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[tronicgr]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to present you an older project I was playing with.

An AVR USB Joystick! It has 6 axis that you can add potetiometers and 24 buttons, enouph to create a small aircraft panel. Its axis assignments are as follow: X, Y, Rudder, Throttle, Z, Rx

Mjoy_AVR_USB_Joystick.pdf

(267.81 KiB) Downloaded 10167 times

Although its designed to work with flight sim vehicles, you can attach those axis to a car sim controls to have a complete set: Wheel, full set of pedals, including clutch, even an analog handbrake if you like! And if you already have a force feedback wheel you can just make the rest of the controls custom.

I designed the PCB layout for this joystick along with a second smaller PCB that has the button matrix connections for the 24 buttons. The button matrix PCB can be mounted on top of the main PCB for saving space. You can use simple wires to connect the two boards as their ports are numbered!

I was made prototype PCB based on it last year that I was intended to use to add custom flight simulator controls to my Joyrider but lack of time let me add it only on the rudders.

I didin't programmed it, its programmed by Mindaugas Milasauskas, before some years now but he seems to be dissappeared along with his site.

Another variation of this (SMT compoments) exists here:
http://www.mictronics.de/?page=avr_usb_joystick


Here is the Firmware for the ATMega8 chip that you can program it with PonyProg using the ISP serial port of my AVR Motion controller! To power it while programming, just plug it on a USB port!

mjoy1_2.zip

(4.88 KiB) Downloaded 3443 times

If you like to have the source code in assembly to see how it works or modify it, contact me PM.


Regards, Thanos

[Raceray]

Hi Thanos,

thank you very much for publishing another great project.
I appreciate it that you publish the url of our community on the pcb´s

Now, with 24 buttons every switch of a real car can be integrate in our simulators, e.g whippers, lights, engine start and so on...

It´s only missing support for some driver to control real aircores

regards
René

[tronicgr]

Thank you,

A more advanced is to come soon, with 8axis 64buttons rotary encoders and double-throw switches!! This is going directly to a full working 747 cockpit panel!!

The downside is that its PCB will be three times bigger!

The Aircores desides the current driver need interface out of the computer simular to the AVR motion controller to work!

Regards, Thanos

[RobiD]

Hi Thanos,

I keep finding your posts all over the place and they are always things I am interested in.

Do you still use this MJoy controller?
Have you advanced it any further?

I'm considering building it so any feedback would be appreciated.
(I haven't started building the motion boards yet and I noticed that you are about to update it soon so I will hold off on that a little longer).

Regards
David

[tronicgr]

Hi RobiD,

Yes, I still use this Mjoy16 controller! Its awesome device to have analog an digital inputs from it and you can use it to create your own custom made joystick controller device! I used it on my pedals (shown above) but it can be used also to make wheel and stick yoke and any other kind of controller yourself! Or to make a cockpit panel with buttons and radio controls!

Anyway, imagination is the limit to the uses of it. I'd recommend you, to use this, as it's more that enough for most applications!

I intent to present here a more sophisticated version of it that has even larger number of analog inputs / buttons / rotary encoders / dual throw switches etc. But I have to draw a PCB board for it first and develop it for a quick test.

I hate when I have so many projects to make an no free time to proceed on them... I wish I had a little help on the PCB design / PCB assembly area and have only to work with the firmware of my electronics...


Regards, Thanos

[RobiD]

Hi Thanos,

I'd love to be able to offer help in pcb design, but my previous attempts have been quite futile.

Thanks again for your great contributions to the flight sim community.

Oh, I am using FSBus NG for most of my switches but was interested in the MJoy for the yoke and pedals and maybe the throttle quadrant, speed brake etc. But of course the extra buttons will be handy.

Regards
David

[RobiD]

Hi Thanos,

How is the new design going?

Regards
David

[tronicgr]

Hi David,

Here is the schematic of the new advanced Mjoy16 (C-1 application):

MJoy16c1.pdf

(118.01 KiB) Downloaded 5842 times

As you can see its very complicate one to design into a single sided PCB... So be patience!

Best Regards, Thanos

[RobiD]

Thanks Thanos.

I have to build the rudder pedals yet so it's no mad hurry for the MJoy interface. As soon as it's ready though, I'll be building it.

Regards
David

[Mambo]

Hi
I build two pieces of yours Mjoy but i cant program them . I use guide from here http://www.powernet.pl/~krzysiek/elektr ... mjoy16.htm (i try setup Atmega8 and 16) but i get same message if i try read flash : device missing or not found (-24) (on both). I check all routes to atmega and lpt cable.LPT port working (i have 7seg. and speedometer on it and they react). I not sure only with crystal i used http://www.gme.cz/cz/index.php?page=pro ... il=131-074 . Have you any idea what could be wrong ?
Thanks