Lazy days of summer...

Well, the CNC machine has been together and operational for a few weeks, but the software and computer system are being a bear. EMC for Linux(Ubuntu) installed like a dream... The last FOUR times I installed it. Something glitches out, or I install the wrong software  at the wrong time.

POOF. Re-install. Reconfigure. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Now, somewhat stable, I am investigating software to design the lettering and switch holes to cut into the Lexan. It occurred to me that with all the time and money I have invested up to now, I could have outsourced and installed a dozen units. Learning is fun!

I completely dismantled the entire center console unit, which up to now has been the very core of the project. It just wasn't matching the picture in my mind. Things kept getting added, stability became an issue, and it just wasn't RIGHT. I am confident enough with this design that I will be gluing and painting this version shortly.

Pics and some new design sketches soon - looking forward to a few days of R&R. Consider it shore leave, as I know this fall will be a very active and busy one as my "day job" winds down from the summer rush.

Revisions, revisions, revisions...

The golden rule of the project has always been MAKE IT PLAYABLE. In-game, I have been taking notes and adding features.

While the voice activation was AMAZING (check out http:\\voiceattack.com!) I added Teamspeak3 so that space was no longer so cold and lonely. Flying with a friend on the line adds a huge amount of fun, and I went back to the original design of switches and displays. With VoiceAttack, I could have easily gotten rid of every button and switch in my design. So, for now, voice commands are used for the other games in the stable.

Found a few more software utilities for the Arduino Mega that will put 60+ switches in to the computer from the panels with almost no coding on my part. That should speed up the design, although the code did not look too complicated. With the impending arrival of the CNC machine and additions to the PVC framework, it looks like the forward control section will be well on its way this week.

No pictures this post, as I have revised the frame three times so far, and more revisions tonight. I also logged another 6-8 hours in-game, taking notes all the while. Expect big posts this weekend with some of my (poorly executed) attempts at foam panel mockups and my first prototype panel design. I will also share some of my research library of web sites and information that got me this far!

P.S. - UPS is on its way... Looks like I will be taking a few days to assemble the CNC! I will cover that project as well, so stay tuned!

Video Posting Time...

I finally got around to uploading some videos. These show what I have in action. By not committing to a specific plan just yet, I have had the freedom to move things around and not have to rebuild everything over and over as I change my mind. 

Here's the first revision , trying out the basic configurations and seeing if the entire project was viable! My PVC "pods" worked well enough for the controls.

Lucas is playing the Freespace2Open mod Diaspora , a Battlestar Galactica total conversion. He was much more interested in piloting a fighter than a rust-bucket freighter... 

The latest version - Revision C - as in, "I had to move the F#&!!! thing THREE TIMES"...

I do a walk-through of the setup as it is, and a demo of implementing Voice Attack for command recognition. This does NOT mean I'm not going to switch-and-LED the crap out of this project, but it sure is cool to have the computer respond to voice commands, especially in combat!

Some of my initial sketches for switch panels and displays. I am still modeling a lot of my build on these ideas, but as I prototype, I heavily modify the design to either improve play-ability or accessibility. Four other pages cross-index the key commands and indicators to specific panels, so at least I know what I am building towards. Right now, the navigation controls are most challenging, as the game interface is difficult at best, and there's no way to develop a device to mimic the on-screen control... YET. ;)

More to come... Waiting on a big UPS package this week. Time to prototype  the panels... ;)

Gratuitous High Tech Gizmos

Well, I had to move the hardware back downstairs. Something about my son wanting at least a portion of his room back (they live with their Mom, but they like their space when they are with me). Besides, with the heat and distance from the testing computer and tools, it made more sense to have it back downstairs. So, I dismantled it. Again...

I took off the arms for the side monitors - looks like I am going with a 2-3 monitor setup, with a large main and small system monitors/touchscreens. It's NOT the wrap-around I initially went for. Post-testing, I can honestly say it wasn't all that great. (I know the aspect was off, etc.) I have seen triple 22s that are cool, but it's not the look I am going for. Besides, I can always incorporate that into the fighter/mech pit I will build with the leftover parts from this build...

I hate birthdays. Reminds me of everything I thought I would have done with my life by now. So, I get a bit bummed out. And I deal with being bummed out by buying new toys.

http://mydiycnc.com/

Yup. The kit's on it's way. Despite not having the space or ability to complete the center console enclosure, I decided to focus on the switch panels and bezels. And what better way to do that than your very own CNC machine? Yeah! That's what *I* thought!

Honestly, since all of my panels and controls are going to be custom, I would have to outsource them anyways. And that costs money. LOTS of money. I figure I can always use the machine for 2D work at my studio and make a few custom carved art pieces and make the money back. I can also cut PCBs for circuits, and create back-lit panels for all of my control units. Google it - they are SICK! Since my GeekPit is designed to be fully modular, I can swap out Evochron panels for Mechwarrior, or drop in controls for Freespace 2/Diaspora, X Series, etc...

I have to strong-arm my carpenter friends. I am running out of clamps and duct tape. Time to commit to the center console design, now that I have decided to forego the triple screen for this build. An enclosed nose and 3/4 enclosure around the pilot's chair. The monitor scheme is set, so time to start sketching and designing.

After I CNC a few switch panels...

I'll post the results.

Sidetracked by Arduino

I have to be honest - when I finally managed to break through the simplest of tasks (making a pushbutton send a keypress to the laptop) I was pretty damn excited. After 20+ years, programming and electronics started to come back to me. For a reasonable cost and a little bit of time, the Arduino (and clone boards) are remarkable devices that can do almost ANYTHING, provided you are clever enough...

So many "OOOH! I can build THAT!!" moments that I am having to go back to my original notes and avoiding adding any additional "features" until the core interfaces and switch panels are configured and functioning.

I have the Arduino Micro board and the Teensy3, but may get another Teensy as they are STUPID SIMPLE to program and wire, and are easily set to show up as keyboard/mouse/joystick with no additional drivers needed. I have Arduino Uno and Mega boards for controlling lights and environmental issues (fan control) and the huge number of switches I thought I was going to need.

I have  been considering adding voice recognition to the cockpit. Seems like a cool idea to be able to yell, "VERYS! Raise front shields!" and have the system respond by doing that. More fun with Open Source software. Maybe some day I will have a chance to try it out and see whenther I can get it to simulate key-presses at a low enough level to be useful in-game. Game noise itself is also a factor. Since I need a headset for chat anyways, this is a viable idea to explore.

After sketching concepts for cockpit panels (AGAIN), I started seeing the original hodgepodge ideas coming back. Shield control should be "glass cockpit" style touchscreen. All targeting functions should be done through the MFD(s). Cargo and scanner functions on touchscreen "pages" or tabs, with target info (ya don't need both at the same time) on another touchscreen. Big, center-console mounted pushbuttons for NAV/INVENTORY/TRADE plus an ENTER key.

I already have the schematics and code for using a Wii Nunckuk as the primary mouse. Get rid of the trackball once and for all.

So many plans, so little time that I am not flitting about like a cracked-out squirrel, trying this and that. Research is great, but the GeekPit is not getting built any faster. Almost time to take a break from electronics and programming to solder up some test panels. I could use them at any time in-game, so that's progress AND I get to play...

Mounting the monitors... AND THEN...

Kenny hard at work mounting the big screen
hanger, adding more stability to the arms. 

Ok, Ken - what are you doing wrong?
We avoided a bloody mess this time...

Positioning the first monitor in portrait mode. Almost perfect!

The mounting pipe is clamped and  ready to tighten up.

Tightening up did not go as expected...

Ever tried to solder black pipe? Neither had we. Didn't work...

Both clamps installed and tightened.
We tapped a hole and added a metal screw  to keep the main bar from twisting. 

MDF, my new best friend. Monitor mounting pads in a jiffy!
Spacers between the monitor and pad cleared the bolt heads. 

The monitors all mounted, ready to rock!!!

The whole setup, live. 

You notice the side monitors are now LANDSCAPE MODE? After SIX HOURS of trying to get Windows, Eyefinity or SoftTh to run PLP, we gave up. The TV is a much larger screen, but lower resolution than the side monitors. No frreaking way to get the image to line up even remotely close. In the interest in being able to play, I am back to using the main screen as the game window and using the side monitors for system information and navigation maps. I'll be replacing the 39" with another 22" HP to decide whether to go for the wrap-around viewscreen or put smaller system monitors below the 39" and close the whole project in more closely. I adjusted the field of view with the main screen to a fairly realistic angle that doesn't make you puke, but adds a great sense of depth. 

The PVC control pods are destined to become equipment mounts or something else. I want the controls mounted to the chair, not separate pods. Cheap prototyping rocks, and the pieces were never glued, so I can use the pipes and angles for the enclosure frame or what have you. 

One step forward, two steps back, but I still flew in her for three hours last night! ;)

New Stuff, New Headaches...

So, my Arduino/microprocessor collection has grown to include a Teensy3 board and an Arduino Micro. They look great next to the Uno and Mega boards I already have for other projects. The Micro was an impulse buy (what isn't?!) because I had so many issues with the Teensy board. I did manage to figure out the user-error parts with the Teensy, and I *may* have fried the onboard LED. Remove the conductive foam BEFORE plugging in... Just sayin'. But the damn thing is up and running, and keyboard emulating it's little heart out. The Micro is a sweet little device as well, UNTIL...
(We'll get there...) Now, back to the issues at hand.

WAAAAAAAY back in the Stone Ages, I was a prodigy computer programmer. I was doing BASIC on a TRS-80 in 7th grade, teaching teachers how to write their own programs and teach kids how to do the same. I "graduated" to an Apple II+ that my parents mortgaged my brother's college education for. I left college mid-semester when my programs were beyond what the professor could follow. A smart-assed 18yo, thinking I should have been teaching the class! A year later, I enlisted as an Electronics Tech in the Navy. For two years, I was in schools 8 hours a day, learning basic and advanced electronic theory and application. I still think I could figure out resistor codes if I tried hard enough... Age and wretched abuse take their toll on memory and cognition.

Two minor details - Navy Electronics is *slightly* different than classical engineering electronics. Seemed everything ran "backwards". The other issue - I have an amazing gift for blowing up electronics, and I don't even need to touch them to make that happen! I would walk into a room and blow light bulbs (still do!), and street lights shut off when I travel under them. (No joke - look up "SLI" on Google. It's not that uncommon...)

So, fast forward 20+ years. Here I am, wiring up microprocessors and re-learning programming. Absolutely nothing seems to be ringing any bells. It's literally like starting from scratch. And I am especially leery of my "gift" accidentally rendering the microprocessors to bricks. Grounding straps need to be connected to EARTH ground, if possible.

"Hello World" is my new best friend. Every basic circuit, every simple line of code, is painful to train the brain around. But small victories are so much sweeter now, and the hardware is finally running as it should. Learning new things can be painful.

My first keyboard emulation project hijacked my computer  and flooded every application with a constant stream of keypresse that took DAYS to program out of the Arduino. But I know what NOT to do, and in a way, it was fun...

So, here's a shout out to those who program, and those who tinker with breadboards and circuit design. I have the plans, I have the layouts, I have the functions, I have the controls. Now to pull it all together...

HEEEELP!!! ;)