Re: Hardware cockpit instruments with round displays.
David Hudach <[email protected]> Sun, 26 Jul 2026 14:08:52 -0400
| Newsgroups | gmane.games.flightgear.devel |
|---|---|
| Message-ID | <CAJeoFaLpSHRQzavhfh0Ci5D8Y3FeHRxORnxMg4HuTm1g9wfmmA@mail.gmail.com> |
--===============3683039993526157200== Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="00000000000049417f065787807a" --00000000000049417f065787807a Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I have an old TV that's about 24" diagonal that I'm using for the instrument display. I'll essentially do the same thing you did Curt, I'll build a panel, mount the TV behind it and create a panel with instrument cutout holes to cover it. I'll build some nice face plates, bezels and knobs using my 3d printer and make it look as realistic as possible. The Raspberry Pi may not be fast enough so I might need to get an inexpensive laptop to run the animation program. Luckily the instrument images in FG are quite nice. I'm building this around the SenecaII. I think I've seen Captain Bob's videos on YT and some of the stepper motor instruments are quite nice. That' something I'll look into but since I already have my throttle quadrant and dual yoke setup built, I want to get an instrument panel working so I can do some flying. The next hardware project will then be rudder pedals. This is a dual control sim so that I can let others fly left hand seat. D On Sun, Jul 26, 2026 at 1:53=E2=80=AFPM Curtis Olson <[email protected]> = wrote: > There are many good ways to approach this. In the way back I did a > project where we drew all the instruments in 2d graphics (using the > 2d flightgear instrument panel) and put a face plate in front of the LCD > display with cutouts for the instruments and bezels and knobs and it look= ed > really good. We fooled people into thinking they were physical gauges > because we had drop shadows in the graphics and many of the layers were > derived from original photos. More recently I've used NiceGUI (I like > python) to generate web-based interfaces. My plug for nicegui: you write > everything in one place (vs. traditional schemes where you have css, html= , > javascript, and some python/C/db backend and have to edit 5 > different places as you develop code.) I have also done things with > Panda3d (also in python) which lets you do both 2d and 3d graphics layers > (but doesn't really support a high quality modern gui overlay as far as I > have been able to find.) > > My NiceGUI example on codeberg.org for my hobby UAS project: > https://codeberg.org/NorthStarUAS/GCS/media/branch/main/screenshots/panel= 3.png > Panda3D example on youtube: https://youtu.be/d6G-cHO-uTU > > The panda3d example shows me trying to imitate the yukikaze (sp?) anime > jet HUD and experiment with throwing sat imagery on top of DEM terrain > using a quad tree (slippy tile) tiling / lod scheme. The pitch ladder is > sort of an inside out view rather than an outside in view ... it's weird > ... looks way cooler in the actual show clips, but I think they cheat and > only show brief moments so you can't really see if it's physically correc= t > or not. > > I have probably shared some of this before, sorry if it's a repeat. > > One thing I'd love to experiment with "someday" is an inexpensive 3-4" > esp32 lcd display and seeing what I can draw and how fast I can refresh .= .. > and then put it in the cockpit (or nose) of one of my RC airplanes, point= a > camera that can see the forward view and the display, and have live, real > avionics on my RC airplane ... someday ... :-) > > Curt. > > On Sun, Jul 26, 2026 at 12:22=E2=80=AFPM Patrick Callahan <pat.callahan1@= gmail.com> > wrote: > >> 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]= > wrote: >> >>> 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 = and >>> SDL2 that would essentially be similar to fgpanel. The problem with fgp= anel >>> 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= on >>> 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 eas= y >>> 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 < >>> [email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> Has anyone done any cockpit instruments using Flightgear source >>>> materials 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 th= e >>>> main FGFS instance over USB or UDP, perhaps running independently on a >>>> Raspberry Pi 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%2= 1%21USD+31.27%21%21%21%402103138417850754067242788e0eb6%2112000032031307056= %21ct%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 >>> >> _______________________________________________ >> Flightgear-devel mailing list >> [email protected] >> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/flightgear-devel >> > > > -- > Curtis Olson > _______________________________________________ > Flightgear-devel mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/flightgear-devel > --00000000000049417f065787807a Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <div dir=3D"ltr"><div class=3D"gmail_default" style=3D"font-size:small">I h= ave an old TV that's about 24" diagonal that I'm using for the= instrument display. I'll essentially do the same thing you did Curt, I= 'll build a panel, mount the TV behind it and create a panel with instr= ument cutout holes to cover it. I'll build some nice face plates, bezel= s and knobs using my 3d printer and make it look as realistic as possible. = The Raspberry Pi may not be fast enough so I might need to get an inexpensi= ve laptop to run the animation program. Luckily the instrument images in FG= are quite nice. I'm building this around the SenecaII.</div><div class= =3D"gmail_default" style=3D"font-size:small"><br></div><div class=3D"gmail_= default" style=3D"font-size:small">I think I've seen Captain Bob's = videos on YT and some of the stepper motor instruments are quite nice. That= ' something I'll look into but since I already have my throttle qua= drant and dual yoke setup built, I want to get an instrument panel working = so I can do some flying. The next hardware project will then be rudder peda= ls. This is a dual control sim so that I can let others fly left hand seat.= </div><div class=3D"gmail_default" style=3D"font-size:small"><br></div><div= class=3D"gmail_default" style=3D"font-size:small">D</div></div><br><div cl= ass=3D"gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><div dir=3D"ltr" class=3D"gmail_a= ttr">On Sun, Jul 26, 2026 at 1:53=E2=80=AFPM Curtis Olson <<a href=3D"ma= ilto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>> wrote:<br></div><bloc= kquote 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">There are man= y good ways to approach this.=C2=A0 In the way back=C2=A0I did a project wh= ere we drew all the instruments in 2d graphics (using the 2d=C2=A0flightgea= r instrument panel) and put a face plate in front of the LCD display with c= utouts for the instruments and bezels and knobs and it looked really good.= =C2=A0 We fooled people into thinking they were physical gauges because=C2= =A0we had drop shadows in the graphics and many of the layers were derived = from original photos.=C2=A0 More recently I've used NiceGUI (I like pyt= hon) to generate web-based interfaces.=C2=A0 My plug for nicegui: you write= everything in one place (vs. traditional schemes where you have css, html,= javascript, and some python/C/db backend and have to edit 5 different=C2= =A0places as you develop code.)=C2=A0 I have also done things with Panda3d = (also in python) which=C2=A0lets you do both 2d and 3d graphics layers (but= doesn't really support a high quality modern gui overlay as far as I h= ave been able to find.)<br><br>My NiceGUI example on <a href=3D"http://code= berg.org" target=3D"_blank">codeberg.org</a> for my hobby UAS project:=C2= =A0<a href=3D"https://codeberg.org/NorthStarUAS/GCS/media/branch/main/scree= nshots/panel3.png" target=3D"_blank">https://codeberg.org/NorthStarUAS/GCS/= media/branch/main/screenshots/panel3.png</a><div>Panda3D example on youtube= :=C2=A0<a href=3D"https://youtu.be/d6G-cHO-uTU" target=3D"_blank">https://y= outu.be/d6G-cHO-uTU</a></div><div><br></div><div>The panda3d example shows = me trying to imitate the yukikaze (sp?) anime jet HUD and experiment with t= hrowing sat imagery on top of DEM terrain using a quad tree (slippy tile) t= iling / lod scheme.=C2=A0 The pitch ladder is sort of an inside out view ra= ther than an outside in view ... it's weird ... looks way cooler in the= actual show clips, but I think they cheat and only show brief moments so y= ou can't really see if it's physically correct or not.<br><br>I hav= e probably shared some of this before, sorry if it's a repeat.<br><br>O= ne thing I'd love to experiment with "someday" is an inexpens= ive 3-4" esp32 lcd display and seeing what I can draw and how fast I c= an refresh ... and then put it in the cockpit (or nose) of one of my RC air= planes, point a camera that can see the forward view and the display, and h= ave live, real avionics on my RC airplane ... someday ... :-)<br><br>Curt.<= /div></div><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote"><div dir=3D"ltr" class=3D"gmail_a= ttr">On Sun, Jul 26, 2026 at 12:22=E2=80=AFPM Patrick Callahan <<a href= =3D"mailto:[email protected]" target=3D"_blank">[email protected]= om</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margi= n:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex= "><div dir=3D"ltr">There's Captain Bob:=C2=A0 <a href=3D"https://captai= nbobsim.com" target=3D"_blank">https://captainbobsim.com</a>=C2=A0 He's= done a ton of work on instruments=C2=A0and radios.=C2=A0<div>Much of it is= open source and available on Thingiverse.</div><div><br></div><div>Another= <span style=3D"border-style:none;background:none">thingivers</span>=C2=A0c= ontributor has a number of steam gauges etc. <a href=3D"https://www.thingiv= erse.com/thing:3401254" target=3D"_blank">https://www.thingiverse.com/thing= :3401254</a>. check him out here:=C2=A0<a href=3D"https://www.thingiverse.c= om/alvaroalea/designs" target=3D"_blank">https://www.thingiverse.com/alvaro= alea/designs</a></div><div><br></div><div>-Pat</div></div><br><div class=3D= "gmail_quote"><div dir=3D"ltr" class=3D"gmail_attr">On Sun, Jul 26, 2026 at= 11:11=E2=80=AFAM David Hudach <<a href=3D"mailto:[email protected]" tar= get=3D"_blank">[email protected]</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class= =3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rg= b(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir=3D"ltr"><div class=3D"gmail_defau= lt" style=3D"font-size:small">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 ani= mation program from scratch in C and SDL2 that would essentially be similar= to fgpanel. The problem with fgpanel is that from what I've seen and w= hat 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 on my laptop and send the o= utput to Pi over WiFi and things so far work ok. I'm running about 13 i= nstruments sending 42 properties across to the C program. Naturally Pi isn&= #39;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 engine= er some of the animation/condition/transformation settings in the instrumen= t xml files. But so far so good. Eventually I'll connect the PC to the = Pi via ethernet.</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 Call= ahan <<a href=3D"mailto:[email protected]" target=3D"_blank">pat.c= [email protected]</a>> 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 instrum= ents using Flightgear source materials driving=C2=A0 2.8" round TFT di= splays from raspberry pi zeros?=C2=A0 I'm thinking in terms of a FGFS i= nstance with no scenery, no airport, just a single instrument, driven not f= rom the FDM, but from input fed from the main FGFS instance over USB or UDP= , perhaps running independently on a Raspberry Pi Zero.=C2=A0 Outputs for a= djusting knobs back to the main fgfs via the same channel.</div><div><br></= div><div>-Pat</div><div><br></div><a href=3D"https://www.aliexpress.us/item= /3256805001903002.html?spm=3Da2g0o.cart.0.0.491f38daKYclES&mp=3D1&p= dp_npi=3D6%40dis%21USD%21USD+31.27%21USD+31.27%21%21USD+31.27%21%21%21%4021= 03138417850754067242788e0eb6%2112000032031307056%21ct%21US%21798636471%21%2= 11%210%21&gatewayAdapt=3Dglo2usa" target=3D"_blank">https://www.aliexpr= ess.us/item/3256805001903002.html?spm=3Da2g0o.cart.0.0.491f38daKYclES&m= p=3D1&pdp_npi=3D6%40dis%21USD%21USD+31.27%21USD+31.27%21%21USD+31.27%21= %21%21%402103138417850754067242788e0eb6%2112000032031307056%21ct%21US%21798= 636471%21%211%210%21&gatewayAdapt=3Dglo2usa</a><div><br></div><div>Head= ing Instrument 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 Head= ing Bug 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> _______________________________________________<br> Flightgear-devel mailing list<br> <a href=3D"mailto:[email protected]" target=3D"_blank"= >[email protected]</a><br> <a href=3D"https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/flightgear-devel" r= el=3D"noreferrer" target=3D"_blank">https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/lis= tinfo/flightgear-devel</a><br> </blockquote></div> _______________________________________________<br> Flightgear-devel mailing list<br> <a href=3D"mailto:[email protected]" target=3D"_blank"= >[email protected]</a><br> <a href=3D"https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/flightgear-devel" r= el=3D"noreferrer" target=3D"_blank">https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/lis= tinfo/flightgear-devel</a><br> </blockquote></div> _______________________________________________<br> Flightgear-devel mailing list<br> <a href=3D"mailto:[email protected]" target=3D"_blank"= >[email protected]</a><br> <a href=3D"https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/flightgear-devel" r= el=3D"noreferrer" target=3D"_blank">https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/lis= tinfo/flightgear-devel</a><br> </blockquote></div><div><br clear=3D"all"></div><div><br></div><span class= =3D"gmail_signature_prefix">-- </span><br><div dir=3D"ltr" class=3D"gmail_s= ignature"><div dir=3D"ltr"><div>Curtis Olson</div></div></div> _______________________________________________<br> Flightgear-devel mailing list<br> <a href=3D"mailto:[email protected]" target=3D"_blank"= >[email protected]</a><br> <a href=3D"https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/flightgear-devel" r= el=3D"noreferrer" target=3D"_blank">https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/lis= tinfo/flightgear-devel</a><br> </blockquote></div> --00000000000049417f065787807a-- --===============3683039993526157200== Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline --===============3683039993526157200== Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline _______________________________________________ Flightgear-devel mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/flightgear-devel --===============3683039993526157200==--