A rotary encoder can usually rotate continuously in both directions. Also, it is usually more precise than potentiometers. Rotary encoders send out pulses, while a potentiometer just varies the current between 0 and a fixed limit. In a potentiometer, it's position is equal to the output current(if connected in a voltage divider setup), while in a rotary encoder, position cannot be known.
When it applies to flight simulation, rotary encoders (digital) are used to change the frequency on a radio, course/heading or the altitude on the autopilot panel. A potentiometer (analog) is used for Volume knobs, throttles and LCD Brightness, to name a few...
Just discovered your videos. Amazing thank you! You have helped me to get a DIY A320 build working with MobiFlight and MSFS. Keep up the work. Your videos are great!
Bro, im impressed by your knowledge, shout out to you really. I wish i had this kind of knowledge and passion when i was your age. Will push my kid to learn from you. And thanx for the amazing video.
Just a little correction about the pin activity when the rotary encoder is turned. You will always have activity on both A and B, no matter what direction you turn the encoder in. In a rotary encoder, the pins A and B (also known as CLK and DT) are responsible for providing signals that indicate the direction and magnitude of the rotation. When the rotary encoder is turned, the output on the pins A and B changes in a specific pattern, depending on the direction and speed of the rotation. The signals on pins A and B are typically encoded using a technique called quadrature encoding. This means that as the encoder rotates, the signals on pins A and B are shifted relative to each other, with one signal leading the other. This shift in the signals allows the circuit that interprets the encoder output to determine the direction of rotation and the number of steps that the encoder has moved. When the encoder is turned in a clockwise direction, the signal on pin A leads the signal on pin B. This means that the signal on pin A goes high before the signal on pin B goes high. In contrast, when the encoder is turned counterclockwise, the signal on pin B leads the signal on pin A, with the signal on pin B going high before the signal on pin A. The third pin, which is the common or ground (COM) pin, is not directly involved in the encoding process. However, it is essential to connect the COM pin to ground to ensure the reliable operation of the encoder and the circuit that interprets its output.
Those PCB mounted encoders are great for panels since you can solder headers to them and use removable wiring harnesses just in case you ever need to dismantle your panel.
NOTED ONCE I GET TO IT I WILL FOR NOW YOU CAN USE FSUIPC OFFSETS AND ASK QUESTIONS IF YOU GET STUCK I've been thinking about this too, I might give it a try (but no promises)
For X-Plane most things work ok but there is clearly a lack of offsets provided. Developing your own custom offsets for inclusion in the XPUIPCOffsets.cfg is the way to go. I struggled for days trying to get a rotary encoder to operate NAV and COM radios but failed. The problem is in Mobiflight you have to tell X-Plane what values to enter and for radios that did not work. However in datarefs there are commands which are very easy to operate so that you merely tell X-Plane to increment or decrement a frequency and X-Plane does the rest. So much easier. I strongly recommend a video on how to insert your own custom commands into the XPUIPCOffsets.cfg file.
In circuit boards, there will be two holes that you can solder the useless pins to, to attach it to the panel more firmly. You can see this here: cdn.sparkfun.com//assets/parts/7/9/3/3/11722-04.jpg You can model your design around them, or you can snip them off and use only the thread and nut.
Thank you for this information! Really well explained. I have a question, what if i need to connect 8 Rotary encoders (only 1 with switch)? Do they fit in the Arduino mega? Do you have any diagram? Please!!
In the Arduino button example tutorial the Pin for the button must be grounded through a resistor to ensure the low state when its not pressed. Why do you not do it here? Thanks so much for your tutorials
Although there may be the tiniest bit of noise, usually this isn't really noticeable, and I don't find it worth the effort to put resistors on the circuit. Here's a resource that explains why you would use them: www.circuitbasics.com/pull-up-and-pull-down-resistors/ It is best practice, but I typically don't, to keep it more approachable and easy.
Hello Capitan Bob, is a great video, but i miss where do you find de pcb show at 4'53s? Another question is, it's possible to connect 4 dual encoders to arduino mega? If yes, how ?
Hello! The flightsimaker PCB was a gift, if you want something like it I might recommend using the KY040 rotary encoder. It’s definitely possible to connect two dual encoders. Treat each encoder separately and connect all of the commons to ground (you can twist them together or use a breadboard)
Great videos; thanks. Can you do a video on the radios which need special attention. The sim is in 25khz steps but new radios are in 8.33kHz steps and we have to use the modulo formula to get radios to work properly. I am still struggling with this.
Hello! I believe this is a "simulator internal" thing. I haven't been able to get this to work, but you might try asking on the MobiFlight Discord. X-Plane seems to simulate most modern radios in 8.33, but MSFS I believe is still mostly in 25
Would I theoretically be able to use this, plug like 5 knobs and use it as a USB device to select stuff in a program? Like scroll through a menu and press in t I select? Would mobiflight let me do that or is it only for flight Sims?
Yeah! You can set it up as a virtual Joystick if you install vJoy. MF is mainly for FS2020 and X-Plane but with offline mode or vJoy you can use it as a keyboard or joystick
Thanks for your info videos, help to me so mucho to make my own rotary panel,but now i have a question..if you can help me..in fs2020 how i can config the button to set baro std,altitud managment or speed managment and same button for disconect to change to manual speed or baro or altitud.Thanks
In my latest video showing the Arduino Uno, I showed how to use FS2020 Events. These have much, much more detail than FSUIPC offsets. hubhop.mobiflight.com/#/list shows you all of the presets, you can search for them here :)
@@CaptainBobSimthank for answer, but i know the events..i just would like to know how to use one encoder push button for set baro std and when push again set BARO QNH...for example.I dont know if there is a way to use long anshrot press button or kind of.
@@OkamiNoken I haven't dabbled too deeply into this specifically, but I think there are people on the MobiFlight discord who have - usually they write custom FS2020 code, because MobiFlight doesn't currently support press lengths.
I am "fixing" my custome Throttle sys, fell and broke.. axis are not working wel.. what I have to change.. pot or encoder? to works smooth as before.. ( already rewire whole thing but still I have "jumps" in last section on "travelling" of my Throttle..
I'd recommend a potentiometer. MF now has potentiometer capabilities. Look at their GitHub for more info on this: github.com/Mobiflight/MobiFlight-Connector/wiki/Example-Analog-Input-Potentiometer Encoder will work for increase/decrease but it doesn't have a positive stop.
Thanks man! This really helped me a lot, i want to build a garmin g5 config for my sim with one rotary encoder but one thing i don't quite get is which encoder should I get, i don't know if all rotary encoders would have "infinite turning" for example as a heading/altimeter bug does or if some of them have a stop after a full rotation, also i would like to know if they have small detents every one degree of turn like some irl bugs do, I'm having some trouble finding this info at the data sheets so I'm assuming they do. Thanks again!!!
Yeah! You'd just use a different offset/event. You could use the MSFS2020 event from the dropdown then use Microsoft, Generic, Flight Instrumentation KOHLSMAN_DEC on left and inc on right. hubhop.mobiflight.com/#/presetview/d3828258-b00c-4dad-b59d-4fb0d4f18a2a Hubhop is where you can "google" events to use.
@@CaptainBobSim Thanks for your answer. Cool ! If I have understood your tutotrial, for example, I can plot the five Dupont into the plot 2/3/4/5/6. 2 and 3 for the Inner incoder, 4 for the button, then 5 and 6 for the Outer encoder. Is that correct ?
Yep! you can wire it however you want, as long as it matches in MobiFlight. You could if you want go pins 32 and 51 for inner, pins 29 and 3 for outer and pin A0 for button, but that would make me very mad.
Hi captain, do you know if there is a way to show the 3 digits behind the dot (or comma) in Mobiflight? ATC nowadays communicates in frequencies with 3 decimals behind the dot in VHF frqs. E.g. 121,805 iso the older 121,800. Mobiflight is not able to show the xxx,xx5... Only the xxx,xx0 is still possible. Any tips how to solve this?
Captain Bob, thanks again for your wonderful video, you did upload a video in past abut Campass with mobyfligh, would you please do the same thing with Simvim? I would like to learn how you wire and set the data for campass. Thanks 🙏🙏🙏♥️
Hi Brian! Recently SimVim hasn't been too excited about TH-camrs creating tutorials, so I'm not sure if I should. I'll put it on my list :) Look up SimVim in TH-cam and you will find some tutorials however.
Are arduino Leonardo and mega the same thing for this kind of use? (Flight simulator) does the mega simulate a (keyboard)? Im building an auto pilot's painel using Leonardo... But yes he is smaller. Thanks Very much from Brazil!
The Leonardo isn't supported by MobiFlight (yet) so won't help for MobiFlight devices. The Leonardo can be flashed with a joystick sketch which makes it helpful for analog inputs. The Mega can be used for MobiFlight, I'd recommend the mega or pro mini 2560.
Nice! Thanks have you seen Russ Barlow’s “Knobster”? I’m working on making custom programming and cases for it. Lemme know if you are interested. Sending protective and healing vibes to you and your loved ones. BTW. Are you familiar with Linda which is written in Lula Chas
Awesome video! I'm just getting started building my own sim and really like the idea of using arduinos with mobiflight. Are you limited to the number of boards you can run? Could I run 3 mega boards at once?
Absolutely! There is good news and bad news. The bad news is there is a limit. The good news is that the limit is something like 117 :) Knock yourself out Frank!
Hi Cap'n This is off topic I'm sorry but I dont know how else to contact you. I have a question. I printed Alvaro Alea's heading indicator and figured out how to assemble it but I haven't a clue how to link it to MSFS 2020. It has two stepper motors and two rotary encoders. Have you or any of your viewers put one of these together? Its a much needed instrument in a flight sim. Thank you for any help you can give me
Fantastic work! That's really hard to do :) I'm unsure the heading *bug* has the ability to be interfaced. I haven't had any luck with it. The heading indicator should use offset: 0x0580 4 PLANE HEADING DEGREES TRUE or 0x2B00 8 PLANE HEADING DEGREES GYRO (You can look in your Install FSUIPC7 Folder for more options of offsets) At the moment I haven't done this before, so the best advice I can give is to configure it like it were a whiskey compass. Happy Landings!!
I use Davinci Resolve. They have a lot of Key Framing (Whenever you move anything you set a start and end point). The basic version is free, and extremely powerful. I think this answers your question? If you're talking about how to remap a keyboard press to another keyboard press, I typically write auto hotkey scripts.
It'd probably be better to use a simple button box and map input manually. With MobiFlight you'd have to use offline mode and assign things as a "keypress" from the dropdown menu, as DCS isn't directly compatible. "The Warthog Project" uses a software called Helios (I think) that might be a better fit for DCS.
Hi, im new to arduino. when we finish the encoder wiring to arduino, then connect usb to the computer, do I need to install arduino. IDE? or upload library like that before open mobiflight? or install driver first?
We do not need to install arduino IDE anymore :) The latest update takes care of this. You shouldn't have to install drivers either. Make sure you upload your configuration to the board under extras>Settings>MobiFlight Modules, then you should be good to go :)
Very helpful video! I’m totally new to this so apologies for the question. I have managed to get the rotary encoder to work (left & right) using the 3 pins on one side. However the other side with 2 pins, one of them has broken off. Does this mean that I won’t be able to use the push function on this encoder? Is there a workaround? I tried by connecting the remaining pin (out of the 2) to button 3 on the board but the push function still doesn’t work. Im assuming it needs the other pin to be connected to ground on the board or to the other ground wire? Any help will be appreciated!
*For encoders: Yes, use your FSUIPC document to find your appropriate offset *For potentiometers: A week ago I'd have said "NO, get a joystick card" but with MF release 9.0 you can use analog inputs: Here's a tutorial on the MF github: github.com/Mobiflight/MobiFlight-Connector/wiki/Example-Analog-Input-Potentiometer If you need more instruction, email me: CaptainBobSim@gmail.com and I can send some unedited clips of me setting it up. *With Joystick card: configure joystick axis to spoiler/flap axis.
Air Manager is different in that you control INSTRUMENTS instead of DEVICES. By default the C172 has most of the instrument Arduino controls if you plug in your arduino, flash it, and scroll to the bottom of the instrument edit page. I believe I covered this very briefly in my Air Manager video. To have a custom knob you would need to code your own instrument subscribing to datarefs/fsx events. I believe Air Manager has a "Build your own instrument" in their documentation.
Be careful with naming !!! - Timothy and Frankie, while 'funny' for your YT usage, are extremely poor choices in practice. You'll find out when you add more encoders that you NEED to provide sensible names i.e. names that help you both decode and debug your projects ;)
What's difference between rotary encoder and potensiomemeter
A rotary encoder can usually rotate continuously in both directions. Also, it is usually more precise than potentiometers. Rotary encoders send out pulses, while a potentiometer just varies the current between 0 and a fixed limit. In a potentiometer, it's position is equal to the output current(if connected in a voltage divider setup), while in a rotary encoder, position cannot be known.
@@allaboutflying thanks
When it applies to flight simulation, rotary encoders (digital) are used to change the frequency on a radio, course/heading or the altitude on the autopilot panel. A potentiometer (analog) is used for Volume knobs, throttles and LCD Brightness, to name a few...
coming from a teacher, i loved how you explained things in this video!
Thank you Regret! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Love the added support for X-Plane! Great video!
Thanks a lot!
HAHAHA Timothy wow that was honestly comedy gold. Thanks for the video mate helped me understand in a simple way how to get my encoders woking!
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!!
Just discovered your videos. Amazing thank you! You have helped me to get a DIY A320 build working with MobiFlight and MSFS. Keep up the work. Your videos are great!
Thank you for your kind words! I hope you have a blast building your A320!
Bro, im impressed by your knowledge, shout out to you really. I wish i had this kind of knowledge and passion when i was your age.
Will push my kid to learn from you.
And thanx for the amazing video.
I appreciate that mad sauce gaming! Thank you so much!
You explained it awesome, even I could understand it, I loved all abut wiring diagram and encoders detail. Thanks so much. ♥️🙏👍
Glad it was helpful Brian! :)
Just a little correction about the pin activity when the rotary encoder is turned. You will always have activity on both A and B, no matter what direction you turn the encoder in.
In a rotary encoder, the pins A and B (also known as CLK and DT) are responsible for providing signals that indicate the direction and magnitude of the rotation. When the rotary encoder is turned, the output on the pins A and B changes in a specific pattern, depending on the direction and speed of the rotation.
The signals on pins A and B are typically encoded using a technique called quadrature encoding. This means that as the encoder rotates, the signals on pins A and B are shifted relative to each other, with one signal leading the other. This shift in the signals allows the circuit that interprets the encoder output to determine the direction of rotation and the number of steps that the encoder has moved.
When the encoder is turned in a clockwise direction, the signal on pin A leads the signal on pin B. This means that the signal on pin A goes high before the signal on pin B goes high. In contrast, when the encoder is turned counterclockwise, the signal on pin B leads the signal on pin A, with the signal on pin B going high before the signal on pin A.
The third pin, which is the common or ground (COM) pin, is not directly involved in the encoding process. However, it is essential to connect the COM pin to ground to ensure the reliable operation of the encoder and the circuit that interprets its output.
Thank you for the information! It's really fascinating how these devices work!
your videos are better and better. Keep up the good work!!
Thank you so much friedchicken! That means a lot to me!
Great video buddy,keep up the good work,very helpful .👍
Thank you denis!
Awesome explanation. I want to build the panel with knob controls. Your video got me started and you got another subscriber
Welcome aboard! Let me know how your sim is going!!
Those PCB mounted encoders are great for panels since you can solder headers to them and use removable wiring harnesses just in case you ever need to dismantle your panel.
Absolutely! Makes maintenance real easy!
Do you have any links to the ones you are referring to?
Despite the fact being a very interesting and helpful video it's still funny "oh and this, it's just a lego."
Thanks Tyler! See ya next Thursday! 😀
MAKE A VIDEO CONFIGURING;
AP AIR SPEED, AP ALTITUDE, AP APPROACH, AP HEADING AND AP MACH. THANK YOU FOR YOUR VIDEOS, HELPING YOU A LOT HERE IN BRAZIL.
NOTED ONCE I GET TO IT I WILL
FOR NOW YOU CAN USE FSUIPC OFFSETS AND ASK QUESTIONS IF YOU GET STUCK
I've been thinking about this too, I might give it a try (but no promises)
YOU ARE GREAT. WHAT A KNOWLEDGE
THANK YOU FABIO!!!
For X-Plane most things work ok but there is clearly a lack of offsets provided. Developing your own custom offsets for inclusion in the XPUIPCOffsets.cfg is the way to go. I struggled for days trying to get a rotary encoder to operate NAV and COM radios but failed. The problem is in Mobiflight you have to tell X-Plane what values to enter and for radios that did not work. However in datarefs there are commands which are very easy to operate so that you merely tell X-Plane to increment or decrement a frequency and X-Plane does the rest. So much easier. I strongly recommend a video on how to insert your own custom commands into the XPUIPCOffsets.cfg file.
Very true! This is on the list of things to do for me :)
Great Channel!! thanks for share your knowledge!!.
My pleasure!
How exactly do the two pins that you cut off "provide support"? I have no clue how they are used properly. Could you explain that, please?
In circuit boards, there will be two holes that you can solder the useless pins to, to attach it to the panel more firmly. You can see this here:
cdn.sparkfun.com//assets/parts/7/9/3/3/11722-04.jpg
You can model your design around them, or you can snip them off and use only the thread and nut.
Just wanted to say thanks, great video and helped me a ton in finishing my project.
I'm so glad it was helpful!
V helpful thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for this information! Really well explained. I have a question, what if i need to connect 8 Rotary encoders (only 1 with switch)? Do they fit in the Arduino mega? Do you have any diagram? Please!!
Absolutely!
Just use any of the pins MobiFlight will let you and ground
I want to install a encoder on my panel and I want to use it to set my altimeter. What do I assign it to in mobiFlight?
It should be "Kohsman" something. I think I covered this briefly in my Generic LCD configuration video :)
In the Arduino button example tutorial the Pin for the button must be grounded through a resistor to ensure the low state when its not pressed. Why do you not do it here? Thanks so much for your tutorials
Although there may be the tiniest bit of noise, usually this isn't really noticeable, and I don't find it worth the effort to put resistors on the circuit. Here's a resource that explains why you would use them: www.circuitbasics.com/pull-up-and-pull-down-resistors/
It is best practice, but I typically don't, to keep it more approachable and easy.
Really good captain!
Thank you!! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
do you know the purpose of the nuts and washers that screw onto the rotary encoder?
They allow you to screw it tightly onto a panel.
You can also probably collect them and melt them into a fancy decoration :)
Hello Capitan Bob, is a great video, but i miss where do you find de pcb show at 4'53s? Another question is, it's possible to connect 4 dual encoders to arduino mega? If yes, how ?
Hello! The flightsimaker PCB was a gift, if you want something like it I might recommend using the KY040 rotary encoder.
It’s definitely possible to connect two dual encoders. Treat each encoder separately and connect all of the commons to ground (you can twist them together or use a breadboard)
@@CaptainBobSim thank you for your answer but i can connect pin 22 thru 53 to connect the dual encoders,correct?
@@mjrteks You can connect the encoder to any pin MobiFlight will let you D2-A15
do you have to code in arduino
I don't, as it's a configuration file. You can make your own following the video.
Hi! I did a mistake i connect « + » not on 5v pin but one pin of the arduino as a button is it a problem ? My install is difficult to open and modify
If it's not working I'd change it :) I don't think it should be able to.
Great videos; thanks. Can you do a video on the radios which need special attention. The sim is in 25khz steps but new radios are in 8.33kHz steps and we have to use the modulo formula to get radios to work properly. I am still struggling with this.
Hello! I believe this is a "simulator internal" thing. I haven't been able to get this to work, but you might try asking on the MobiFlight Discord.
X-Plane seems to simulate most modern radios in 8.33, but MSFS I believe is still mostly in 25
Would I theoretically be able to use this, plug like 5 knobs and use it as a USB device to select stuff in a program? Like scroll through a menu and press in t I select? Would mobiflight let me do that or is it only for flight Sims?
Yeah! You can set it up as a virtual Joystick if you install vJoy.
MF is mainly for FS2020 and X-Plane but with offline mode or vJoy you can use it as a keyboard or joystick
@@CaptainBobSim awesome thanks. I've been trying to figure out what I need and it looks like an arduino trinket is right up my alley.
Thanks for your info videos, help to me so mucho to make my own rotary panel,but now i have a question..if you can help me..in fs2020 how i can config the button to set baro std,altitud managment or speed managment and same button for disconect to change to manual speed or baro or altitud.Thanks
In my latest video showing the Arduino Uno, I showed how to use FS2020 Events. These have much, much more detail than FSUIPC offsets.
hubhop.mobiflight.com/#/list shows you all of the presets, you can search for them here :)
@@CaptainBobSimthank for answer, but i know the events..i just would like to know how to use one encoder push button for set baro std and when push again set BARO QNH...for example.I dont know if there is a way to use long anshrot press button or kind of.
@@OkamiNoken I haven't dabbled too deeply into this specifically, but I think there are people on the MobiFlight discord who have - usually they write custom FS2020 code, because MobiFlight doesn't currently support press lengths.
@@CaptainBobSim thanks 😊
I am "fixing" my custome Throttle sys, fell and broke.. axis are not working wel.. what I have to change.. pot or encoder? to works smooth as before.. ( already rewire whole thing but still I have "jumps" in last section on "travelling" of my Throttle..
I'd recommend a potentiometer. MF now has potentiometer capabilities. Look at their GitHub for more info on this: github.com/Mobiflight/MobiFlight-Connector/wiki/Example-Analog-Input-Potentiometer
Encoder will work for increase/decrease but it doesn't have a positive stop.
@@CaptainBobSim thanks a lot!! I just order a new Bodnard boaed. Mine is old one and even is nor recognize by manger to flush it... let you know..
@@miketango507 Sounds good! I hope you have fun with it!
Thanks man! This really helped me a lot, i want to build a garmin g5 config for my sim with one rotary encoder but one thing i don't quite get is which encoder should I get, i don't know if all rotary encoders would have "infinite turning" for example as a heading/altimeter bug does or if some of them have a stop after a full rotation, also i would like to know if they have small detents every one degree of turn like some irl bugs do, I'm having some trouble finding this info at the data sheets so I'm assuming they do.
Thanks again!!!
All (or at least almost all) rotary encoders should spin forever.
I don't know the answer to your bug question
Great video. Can you show how to set up rotary encoder to mobiflight to altitude knob in MSFS
Yeah! You'd just use a different offset/event.
You could use the MSFS2020 event from the dropdown then use Microsoft, Generic, Flight Instrumentation KOHLSMAN_DEC on left and inc on right.
hubhop.mobiflight.com/#/presetview/d3828258-b00c-4dad-b59d-4fb0d4f18a2a
Hubhop is where you can "google" events to use.
@@CaptainBobSim Thamks
Tnx for bringing this Vid, now, Should we assume that it works the same with FS2020 ?
I believe the offset is the same for FS2020.
Your videos are very interesting. I have a question. Does Arduino 2560 support a dual encoder with button (simulate a FMS button for example) ?
Yep! You'd just configure two encoders and a button, each on their own line
@@CaptainBobSim Thanks for your answer. Cool ! If I have understood your tutotrial, for example, I can plot the five Dupont into the plot 2/3/4/5/6.
2 and 3 for the Inner incoder, 4 for the button, then 5 and 6 for the Outer encoder. Is that correct ?
Yep! you can wire it however you want, as long as it matches in MobiFlight. You could if you want go pins 32 and 51 for inner, pins 29 and 3 for outer and pin A0 for button, but that would make me very mad.
@@CaptainBobSim Thanks a lot for your help. 👍
Hi captain,
do you know if there is a way to show the 3 digits behind the dot (or comma) in Mobiflight? ATC nowadays communicates in frequencies with 3 decimals behind the dot in VHF frqs. E.g. 121,805 iso the older 121,800. Mobiflight is not able to show the xxx,xx5... Only the xxx,xx0 is still possible. Any tips how to solve this?
I think it has to do with American vs rest of world frequency (10K vs 23.8K)
You should be able to find whatever radio frequency the simulator reada
Captain Bob, thanks again for your wonderful video, you did upload a video in past abut Campass with mobyfligh, would you please do the same thing with Simvim? I would like to learn how you wire and set the data for campass. Thanks 🙏🙏🙏♥️
Hi Brian! Recently SimVim hasn't been too excited about TH-camrs creating tutorials, so I'm not sure if I should. I'll put it on my list :) Look up SimVim in TH-cam and you will find some tutorials however.
@@CaptainBobSim l noticed, ok. Thanks so much anyways ♥️🙏
@@CaptainBobSim you should work for NASA whenever the time comes, you are awesome smart young man. God bless you.
GREAT WORK
Thanks Capt Memo!
Are arduino Leonardo and mega the same thing for this kind of use? (Flight simulator) does the mega simulate a (keyboard)? Im building an auto pilot's painel using Leonardo... But yes he is smaller. Thanks Very much from Brazil!
The Leonardo isn't supported by MobiFlight (yet) so won't help for MobiFlight devices. The Leonardo can be flashed with a joystick sketch which makes it helpful for analog inputs.
The Mega can be used for MobiFlight, I'd recommend the mega or pro mini 2560.
Do you think you could make a video about combining a 7 segment display and a rotary encoder into one to make a sort of radio panel?
I will once I make one for my sim
@@CaptainBobSim cool thanks
Nice! Thanks have you seen Russ Barlow’s “Knobster”? I’m working on making custom programming and cases for it. Lemme know if you are interested. Sending protective and healing vibes to you and your loved ones. BTW. Are you familiar with Linda which is written in Lula
Chas
I have and would be interested in seeing your progress! Heard of Linda, but haven’t gotten deep into it
Awesome video! I'm just getting started building my own sim and really like the idea of using arduinos with mobiflight. Are you limited to the number of boards you can run? Could I run 3 mega boards at once?
Absolutely! There is good news and bad news.
The bad news is there is a limit.
The good news is that the limit is something like 117 :)
Knock yourself out Frank!
@@CaptainBobSim Thanks. Keep up the great content!!
Hi Cap'n
This is off topic I'm sorry but I dont know how else to contact you. I have a question. I printed Alvaro Alea's heading indicator and figured out how to assemble it but I haven't a clue how to link it to MSFS 2020. It has two stepper motors and two rotary encoders. Have you or any of your viewers put one of these together? Its a much needed instrument in a flight sim.
Thank you for any help you can give me
Fantastic work! That's really hard to do :)
I'm unsure the heading *bug* has the ability to be interfaced. I haven't had any luck with it.
The heading indicator should use offset:
0x0580 4 PLANE HEADING DEGREES TRUE
or
0x2B00 8 PLANE HEADING DEGREES GYRO
(You can look in your Install FSUIPC7 Folder for more options of offsets)
At the moment I haven't done this before, so the best advice I can give is to configure it like it were a whiskey compass.
Happy Landings!!
Im planning to use such a setup for editing. Which software i can use for key to character remapping?
I use Davinci Resolve. They have a lot of Key Framing (Whenever you move anything you set a start and end point). The basic version is free, and extremely powerful. I think this answers your question?
If you're talking about how to remap a keyboard press to another keyboard press, I typically write auto hotkey scripts.
Will this work for something like DCS? Or is it better to make a “simple” button box and map the input manually in the game?
It'd probably be better to use a simple button box and map input manually. With MobiFlight you'd have to use offline mode and assign things as a "keypress" from the dropdown menu, as DCS isn't directly compatible.
"The Warthog Project" uses a software called Helios (I think) that might be a better fit for DCS.
Hey Captain, does mobiflight have a dcs version ?
Not really, You can set it to keyboard commands that DCS Reads, but it is primarily for MSFS2020, Prepar3d and X-Plane.
Hope they add it somehow!
dcs-bios.readthedocs.io/en/latest/hardware.html
Hi, im new to arduino.
when we finish the encoder wiring to arduino, then connect usb to the computer, do I need to install arduino. IDE? or upload library like that before open mobiflight?
or install driver first?
We do not need to install arduino IDE anymore :) The latest update takes care of this. You shouldn't have to install drivers either. Make sure you upload your configuration to the board under extras>Settings>MobiFlight Modules, then you should be good to go :)
Very helpful video! I’m totally new to this so apologies for the question. I have managed to get the rotary encoder to work (left & right) using the 3 pins on one side. However the other side with 2 pins, one of them has broken off. Does this mean that I won’t be able to use the push function on this encoder? Is there a workaround? I tried by connecting the remaining pin (out of the 2) to button 3 on the board but the push function still doesn’t work. Im assuming it needs the other pin to be connected to ground on the board or to the other ground wire?
Any help will be appreciated!
That is true, the other pin would have to be connected to ground, or the other ground wire.
It's so frustrating when components break off!!!
@@CaptainBobSim Super frustrating. Thank you for the prompt response though!
Absolutely Divij! Best of luck with your simulator project!!
can i use potmeter or encoder as a flap or spoiler lever?
*For encoders: Yes, use your FSUIPC document to find your appropriate offset
*For potentiometers: A week ago I'd have said "NO, get a joystick card" but with MF release 9.0 you can use analog inputs: Here's a tutorial on the MF github: github.com/Mobiflight/MobiFlight-Connector/wiki/Example-Analog-Input-Potentiometer
If you need more instruction, email me: CaptainBobSim@gmail.com and I can send some unedited clips of me setting it up.
*With Joystick card: configure joystick axis to spoiler/flap axis.
@@CaptainBobSim Thanks bro! Helps alot :D
Glad to help!!
help me out here if you can! by using this software do i still need to program the arduino board or it does it by itself?
You don't have to code anything, you flash it in the extras/settings/mobiflight modules window.
You really explain very good understandable. Serious, very professional! Thank you!
Hello Matt! This means a lot to me! I haven't had time (or energy) to work on new videos so hopefully soon I can start back up!
Anything guide for this on Airmanager 4?
Air Manager is different in that you control INSTRUMENTS instead of DEVICES. By default the C172 has most of the instrument Arduino controls if you plug in your arduino, flash it, and scroll to the bottom of the instrument edit page. I believe I covered this very briefly in my Air Manager video.
To have a custom knob you would need to code your own instrument subscribing to datarefs/fsx events. I believe Air Manager has a "Build your own instrument" in their documentation.
@@CaptainBobSim tks
Do you by any chance know if mobiflight works with DCS?
Not really, though you can use key presses with offline mode and set up hotkeys in DCS.
@@CaptainBobSim Thanks for the reply. I was just curious. I'll probably end up going with Helios tbh, just wondering if mobi was an option.
@@JamesW81 Absolutely! Helios seems to be a great option for this.
0:48 whaaaat? No wonder my sim doesn't work...
It stumped me too!
Be careful with naming !!! - Timothy and Frankie, while 'funny' for your YT usage, are extremely poor choices in practice. You'll find out when you add more encoders that you NEED to provide sensible names i.e. names that help you both decode and debug your projects ;)
Don’t worry! My names now are incredibly boring and cryptic! ARD7_IDC_40A_GNS530A_L-F_ENCA and 2A-3-000
@@CaptainBobSim 'Cryptic', yes, though not for you ;)
Go simconnect, screw fsuipc!
I agree now 😂
I didn't at the time.
I just wish there was something for XPlane!
Pickles 🥒 don’t ask lol
It's Yummy, I don't have to ask 🤷♂️
@@CaptainBobSim lol