this DIY version. First i wanted to go with a 19 inch screen to simulate the radios, but it is surely better to make a more realistic looking radio, that's why i decided to build it myself using 7 segment displays, an arduino mega 2560 and a software called Mobiflight (respect to the author for this great software). Mobiflight is a free, easy to use software that allows you to extract and send data from FSX, Prepar3D ore X-Plane to your Arduino board. It offers a lot of options without the need to know arduino programming. There are some preset options but you can input the fsuipc offset and the sofware uploads the code to your card. For more info and tutorials on how to use Mobiflight, please visit the website. |
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What I used:
- Max7219 8-Digit 7 Segment Displays - $ 19.8 (12 Pcs)
- Volume Control Knob 6mm - $ 7.24 (10Pcs)
- Red Cap Rectangle SPST Push Button - $ 8.46 (15 Pcs)
- Black Plastic Knob - $ 3.42 (35 Pcs)
- 2P5T Rotary Switch - $ 2.72 (3 Pcs)
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- Green Square Cap SPST Switch - $ 3.17 (10 Pcs)
- Insert Tone Core Brass Knob - $ 3.15 (10 Pcs)
- Rotary Encoder EC12 - $ 5.05 (20Pcs)
- Threaded Knurled Knobs - $ 0.86 (10 Pcs)
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The first thing we need are the 7 segment displays. Mobiflight supports Max7219 8-Digit 7 segment displays which are very cheap, and you can connect them in series. The only problem is that between two displays there is a space. What i did was cuting the sides with a knife, glued them together with CA Glue and soldered the connections on the back. Since the radio has 5 digits for each COM and NAV, i needed 20 digits in total, 2 spaces between Active and Standby and one space of two digits between COM and NAV, which makes it 24 digits in total. That means i had to connect three Max7219 displays together to get 24 digits. |
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From the picture above you can see the difference in intensity of the displays as you go from left to right. This is due to inadequate power tracking along the boards as they are connected in serial. I will power the boards separately to avoid this. The picture above is done for testing purpose. After cutting, glueing and soldering the boards (I will post pictures of the backside how to connect them in series), connect them as in the picture above, VCC on 5V, GND - GND, and three following pins to Arduino port 22, 24, 26 accordingly.
Once connected, plug in the Mega to PC and open up Mobiflight. Go to Mobiflight Modules and click on MobiFlight Mega. Click on the Add device button select LED 7-Segment.
Select the newly added display and choose arduino pins (i have chosen 22, 24, 26 and 3 is the number of displays. Choose the desired intensity of display and name the display (I named it Com1Display). Save the settings and click the button with the arrow pointing up to upload the sketch to your arduino.
Once the upload is done, double click on the first row and name it Com1Active. We are going to add five digits and one dot for the COM 1 Active frequency.
Click on the three dots on the edit column and on the next window under FSUIPC tab open the preset options scroll down and choose Radio-COM1 Active Freq.
Now go to Display tab , click on module and choose MobiFlight Mega/...., under Use type of choose Display Module. Addr/Connector is going to be Com1Display. We have 3 displays connected together so for the first 5 digits we are going to use display 1 that's why we choose number 1 as the next option. Number of digits 8 and Use Left Padding checked and choose 0. Now check first five digits and on the second row set the decimal point on number three.
Under Compare tab check Apply comparison to modify the current value and set as in the picture below. If current value is = 0 than set it to $+10000 else set it to $+10000
Click OK and you are done with COM 1 Active Freq. If you click Run, COM 1 Active frequency will display on your 7 Segment Display. Do the rest as below and set frequencies for COM 1 Active, COM 1 Standby, NAV 1 Active and NAV 1 Standby.
Name the second row Com1Standby, under FSUIPC presets choose COM1 Standby Freq, under Compare the same as above and under Display choose Com1Display 1 and choose digits 7 and 8 (first picture below).
The third row is Com1Standby1 because we are going to display the rest 3 digits on our 2nd display. To do this like before under FSUIPC choose COM1 Standby Freq, under Compare the same as above and under Display choose Com1Display 2 and choose first three digits and set the decimal point on the first square (second picture below).
Do accordingly for the rest of the frequencies by looking at the pictures below.
Fourth row - Picture 3, Fifth row - Picture 4 and Sixth row - Picture 5.
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After you are done with all the frequencies, open up FSX, start a flight and click Run on Mobiflight, congratulations you have COM 1 and NAV 1 displayed on your 7 Segment display module.
Do the same with the second display for COM 2 and NAV 2. Connect both display tubes in series and now you have to replace the order where the numbers should be shown. For COM2 Active start with Addr/Connector Com1Display and module number 4 and so on. You can download below a config file of my mobiflight configuration of my Mega2560. First flash open MobiFlight, load mobiflight_mega.mfmc and upload the firmware to your ArduinoMega 2560 then open MobiflightConfig.mcc and select your corresponding card and the appropriate input/output. This is a work in progress so the files will be updated. All these files are included in the "radiostack.zip" file above. To download the files below, right click on Download File and then click on "Save link as...".
NM and KT
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The next challenge was to recreate the NM and KT letters on the DME. There are two ways to do this, based on the method I'm using (using Max7219 modules). The first method would be the easiest which is to print the letters KT and NM on a transparent sheet and use red leds behind them to light them. The second method is using 14 segment displays. It is a bit more complicated but since I already had those displays I wanted to try it out.
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The idea was to use Max7219 chips so I could connect them in series with other modules on the radiostack and I also wanted to be controlled with mobiflight. I used 2x Max7219 chips and daisy chained them with other modules of the radiostack. You need 2x 2digit 14 segment displays and two Max7219 modules. The connection is easy. You just follow the above schematic. Connect the pin number of the Max7219 module the the corresponding number of the 14 segment display. After completing the connection, all you have to do is on the Mobiflight, on the condition field to use A0 to display NM and bE to display KT.
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NM - 0A
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KT - Eb
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Here you can download a more detailed explanation.
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DIY Dual concentric Encoders
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Compass
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Next is the Whiskey Compass. It would be better to 3D Print one but I don't have a 3D Printer neither do I have someone nearby that could print it for me so I only have one option: to build it myself from scratch. I have build a couple of Rc airplanes and used the Dollar tree foam which is a great material i think for doing different things. This came to my mind while thinking about the Compass. It would be best material to work with and, easy to use and will look great after applying a designed plate printed on a sticker. So let's start. |
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Connect 5V ULN2003 28BYJ-48 4-Phase Stepper Motor input wires to Arduino pins (in my case 31, 33, 35, 37) and +5V and GND according to the picture below.
Insert a new Stepper device like the picture below, define the pins of the arduino you want to use like the picture below and configure the settings.
In the next picture you see the compass offset:
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In Case your Compass turns in the wrong direction, than in Interpolation settings use the values
0 - 360
360 - 0
When you start the Sim, make sure to move the motor to the N position using the Manual calibration section by clicking the button move (last picture). Once the needle is on the letter N, click the button Set Zero and you are set.
In Case your Compass turns in the wrong direction, than in Interpolation settings use the values
0 - 360
360 - 0
When you start the Sim, make sure to move the motor to the N position using the Manual calibration section by clicking the button move (last picture). Once the needle is on the letter N, click the button Set Zero and you are set.
I used to build few rc Planes in the past, i love rc flying as well, here in my website you can see also stuff about rc flying, so i had laying there an rc plane i used to build which was called "Dusty" from the movie "Disney's Planes". I had the plans from FliteTest. It was a nice little plane but i didn't fly it for a while and my son used to play with it so it wasn't in a good shape so i thought he should change shape :). The plane was made from dollar tree foam. It is a great material to work with, very light and it was perfect for the Compass. First i drew the front face while looking at A2A's Cessna 172, printed it in a paper and cut to size.Than made the form of the compass with dollar tree foam. As i said it is great and easy to work with. You can use either hot glue gun or CA glue .
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I used the plastic CD case, cut a piece from a white paper sticker as the middle marker. Used CA glue to glue the piece plastic on the opening part of the compass. I found a cap with an outer perimeter of 146 mm, drilled a hole in the middle and using hot glue gun i mounted it on the stepper. The stepper I have used is a 5V ULN2003 28BYJ-48 4-Phase Stepper Motor with Driver Board for Arduino (link on ebay)
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GPS
GPS V2.2
* Replaced DIY dual encoders with EC11EBB24C03
* Added Arduino Mega 2560 Pro at the back of the PCB to get rid of cables
* Added Arduino Mega 2560 Pro at the back of the PCB to get rid of cables
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GPS V2.0
* Bigger holes for the Tactile button switches.
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GPS PCB
GPS Components
Since the most expensive part of the radio stack and the GPS are the dual concentric encoders, my intentions were to make it cheap, so you need two encoders EC12 plastic encoders (EC12 link here) to mount on both sides of the PCB based on this principle:
Dual concentric encoders.
It is also designed to have tactile buttons with led's built in it like these ones:
Tactile buttons with leds.
but they need separate 12V power input so there is a little work to get it done, the other problem about the led tactile buttons is that it is hard to install the knob if you look at one of them. That's why this is optional as these normal tactile buttons have the same dimensions and were meant for it in the first place.
Normal Tactile buttons
Knobs need to be 3D Printed (I have already designed them) or you can use these ones for the bigger knobs
Big Knobs
and these ones for the smaller ones
Small nobs
As connector you can use this headers:
Headers
And the cables here:
Cable
For PWR ON/Off encoder I wanted to use this one with a different knob:
On/Off Encoder
And the V1 Enc is a normal Encoder.
If you use the buttons with leds, you need Resistors on the back (size needs to be calculated from you depending what tactile buttons you are going to use).
It was designed to be used with this screen:
LCD Screen
You have to be careful as there is another cheaper version of this display which can't be used as a monitor but is intended to be used only with raspberry pi (I made a mistake and purchased that version so I still have it unused, if anyone needs it for raspberry pi let me know, the price is like in internet ($30)).
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A video demonstration of the Cokpit:
2015, Copyright AlbEAGLE
