My Boeing 737NG - IOCards hardware

IOCARDS PROJECT.

Among all the available options existing in the marker to control the flight simulator using external elements as switches, buttons, etc., (EPIC, FSBUS, IOCards...) I have decided to use the IOCards system because it:

is a spanish design. All the documentation and manuals are written in spanish.
is a very flexible and modular system: we can use some circuits in the beggining and add more ones later when they are needed. Even depending on the user requirements, additional circuits can be designed in a short time.
is a very cheap system actually: it's an open project. All the software and the information required to build the hardware is available and free.
people building addons, utilities, etc. is very important and active.

I will describe shortly what is IOCards project about. You can visit the official web site at www.opencockpits.com, where you will be able to find all the information to build the cards by yourself (Gerber files, schemes, drawings, software...).

IOCards system.

IOCards system is a free project if it's not commercially used.

It consists in several low cost electronic cards that let us use the simulator independently from the PC. We can use buttons, switches, rotary switches, encoders, etc. instead of the mouse to handle with the simulator. In the same way, all the information generated by the simulator is shown through displays, leds, lamps... instead of on the PC monitor. With the corresponding software, we can configure all these elements depending on our requirements.

IOCards works with the folowing simulators:

Microsoft Flight Simulator: by using the module FSUIPC by Peter Dowson. Any application that uses FSUIPC (like Project Magenta) can be used by IOCards. Or by using IOCP, a more efficient protocol developed by Juan R. Ascanio, Alberto Beaterio and Manuel Vélez.
X-Plane: by using the module XPLUIPC by Alberto Beaterio.

IOCards can work in a network using the following protocols:

Wide FS: sharing the FSUIPC variables through the net.
IOCP: protocol by Manuel Vélez. The new ON737 software (which simulates 95% of the system in a Boeing 737NG) is based on this new protocol.

Click here to see the system blocks diagram.

Here you have a short description of each available card and circuit:

Card	Features	Picture
Master	It is the heart of the system. It controls 72 digital inputs and 64 digital outputs. It has a bus to connect up to four displays cards. It's connected to the PC parallel port or to the expansion card. Industrial PCB available.
USB Expansion	It lets us to connect up to four master cards to one PC. Includes four A/D converters. Connects to the USB port. Industrial PCB available.
Displays	It controls up to 16 7-segments displays. Eight cables connected to each display. Up to four displays cards can be connected to one master card. It has been substituted by the multiplexed version. All the information to build it is available.
Displays multiplexed (Displays-II)	Like the previous one, but multiplexed. Eight cable connected to the whole group of displays. It controls up to 16 7-segments displays. Up to four displays cards can be connected to one master card. Industrial PCB available.
LCD screen	It controls up to 4 dot matrix type LCD screen (HD44780 standard). connects to USB port Industrial PCB available.

Outputs circuits	Features	Picture
USBRelays	Controls up to 7 10-amperes/250-volts relays. USB version: connects to USB port or to Master card. Includes 5 8-bits analogue axles. Reduced version: connects only to Master card. Doesn't include analogue axles. Industrial PCB available.
Relays	It controls up to 7 relays (electronic relays are like electronic switches). It is connected to the master card outputs (one output required per relay). All the information to build it is available.
USBServo	Controls up to 6 servo motors with a resolution of 10 bits. Includes 4 analogue inputs. Connects to the USB port. Industrial PCB available.
Servo motors	It controls one servo motors (like the ones used for radio controlled planes). It is connected to the master card outputs (8 outputs required per motor). All the information to build it is available.
USBStepper	Controls up to 3 stepper motors (monopolar or bipolar types). Includes 3 analogue inputs. Connects to the USB port. Industrial PCB available.
Stepper motors / lamps	It controls one stepper motor. It is connected to the master card outputs (4 outputs required per motor). It's also possible to control lamps up to 50 volts (one output required per lamp). All the information to build it is available.
USB DCmotors	Controls up to 6 DC motors (speed and direction). Includes 5 analogue inputs. Connects to the USB port. Industrial PCB available.
DC motors / Two poles stepper motors	It controls up to two DC motors. It is connected to the master card outputs (2 outputs required per motor). It is also possible to control one two poles stepper motor (4 outputs required this time). All the information to build it is available.

Inputs circuits	Features	Picture
USBKeys	Is a keyboard emulator for a maximum of 88 keys. Connects to the USB port. Industrial PCB available.
USBAxes	Controls up to 5 analogue axles and 24 buttons. It's recognised by the OS as another joystick. The functions assignment is made from the flight simulation software. Connects to the USB port. Industrial PCB available.
Encoders	It reads the signal from up to two encoders (the standard two out of phase signals type). It is connected to the master card inputs (2 inputs required per encoder). Industrial PCB available.
A/D converter	It converts an analog input into a digital input. It is connected to the master card inputs (8 inputs required). All the information to build it is available.

Last edition: 19.10.2006