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The PIC HomeCockpit Controller (PHCC)

New: Content from this page has moved into several pages. Use the navbar to the left to check out the subsections on PHCC.

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PHCC Overview

Features:

  • cheap
  • modular and extensible
    • one 100x160mm "motherboard"
    • daughterboards for switch controllers, display controllers, stepper controllers, digital out, servos, USB
  • if other solutions don't cut it anymore :-)
  • up to 1024 switches/push buttons
    • why so many ?
      • count things up: 3 CDUs, glareshield, MIP, pedestal, overhead, circuit breaker overhead, and more
    • can be upgraded in steps of 64 per daughterboard
  • 35 channels analog in
    • 3 primary: eg for aileron,elevator,rudder
    • 32 secondary: eg for throttles, reversers, toe brakes, steering tiller, radio volume control, brightness,...
  • unlimited 8bit digital out channels, used for:
    • 7 segment displays (including the often neglected decimal point)
    • LEDs
    • stepper control via H-bridge drivers
    • character LCDisplays
    • Relays/solenoids
    • lamps/Korry switches and indicators
  • servos
  • analog out (ADC using PWM)
  • uses 1 RS-232 Serial Port
    • USB daughterboard available
  • based on a PIC 18F4X2
  • uses standard components: MAX232, serveral 74HCxxx and 74HCTxxx
  • uses I2C 2-wire protocol to talk to another PIC (like 18F252) for servo control and Digital-to-Analog conversion.
    • this also allows other "yet unknown" things to be connected
  • costs: (not counting the displays, LEDs, switches, pots, steppers and servos)
    • motherboard: about 35-40 EUR (includes all analog in channels)
    • daughterboards
      • switch controller 5-10 EUR every 64 switches. (about 2 EUR if you have switches w/ built-in diodes and you want to solder everything on the board)
      • check subpages for details of other daughterboards
  • all software is open source/free software according to GPL
    • this includes
      • firmware (PIC assembly language)
      • and controlling software on the host (PC) that talks (at least) to the flightgear simulator (FlightGear)
      • kernel drivers (eg. for the analog channels used for joystick input)

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Galleries:

Available Galleries:

  PHCC prototype PCB (Nov 17 2003)
  testing PHCC prototype (Dec 8 2003)
  making the digital out board for (2x) 48 7-segment displays (Feb 5 2004)
  some older and a few newer PHCC related shots (Aug 29 2004)

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