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Post by cptmatt on Mar 16, 2015 11:08:09 GMT
'everything you need in the bag'...Advertise Yes, the 'all in one' (but still a kit) solution is worth trying and I will consider it. I can make it more favourable by buying the Bodnar boards ten at a time, but that's a bit of a gamble (another one!)
I'm going to experiment with Teensy and Arduino boards as an alternative to Bodnar boards.
This is a lot more involved than using a plug and play game controller but from my point of view its an interesting project. Commercially though rip off micro Arduino controllers can be had from China for a couple of quid a pop. I really don't know what the ins and outs of making these work are yet but if they can be made to do the job you just slashed £30 - £40 off the cost of a full kit (based on the cost of a Bodnar board which I personally think are over priced for what they are).
I'm still trying to work out the best way to get data in and out of FSX but after that I don't think the programming is going to be too difficult.
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Post by MarkH on Mar 16, 2015 13:12:40 GMT
Arduino controllers can be had from China for a couple of quid a pop. I really don't know what the ins and outs of making these work are yet but if they can be made to do the job you just slashed £30 - £40 off the cost of a full kit (based on the cost of a Bodnar board which I personally think are over priced for what they are). Well, maybe. The biggest hit apart from the controller is the rotary encoders, which will account for about £35 of the cost (making no profit). It may be worth designing variants of the panels that don't have the additional three rotaries. Trouble is those holes are currently 10mm, which isn't a convenient size for any of the components I have used to date. I would need to find toggle switches or pushbuttons that could mount in a 10mm hole, otherwise builders would be faced with having to enlarge the holes to take an 11.1mm toggle or 11.5mm pushbutton. I am thinking about all-in-1 kits and it looks like the price will need to be £120 plus shipping. That would include everything except solder and the printed insert for the graphics. (By everything I mean including a timber frame and all the screws to produce a complete basic panel that could stand on your desk.) An all-in-1 with pre-soldered wires would likely need to be £150.
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Post by cptmatt on Mar 16, 2015 14:33:48 GMT
Assume you mean the dual concentric encoders and yes I've so far failed to find these cheap.
You can get cheap dual concentric potentiometers Link
Not too sure if this will work though.
Clearly these things don't cost a lot to make - www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Dual-concentric-rotary-encoder_60108884541.html
Not sure what the rest of the switch gear is costing you but I've bought a fair few bits and pieces from ebay, via China. All have arrived and work and so far I've not been caught with any customs charges.
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Post by MarkH on Mar 16, 2015 15:56:37 GMT
Assume you mean the dual concentric encoders and yes I've so far failed to find these cheap...Not sure what the rest of the switch gear is costing you but I've bought a fair few bits and pieces from ebay, via China The encoders I use aren't dual concentrics but they're still not cheap - £4.50 each, plus £2.50 each for the knobs. These are the CTS288V with a centre-push switch and they're pretty much the same cost from anywhere unless you buy them in the hundreds (which I guess is what Leo Bodnar does). The rest of the switches are in the region of 80p each. I am looking at some cheaper switch options from the same supplier, so that might help.
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John
Almost Aviator
Posts: 9
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Post by John on Mar 18, 2015 23:37:24 GMT
Mark,
My progress towards the project to-date, is simply buying the book and a new soldering iron. If the "all-in-one kit #2" was available, (depending on price -any idea yet?), I'd be convincing my wife regarding it's essential purchase tomorrow and be keenly awaiting the postman.
John
EDIT: Hmmm would have been better if I'd seen page two of this thread before posting! So £120 eh?
That's at the top of my budget. You don't think the kit would be more accessible and cheaper without the wood frame, giving the option for the owner to flush mount the panel or construct their own?
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Post by MarkH on Mar 19, 2015 7:53:00 GMT
That's at the top of my budget. You don't think the kit would be more accessible and cheaper without the wood frame, giving the option for the owner to flush mount the panel or construct their own? The frame only adds £1 to the kit, so that's not where the money is. I will post definitive prices soon as things are still a bit sketchy.
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John
Almost Aviator
Posts: 9
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Post by John on Mar 19, 2015 13:18:55 GMT
Well I've bought the soldering iron, so looking forward to the definitive price :-)
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