sneak preview: ICS (Integrated Cockpit Systems)

[dnoize]

FSweekend was the launch weekend for our new interface system ICS (Integrated Cockpit Systems).


ICS will be available within a few weeks when the final price settings will be determined.

This is a small preview because i received so many questions about ICS after the fsweekend.

ICS has been designed by CPflight and FLYengravity under close cooperation.
Claudio and Paolo did an excellent job on the electronics and the firmware.


First brainstorm sessions started at last years FSweekend and this years FSweekend it was ready for display.

ICS is a interface system that minimizes the need for interfacing, wiring, configuring, etc.

It will be sold with completely build plug and play systems in various configurations for both the desktop and the pro stand.

All switches, rotaries, encoders, pots, annunciator leds, etc are mounted on a pcb.

ICS is compatible with:
* Project Magenta
* flightdecksoftware
* PMDG 737 (via flightsimlabs driver)

In the PRO version even the lower subpanels are interfaced, enabling the lower subpanel functions when the software provides this.

For example, with project magenta the brightness of the screens can be dimmed software wise with the respective pots on the captains and first officers lower subpanels.

In a later stage this will also be available with Flightdecksoftware.

Project Magenta is allready fully compatible and flightdecksoftware is being finetuned at the moment.

On the FSweekend we had 2 setups running on ICS.

We had our full setup running project magenta and we had a desktop setup running Flightdecksoftware at Barts stand.

some pictures:

A fully interfaced desktop system.
Everything is interfaced here, panels are backlit, only thing missing are captains and first offcers TFT's. Upper eicas is in place.

Retail systems will be fully interfaced with all tft's.





close up of the interface master board. This board daisy chains to our mcp's or the blackbox.






Close up of the center panel pcb and the F/O DU/AFDS pcb.

All rotaries, encoders and switches are on the pcb. The dual concentric knobs for the speed ref and n1 setting are powdercoated metal. The outer is a switch, the inner an encoder.

The square center part is a break out panel with the pcb's for the master caution switches and 2 led pcb's for 2 isolated annunciators on the mip.

On the DU pcb you see the afds switches with dual color leds and the rotary switch for the DU selectors (work in both project magenta and flightdecksoftware)





Top view of the pcb's with the sixpack pcb's that fit our aluminium sixpacks.






Below the PCB's for the lower subpanel. Still as a whole in the break out frame. The led strips can be used for the glare wings and mcp bay flood light. A few ledstrips have allready been taken out from this panel.

Brightness of the floodlight can be adjusted with the pots on the lower subpanel.

Brightnes of the captains panels, first officers panels, glarewing flood, background flood  can be adjusted independently of eachother with the pots on the lower subpanels, just as in the real aircraft. All switches, pots, etc in the lower subpanels are functional (depending on the software used)

The small black 2 pin female connectors are for the lightplates. The pcb's mount behind the aluminum backpanels, the lightplates mount on top of the aluminium backpanels. Lightplates have a 2 pin header that sticks into this small 2 pin female connector. So no wiring needs to be done for the internally backlit lightplates. Brightness adjustment is being taken care of by ICS as mentioned above.

This is a 'no wiring'  interfacing solution (except for some isolated switches like the nose wheel steering switch)





A close up shot from the front with ICS installed.





ICS will also be available for a fully plug and play overhead early next year.



and last but not least: Our full setup on FSweekend with ICS running:

[jackpilot]

[Trevor Hale]

WOW!!  Backlighting and Switch interface all in one..  Man that's incredible.  Probably wayyyyy  out of reach for me financially, but when I am wealthy like Maurice and retired..  Maybe I can go this route

Thanks for sharing it with us Stef..  I am sure your going to have a bunch of happy people on your hands with those items.  (Including you) 

Trev

EDIT:  LOL Jack..  My thoughts exactly!

[XOrionFE]

 

Wow.  That looks awesome.   Only problem is I have Sim-Avionics :-(

Just out of curiousity is there a reason why Sim-Avionics is not being included in plans?  Seems like they seem to be left out of support in a lot of cases or at least left to last....

[dnoize]

Project Magenta and Flightdecksoftware are the parties we are closely in touch with hence the early support.

ICS uses the same protocol as the MIP737 board, so everything in sim-avionics that works with the MIP737 board will also work with ICS.

ICS has new functionality, like the lower subpanels (for example software dimming of the screens), and i dont know if that functionality is implemented in S-A.

I dont have sim-avionics so i cant test that, but i will happily send them the expanded protocol for the new functionality.

WOW!!  Backlighting and Switch interface all in one..  Man that's incredible.  Probably wayyyyy  out of reach for me financially, but when I am wealthy like Maurice and retired..  Maybe I can go this route

ICS will only be available in completely build plug and play systems and not as seperate boards.
As it hugely reduces the time we need to build a fully interfaced system, in fact it will reduce the price we charge for turn key solutions.

It will be available for the desktop setups and the full setups in various configurations: with our without hardware standby instruments. With or without the internally backlit panels, with mcp pro or el, etc.

Although only for complete systems i think it will still be a good option compared to buying everything seperately price wise.

For those who want to build themselves we will still carry the MIP737 board.

Stef