Pioneer Simpit

[s2odan]

Quote:
Unfortunately this isn't some kind of glorified USB joystick.
When I saw the picture my thought was that it was taken straight out of an old aircraft <img src="'[url]http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//icon_e_smile.gif[/url] class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />
Quote:
Also, it has a port that looks like an old game port.
Given that, just a quick fyi; You can get hold of generic USB devices which can convert analogue and digital signals into something a computer can recognise, literally any device can be connected this way. It's something I have looked into for monitoring things around the home, but never got anywhere with it.But.. considering you already decided you won't spend the time getting it working I suppose it doesn't matter <img src="'[url]http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//icon_e_smile.gif[/url] class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' /> I agree it would seem to take a lot more time than just constructing your own with modern equipment.Ninja'd <img src="'[url]http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//icon_e_smile.gif[/url] class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

[whisper979]

Well, I bought this thing for 20 US dollars. That's the same price that I paid for my USB joystick. The joystick simply works when I plug it in. It would be really fun to get this unit working but that just isn't a realistic goal since I work full-time, am married, go to school, and have a kid. Granted, building a spaceship simulator isn't a realistic goal either but I guess I've got to have at least one unrealistic goal at all times. <img src="'[url]http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//wink3.gif[/url] class='bbc_emoticon' alt=';)' />

[whisper979]

Here is the finished video for the spaceship start up. This video has sound.

[Marcel]

That's absolutely awesome man! <img src="'[url]http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//icon_e_biggrin.gif[/url] class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' /> Did you replace the 'simulating evolution of the universe' bit with that or is it a whole separate thing?

[whisper979]

No. This is for a separate computer. The best way to think of it is this; I am calling the computer that runs pioneer the "camera system computer". It is there in the place of say a windshield would be in a plane or car. The second computer is the "ship" computer. It will play this video at start up. Then the camera system computer will be turned on afterwards and you will find yourself docked at a space port. The ship computer will have other videos that play as well. I am working on a video that cycles through all of the ships systems and shows their status. Of course, this isn't connected to pioneer in any way but it is just there for the effect. The ship computer also has a radar screen that will run when it isn't playing videos. I feel like this doesn't make any sense. Sorry.

[Marcel]

It makes perfect sense to me! <img src="'[url]http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//icon_e_biggrin.gif[/url] class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' />

[Metamartian]

loving the work there whisper. sounds like a good platform to run the TouchDown program i mentioned in another thread around here. essentially it allows you to connect any touch enabled device that supports an internet browser (iphone, android phones, tablets etc) to send key presses to any program running on a target computer. the beauty is that the interface is all standard html/java ( i say standard, i am only just learning how to do it for myself for pioneer) so you can design how it looks however you want. it's better suited to games with deep nested commands but it does add a little something extra to have a touch enabled graphical interface instead of the boring old keyboard. i've manage to hack a prototype up and got it running basic commands to switch views, raise lower landing gear etc and have even manged to be able to use timed main engines burns. it just looks a mess as i have not learned how to create/manipulate image maps yet...apparently i need to get (a?) gimp for that. i'm sure you could find somewhere to bung in an ipad into that dash somewhere <img src="'[url]http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//icon_e_smile.gif[/url] class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

[Brianetta]

@whisper979,It looks like you could do with some custom modifications to your Pioneer. These shouldn't be prohibitively difficult. Basically, some way for a Pioneer Lua script to interface with the rest of your system (writing files, sending signals, whatever). You could hook up scriptable events in Pioneer (such as the warning light for attack) to your ship computer, so that it could start playing the red alert video, the proximity alert video... whatever content you've knocked up!We have all sorts of events, of course. We can tell it when you're in hyperspace, whether you're low on fuel, whether you're landed, docked or in flight or even when you've bumped into something.Right now, as the alpha stands, I believe it's still possible to write to files on the computer from Lua, because the Lua environment hasn't been pared right down yet. This means that right now no game modifications would be necessary, although they would become necessary in time.Something you'd consider?

[Metamartian]

'Brianetta' wrote:
It looks like you could do with some custom modifications to your Pioneer. These shouldn't be prohibitively difficult. Basically, some way for a Pioneer Lua script to interface with the rest of your system (writing files, sending signals, whatever). You could hook up scriptable events in Pioneer (such as the warning light for attack) to your ship computer, so that it could start playing the red alert video, the proximity alert video... whatever content you've knocked up!We have all sorts of events, of course. We can tell it when you're in hyperspace, whether you're low on fuel, whether you're landed, docked or in flight or even when you've bumped into something.
I'd be interested in seeing this implemented. I think it's possible to provide feedback via lua into my TouchDown profile implementation for pioneer....

[whisper979]

This is very interesting. I will start looking into both of these ideas. Basically, whatever I end up doing will come down to how much time I have. Thank you for all of the ideas. It would be really cool to have a fully functional simulator!

[whisper979]

So, this weekend, my wife watched the kid for a while so I could do some work on his simulator. I bought plastic project boxes from amazon and painted them in several different layers so that they would look like well-used rusty equipment. I then assembled them with the toggle switches and other parts I had bought. Lastly, I used an old-style label maker to complete the look. Here are the results:Some close ups:

[Marcel]

Nice paint work! I'd never have guessed from the pictures that those were plastic boxes.

[walterar]

You are doing an incredible job.The lack pray that your child does not prefer football. <img src="'[url]http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//punish.gif[/url] class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':punish:' />I started with Pioneer for my grandson, he already has a girlfriend and I'm still here. <img src="'[url]http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//gamer1.gif[/url] class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':gamer:' />

[whisper979]

Thanks Marcel. Walterar, LOL!

[whisper979]

This is really happening! I have a long way to go until the simulator is finished but things are really starting to take shape.

[robn]

You need to stop. When I see this it makes me feel like a bad parent <img src="'[url]http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//wink3.gif[/url] class='bbc_emoticon' alt=';)' />

[Cody]

Heh... we have similar from an Oolite fanatic:

[Potsmoke66]

holy cow!whisper979, that's impressive!i like the rusty look, it's so... i'm speechless.you know, it's already 2years ago i thought of a special input pad with a touchscreen to control the spaceships in pioneer, it would open the possibility to give each ship his very own control panel, "alien systems" too, you would have to learn first how to manage the new ship.something new no one has, some new idea for gameplay.to sad my father is dead, he was the one with the right experience in logical circuits to get this to life (we owned a electronical calculator when it was for most something only NASA owns, each part was selfmade incl. the knobs. he had due to his work the possibility to get easy to the needed IC's. - i played "pong" long before any console or such was to see on the market).i'm not bad in handling a soldering iron, but i guess i never will reach his class.to have both? being classy in logic and the needed craftsmenship is rare today.to have riveted with a hammer (no wonder he was partially deaf) on one side and on the other side to know how to understand logical circuits?and he was so... ...he never thought that he was something special.whisper979, do you know that you are classy?such is really rare, we would need more people like you, with women and men like you we would make it easy to space.not this "dünnbrettbohrer" (thin board drills) we have in many leading positions today.[hsimg]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-59i-UtW4W8o/UA1ERTEZPMI/AAAAAAAAAEM/XKwRnShw6I0/s1600/2012-07-21_15-03-39_239.jpg[/hsimg]i can't get enough of such, looks almost like "reality", ok, controls in the NPP didn't look that rusty, but well, close to...besides, i was only one "redshirt" of many there.

[Potsmoke66]

and cody, that looks like "Cobra MKI" to me...that picture was shot after a successful mission? looks like with the opened bottle of champagne...---something slight different, maybe as a inspiration?

[whisper979]

Thanks potsmoke. Robn, it's not that you are a bad parent, I am just a really awesome one <img src="'[url]http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//wink3.gif[/url] class='bbc_emoticon' alt=';)' />I hope to finished with this by Christmas. We'll see.