Community Event / Creation Hyperdrive... Engage!

cassius

cassius
So there are some threads knocking around talking about possible simpit builds, and using devices such as arduino to create an interface with ED. I'd love to get a full simpit up and running, but that will require a bit more space. Luckily though the girlfriend and I have bought a new house! While we're waiting for all that to get sorted i've been busying myself thinking of designs and button configs. As a very basic test i've created this:

20140607_144332.jpg


You can see a vid of it working here

Very simple at the moment. Its an ipac interface inside a carboard box which has been programmed to tell the computer the J key has been pressed (mapped in-game for hyperspace). Lift the toggle cover and flip the switch, which turns on the warning LED. The button can now be pressed. Without the toggle switch released, the button presses do nothing. At the moment it requires the hyperspace destination to already be programmed in.

More controls to come... and hopefully soon a full simpit build :D :D

(as anticipated in the youtube description, i fully see the resemblance in its present form to the pathetic Holly Hop Drive lol :p )
 

Memnoch

M
I love the video. That bright red light tells you that under no uncertain terms something magical is going to happen when you press it! :)
 

Malactus

Malactus
That would feel so satisfying if it would charge at the start of flipping the switch and then the button would initiate it (instead of thrust), Oh well the one you did would do :D
 

popuptoaster

P
If you just need button presses you can butcher an old keyboard to act as the hub and run wires from any key on the membrane to whatever control desk you like.

there is also software available so you can use MIDI equipment, an old mixing desk might come in handy at some point!
 

Winterwalker

Winterwalker
popuptoaster said:
If you just need button presses you can butcher an old keyboard to act as the hub and run wires from any key on the membrane to whatever control desk you like.

there is also software available so you can use MIDI equipment, an old mixing desk might come in handy at some point!
Click to expand...

Liking this thinking .. A mixing desk would certainly look the part. A little bit pricey as a piece of kit to hack into, as I have also with an old keyboard (though I took it back to the little card that connects to the membrane).

Software, for temporary retasking of MIDI sounds ideal. I don't know if piloting via a midi guitar interface is recommended?? But do you have a link to the MIDI/USB software you refer to? .

I'm short of reources myself but I'd like to use a heated electric reclining car seat .. The heater might turn on to remind that you're in silent running, or lumbar support, push you in the back when entering hyperspace? (Reclined in supercruise, reverts to an upright position on interdiction??) ;p
 

Asp Explorer

Asp Explorer
I had a whole bunch of Boss stomp guitar and bass pedals that will never see the light of a gig again, and soldered up a simple USB input multiplexor.

The idea was to use them as input.

The reality was a whole mess of cables and confusion. Gave the whole lot to a friend of mine.
 

cassius

cassius
Thanks for the thumbs up everyone :D

Malactus said:
That would feel so satisfying if it would charge at the start of flipping the switch and then the button would initiate it (instead of thrust), Oh well the one you did would do :D
Click to expand...

That would be good and i gave it a bit of thought. The thing with toggle switches is that they give a continuous signal when tripped. So in the case like this where you want to replicate a single keypress it doesn't work so well (imagine trying to active the hyperdrive by holding down the J button rather than pressing it). There are ways of getting around it such as third party software to capture the input and turn it into a single signal, but i didn't want anything sat between the button and ED :) You can also do it by putting a bit of circuitry in there but i also waned to keep it as simple as possible :)

Robbie said:
That's the kind of buttons you'd want for arming and ejecting your escape pod. :)
Click to expand...

Ah yes the eject control. I've been thinking of a handle in front of the seat, like the one you find in fighter planes such as an F16:

F16ACESrt.jpg


Either that or a big emergency stop button with "Eject" in large letters around it :p
 
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