Custom Controller - Hurricane 100 Rotol (CloD)

[MorsKochanski]

After a little advice from regular Hurricane pilots.

When I first got into IL-2 a few weeks ago I thought I would build a custom controller to avoid having to use the Kb as much as possible. I hadn't really picked a plane and was jumping into whatever single player assigned me. Hence a massive uphill struggle until I read to simply pick one plane to begin with and stick with it. As such I built a 'one-size-fits-all' panel and many functions where tailored toward single player (so I included pause, escape, time; things like that).

The panel itself used illumination to highlight the letters, so when sitting in the darkened study at night I could still read the letters on the panel. In hindsight it would be better if the were already white with the option to illuminate.
panel-raw.jpegcontroller-full.jpg

I also want to style the text to be more in keeping with War Ministry fonts used at the time. So, the plan is to remake it over the next couple of weeks.

Some lesser used, or tailored to single player, functions will still be mapped to the Kb. I want to get the main controls onto the panel. I won't be using linear pots as I prefer rotary encoders (not true to the planes actual controls but simpler to use and more compact). I'm not a great fan of the thrust, pitch, radiator controllers that clamp to your desk or chair either, although I accept that they're more 'authentic' than a rotary encoder - I have limited room to play with.

With all that in mind I have the following list; what did I miss?

Throttle – mapped to ancient Saitek Cyborg 3D platinum
Fire – mapped to ancient Saitek Cyborg 3D platinum
Hold centre view (for when using OpenTrack) - mapped to ancient Saitek Cyborg 3D platinum

(there are another 15 spare inputs available on this Joystick, a lot on the top hat and some round the base)

Onto the control panel.

This is what I have laid out which uses ALL the available buttons I can squeeze out of the Arduino Micro.

ENGINE CONTROLS
Magneto 1 – momentary toggle switch
Magneto 2 – momentary toggle switch
Fuel Cock Toggle – momentary toggle switch
Ingnition – momentary pushbutton switch
Radiator Open/Close – rotary encoder (no pushbutton)
Boost Cut-Off Toggle – momentary pushbutton switch


NAVIGATION CONTROLS
Compass adjustment – rotary encoder (no pushbutton)
Heading adjustment– rotary encoder (no pushbutton)
Map Toggle – momentary pushbutton (not much use in online I have to say!)

AIRCRAFT CONTROLS
Gear up/down – protected two-way momentary toggle (protected means under the hinged flaps seen at the top in mk.i)
Flaps up/down – protected two-way momentary toggle
Canopy Toggle/Eject – protected two-way momentary toggle

Pitch Trim and reset – rotary encoder with pushbutton (to reset)
Rudder trim and reset – rotary encoder with pushbutton (to reset)
Prop Pitch +/- and 85% – rotary encoder with pushbutton (set to 85% between COARSE and FINE, I tend to use that for cruising).

Gunsight Illumination Toggle – momentary pushbutton
Brakes Toggle – momentary pushbutton
Chocks Toggle – momentary pushbutton
Centre View – momentary pushbutton (handy when using OpenTrack and it goes a bit off kilter).

VIEW CONTROLS
Zoom out – mapped to ancient Saitek Cyborg 3D platinum
Reset Zoom – mapped to ancient Saitek Cyborg 3D platinum

Anything I've missed, after the main controls here really. Odd items can always be mapped to the Kb or spare buttons on the Joystick.

[Dawson]

Some controls to consider:

Hurricane specific there's a hand pump for the hydraulic system to lower landing gear after damage. You never need it until you really need it.

Gun sight controls, one for convergence setting, another for target wing span.

Cockpit lights. I frequently use them to eliminate shadows on control panel.

Mark II Hurricanes have a two position supercharger control. They can also carry bombs, like Mk I FB, and need bomb arming and dropping controls.

[MorsKochanski]

Some controls to consider:

Hurricane specific there's a hand pump for the hydraulic system to lower landing gear after damage. You never need it until you really need it.

Gun sight controls, one for convergence setting, another for target wing span.

Cockpit lights. I frequently use them to eliminate shadows on control panel.

Mark II Hurricanes have a two position supercharger control. They can also carry bombs, like Mk I FB, and need bomb arming and dropping controls.

Nice. That's what I'm after, thank you Dawson. I've ended up with this as a sketch for layout and function.

Screenshot 2022-06-06 at 21.25.48.png

I've changed the label for GUNSIGHT TOGGLE to AUX.1 and RESET VIEW to AUX.2 - that way I can map another function or functions to them (like cockpit lights or the supercharger) however I want. I'm going to map GUNSIGHT toggle to the joystick top hat buttons, along with the RESET view. So I can toggle the gunsight illumination, reset the view and hold view with my thumb. Just takes some getting used to. Lights I can map either side of the joystick (or to any other joystick in the future).

Good call on gunsight adjust. I match the convergence to whatever I've made the loadout to (usually 300 -350), I never figured out the secondary sight thing, is that for wingspan setup and what does it actually do then? In reality, as these are likely a set once and forget, I can map to either the Kb, or whatever joystick and throttle combo is going to replace this antique I'm currently using.

The arduino micro is limited on pin outs. So, I can either have a larger button matrix and fewer encoder/dial controls or more encoder/dial controls and fewer buttons in the matrix. Here I have 16 buttons and 5 rotary encoders. Using two for the compass seems a bit excessive but it will work very well in game I hope.

For replacing the ageing stick I did consider the RAPTOR MACH-1 JOYSTICK AND THROTTLE HOTAS PACK – on budget (under £100) and seems okay.

EDIT: Thinking about it... I may just add a MCP23017 to the micro and add more ports.. hmm.

[Dawson]

The gun sight wingspan adjustment you change to match your target's wingspan. When the target's wing tips just touch the horizontal lines the target is your gun convergence distance away. So you'd set the sight's convergence ring (yes, to your loadout's setting) once for each flight before take-off and wingspan you change potentially several times in a flight.

[MorsKochanski]

Another thing to learn then, I now need to look up bomber vs fighter wingspan!

I can't use a port extender, I'd have to rewrite all the code (and I can't be fagged with that!). So I will map some of these controls to the joystick. That makes sense as everything weapon related will be on the stick.

I don't use the top hat now I have finished making and setting up the head tracker with OpenTrack. Thanks for the tips though Dawson, appreciated.

[Little Bill]

Buttons, Buttons, and more Buttons. Your comment about the joystick buttons brought up this thought. Other than the Guns trigger button IMO you want all your views programmed on the joystick, after that it is kind of a personal thing, for example I have the Emergency Gear activation button on my joystick because I don't want to be looking at a button panel when I find my gear did not go down, same with the Gear up/down and flaps. I also have the Map button on the joy stick as I use it often.

I have a suggestion for you MorsKochanski, I think you should use what you have and play the game until you see what direction you want to go, for example single engine vs twin engine, fighters vs bombers etc. And hold off on printing labels unless you can change them easily, in time you will find that you want to move control buttons. I have nearly 100 buttons programed (I don't like to use the keyboard), and 6 axis for Cliffs, that is between a joystick, a throttle and a button panel, on an average flight I maybe use less than 30 of them depending on what I am flying and in what circumstance.

So my list off new buttons for you to ponder.
Map
Teamspeak PTT if you use PTT which I do
Mulitiplayer
Send Message
Toggle Net Stats
Flash Net Stats
Cycle Recipients

Single Player
You have Time up/down which is a good one for many missions
Also Icon On/Off
External Views
Enemy View
Friendly View
Cockpit View (takes you back to Cockpit after looking at Enemy)
If you want to look at your aircraft while flying
Rear View
Left View
Flyby


Eventually you will want to try out a twin engine aircraft, maybe even do some bombing.
Several new buttons which I will leave for others to address

I wish I had your talent for making controllers... on second thought it is just as well that I do not, I just imaged my desk full on them.

Good luck and welcome to Cliff's

[MorsKochanski]

Buttons, Buttons, and more Buttons.

I hadn't even considered the TeamSpeak side of things. A lot of the single player controls are already on mk.1 (external, cockpit, time, pause). I may leave this one (almost) as is and simply make another for team/ online play.

I believe now that I can also plug multiple boxes in (need to confirm) so I could run two consoles, which appears much easier than having to use a port extender, coding not being a particular strong point, even if it is C, although a port extender is the more elegant solution if you're an Arduino regular (I'm not, I just tend to use them for specific projects).

There is also the fact that although I may be okay at making button boxes I'm completely lost when it comes to building a PC. I'm using a 5 year old laptop, which was high end 5 years ago but not designed for gaming; rather it was designed with CAD in mind.

I'm looking at components for a PC as that seems the most cost effective way to build one, but the starting point in terms of knowledge is so low, and the chances for muffing it up so high, that I'll likely end up buying one and compromising spec. for price.

I did look at overclockers.com, they seem to have one or two that would fit the bill I think, still it's around £1400-£1500 as a starting point, so it'll be a while yet.

I can drop as low as 7fps on the laptop at times just on single player and the lowest settings. Woeful (but still addictive and fun).

[MorsKochanski]

I've had a rethink how to approach this little project. The advice of buttons, buttons and more buttons was taken onboard. With that in mind I think two of these panels should cover most options for fighter aircraft with a little bombing ability thrown in. Two panels gives me almost all the base controls listed here, plus another 15 buttons free.

I then thought about the controller itself, having it lit up is 'fancy' but not true to time and I wanted something that felt more in keeping with the period and aircraft. Most seem to use engraved panels to cover the details and clearly this would be a pain to mimic in the scale I'm talking about, plus assembly would take forever.

Then I thought; why not use an adhesive label? These can be full colour, finished matt or gloss laminate. That way I can be as detailed as I like and the panel isn't permanent. Yes, I would have to undo a lot of cables and buttons, but the placement wouldn't change and I can update the graphics accordingly. I have to say, I'm likely to be sitting in a British fighter for quite a while yet though, so it's unlikely to need changing anytime soon.

A coat of clear varnish, provided it doesn't dissolve the inks, should give a further layer of protection. Although if matt laminated that should seal the inks from any lacquer used.

I've got half completed so far. I thought I'd get some feedback on the look and 'period' feel of the design before completing the rest. The long rectangles will be protected switches with a flip up cover, rotational encoders should be clear as they are fatter than the buttons. Ignition would use a red button, radiator blue buttons, all the rest black.

This would allow for the following controls to be mapped:

Panel 1.
Eject
Toggle Canopy
Toggle Gear
Toggle Flaps
Toggle Chocks
Toggle Brakes
Pitch Trim
Rudder Trim with reset
Prop Trim with function (likely 80% but can be assigned whatever)
Fuel Cock Toggle
Magneto 1 Toggle
Magneto 2 Toggle
Radiator Open
Radiator Close
Ignition
Boost/ Emg. Power
Compass Setting
Heading Setting
Map

Panel 2.

ARM
Gunsight Primary with push to toggle Gunsight
Gunsight Secondary
Gunsight Dimmer
Mirror Toggle
Cockpit Lights 1
Cockpit Lights 2
Pause
Time Advance/Retard
Nett Stats
Push To Talk

and then a further 15 buttons that will be divided into 3 auxiliary panels, which should cover options for other aircraft or things I've missed. These I can stick DYMO labels to. So, I'll likely design in spaces for that (not as pretty but more flexible for now and it's the secondary panel).

console large mk2 mock.jpg

[Little Bill]

You are an industrious fellow aren’t you! All you planning looks good to me, I agree about the back light, as in no need for light.

You did not list what you have planned for your joystick, so I have to ask….you did not list Gunsight adjustments. This is an important control and at a minimum you want “Adjust Sight Left” and “Adjust Sight Right” this will move the horizontal bars of the gunsight closer together or further apart. I strongly suggest this +/- control/s be put onto an encoder. Also Emergency Gear is a good one to have, it’s just one button. Where is Elevator Trim?

Finding a switch. Labels are important, but there will be times when you do not have even a spit second to look for one. So control location, your memory and/or feel come into play. When I look at my Warthog Throttle I see switches of different shapes and throws. Some are spring loaded, some are double throw, some are push buttons etc. Some are different color, and I added slip on color covers, to help me remember what is what without reading the label. If possible consider an off-on-off switch or two. I have one with Open Canopy-off-Bail programed, and it is on a corner, I don’t have to even look.

[MorsKochanski]

You are an industrious fellow aren’t you! All you planning looks good to me, I agree about the back light, as in no need for light.

You did not list what you have planned for your joystick, so I have to ask….you did not list Gunsight adjustments. This is an important control and at a minimum you want “Adjust Sight Left” and “Adjust Sight Right” this will move the horizontal bars of the gunsight closer together or further apart. I strongly suggest this +/- control/s be put onto an encoder. Also Emergency Gear is a good one to have, it’s just one button. Where is Elevator Trim?

Finding a switch. Labels are important, but there will be times when you do not have even a spit second to look for one. So control location, your memory and/or feel come into play. When I look at my Warthog Throttle I see switches of different shapes and throws. Some are spring loaded, some are double throw, some are push buttons etc. Some are different color, and I added slip on color covers, to help me remember what is what without reading the label. If possible consider an off-on-off switch or two. I have one with Open Canopy-off-Bail programed, and it is on a corner, I don’t have to even look.

Some of my nomeclature is off! Pitch Trim should read Elevator Trim, I'll edit that. Also, Left/ Right should be Port/ Starboard and +/- should be Inc./Dec. - I'll update all that too. Gunsight Primary and Secondary is what I'm listing the two controls that set the convergence and wingspan adjustments for the reticule/ crosshairs, these will all be on the second panel (on the left) I've yet to label.

I'm planning on using a combination of coloured and black push buttons, so red for ignition, blue for radiator black for all else, encoders with and without push button functions, single and two way toggles, and some toggles with flip up covers (like arm, eject, gear, flaps) in either green or red. That plus the graphics around should help me learn everything and I'm trying to group logical things together so that, for instance, all the gunsight controls are mapped to the left console in the uppermost section. Mirror, gunsight, gunsight adjustments, gunsight dimmer will all be grouped together. Emergency Gear is a good one to add, I'll likely put that in a corner, another is reset view. I find myself pressing that button a lot (still trying to tweak OpenTrack so it loses centre as I go back and forth tweaking things. In reality some of the problems are just the processor cannot handle the head movements if too quick it seems?).

Once I get the other panel complete it'll be a little clearer.

[Screamadelica]

Wow! Looks great.
I would love something like this if it was commercially available, for those of us who aren't electronically minded. I'd buy one in an instant.
Nice work.

[MorsKochanski]

Wow! Looks great.
I would love something like this if it was commercially available, for those of us who aren't electronically minded. I'd buy one in an instant.
Nice work.

Hmm, thanks for the positive feedback, I'm not sure I could ever get to 'commercially available' stage, they take so much time to make it's more a labour of love at the moment. Although if this works I could give an idea of the components cost and time to recreate. The two project boxes alone are £33 and the printed labels are £25 that is before I add an arduino, pcb, switches and time to mill, solder etc.

Here's the updated layout for those following along. The second box 'feels' a little more crowded, so I need to print out and mock one up, sometimes the only way to really get a feel is to 'see it'. I've got three auxiliary panels there though, so should handle anything I've missed and allow for a wider use (bombers perhaps?). Although really, you'd want one more tailored to the plane you fly regularly I would think. there's blank spaces wide enough for a 11mm Dymo label although these are mainly black text on white paper - so I would likely get something printed out, cut out the labels and stick them on somehow maybe sticky labels, easy peel or similar, something that doesn't kill the finish.

Looking at using car door decals for the finish as these are likely more robust to wear and water (if I want to wipe down).

** I spotted an error - Auxiliary 2 should read Auxiliary1