I am thinking of building a custom panel for use with many aircraft. The panel will use a keyboard emulator, most likely the KE-USB36 USB Keyboard Encoder and Trackball Interface from Hagstrom.I have a good idea of how to wire/program the switches but have a question about adding rotary switches. The ideal would be to use the rotaries to change NAV, COMM, ADF, Squawk Code. Can this be done using this type of keyboard emulator. Also, it is possible to also hook up a display so I can see the settings ? Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I am new to this side of the hobby.regards,Mark.

1) if and only if you get the knitter type rotary encoder you can make it work fine with hagstrom cards. I got one and will wire my knitters to it. Make sure you get the ELFA knitters. The ones I got are from Knitter-switch.com and I already feel sorry that I didn't get the ELFAs. The knitter-switchs are plastic and from the looks on the site the ELFAs seem metal. Mucht better.2) absolutely not. For displays you need some other kind of interface. You could opt for a character-LCD which you wire to the LPT port if you don't mind all the info being rather close together. Otherwise you will want IOcards / FSbus / PHCC / Photon / ...................... the list is getting longer & longer :)Then again if you opt for an interface, you might just as well forget about purchasing the hagstrom. But as said .. a possible combo is the Hagstrom + character LCD.

Phillipe,thanks very much for your response to my question. If I do as you suggest and buy these ELFA rotary encoders, Do these get hooked up to 1,2,3 or 4 wires ? Do I then use FSUIPC key assignments to change the NAV frequency, etc. Thanks, just want to make sure that with 36 inputs on the Hagstrom I have enough room for my needs.With regard to changing NAV frequencies and Squawk codes etc, is there a way to program the rotary so that you get to the frequency quickly. It is really not worth it to me to have to start at SQ code 0501 and have to turn up to 2110 one numnber at a time. I was thinking you can program clockwise to handle first 2 numbers, counter clockwise last two...I am sure this has been thought of before and there is a logical solution.Finally, as for display, not really that important, as I have 3 screens so I am looking at all of the panels anyway.regards,Mark.

> Do these get hooked up to 1,2,3 or 4 wires ?Knitter type rotary encoders to just 1 ground wire and 1 for "switch A" and 1 for "switch B" (A = CW, B = CCW)Check here: http://wiki.varxec.net/Rotary_20encoder to read more about them.> Do I then use FSUIPC key assignments to change the NAV frequency, etcexactly. or else you do it via the key assignments in FS default menu. just like a regular keyboard input.then 'bout the numbers .. that's why a real cockpit got for the SQ code 4 rotary encoders. One for each digit. For the NAV or COM you got 2. One for the numbers, one for the decimals.Most of the time dual concentric rotary encoders are used then to make the thing use less space on a panel, though don't botter looking for dual concentric knitter-type rotary encoders .. i have looked for months & have not found any.

thanks! I ready somewhere else you need to make the dual concentric rotary encoders. Also the cost is quite high so in may case it may be much better just to buy the Go Flight module and only do the switches my self.regards,Mark.

Phillipe - looks like goflight has the concentric rotaries.http://www.goflightinc.com/hangar.html