Wiring a switch as off/on/off

[bduemig]

I am just starting to play with building my own control panels. I have a hacked keyboard controller and I am using it as a light panel control. But the problem is that the keyboard controller gives a steady on voltage instead of a pulse. I am currently using momentary on/off/momentary on toggle switches to operate the lights.

To be more realistic, i would like to use three position toggle switches. I was thinking I can use a three position switch in which the power is applied to the center position. That way, when I move the switch from the down position (off) to the up position (on) it would pass through the center or powered position to send the pulse to the program.

Is there a switch that I can wire the center position as on and leave the other two positions off?

[mounty]

What are you sing to interface your switches? If you use FSUIPC and a Bodnar board you don't need a three way switch. It sounds like a plain on off switch can be used. Why would you want the switch to go on when it passes the middle?. A Bodnar board and FSUIPC gives you so much more flexibility for different types of switches and rotary switches, well worth the few dollars they cost.

Rob

[bduemig]

I am currently using a hacked keyboard PCB, so by using a on/off switch will be like holding down the key on the keyboard causing the item being turned on (I.E. lights) would cycle on and off continuously. The center on position would allow the switch to appear to be on but no voltage flowing. When the switch is turned off, it would pass through the powered center position giving it the pulse to toggle the lights off.

I am trying to stay cheap at the moment.

[deering]

Hello.

Centre on is not making sense to me. How could determine which of the "off" poles is "on"?
[You need FSUIPC - for this and many other purposes. Use an on-off-on switch and script FSUIPC to provide one-shot rather than continuously repeating operation.]

EDIT: Sorry...simple keyboard won't allow that. It needs some additional circuitry to provide the one-shot operation. I think there's an example on here, somewhere.

Jim.

[bduemig]

I download FSUIPC and registered and it does indeed work with an on off switch and setting it to not repeat. It is just what I needed.

[Louie Mendez]

Sounds like you have to change your keyboard properties under the control panel. The problem is you can't turn off the Repeat Rate. The only way you can achieve single pulse is adding a capacitor to the switch.
Please correct me if I'm wrong.

[bduemig]

Sounds like you have to change your keyboard properties under the control panel. The problem is you can't turn off the Repeat Rate. The only way you can achieve single pulse is adding a capacitor to the switch.
Please correct me if I'm wrong.


Right after I loaded FSUIPC, I set up one of the keys to toggle the lights. I also checked the no repeat box on the key page and set it up toggle the lights again when the switch it released. it worked! When I turned the switch on, the lights came on and when I switched it off, they went off.

Before FSUIPC, turning the switch on would cause the lights to continually cycle on and off.

[Louie Mendez]

I'm glad that worked out for u, now I'm inspired to start hacking keyboard pcb lol.

[bduemig]

I'm glad that worked out for u, now I'm inspired to start hacking keyboard pcb lol.

Give me about a week before getting in too deep. I am still waiting on some of my switches to complete the project and be absolutly sure it 'all' works. My test was only with two or three sets of wires.

I am not sure that I saved a whole lot though. I went through a few keyboards before I was too successful, unless you are good at soldering to a PCB. Luckily, I had one and the others were donated. It would be easier to purchase a pcb board from desktop aviator (20 switches for $35). But a keyboard hack can give you a lot more switches.

I'll post again next week when i get my other switches and get it all together and tested.

[karla]

Hey bduemig, did you see my post about this very situation? My latest setup now has 21 switches and 3 indicator lights - for practically no cost. http://www.mycockpit.org/forums/cockpit-parts-motion-platforms/25367-dozen-switches-panel-two-quid.html
Good luck.

[bduemig]

Got my switches today and wired the panel. After hooking everything up, ran into some snags. Some things worked fine, but others didn't. It seems that some switches left in the on position interfere with others. When I have certain switches on (and set not to repeat), other switches become inoperative. I guess I needed to do a better job of mapping the keyboard so I was using simple keypresses rather than some that could be combinations. I think that is what is causing my problems.

[ColinBradbury]

Some keyboards, especially basic ones only allow you to press a few keys at a time, and just setting FSUIPC to ignore the held key doesn't stop windows from seeing the key being held down so when you start turning on multiple switches windows is seeing multiple keys being held down.

Most basic keyboards allow usually 3 or 5 keys max.