This story started about 2 months ago.
One bright sunny Saturday I decided to upload some minor code changes to an Arduino card that drives my Genuine Beechcraft(tm) fuel and flaps gauges.
Now... I wasn't certain if it was the heat or the numerous empty containers of Milwaukee's finest scattered about, but the code I uploaded was obviously the wrong code. (I know this because the Arduino board suddenly started playing 'Boy George' tunes.)
No problem I said, pulling the tab on a new Milwaulkee. "I'll just find the correct file and upload THAT one".
The Arduino development environment is a simple but fickle beast. Unlike EVERY OTHER DEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENT IN THE WORLD, the Arduino IDE doesn't auto-save your work when you upload it. So... if you don't save it, and you close the IDE, your work, and your sanity, are gone forever.
Having pounded an already unverifiable amount of ale (Homer Simpson would be proud) re-creating the work I did from scratch was not an option. The work would have to wait until tomorrow.
...so I promptly passed out in my chair, waiting for sunup.
There's a problem here. Not only did I forget to save my work, but I must've tweaked SOMETHING as now, the very next day, nothing would compile. Missing libraries, missing functions, etc...
Long story short and 2 months later (Which brings us to today) I had to re-install everything... including Windows, to get anything Arduino to work.
I also discovered a new and improved version of the tools I use to drive my genuine(tm) fuel and flap gauges. A few simple tweaks and viola! Fuel and flaps!
But anyway.. I wanted to mention that having something so simple as a genuine (tm) working fuel gauge lends just enough realism to the sim experience as to make one question if these things could possibly have a soul.
Back to the takeoff checklist!
HA! Glad you have this sorted. Was getting worried about the ole 1900.... By the way, measurements?
Hi Bob,
I'm trying to find a way to do this simply. Some sort of diagramming program that let's you add an image (in this case the Avidyne bezel), then, depending on image sizing, lets you add dimension lines and have them all be accurate.
Inkscape looks promising
Found something that will work!
www.draw.io (http://www.draw.io)
Mind you, the dimensions are NOT correct in this sample, just a test to see what I need to do and what this is capable of doing...
Both fuel and flap gauges work now.
Order has been restored in the universe.