- 411
Hello, folks.
I am starting my cockpit project and want to share my thoughs with you all. I´ve seen many really blasting bad-ass, state-of-the-art cockpit workarounds around here, so I decided I needed to make something nice to play and show to this community.
Update #1
As any other cool cockpit listed here, I am planning to build it like this:
1) One real car seat: Mandatory to have the slider things beneath it. Also it must be converted to an easy dettachable seat, so i can transport it up and down with no stress.
2) Pedals set: Will be adapted to DFP to make the feels of driving a real car and pushing real pedals (not pushing the pedals down, like the standard DFP pedals, but pushing them back, like a real car).
3) Adjustable pedals angle.
4) Adjustable wheel. Need to ajust radially and height from the ground.
5) Transmission. Shifter certainly will be sequential, like the nice alternatives listed around, that included a disassembled joypad in order to make rods push bottons and stuff. But, I am trying to think in something better, and will probably need help from some dudes around.
How to convert the sequential-style gear-shifting to a H-style direct shifting?
Idea 1: Use of microprocessors.
Fact: Simple microprocessors can send N signals as output when an single input is entered.
We can make triggers in each of the H limits to signal a gear shifting, like this
Every trigger is connected to inputs in microprocessor. (do not have the mp in mind on how to do this right now). When, say, the button/trigger is activated by the gear rod, it will send an output to the processor input.
Processor input would work like this.
gear value: 1
gear input: 4
gear output = (gear input - gear value)
gear output = (4 - 1) = 3
gear value = gear output
so, gear output = 3 gears UP, or 3 times the gear up button will be activated
another example (fuji speedway 1st curve)
gear value: 6
gear input: 3
gear output = (gear input - gear value)
gear output = (6 - 3) = - 3
gear value = gear output
so, gear output = 3 gears DOWN, or 3 times the gear down button will be activated
this is just the version 0.0000001 beta release candidate of an simple algorithm and will be detailed when possible. I thought this while lunching 45 minutes ago and sure it needs more improvements.
6) Clutch. A simple switch that would interrupt on/off wires to the gears up/down buttons.
If clutch pedal is not pressed then wires are interrupted
If clutch pedal is pressed then wires are connected again
Please discuss with me. I am trying to make something really really nice here and i am sure if we all connect our ideais we can make a full-working transmission system.
Update #2
You bet i will. Since lunch I kept wandering in internet about microcontrollers and stuff and figured some tools to programm PIC, Z80 and motorola chips.
Just an update to better represent the idea.
1) Buttons will be pressed by gear rod.
2) 4-bit is sufficient to represent numbers from 0 to 15
(0000, 0001, 0010.... 1100, 1101, 1110, 1111)
3) Mechanically, only one button can be pressed at a time, so it will be easier to manage these inputs. Buttons activate respective wiring (0 OFF / 1 ON)
Button 1 is 0001
Button 2 is 0010
Button 3 is 0011
Button 4 is 0100
Button 5 is 0101
Button 6 is 0110
If button 1 is pressed, pin 1 is off, pin 2 is off, pin3 is off and pin4 is ON. By programming the microcontroller (mc), we can achieve this:
Example one: Full gearing (N -> 1st -> 2nd -> 3rd -> 4th -> 5th -> 6th)
Let's consider a register X (or whatever it is)
N -> 1st
Reg X value: 0000
Input is: 0001
0001 - 0000 = 0001 (one gear UP)
Reg X = 0001
-> mc signals one pulse to button R1
1st -> 2nd
Reg X value: 0001
Input is: 0010
0010 - 0001 = 0001 (one gear UP)
Reg X = 0010
-> mc signals one pulse to button R1
2nd -> 3rd
Reg X value: 0010
Input is: 0011
0011 - 0010 = 0001 (one gear UP)
Reg X = 0011
-> mc signals one pulse to button R1
3rd -> 4th
Reg X value: 0011
Input is: 0100
0100 - 0011 = 0001 (one gear UP)
Reg X = 0100
-> mc signals one pulse to button R1
4th -> 5th
Reg X value: 0100
Input is: 0101
0101 - 0100 = 0001 (one gear UP)
Reg X = 0101
-> mc signals one pulse to button R1
5th -> 6th
Reg X value: 0101
Input is: 0110
0110 - 0101 = 0001 (one gear UP)
Reg X = 0001
-> mc signals one pulse to button R1
Example two: 5th -> 6th -> 4th -> 3rd)
Let's consider a register X (or whatever it is)
5th -> 6th
Reg X value: 0101
Input is: 0110
0110 - 0101 = 0001 (one gear UP)
Reg X = 0001
-> mc signals one pulse to button R1
6th -> 4th
Reg X value: 0110
Input is: 0100
0100 - 0110 = 1010 (two gears DOWN)
Reg X = 0100
-> mc signals two pulses to button R2
4th -> 3rd
Reg X value: 0100
Input is: 0011
0011 - 0100 = 1001 (one gear DOWN)
Reg X = 0011
-> mc signals one pulse to button R2
Note that the "single input" has 4 bits. TO understand this numbering system you should read about in this link.
I have yet to study how should I power this chip (probably a 9V battery or some electric power source) and how should I transfer the pulses to R1 and R2 or whatever button it is.
Update #3
All right,
Bought a seat, will post pictures when possible.
Bought all the hardware needed to develop the shifting system. Some others developed this system using mechanical devices as servo-motors and similars. But here is my setting
1 Microcontroller PIC16F8A
1 Proto-Board
1 meter of RJ-45 Furukawa cable (so i can use a large amount of little wires)
N LEDs
N Switches
N Resistors
N Capacitors
1 Multimeter
1 12V Power Source
1 Energy Normalizer Component (dont know its name)
2 7-Segment Displays
Here are some photos. Sorry about the poor quality. Were taken with 2 different cameras and I misses some adjustments with the 2nd one.
My DFP:
My Multimeter:
My Microcontroller PIC16f8A:
My Sorted Components:
My Proto-Board w/ detail of the Switches that will be pressed by gear rod
Simple Schematics:
I still have not my PIC recorder, but i am already programming it in ASM and C. When the recorder arrives in two days, i'll test it straight into the circuit.
I already projected my cockpit structure. Very similar to the ones already here, indeed. I´ll finish first the complicated stuff of gearing and then part to the other physical parts.
Warm-Up
"Hello, World"
("Hi, world", in this case!)
Update #4
Here is the cockpit structure:
The "slider things":
A wide view with my first Gearbox. This gearbox was the easiest to made, just like everyone else here did. Front = Gear Down. Back = Gear Up: The second and third gearboxes are in working progress and will be shown into a month.
I am starting my cockpit project and want to share my thoughs with you all. I´ve seen many really blasting bad-ass, state-of-the-art cockpit workarounds around here, so I decided I needed to make something nice to play and show to this community.
Update #1
As any other cool cockpit listed here, I am planning to build it like this:
1) One real car seat: Mandatory to have the slider things beneath it. Also it must be converted to an easy dettachable seat, so i can transport it up and down with no stress.
2) Pedals set: Will be adapted to DFP to make the feels of driving a real car and pushing real pedals (not pushing the pedals down, like the standard DFP pedals, but pushing them back, like a real car).
3) Adjustable pedals angle.
4) Adjustable wheel. Need to ajust radially and height from the ground.
5) Transmission. Shifter certainly will be sequential, like the nice alternatives listed around, that included a disassembled joypad in order to make rods push bottons and stuff. But, I am trying to think in something better, and will probably need help from some dudes around.
How to convert the sequential-style gear-shifting to a H-style direct shifting?
Idea 1: Use of microprocessors.
Fact: Simple microprocessors can send N signals as output when an single input is entered.
We can make triggers in each of the H limits to signal a gear shifting, like this
Code:
Numbers 1 to 6 are triggers.
1 3 5
O O O
| | |
|----|----|
| | |
O O O
2 4 6Every trigger is connected to inputs in microprocessor. (do not have the mp in mind on how to do this right now). When, say, the button/trigger is activated by the gear rod, it will send an output to the processor input.
Processor input would work like this.
gear value: 1
gear input: 4
gear output = (gear input - gear value)
gear output = (4 - 1) = 3
gear value = gear output
so, gear output = 3 gears UP, or 3 times the gear up button will be activated
another example (fuji speedway 1st curve)
gear value: 6
gear input: 3
gear output = (gear input - gear value)
gear output = (6 - 3) = - 3
gear value = gear output
so, gear output = 3 gears DOWN, or 3 times the gear down button will be activated
this is just the version 0.0000001 beta release candidate of an simple algorithm and will be detailed when possible. I thought this while lunching 45 minutes ago and sure it needs more improvements.
6) Clutch. A simple switch that would interrupt on/off wires to the gears up/down buttons.
If clutch pedal is not pressed then wires are interrupted
If clutch pedal is pressed then wires are connected again
Please discuss with me. I am trying to make something really really nice here and i am sure if we all connect our ideais we can make a full-working transmission system.
Update #2
nurburgringI had the exact same idea 3 weeks ago. I'm working on it right now (I mean, when I have the time!).
If you're able to built a correct H-style direct shifting, let me know the way you're doing it!
I'm very very interested!
You bet i will. Since lunch I kept wandering in internet about microcontrollers and stuff and figured some tools to programm PIC, Z80 and motorola chips.
Just an update to better represent the idea.
Code:
1 O ------------------| Single|-----|Single
2 O ------------------| Input | My |Output
-> 3 O ---[4-bit Wires]--|-------->|Chip |------->
Buttons -> 4 O ------------------| | |
-> 5 O ------------------| | |
6 O ------------------| |-----|1) Buttons will be pressed by gear rod.
2) 4-bit is sufficient to represent numbers from 0 to 15
(0000, 0001, 0010.... 1100, 1101, 1110, 1111)
3) Mechanically, only one button can be pressed at a time, so it will be easier to manage these inputs. Buttons activate respective wiring (0 OFF / 1 ON)
Button 1 is 0001
Button 2 is 0010
Button 3 is 0011
Button 4 is 0100
Button 5 is 0101
Button 6 is 0110
If button 1 is pressed, pin 1 is off, pin 2 is off, pin3 is off and pin4 is ON. By programming the microcontroller (mc), we can achieve this:
Example one: Full gearing (N -> 1st -> 2nd -> 3rd -> 4th -> 5th -> 6th)
Let's consider a register X (or whatever it is)
N -> 1st
Reg X value: 0000
Input is: 0001
0001 - 0000 = 0001 (one gear UP)
Reg X = 0001
-> mc signals one pulse to button R1
1st -> 2nd
Reg X value: 0001
Input is: 0010
0010 - 0001 = 0001 (one gear UP)
Reg X = 0010
-> mc signals one pulse to button R1
2nd -> 3rd
Reg X value: 0010
Input is: 0011
0011 - 0010 = 0001 (one gear UP)
Reg X = 0011
-> mc signals one pulse to button R1
3rd -> 4th
Reg X value: 0011
Input is: 0100
0100 - 0011 = 0001 (one gear UP)
Reg X = 0100
-> mc signals one pulse to button R1
4th -> 5th
Reg X value: 0100
Input is: 0101
0101 - 0100 = 0001 (one gear UP)
Reg X = 0101
-> mc signals one pulse to button R1
5th -> 6th
Reg X value: 0101
Input is: 0110
0110 - 0101 = 0001 (one gear UP)
Reg X = 0001
-> mc signals one pulse to button R1
Example two: 5th -> 6th -> 4th -> 3rd)
Let's consider a register X (or whatever it is)
5th -> 6th
Reg X value: 0101
Input is: 0110
0110 - 0101 = 0001 (one gear UP)
Reg X = 0001
-> mc signals one pulse to button R1
6th -> 4th
Reg X value: 0110
Input is: 0100
0100 - 0110 = 1010 (two gears DOWN)
Reg X = 0100
-> mc signals two pulses to button R2
4th -> 3rd
Reg X value: 0100
Input is: 0011
0011 - 0100 = 1001 (one gear DOWN)
Reg X = 0011
-> mc signals one pulse to button R2
Note that the "single input" has 4 bits. TO understand this numbering system you should read about in this link.
I have yet to study how should I power this chip (probably a 9V battery or some electric power source) and how should I transfer the pulses to R1 and R2 or whatever button it is.
Update #3
All right,
Bought a seat, will post pictures when possible.
Bought all the hardware needed to develop the shifting system. Some others developed this system using mechanical devices as servo-motors and similars. But here is my setting
1 Microcontroller PIC16F8A
1 Proto-Board
1 meter of RJ-45 Furukawa cable (so i can use a large amount of little wires)
N LEDs
N Switches
N Resistors
N Capacitors
1 Multimeter
1 12V Power Source
1 Energy Normalizer Component (dont know its name)
2 7-Segment Displays
Here are some photos. Sorry about the poor quality. Were taken with 2 different cameras and I misses some adjustments with the 2nd one.
My DFP:
My Multimeter:
My Microcontroller PIC16f8A:
My Sorted Components:
My Proto-Board w/ detail of the Switches that will be pressed by gear rod
Simple Schematics:
I still have not my PIC recorder, but i am already programming it in ASM and C. When the recorder arrives in two days, i'll test it straight into the circuit.
I already projected my cockpit structure. Very similar to the ones already here, indeed. I´ll finish first the complicated stuff of gearing and then part to the other physical parts.
Warm-Up
"Hello, World"
("Hi, world", in this case!)
Update #4
Here is the cockpit structure:
The "slider things":
A wide view with my first Gearbox. This gearbox was the easiest to made, just like everyone else here did. Front = Gear Down. Back = Gear Up: The second and third gearboxes are in working progress and will be shown into a month.
