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Hardware & Software / Re: F-15 Suncom SOLUÇÂO 100% - Hall Sensor

« Online: Abril 26, 2011, 12:15:27 am »

Thanks Sokol. The stick extension seems like it will work pretty well... those springs are really good in the Suncoms. I have it about 14" right now, feels pretty good.

On the bad side, I am not having much luck with my hall sensors. I've put everything together now, and done all the mechanical and wiring work, but I still only get a range of about 600 "notches" in Windows game controller calibrate screen. Which isn't horrible, but I was hoping it would pick up the full range (4096). The horrible thing is that when I get to one extreme of motion, it will jump to the opposite end. Not start going backwards gradually (I had that, adjusted position of hall sensor, it fixed it). It just flips from full nose down, to full nose up.

I am starting to try and find a regular slider pot that I could put in in place of the hall sensors, but of course that's difficult as well, given the apparently rare size Suncom used.

I was able to completely revive a TM Mac FCS stick I bought in 1997, and with the 0836A, it is INCREDIBLY smooth (it goes from 0 to 4096 in calibration!). I was meaning to just use it as a kind of temporary button box and to hold the 0836, but it was so easy to wire up the existing buttons and pots, I did that too. I had some button slots left over, so I installed a couple of toggle switches I got at surplus store 10 years ago, and they work great too. I've been using it as my main stick for a couple weeks now, love it. Not as much as a suncom, but it's the only working stick I have at the moment. Gotta love Leo Bodnar...

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Hardware & Software / Re: F-15 Suncom SOLUÇÂO 100% - Hall Sensor

« Online: Abril 16, 2011, 01:49:14 am »

Sokol, thanks for the reading link. Helpful.

So, I have it "kind of" working. Before I put this all back together, I want to make sure I'm getting the results you would expect. Right now, I'm just sliding the pots around myself, I haven't set them into the stick yet.

When I calibrate, using WIndows Game Controller settings, and show raw values, the range for both sensors/pots is between about 1500 and 2400. (This is the 12-bit version of the bodnar card). If I take the magnets out of the pot case, and basically put the sensors on the magnets, I can get a range between maybe 600 and 3300 (just moving with my fingers, so it jumps quite a bit).

Is that about the best I can hope for? It's definitely calibrate-able. THis is the first thing I've ever done with hall sensors, so I don't know what kind of results people are getting. Maybe this is completely normal.

Sokol, completely unrelated, but you are THE Suncom guru: Have you done any mods involving extending the length of the stick? I was thinking about doing that, for better precision. (my gunnery is awful right now). Have you tried it? DO the springs hold up?

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Hardware & Software / Re: F-15 Suncom SOLUÇÂO 100% - Hall Sensor

« Online: Abril 11, 2011, 08:33:22 pm »

Thanks DocFlyer.

I was asking about how the blocks line up. I got the Bodnar board today, so I should be able to play around with it and figure the rest out.

One question I forgot to ask: does the "power" of the magnet matter? I have 6 that are "N40" and 6 that are "N50". Would using one power or the other produce a cleaner signal in the hall sensor?

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Hardware & Software / Re: F-15 Suncom SOLUÇÂO 100% - Hall Sensor

« Online: Abril 11, 2011, 12:20:16 am »

Sokol1, thanks for the quick reply! You are the one that got me started down this path.

One more question: what is the correct orientation of the magnets in this mod? Are they all lined up N-S to each other? Or are they lined up so they all have their south ends facing one way together, and then the south end is pointing toward the side of the pot-case (where the hall sensor will be)?

Still waiting on my hall sensors and bodnar board...

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Hardware & Software / Re: F-15 Suncom SOLUÇÂO 100% - Hall Sensor

« Online: Abril 10, 2011, 12:01:34 pm »

Hi DocFlyer,

First, apologies for posting here in English, but I can't speak Portuguese at all.

I am a long-time suncom user, and your solution is just the one I was looking for. Thank you for coming up with it, and thank you for posting all the pictures!

I've been following along using Google Translate, but there are a couple points where I'm confused. Could you help me with these?...

1. Materials: "metal plate drivers from floppy disk or CD-ROM" (Placa metálica de drivers de disquete ou CD-ROM). What is that? Is it the case of a floppy or CD rom drive? Is it some kind of mounting plate?

2. materials: "Grease for plastic" (Graxa para plastico). Would a silicone grease product work here? Anything non-petroleum based?

3. This step:

Roube um prendedor da patroa ou use um destes. Depois de centralizados cole com cuidado em pequena quantidade. Espere secar 2 minutos, vire e coloque cola do outro lado. Enquanto está secando prepare as películas nestas medidas.
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Steal a clamp boss, or use one of these. After carefully centralized paste in small quantity. Allow to dry 2 minutes, flip and glue the other side. While it is drying to prepare the films on these measures.
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Are you putting glue on the magnets themselves, between the magnets and the black pot case? What kind of glue?

4. THis step:
Depois coloque um pingo de cola e coloque a pelícuca de 15x5 e com ajuda de um pedaço de película levante e cole o outro lado.
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Then put a drop of glue and place of pelícuca mulitplexed 15x5 and with the help of a piece of film up and paste the other side.
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Are you putting 2 layers of plastic sheet down on top of the magnets?

5: this step:
Coloque a película de 30x8mm do fundo.
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Place the bottom of 30x8 mm film.
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Are you gluing that in, or is it, like the metal plate, just going to be held in place by being jammed there when mounted in the base of the joystick?

6: Having had this in place for half a year, is it still working for you? Would you do anything different? Still recommend it?

7: If I figure this out, do you mind if I write it up in English and post it around, with your pictures (maybe 1-2 I'd add, I'm not sure yet), with full credit to you of course? What I'm going to do is only use the hall sensors via the bodnar board, and leave the buttons wired up via the throttle/ps2 port (the buttons all work fine for me). I think this could be a very easy way to do a great upgrade to your suncom sticks.

I'm not going to include the picture of the crate of Suncom hardware, that just makes me insanely jealous. They go for a lot of money now on E-bay here.