Updates and roadmap

[Vincent Twisker]

A very nice announcement about the coming update...but no mention anymore of the earlier announced Homecockpit version.

Well I guess it is not "By the end of the year" yet.

Come on FSLabs, give us hardware users and Homecockpit builders something to interface the 320X to. 

[Andrew Wilson]

I know a lot of work has been happening there. Lefteris will provide more details soon.

[Vincent Twisker]

Thank you Andrew, it has been a very long time since it was addressed by FSLabs, and I know I'm not the only one who has been waiting for it. Your message is very good to hear indeed.

ATB

Vincent 

[Ben Lim]

On 11/02/2018 at 5:20 AM, Andrew Wilson said:

I know a lot of work has been happening there. Lefteris will provide more details soon.

The details would be greatly appreciated - thank you.

We are all patiently waiting  

 

[Michael Ackermann]

On 10.2.2018 at 7:20 PM, Andrew Wilson said:

I know a lot of work has been happening there. Lefteris will provide more details soon.

Yes, very, very patiently waiting 

[Vincent Twisker]

I'm just wondering...due to the DRM/malware issue...are we still expecting more info about a Homecockpit version "soon"?

For now I will stick with FSlabs...but it is my understanding that the recently released FF320 for XP11 already supports FULL control for Homecockpit usage...even without having to pay extra. ALL overhead pushbuttons and FCU displays etc included.

ATB 

Vincent 

[Michael Ackermann]

there's NO alternative to what the FSLabs A320 offers, not at all and not even close.

At least for me it's just waiting for Lefteris' infos.

[Vincent Twisker]

Haha "not yet" anyway. But I've been waiting since Lefteris' announcement from May 2017 while more and more parts of my DIY Homecockpit are starting to collect dust because I can't interface them.

[Michael Ackermann]

I understand your frustration, you`re certainly not the only one.

One of the hardware vendors mentioned a while ago, his sales literally dropped down to zero since months, because everyone seems to be waiting for FSLabs announcement. Well, at least for me that`s quite true.

However, going elsewhere is not an option for me. 

[Ben Lim]

No mentioned of FSL A320 cockpit edition in the roadmap, I guess they may have other priorities for now.

Michael - I wouldn't sweat it for now; there are alternatives like Jeehell FMGS (free) and Prosim A320?

 

 

[Vincent Twisker]

Soon...by the end of the year...

[Michael Ackermann]

Just got info, some hardware vendors like Skalarki and Vier-Im-Pott ( http://www.vier-im-pott.com ) will be at the Aero Friedrichshafen/Germany exhibition next month. There`s a special area dedicated just to flight simulation.

@Lefteris, will FSLabs be there as well ?

 

[Michael Ackermann]

On 26.3.2018 at 2:52 PM, Ben Lim said:

Michael - I wouldn't sweat it for now; there are alternatives like Jeehell FMGS (free) and Prosim A320?

sorry have overseen this. No doubt these are nice products, but I won`t go elsewhere.

Don`t know how to explain. After almost 25 years flight simming I found my "home" with the FSL A320, have already bought an I7-8700/GTX1080Ti exclusively for it. 

So that`s the home part of homecockpit, the cockpit part apparently needs further waiting. I`d build a cockpit around the FSL, nothing else 

Mike

[Michael Ackermann]

Some parts already there .

While we wait : Do you also have parts already ? Or just in the planning stage ? Which hardware vendors D

do you prefer ?

 

 

[Vincent Twisker]

Some parts ready here. Vendors AliExpress and DIY 

[Phil Lutz]

On 3/30/2018 at 5:00 AM, Vincent Twisker said:

Some parts ready here. Vendors AliExpress and DIY 

 

Hi Vincent,

how did you manage to set output LEDS for the warning lights?

looks great btw

 

[Vincent Twisker]

18 hours ago, pvjen1 said:

 

Hi Vincent,

how did you manage to set output LEDS for the warning lights?

looks great btw

 

My Pacled64 (LED control card) works with SPAD.NEXT. Using SPAD.NEXT I control the LEDs based on the status of EFIS/FCU pushbutton lights of the virtual cockpit (FSLabs 320X). 

 

Thanks for the compliment 

 

 

[Vincent Twisker]

In May 2017 a "Homecockpit version" was announced. Now finally in February 2020 the Skalarki hardware driver kit is for sale...patience is a virtue...I continue waiting.

The FSlabs is still the beating heart of my Homecockpit project and thanks to the help of many clever "work arounds" posted by others, much of my project can be interfaced...but I hope someday it will be possible to:

1. Interface displays for FCU, EFIS and ELEC panel (SDK?)

2. undock ISIS, DCDU, DBI, clock and brake pressure gauge

 

[Hans Billiet]

On 10/21/2019 at 5:01 AM, Vincent Twisker said:

My Pacled64 (LED control card) works with SPAD.NEXT. Using SPAD.NEXT I control the LEDs based on the status of EFIS/FCU pushbutton lights of the virtual cockpit (FSLabs 320X). 

 

Thanks for the compliment 

 

 

Hello,

I want to buy an A320 add-on for FSX (or if possible for FS2020). It feels like FSLabs A320-X is the best you can get, so I'm tempted to buy. But my second goal is to build my own home cockpit. I prefer to build my panels myself (CNC, 3D-printer, arduino, ...). It's an old hobby of me, which has been re-ignited during some "off-work-days" because of Covid-19.

But if I read correctly, interfacing with MSLabs is not that obvious, or even impossible for the time being? FSUIPC or SimConnect is not sufficient? I read that by using Linda, you can interface controls, but not the many lights and numerical displays?

But then Vincent Twisker (see quote) says it can be done with PacLED64 and SPAD.neXt? But if I look at the website of SPAD.neXt, I only see that it supports PMDG, Aerosoft, ... but no FSLabs?

Pretty confusing for a newbee like me.

Is there somebody out there that can give me some background/explanation? Or direct me to some reading stuff which reveals it all? What is now the roadmap of FSLabs on this?

Bottom line: I still want to buy FSLabs A320-X asap, but want to be sure that I can build my cockpit in the coming 10 years...

[Vincent Twisker]

8 minutes ago, Hans Billiet said:

What is now the roadmap of FSLabs on this?

Hi Hans,

It looks like FSLabs will expand their cooperation with Skalarki, that means extra investment in hardware support licenses for specific Skalarki hardware only. Support for a real "DIY homecockpit" is very limited...but who knows what happens in the next 10 years? 

Using Linda is at the moment probably your best chance for easy interfacing many controls, but far from everything. The FCU/EFIS part however can be connected rather easily using the available LVARS...including the LEDs.

If you don't want to (or can't) invest in (semi) profesional software, FSLabs is definitely by far the best A320 software on the market.

Good luck with your project.

[Vincent Twisker]

6 hours ago, Emerson Schmidt said:

So ,if you know anything about interfacing Arduinos with Linda and/or SPAD.Xnet using FSLabs A320x I would appreciate it.

Hi Emerson,

Nothing has changed much since my post that you are referring to. It is possible to write a lua script to allow MobiFlight to use the known LVARS. With macro's in FSUIPC more overhead buttons can be used.

Goodluck with your projects.

Best regards,

Vincent

[Tim Vancauwenbergh]

Is it also possible to get the LED status of pushbuttons? I am experimenting to make my own airbus dual chamber pushbuttons. They have adressable RGB LED's inside which are driven by a microcontroller. The microcontroller is setup as a joystick but has other USB functionalities too. The buttons thus are just a fraction of the cost when you buy them. Time spent is not calculated however.

 

If I understand correctly:

- Use FSUIPC Rotobrake codes to actuate different kinds of buttons and switches.

- Those without rotorbrake codes can be actuated using a FSUIPC mouse macro.

- You can actuate multiple buttons at the same time using 1 physical button by using a LUA script.

- To retreive a status, you can use the JSON strings on the web pages for FCU and MCDU. For LED's you have to use LVAR's, these are variables which indicate the status of something. You can then use a 3rd party program like spadx or mobiflight to send these values to your microcontroller.

Please correct me when wrong :).

 

On 3/28/2018 at 11:23 AM, Michael Ackermann said:

sorry have overseen this. No doubt these are nice products, but I won`t go elsewhere.

Don`t know how to explain. After almost 25 years flight simming I found my "home" with the FSL A320, have already bought an I7-8700/GTX1080Ti exclusively for it. 

So that`s the home part of homecockpit, the cockpit part apparently needs further waiting. I`d build a cockpit around the FSL, nothing else 

Mike

Absolutely agree, the immersion is the best one available. The sounds make everything so vivid, which is an area even the professional full motions sims lack of.