7 replies to this topic

[Durkan]

Greetings Simpit fans!!

So something I've been fiddling with is to try and get the cockpit alarm lights onto a proper LED.

I've played with an "adalight" for a while and it really adds to the "ambience"



Basically it works by sampling the colour of the screen at points around the outside edge and then transmits that over serial to an arduino and a string of RGB LEDs (each led is individually addressed).

Anyway it struck me you could use a similar approach to mimic the HUD to a series of LED's as well.

and after some fiddling I got it working...



Kind of ...

The demo in the video is really a proof of concept - basically it uses an autoit script to copy the colour of the indicator around the cross hairs to a gui window on a second monitor and then the adalight processing sketch does the image processing on that.

That's where I could really use some help. I'm not much of a programmer.

Anyone any good with processing/c/possibly autoit who'd be interested in helping?

[Gevurah]

This is seriously cool man.

[Loc Nar]

Moar!

[Durkan]

You're wish is my command....

So I've been trying to find a way of sampling a smaller area of the screen. In the end I found a great piece of software Ambibox that allows you to set up screen areas.

These were too big as standard...

So I emailed the developer and surprise! if he didn't write me a modification to the software's registry key that fixes it.

Video of results is as above - not perfect.

The settings for response time and smoothness for the heat scale is the opposite of those that seem to work best for the central indicators.

More fiddling needed!

If anyones interested in the mod file then drop me a pm and I'll email it.

Edited by Durkan, 28 November 2013 - 02:39 PM.

[Loc Nar]

Awesome, glad to see an update to this. Check out this kickstarter project called Palette http://www.kickstart...ontrols-any-sof ...not cheap by any means but the integrated RGB LED scheme they come with would just be too damn cool when combined with your project, and if nothing else, one for the panel lighting inspiration gallery.

Looking forward to seeing some more.

[Durkan]

Yeah I've seen those but lots for what is only a few switches and sliders.

The other "side" of this that I've been playing with is an Arduino Leonardo.

The leonardo natively supports USB keyboard and mouse HID so you can map a digital or analogue input onto a keyboard output.

I've prototyped an adafruit RGB LED screen to operate as the weapon grouping controls.

I'm considering using another series of buttons as text chat short cuts.

I drive with a CST lasertrac trackball and a G13 so where I'm headed, rather than a full cockpit build, is a "shoe" for the trackball to sit in with some LED read outs, an LCD panel, a rotary control, some switches and buttons.

Input to the pc using the leo, output for the LED's from the adalight rig.

These guys http://www.frontpanelexpress.com/ will make a bespoke panel for not an enormous amount of money.
I've used these guys before http://www.progeng.c...o.uk/#!__sphere for laser cutting MDF or polycarb.


Just trying to pull all these bits and bobs into a cohesive interface concept in my head at the moment.

(whilst keeping it flexible enough for retooling for star citizen.)

[Urban UK]

I am really tempted to back that pallete kickstarter, the dev seems enthusiastic about them being used for pit building aswell

and while where on about kickstarter's ambx are running one at the moment, they are creating software that will work with philips hue, and quite a few of the new networked lighting systems coming out, might be able to tie it into your indicators somehow? I noticed you are already using ambibox

I think it will be great for pit builders, there kickstarter is a bit niche, especially if you don't have kids, but if you back them for £5 you get access to the software to control the networked lighting systems

the kickstarter is here http://www.kickstart.../luminous-tales and for a look at what ambx can do go here http://ambx.com/ambx-showcase

Edited by Urban UK, 02 December 2013 - 12:30 PM.

[Darth Buddha]

That Palette thing is epic.... They look so nice....