PL21 Autopilot Unit

Based on the Pro Line 21 autopilot, we've recently added the PL21 Autopilot Unit to our list of products. This unit is supplied complete with a controller board for communicating via USB to a simulator. 

The unit is fully backlit, as shown in the above photograph.

A small software program is included, which can be used to send commands from the panel to a compatible simulator that has a registered version of FSUIPC, but there is also the ability to communicate directly with the Arduino controller. This allows you the option of writing your own software. Full communication details will of course be provided.

DFC90 Autopilot Light Test

Further to our recent post regarding the DFC90 Autopilot, below is a short video showcasing the dual-coloured button lights. This was recorded by the new owner of the unit and, by way of a disclaimer, just shows a test harness with the supporting controller and digital logic.

It's always great to see how our parts are eventually used in various projects because often, once they've left our workshop, that's the last we ever see of them!

Avidyne DFC90 Autopilot

This was another interesting project that we recently completed for a customer. Or rather, we completed the front end of this project - our customer is using a Teensy Micro controller and interfacing it to X-Plane 10, so he's doing all of the programming for this himself and has kindly offered to supply the code when he's finished so that these autopilots can be made an immediately more viable option for other builders in the future. 

We've said it before but it's true - we have some great customers!

Below is a shot of the unit up close, although it's difficult to see just how vivid the blue and green LEDs actually are. Here they look as if they might be fairly subtle, but in reality they are much brighter and deeper in colour. 

The text on the actual panel itself is backlit with a bright white, which due to the way I've focused the camera appears to look a little 'pinkish' beneath the right-hand knob - you'll just have to take my word for it that it's white!

In the dual photo below, you'll notice that the blue and green illumination has been 'switched', in keeping with how a real DFC90 unit operates: "captured" or "engaged" is shown by the associated button glowing green, whilst "armed" is indicated by the blue. We managed to source some custom LEDs especially for this project - which was great! 

(Note again the tinge of non-representative 'pink' in the top photo ... tsk, tsk)

As seen below, we also manufactured and mounted a PCB to the unit so that it's one complete piece and didn't require any assembly once it got to our customer ... other than all of the necessary wiring (which he was happy to do anyway)

Obviously, to lessen any complication that might have been affected by the PCB's construction, we supplied a full wiring diagram!

And here's the completed unit, with my hand hopefully providing some sense of scale, which is 1:1 with a real DFC90.

Oh, and a photo of a real unit, for comparison ...

You'll notice also that there's no means of actually securing it to a panel from the front, so we devised a mounting bracket that allows it to be held firmly in place from the rear without creating too big a footprint on the rear of panel, as there are very often other parts nearby whose space also needs to be considered.

The completed RMC710

Almost two years ago we were working on a 710 Autopilot Unit that was based on the Garmin GMC710 (the original post is here). This unit has now been fine-tuned and completed, and the latest version is shown below:

Most of the improvements have been cosmetic and have been the result of new manufacturing processes and techniques, although the physical pushbuttons themselves now have white backlighting to better replicate the original units and the 'feel' is far superior to the ones that we've had to use in the past.

The above photograph shows one of the units under test and although the indicators appear to be incredibly bright (they are!), this reflects fairly accurately what they appear like in an authentic GMC710.

Operational Autopilot System - RMC710

This is an early preview of one of the many new items that we've been developing in the background over the past few months: an operational Autopilot System (the Ruscool RMC710), which is based around the Garmin Mode Controller (GMC 710) ...

The text on the faceplate is backlit, and all the buttons are able to be illuminated when their particular function is selected. The rotary encoders have pushbuttons like the real unit, and the roller wheel for the Vertical Speed adjustment has notches to allow for ease of turning,

 

The unit has been designed to fit into a separate backing plate which is then attached to the main instrument panel. This is currently being painted however, and we haven't got any decent photos of this yet (it was made yesterday), but we shall remedy this once the entire unit has been installed and is up and running in our customer's simulator. He lives locally too - which is mighty convenient!

 

 

Despite this system being designed around our own I/O boards, as with the majority of our products, wherever possible we also make each individual connection available directly from the PCB (see above photograph) so that our customers can use whichever interface system they wish. One reason to employ our own I/O boards is of course that all of the software and its capabilities are known to us, although an additional benefit is that we also have the ability to customise some of the logic as and when necessary.

And this is how it looked prior to the fitting of the buttonheads and knobs, the application of paint, and the completed engraving. You can just make out the backlit buttons through the open buttonholes.

Oops, what do you know ... the painting of the backing plate was finished and dried before we'd completed this post, so below is a quick photo of the assembled faceplate fitted into this particular version of backing plate.

As with all initial concept items, there are several slight alterations with regards to a few details here and there - such as replacing the mounting screws some more realistic countersunk types, and the concealment of the encoder nuts - which will be implemented on subsequent versions.