Hello All,
Like a number of home flight simmers I have acquired a on older (and now unsupported) serial Precision Flight Controls Cirrus II Flight Console (https://flypfc.com/shop/flight-consoles/cirrus-ii-flight-console/). I'm using the console with X-Plane 11 and for the most part it works really well (except for a few specific functions. Alternate Air and Pitot Heat for example.) There is also some concern that X-Plane may stop supporting the serial PFC equipment at some point (this is based on a thread in another forum and completely unconfirmed). I would like to future-proof the flight console, make the non-working functions work, and perhaps map a couple of buttons differently than X-Plane mapping.
I know a number of people have converted their PFC equipment to USB using the Leo Bodnar Universal USB Interface Boards but that would mean tearing into the system and a major re-wiring project. Since the output of the serial Cirrus II Flight Console is just a constant stream of serial hex data indicating a function and a value (for example 81 01 indicates elevator full down, 81 64 elevator full up, with a stream of values in between as the yoke is moved) my thought was to use a Teensy to read the serial values and map them to equivalent USB joystick axis and button (or keyboard) values . PFC provides a serial test program that I can use to determine all the function to serial out mapping.
I know would have to map the proper axis and buttons in X-Plane once the system and X-Plane recognized the Teensy as a USB joystick. I would also use a RS232 - TTL converter between the flight console and the Teensy to protect the Teensy. Concerns would be that the Teensy (I'm thinking a Teensy 3.2) wouldn't be able to do both functions at once. Also it appears the flight console only has 7-bit resolution (based on the decimal values of each axis going from about 1 to slightly over 100 depending on the control) whereas a conversion with the Bodnar boards would allow 12-bit resolution.
Does anyone see any issues with this approach? Any gotchas I'm not thinking of.
Thank-you in advance for any input.
--ken
Like a number of home flight simmers I have acquired a on older (and now unsupported) serial Precision Flight Controls Cirrus II Flight Console (https://flypfc.com/shop/flight-consoles/cirrus-ii-flight-console/). I'm using the console with X-Plane 11 and for the most part it works really well (except for a few specific functions. Alternate Air and Pitot Heat for example.) There is also some concern that X-Plane may stop supporting the serial PFC equipment at some point (this is based on a thread in another forum and completely unconfirmed). I would like to future-proof the flight console, make the non-working functions work, and perhaps map a couple of buttons differently than X-Plane mapping.
I know a number of people have converted their PFC equipment to USB using the Leo Bodnar Universal USB Interface Boards but that would mean tearing into the system and a major re-wiring project. Since the output of the serial Cirrus II Flight Console is just a constant stream of serial hex data indicating a function and a value (for example 81 01 indicates elevator full down, 81 64 elevator full up, with a stream of values in between as the yoke is moved) my thought was to use a Teensy to read the serial values and map them to equivalent USB joystick axis and button (or keyboard) values . PFC provides a serial test program that I can use to determine all the function to serial out mapping.
I know would have to map the proper axis and buttons in X-Plane once the system and X-Plane recognized the Teensy as a USB joystick. I would also use a RS232 - TTL converter between the flight console and the Teensy to protect the Teensy. Concerns would be that the Teensy (I'm thinking a Teensy 3.2) wouldn't be able to do both functions at once. Also it appears the flight console only has 7-bit resolution (based on the decimal values of each axis going from about 1 to slightly over 100 depending on the control) whereas a conversion with the Bodnar boards would allow 12-bit resolution.
Does anyone see any issues with this approach? Any gotchas I'm not thinking of.
Thank-you in advance for any input.
--ken