Re: Hardware cockpit instruments with round displays.

Patrick Callahan <[email protected]> Sun, 26 Jul 2026 13:21:36 -0400
Newsgroups gmane.games.flightgear.devel
Message-ID <CACt=GQo3ojzPQ+efbDwX9s4OE_KRGVCWMxMPOTa6smTK0N0VdQ@mail.gmail.com>
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There's Captain Bob:  https://captainbobsim.com  He's done a ton of work on
instruments and radios.
Much of it is open source and available on Thingiverse.

Another thingivers contributor has a number of steam gauges etc.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3401254. check him out here:
https://www.thingiverse.com/alvaroalea/designs

-Pat

On Sun, Jul 26, 2026 at 11:11=E2=80=AFAM David Hudach <[email protected]> w=
rote:

> At some point I would like to implement "real instruments" using either
> small stepper motors on Raspberry Pi. But until then I'm almost at the
> finish line building an instrument animation program from scratch in C an=
d
> SDL2 that would essentially be similar to fgpanel. The problem with fgpan=
el
> is that from what I've seen and what I've tried, building it on Pi is a
> challenge. So I've done all of my development on Pi. I'm able to run FG o=
n
> my laptop and send the output to Pi over WiFi and things so far work ok.
> I'm running about 13 instruments sending 42 properties across to the C
> program. Naturally Pi isn't going to be super robust, but it was an easy
> way to test the ability. As for proper instrument animation, I've kind of
> had to reverse engineer some of the animation/condition/transformation
> settings in the instrument xml files. But so far so good. Eventually I'll
> connect the PC to the Pi via ethernet.
>
> On Sun, Jul 26, 2026 at 10:38=E2=80=AFAM Patrick Callahan <pat.callahan1@=
gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Has anyone done any cockpit instruments using Flightgear source material=
s
>> driving  2.8" round TFT displays from raspberry pi zeros?  I'm thinking =
in
>> terms of a FGFS instance with no scenery, no airport, just a single
>> instrument, driven not from the FDM, but from input fed from the main FG=
FS
>> instance over USB or UDP, perhaps running independently on a Raspberry P=
i
>> Zero.  Outputs for adjusting knobs back to the main fgfs via the same
>> channel.
>>
>> -Pat
>>
>>
>> https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805001903002.html?spm=3Da2g0o.cart.0.=
0.491f38daKYclES&mp=3D1&pdp_npi=3D6%40dis%21USD%21USD+31.27%21USD+31.27%21%=
21USD+31.27%21%21%21%402103138417850754067242788e0eb6%2112000032031307056%2=
1ct%21US%21798636471%21%211%210%21&gatewayAdapt=3Dglo2usa
>>
>> Heading Instrument example
>> 1 raspberry pi zero
>> 1 2.8" display with hdmi board
>> 2 magnetic rotary encoders for Heading Bug and Card Adjust
>>
>> Is there a simpler way to drive the display than to have a full instance
>> of flightgear running on the Pi?
>> _______________________________________________
>> Flightgear-devel mailing list
>> [email protected]
>> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/flightgear-devel
>>
> _______________________________________________
> Flightgear-devel mailing list
> [email protected]
> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/flightgear-devel
>

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<div dir=3D"ltr">There&#39;s Captain Bob:=C2=A0 <a href=3D"https://captainb=
obsim.com">https://captainbobsim.com</a>=C2=A0 He&#39;s done a ton of work =
on instruments=C2=A0and radios.=C2=A0<div>Much of it is open source and ava=
ilable on Thingiverse.</div><div><br></div><div>Another <span aria-invalid=
=3D"spelling" class=3D"LI ng" style=3D"border-style:none;background:none">t=
hingivers</span>=C2=A0contributor has a number of steam gauges etc. <a href=
=3D"https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3401254">https://www.thingiverse.com/=
thing:3401254</a>. check him out here:=C2=A0<a href=3D"https://www.thingive=
rse.com/alvaroalea/designs">https://www.thingiverse.com/alvaroalea/designs<=
/a></div><div><br></div><div>-Pat</div></div><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote =
gmail_quote_container"><div dir=3D"ltr" class=3D"gmail_attr">On Sun, Jul 26=
, 2026 at 11:11=E2=80=AFAM David Hudach &lt;<a href=3D"mailto:dhudach@gmail=
.com">[email protected]</a>&gt; wrote:<br></div><blockquote class=3D"gmail_=
quote" style=3D"margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,=
204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir=3D"ltr"><div class=3D"gmail_default" style=
=3D"font-size:small">At some point I would like to implement &quot;real ins=
truments&quot; using either small stepper motors on Raspberry Pi. But until=
 then I&#39;m almost at the finish line building an instrument animation pr=
ogram from scratch in C and SDL2 that would essentially be similar to fgpan=
el. The problem with fgpanel is that from what I&#39;ve seen and what I&#39=
;ve tried, building it on Pi is a challenge. So I&#39;ve done all of my dev=
elopment on Pi. I&#39;m able to run FG on my laptop and send the output to =
Pi over WiFi and things so far work ok. I&#39;m running about 13 instrument=
s sending 42 properties across to the C program. Naturally Pi isn&#39;t goi=
ng to be super robust, but it was an easy way to test the ability. As for p=
roper instrument animation, I&#39;ve kind of had to reverse engineer some o=
f the animation/condition/transformation settings in the instrument xml fil=
es. But so far so good. Eventually I&#39;ll connect the PC to the Pi via et=
hernet.</div></div><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote"><div dir=3D"ltr" class=3D=
"gmail_attr">On Sun, Jul 26, 2026 at 10:38=E2=80=AFAM Patrick Callahan &lt;=
<a href=3D"mailto:[email protected]" target=3D"_blank">pat.callahan1@=
gmail.com</a>&gt; wrote:<br></div><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=
=3D"margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding=
-left:1ex"><div dir=3D"ltr"><div>Has anyone done any cockpit instruments us=
ing Flightgear source materials driving=C2=A0 2.8&quot; round TFT displays =
from raspberry pi zeros?=C2=A0 I&#39;m thinking in terms of a FGFS instance=
 with no scenery, no airport, just a single instrument, driven not from the=
 FDM, but from input fed from the main FGFS instance over USB or UDP, perha=
ps running independently on a Raspberry Pi Zero.=C2=A0 Outputs for adjustin=
g knobs back to the main fgfs via the same channel.</div><div><br></div><di=
v>-Pat</div><div><br></div><a href=3D"https://www.aliexpress.us/item/325680=
5001903002.html?spm=3Da2g0o.cart.0.0.491f38daKYclES&amp;mp=3D1&amp;pdp_npi=
=3D6%40dis%21USD%21USD+31.27%21USD+31.27%21%21USD+31.27%21%21%21%4021031384=
17850754067242788e0eb6%2112000032031307056%21ct%21US%21798636471%21%211%210=
%21&amp;gatewayAdapt=3Dglo2usa" target=3D"_blank">https://www.aliexpress.us=
/item/3256805001903002.html?spm=3Da2g0o.cart.0.0.491f38daKYclES&amp;mp=3D1&=
amp;pdp_npi=3D6%40dis%21USD%21USD+31.27%21USD+31.27%21%21USD+31.27%21%21%21=
%402103138417850754067242788e0eb6%2112000032031307056%21ct%21US%21798636471=
%21%211%210%21&amp;gatewayAdapt=3Dglo2usa</a><div><br></div><div>Heading In=
strument example=C2=A0</div><div>1 raspberry pi zero</div><div>1 2.8&quot; =
display with hdmi board</div><div>2 magnetic rotary encoders for Heading Bu=
g and Card Adjust</div><div><br></div><div>Is there a simpler way to drive =
the display than to have a full instance of flightgear running on the Pi?</=
div></div>
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>[email protected]</a><br>
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el=3D"noreferrer" target=3D"_blank">https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/lis=
tinfo/flightgear-devel</a><br>
</blockquote></div>
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Flightgear-devel mailing list<br>
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el=3D"noreferrer" target=3D"_blank">https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/lis=
tinfo/flightgear-devel</a><br>
</blockquote></div>

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