FS-Bus key/rotary or knitter or whatever

[Guest rogierbanis]

Hello All,I have a working FS-bus system with, off-course, the key board.Currently i am using the 12 position rotary switches. All fine only these kind of rotary's rotate heavy and not very realistic. All over the internet i read about the rotary encoders or knitter switches or whatever. I have absolutely no clue wich kind of rotarys i can use with fs bus.Can anyone explain to a rotary dummy what types i can use, maybe a conrad part# or whatever.Your help i highly appreciated.Rogier

[npbosch]

Hi rogierThe rotaries you use feel heavy, but can be connected direct to fskey.You would like to use rotary encoders, but these can NOT be connected direct to fskey, they need the REDEC pcd (rotary decoding).There are 2 kinds of rotary encoders that produce an output signal that can be read direct by fskey.Knitter switches (knitter is the name of the manufacturer, serach this forum for knitter)or ALPSSee:http://forum.simcockpit.nl/forum/shop.phpfor artikelnumbers.The link is a dutch cockpitbuildersforum that tries to provide in al kind of electronics and fsbus pcb's. If we order big volumes the price will get down.regardsNorbert Bosch

[Guest rogierbanis]

Hello Norbert, Thanks for your respons.So i looked at simcockpit.nl, a site wich i happen to look a lot at since i am dutch also.Anyway, When i see all those rotary encoders, which one can i connect directly to that key-board. Or maybe none. And if so how do i get that redec pcd?Sorry for the newbie questions?

[tigert]

You can also make the normal rotaries a bit lighter if you open them (tricky at first but you will learn quick) and shorten the spring inside (the one you need to find on the floor after you open the first rotary). Try with one and shorten it just one or two turns first, so it doesnt become too light. For stuff that doesnt need a detent, you can just remove it completely.The spring makes the "stops" by pressing two small metal bearings against a dented part inside the rotary, so it turns in steps. And yes, those two metal balls you also need to find from the floor until you learn to open them in a way that they wont spring all over the place :)Tuomas

[Guest rogierbanis]

Hahaha thnx Tiger. This will probably be the most easiest way to get the result that i want.Thnx

[Guest Ramsberg]

ok, knitter switches is like 2 switches, one for turning clockwise, and the other for counter clockwise. You can connect these directly to the FSKEY, as the behave just like two regular switches. Just connect them on to subIDs next to each other and choose rotary type2 i think. Autosense and voila!Rotary ENCODERS on the other hand, are so called 2 phased output encoders. They need a Decoder to make sense to fsbus. Thats where REDEC comes in. Connect a 2-phased rotary encoder to redec, and the output is the same a with the knitters and ALPS..Soo, why bother using encoders?, Well, knitters are hard to buy, because the company only sells to other companies at a minimum of 100 units...6 euros each, you do the math....A backdraw with the knitters is also so called switch bouncing. As a ball bounces when you drop it on the ground, a contact bounces on the other contact when the switch is activated. That is beeing taken care of insode the REDEC, or in Leo Laclavas PIC based encoder circuit.Well, I choose all three types of switchs, for different applications... For example i found a rotary encoder with an integrated pushbutton..., Cool huh? ;-)I hope that clarifys thing s little.Cheers!/ Olle

[Guest rogierbanis]

Ok Olle Thanks, but...there is always a but hehe, the alps, i happen to have a few here, also only have a A, B and C connection. In which way should they be wired to the key-board then?

[rickalty]

The B is the common ground. The switch shorts A to B when turned one way, and B to C when turned the other.The price quoted for knitters seems a little high - I recently purchased 100 for several people in the USA, and the price was only about $3 (Approx E2.50) per including international shipping.There was a drawback to them though - when turned too quickly, the contacts skip past the connection, and it doesn't send the signal :-(Richard

[FLYINGJB]

Hi Roger...I just posted the same question and then I saw your question...my PC is not refreshing properly so didn't see your question. You mentioned you used 12 position switches and this seems easiest wayCan you tell me where you got them from and how to wire to FSkey..I am challenged when it comes to switches etc...Thanks...JB

[npbosch]

@ RogierYou can order the redec pcb and the alps switches direct at simcockpits.nlThere are several alps available and there is some discusion on the forum which are the better ones. So follow that forum, especially when you are dutch.Last weekend I was at the dutch-belgium cockpitbuildersmeeting. I saw the demo of Dick Anderseck's FSBUS. He had a suitcase with al kind of switches connected to fsbus as a demo.The rotary encoders felt a lot better then the rotary switches. Also there is a difference between several rotary encoders , and then I do not mean the elektronic part but the way they feel when you rotate them.norbert

[Guest rogierbanis]

JB,I just bought the most standard of all 12 position rotary's with no stop in it. You also have 2x6 but you need 1x12. Every electronc store has them. Wiring to the key controller is very ease and perfectly described in the FS-Bus manual. Just read carefully what it says and it should work fine.

[Guest rogierbanis]

Strange, I have connected an ALPS rotary. A on base and B on 0 and C on 1 all on row 0When i go to fsbus and select rotary type2 it doesnt matter if i turn it CW or CCW i always get the same +1 value. So never a -1 unless offcourse i select inverted.Do i use the wrong rotary or did i connect it wrong?Who knows?

[Guest GeorgeDorkofikis]

You CANNOT connect a Rotary Encoder like the one you mention directly to the FSKEY board. You have to decode it first using the REDEC circuit.That will translate the CW & CCW movement to pulses that the FSKEY can read.George DorkofikisAthens, Greece

[Guest rogierbanis]

Oh ok, but i thought reading here that it would be possible to use ALPS. Anyway, where the h*ll do i get these redec circuits. Is it a pcd i can make myself or is it a module i have to buy?

[Guest coenc]

>Strange, I have connected an ALPS rotary. A on base and B on>0 and C on 1 all on row 0>>Do i use the wrong rotary or did i connect it wrong?The one particular alps rotaryENCODER that can be directly connected to FSKEY is the alps SRMB1L. It has 4 connectors: 2 for left and 2 for right. Alternatively one could use a Knitter rotaryencoder.I gues the other alps types need a Redec...regards,www.simcockpit737.tk