Cockpit building

The controller board hardware is ready. I modified the firmware to handle the serial input of the 74hct165's. It seems to work although some instability is still present. Hopefully it is because I didn't had time to connect every switch so there are floating inputs. I even managed to "test" what happens if you short-circuit your USB port: it seems that the host controller detaches the device and no hardware damage was done.

The board was printed, ironed (my wife really knows how to iron that press'n'peel; it gave perfect results) and etched. Now comes the drilling which takes a lot of time and is quite boring to be honest. In the meanwhile I designed and ordered the bottom part of the panel (you know, from ignition key to gear switch). I'm trying to mimic the excellent panel design of simkits. Stay tuned for some photos (I already got some storage courtesy of OBI, thanks Dali!)

I'm ready with the design for the USB controller - it is very simply built around the 16c765 and four 74hct165's. The switch inputs for the parallel load ICs and the analogue inputs (pots) for the PIC are connected through Molex 10-pole connectors for easier assembly. I will post photos, schematics etc. as time permits.

Successfully modified the firmware. Now Windows believes it is a 4-axis, 32 button joystick. The two pots and one button also work. Now onto more serious hardware utilizing 74hct165 parallel-to-serial shift IC for pin economy.