Help needed regarding ALPS Dual Concentric encoders

[hexpope]

I have been focused on building a T7 for some time now, and have created alot of panels and the TQ. Looking at the reality of things it would cost me too much to build the entire thing. (Baby 1yr old) need I explain more.

So I have decided to take another route which is the Cessna Citation Mustang build. I have been flying the F1 version for about two months now and checking all states, intergration with FSUIPC / LINDA and I can undock the MFD/PFD, and integrate every thing through LUA scripts.

So really what I am asking is, I have alot of dual ALPS concentric encoders that I will need to use for the G1000 and the FMS and Autopilot. What I need to know is which would be the best Input card to correctly read slow / fast turns of the shafts. I have the opencockpits cards (Master & IO) but as most of you know they only support the CTS form of encoder which is single, and im not paying for the encoder PCB that might only hold 4 encoders plus take up my inputs on the main IO card.

Can any of you guys give me an idea of which input card that will give me the best results ? I also know about the BUX but I heard that people still have issues regarding fast and slow turns regarding the encoder I am using.

Here is the spec on the encoders that I bought.

http://www.onlinecomponents.com/alps-electric_ec11ebb24c03.html?p=10113588

Any help would be greatful.

[fsaviator]

I used those same encoders to build my GNS500  a few years ago.  At that time I used the Desktop Aviator card and it worked perfectly.  Can't tell you it is the best, but it worked beautifully with encoder

Here's two links that describe it.

http://www.simforums.com/forums/standalone-gns-530-with-rxp-530_topic29906.html

and

http://www.mycockpit.org/forums/showthread.php/15599-Standalone-GNS-530-with-RXP-530

Hope this helps.

Warren

[hexpope]

Thanks Warren for your help. That GPS unit you built is really a nice bit of kit. Correct me if im wrong but that website you showed me used the tech from Leo's "PIC" and his software too ? If indeed I am wrong then ill buy the card from that website and not go for Leo's BUX. One way or another, I now know which card to get for my expensive encoders that can be used to their full capability.

Im getting exited now, it spring here and it's time to get the workshop up and running again and the C02 laser machine when im not needed to do (Daddy time work)

Thank you again,

[XOrionFE]

I will be really interested in seeing how yours comes along.  As you may know I started down the path of building the mustang before the 737 and was successful at interfacing it as well.   I now have flight1 tech g1000 student software and as a side project I want to build the g1000s.   I have a CNC and am waiting on a member here to help me with drawings.   I have all the encoders same as you and I am planning on using a Hagestrom ke108 card along with their rotary 5 boards of which I have one right now.  I will need two more yet which would give 17 total encoder inputs along with 74 remaining inputs.   When I first did this a couple years ago I had no problems using the alps encoders on the ke108s two built in encoder inputs but when I got my rotary 5 board it didn't work as well.  Hagestrom had me send them one of the ec11s and they reprogrammed the board to handle them and they then worked fine.  I had planned on buying two more rotary 5 boards from them and seeing if they still have the programming for the ec11s which I am sure they can do again for the additional boards.

Keep me in the loop on your choice and progress.

Scott

[hexpope]

Hi Scott,

First of all, thanks very much for a very indept reply especially when I think I seen your youtube video of your first project that you name. I don't think you had the panels made. I would also like to ask you about your friend about the drawings. Are they in corel or AutoCad format ? for my laser work, I design everything in Corel as it has the plugin. So once I have the panels made for the type of boards I can pass them onto you to review and use. I can save in many formats from Corel.

Making the G1000 panel to integrate with my 10.4" screen will be simple enough. Its all the PCB's for the switches and rotaries and backlighting will be the test for me. It's not going to be 1:1 scale. If I need to make the panels for MFD and PFD easier then ill design them to be a little larger.

The rest like the auto pilot, MFD and FMS and all the other panels will be easy (I hope) Then comes the throttle quad which after making the T7 version should be an easier task for me this time I hope.

I also noticed that the Goflight modules you used with the LED's didn't work for you regarding the heading or VS / APP / HDG when activated. Was this because of the Goflight software or can one code via SIOC as I have the output card from OC? Or is this a flight1 internals problem?

[XOrionFE]

I think it was mainly a Goflight issue.    I would think SIOC should work but I never tested.    That really boils down to whether the FSUIPC offsets work with the mustang or not which I never tested. 

As for the drawings, I have a bunch of stuff I started in Corel.     I can use Corel pretty good but I always have problems when I export to .dxf and import into cad becuase of open vector problems.   I can send you the drawings I have.     I was looking for the other members help in autocad but maybe we could work together on this in corel and bounce ideas back and forth.  I will have to figure out the PCB side as well.   

PM your email address to me and I can send them to you.

Scott

[hexpope]

I have a feeling it was a Goflight output problem. Either way, ill mess with SIOC tonight and just write a simple line of code for one led for testings, and just change the offset for the others and see if the LED will light up with the AP HDG is activated etc.

I have sent you a PM with my email address. Hopefully we are using the same Corel Draw version and it will make opening them a little easier without messing about with external converters and whatnot (Corel Draw X3)

What I meant about the electronics is getting the PCB's traces small enough in which I can make them with my laser. As I spray alot of layers of Paint. Then I set the laser machine to about 14% output power and maybe go over the PCB about 6 times. (Reason is the copper will reflect the laser and damage the focal lens on high settings) Then I etch and get great results. I would use an online service, but it always kills me for the tooling costs just for one PCB.

I'm delighted to have another person with Corel / building a G1000, as passing ideas is going to make the work turn out better.


[EDIT]

I have just done some testing regarding SIOC and I was able to control the following.

**All LED's respond on the Autopilot via read/write through FSUIPC offsets.

**Three Green for the landing gear while the lower Red LED Stays on then turns off after both transistions.

---------------

I still need to see if I can code some SIOC to respond to the Master Caution and warning annunciators by watching low OIL/PSI etc and other CAS messages. I think this is how I should be able to make them blink when a certain offset goes below a desired value I have programmed. Or go the LUA way in which I need to read some documentation. Same goes for the Engine fire and bottle release, and of course the test panel. After that I think everything else is pretty much straight forward using LINDA with the provided LUA script from FSUIPC.

[hexpope]

I also thank you for your email, you actually nearly have every drawing done in which I just have to modify for my laser to work, plus they are 1:1 scale which is great, as I didn't know where to find that information to be honest.

The PFD and MFD dimensions are going to be a little different for me as I have different hardware, but im sure ill work something out regarding your information you gave me.

Thank you very much for your help, It really cut hours and hours of time for me, in which I don't have at the moment.

I will keep in touch when I start pumping out the panels etc from the laser machine.

Also, scott, if you want to build the exact dimensions of the G1000 you will have to get proper PCB's made that are dual layer made, but I do know Erik from Norway done an outstanding job making his MCP and other PCB's from his CNC machine. So if you have one to work with I would recommend that you contact him and talk further on skype. He really knows his stuff regarding that matter.  His work is really professional, and I know he will help you in anyway he can too, as he has been a great help to me regarding some of my PCB's and schmatics.

[hexpope]

The main answer I found to this topic that I created in 2012, was get my self a Pokeys card that can take nearly every encoder out there and make them work perfectly (Within their software parameters, GUI based)

The USB version is good if you want to use KeyMapping for your sim inputs regards encoders without any software. If you want full control with software designed for MS simulator then you need to get FSSymphony which is a free interface software and get a Pokeys57E. haven't turned back since 2012. Goodbye SOIC, and other stuff I have used in the past. I even use another pokeys, the latest version of pokeysU to run my CNC with Mach3.