SimVim or Air Manager - Arduino and X-Plane 11

[RPPerry3]

Just wondering what others have used to interface Arduino with XP11.  What are your thoughts on either?

Thanks,
Paul

[RayS]

I use TeensyDuino  on the Teensy 3.2. I have an Arduino configured with SimVim as well.

Between the 2 interfaces, the Teensy path is a bit easier as there's a bit of a learning curve with SimVim.

The draw back to using Teensy is in the way people interface it to the simulator. You can get way more switches and logic with SimVim whereas with Teensy you are somewhat limited by the # of pins, unless you matrix them, which I'm not really a fan of doing.

SimVim is a bit more complicated to use, but once you get past that, it's very flexible and doesn't use USB to the sim computer.

[_alioth_]

With air manager you can:
-create your own 2d displays gauges or use tens that are already present in the software.  EASY to MEDIUM.
-Use the air manager Lua enviromment to interface easy things, like buttons, pots, rotary encoders..  EASY
-Comunicate simulator with arduino IDE and then, use arduino to program everything you need.  From MEDIUM to MASTER. 

With simvim (I dont know much about this software, correct me if needed):
-use the 2d display gauges that are present in the software, but not create your own. EASY
-use the software to communicate simulator with hardware, in an easy enviroment, not programming in the IDE. EASY to MEDIUM. It is quite complete, but not infinite, as IDE arduino is.

Teensy, and teensy plugin:
-You dont have 2d gauges to display in a monitor.
-Use the arduino IDE to make everything you need. MEDIUM to MASTER.


Simvim can be quite complex, because is very complete. But the dificult is learning to use the software.
Arduino or Teensy IDE is complex, because you have to program everything from scratch. If you can't do something is because you don't know how to do it. But if you can imagine something, it can be done.

You can interface real gauges with arduino. You can read a synchro resolver or an absolute encoder with arduino IDE, but not with simvim.
Pins is not a problem if you go deep in electronics and teensy/arduino. You can drive hundreds of leds/switches with only 2 or 3 pins (i2c, spi), for example. I use this system a lot.
My circuit breakers panel, which has 14 relays and 14 reed sensors only use 2 pins of an arduino to drive everything. This arduino controls also the whole radio stack, which has tens of inputs/outputs, rotary encoders, photo resistors to control brightness on its own etc etc..

Test different things, and choose. You will need to test to find the system that works better for you.

Arturo.