389 lines
14 KiB
Text
389 lines
14 KiB
Text
############## GPL
|
||
# GPS ZKV500 # Sébastien MARQUE
|
||
############## 2008, Paris (France)
|
||
|
||
note that it is still under heavy development, some functions planned haven't
|
||
been 100% tested yet... there surely will be bugs or errors (most of the time:
|
||
nasal runtime error : props.setValue() with non number, etc.)
|
||
|
||
|
||
CONTENTS
|
||
=========
|
||
1. A bit of history
|
||
2. Install onboard
|
||
1. Normal installation
|
||
2. Debugging installation
|
||
3. Without 3D interface
|
||
3. Global presentation
|
||
4. User's Manual
|
||
1. Powering ON / Enlight / Switch OFF
|
||
2. List of screens
|
||
3. The modes
|
||
4. Editing some text
|
||
5. FG integration
|
||
6. Examples
|
||
7. The future
|
||
|
||
1. A BIT OF HISTORY
|
||
===================
|
||
Don't search on the market this device, it doesn't exists! :p Indeed I was
|
||
looking how to create a GPS device in my favorite aircraft, I found the
|
||
nice 3D object in the not less nice Grob-G115, which it was told me it
|
||
is intented for the LX5000 gps (http://www.wingsandwheels.com/manuals.htm).
|
||
|
||
So I began to write some nasal code, using the C++ implementation of KLN89
|
||
already built-in FG, to fit as much as possible the LX5000 specifications.
|
||
But after some tries, I began to create on my own way the interface (which
|
||
is much more funny for me than following a manual :)). The ZKV500 was born.
|
||
(read ZaKharoV, which is my current nickname, from Proktor Zakharov in Sid
|
||
Meyer's Alpha Centauri game :))
|
||
It keeps by default the very nice 3D object from Jon Stockill, a bit modified.
|
||
I created also for this device a special font in order to make the LCD diplay
|
||
more... lcd-compliant (see Fonts/lcd.README).
|
||
|
||
2. INSTALL THE ZKV500 ONBOARD
|
||
=============================
|
||
|
||
1. Normal installation
|
||
|
||
For now the ZKV500 seats in Aircraft/Instruments-3d/zvk500/, making it easily
|
||
available for all aircrafts. To install it, just add these lines in your config
|
||
files, inside the <nasal> section:
|
||
<zkv500>
|
||
<file>Aircraft/Instruments-3d/zkv500/ZKV500.nas</file>
|
||
</zkv500>
|
||
[example from Lionceau: Aircraft/Lionceau/lionceau-base.xml]
|
||
Please note that <zkv500> is mandatory for namespaces reasons.
|
||
|
||
Then in your panel configuration file, just put the 3D model, as usual:
|
||
<!-- GPS -->
|
||
<model>
|
||
<path>Aircraft/Instruments-3d/zkv500/ZKV500.xml</path>
|
||
<offsets>
|
||
<x-m> 0.002 </x-m>
|
||
<y-m> -0.051 </y-m>
|
||
<z-m> -0.022 </z-m>
|
||
</offsets>
|
||
</model>
|
||
[example from Lionceau: Aircraft/Lionceau/Models/Panel/front-panel.xml]
|
||
Your ZKV500 is ready to be powered on!
|
||
|
||
The ZKV500 has IO capacities: routes are red from $FGHOME/Routes and
|
||
written in $FGHOME/Export, the bookmarks are red and written in
|
||
$FGHOME/Export/bookmarks.xml
|
||
|
||
An easy way to populate your $FGHOME/Routes directory is a perl script
|
||
of my own (see the end of file for an how-to). You can also editing by
|
||
hand, the format is simple and conform to the format used by the KLN89
|
||
<PropertyList>
|
||
<Waypoint n="0">
|
||
<ID type="double">TL</ID>
|
||
<latitude-deg type="double">43.28838900</latitude-deg>
|
||
<longitude-deg type="double">000.04963900</longitude-deg>
|
||
<altitude-ft type="double">0</altitude-ft>
|
||
<waypoint-type type="string">NBD</waypoint-type>
|
||
<name type="string">TARBES NDB</name>
|
||
<desc type="string">Xroads freq: 321</desc>
|
||
</Waypoint>
|
||
<Waypoint n="1">
|
||
<ID type="string">LFCB</ID>
|
||
<latitude-deg type="double">42.800000</latitude-deg>
|
||
<longitude-deg type="double">000.600000</longitude-deg>
|
||
<altitude-ft type="double">2028</altitude-ft>
|
||
<waypoint-type type="string">APT</waypoint-type>
|
||
<name type="string">Bagneres de Luchon</name>
|
||
<desc type="string">In a valley</desc>
|
||
</Waypoint>
|
||
</PropertyList>
|
||
The less easy way is to edit your flightplan direcly from the ZKV500, but
|
||
as it has very limited editing capacities, and the search of already-known
|
||
waypoints is limited to airports, it is not a really recommended way.
|
||
|
||
The $FGHOME/Export/bookmarks.xml file contains favorites points, it has
|
||
quite the same format than a route file:
|
||
<PropertyList>
|
||
...
|
||
<bookmark n="2">
|
||
<ID type="string">LFBT</ID>
|
||
<latitude-deg type="double">43.178643</latitude-deg>
|
||
<longitude-deg type="double">-0.006341</longitude-deg>
|
||
<altitude-ft type="double">1179.785445</altitude-ft>
|
||
<name type="string">Tarbes Ossun Lourdes</name>
|
||
<desc type="string">no infos</desc>
|
||
<waypoint-type type="string">APT</waypoint-type>
|
||
</bookmark>
|
||
...
|
||
</PropertyList>
|
||
The ZKV500 is quite useful to create bookmarks on the fly.
|
||
|
||
2. Debugging installation
|
||
|
||
if you want to debug the nasal, you can use the "debugging tool" I've created:
|
||
- edit the Aircraft/Instruments-3d/zkv500/*.nas files with your favourite
|
||
text editor
|
||
- in the Nasal console from FGside type:
|
||
var zkv_dir = getprop("/sim/fg-root") ~ "/Aircraft/Instruments-3d/zkv500/";
|
||
io.load_nasal(zkv_dir ~ "zkv_dbg.nas", "zkv_dbg");
|
||
zkv_dbg.reload_zkv_code();
|
||
- click on "Execute"
|
||
- find errors
|
||
- modify source code then re-click on "Execute" until satisfaction (or death :D)
|
||
|
||
3. Without 3D interface
|
||
|
||
if you want to use the zkv500 without the 3D interface and all installation steps
|
||
as described above, type in a Nasal console:
|
||
var zkv_dir = getprop("/sim/fg-root") ~ "/Aircraft/Instruments-3d/zkv500/";
|
||
io.load_nasal(zkv_dir ~ "zkv_dbg.nas", "zkv_dbg");
|
||
zkv_dbg.test();
|
||
|
||
3. GLOBAL PRESENTATION
|
||
======================
|
||
The interface is simple:
|
||
(http://seb.marque.free.fr/fichiers/flightgear/zkv500/presentation.png)
|
||
* 4 knobs turning left (left mouse click) or right (right mous click)
|
||
* 3 white buttons
|
||
* 1 LCD display
|
||
* 2 LEDs (red and green)
|
||
|
||
enter escape start
|
||
button button button
|
||
PAGE|------------------------|SELECT
|
||
KNOB| |KNOB
|
||
| LCD DISPLAY |
|
||
| 5 LINES |
|
||
MODE| |ON/OFF
|
||
KNOB|------------------------|KNOB
|
||
red green
|
||
led led
|
||
|
||
-> PAGE knob allows you to cycle in the different pages available for
|
||
each mode.
|
||
-> SELECT knob allows yo to navigate in a page, or select element, or
|
||
edit some simple text (depending of screen).
|
||
-> MODE knob allows you to select a mode, and acces to the ZKV500 settings
|
||
you can access this knob at any time, any screen.
|
||
-> ON/OFF knob allows you to turn ON and OFF the ZKV500, and set the
|
||
LCD enlightment.
|
||
The goal of each button depends of the displayed screen.
|
||
|
||
4. USER'S MANUAL
|
||
================
|
||
1. Powering ON / Enlight / Switch OFF
|
||
To power ON, just left click on the ON/OFF knob. Clicking again will make it
|
||
more and more enlighted.
|
||
When powered ON, you are on the ModeAndSettings screen.
|
||
Right-click on ON/OFF knob will first decrease enlightment intensity until
|
||
switch the ZKV500 off.
|
||
|
||
2. Screens list
|
||
[] -> button
|
||
() -> knob
|
||
*** ModeAndSettings ***
|
||
From this screen you can change from a mode to another mode (see 4.3 Modes, below)
|
||
[START] enter in a mode
|
||
(PAGE) enter in settings pages (cycle)
|
||
(SELECT) modify settings
|
||
|
||
the available settings are:
|
||
* units
|
||
you can change the displayed unit for altitude, distance and speed.
|
||
the units are long named, on other screens only short name wilm be
|
||
displayed.
|
||
* thresolds
|
||
you can change the thresold from when the ZKV500 will alert you about
|
||
next waypoint approach, or will load the next waypoint into calculation.
|
||
|
||
*** PositionMain ***
|
||
This page gives you infos about the aircraft position.
|
||
You find it in every modes.
|
||
[ENTER] save the position as a bookmark (entering in Edit screen)
|
||
|
||
LAT: latitude in deg:min:sec
|
||
LON: longitude in deg:min:sec
|
||
ALT: altitude
|
||
HDG: geographic cap (! not magnetic cap, or aircraft heading)
|
||
SPD: speed
|
||
|
||
*** Odometers ***
|
||
This screen gives you odo-values. You can find it in every modes.
|
||
[ESCAPE] reset odometers, except TRIP
|
||
|
||
ODO: travelled distance
|
||
TRIP: total travelled distance
|
||
TIME: elapsed time from last reset
|
||
AVG HDG: average heading
|
||
AVG SPD: average speed
|
||
|
||
*** WindInfos ***
|
||
This screens gives you infos about wind as it should be calculated by the
|
||
GPS, indeed, as the calculation is already done elsewhere, it takes the value
|
||
from /environnement/* node (btw I don't really know how to calculate correctly
|
||
these values). You need to have a airspped > 10kts for having it work. This
|
||
screen is available on every modes
|
||
|
||
SPEED: windspeed
|
||
FROM: the direction where the wind come from (geographic North)
|
||
|
||
*** NavigationMain ***
|
||
This screen gives the related position of the aircraft about the calcualted
|
||
route. It is only available in TURNPOINT and TASK modes.
|
||
|
||
[ENTER] TURNPOINT mode: add the actual position to the route,
|
||
TASK mode: jump to next waypoint
|
||
[START] save the route (mode TURNPOINT only)
|
||
|
||
ID: Id of the waypoint to go [waypoint type]
|
||
BRG: bearing from the aircraft to the waypoint (geographic)
|
||
DST: remaining distance
|
||
XCRS: course error in degree (in distance unit)
|
||
TTW: remaining estimated time
|
||
The graph represent the position of the aircraft along the leg. Each + means 1°,
|
||
the | symbol represents the route, the little aircraft represents... the aircraft.
|
||
|
||
*** AirportMain ***
|
||
This screen gives infos about the nearest, or a specific searched airport (see
|
||
SearcAirport screen, below). It is only reachable from AIRPORT mode.
|
||
|
||
[ENTER] add the airport to route
|
||
[ESCAPE] get the nearest airport
|
||
[START] add airport to bookmarks, and enter TURNPOINT mode, to go directly
|
||
|
||
NEAREST or SEARCHED APT: OACI code of airport
|
||
ELEV: airport altitude
|
||
DIST: distance between aircraft and airport
|
||
BRG: bearing from aircraft to airport (geographic)
|
||
RWY: best runway calculated from known wind, it is to say not really useful
|
||
when airport is very far away...
|
||
ETE: estimated time enroute to go
|
||
|
||
*** AirportInfos ***
|
||
This screen gives infos about the airport (nearest or searched). It is only
|
||
reachable from AIRPORT mode.
|
||
|
||
(SELECT) navigate in the runway list (not yet implemented)
|
||
|
||
First line gives the full name of airport
|
||
Lines below show the runways with the format
|
||
heading (length in meters / width in meters)
|
||
|
||
*** SearchAirport ***
|
||
This screen allows you to search an airport from OACI code. It is reachable from
|
||
AIRPORT mode.
|
||
If the search is successful, the AirportMain screen is shown, in other case the text
|
||
is erased, and you are invited to retry.
|
||
|
||
(SELECT) modify letter (from A to Z then 0 to 9, cycled)
|
||
[ENTER] next step
|
||
[ESCAPE] back to AirportMain screen, without search
|
||
[START] search the given OACI code
|
||
|
||
*** TurnpointSelect ***
|
||
This screen shows a list of already bookmarked gps points. It is only available
|
||
in TURNPOINT mode.
|
||
|
||
(SELECT) navigate through the list (eventually through multiple pages)
|
||
[START] begin the navigation from actual position to the bookmark
|
||
|
||
*** TurnpointInfos ***
|
||
This screen is not yet implemented. It will gives infos about the bookmark
|
||
|
||
*** TaskSelect ***
|
||
This screen allows you to choose a route (if one available). It is only available
|
||
in TASK mode.
|
||
|
||
(SELECT) navigate through the routes list (eventually through multiple pages)
|
||
[START] load the route, and begins navigation
|
||
|
||
*** WaypointInfos ***
|
||
Not yet implemented, will give infos about waypoint. Only available in TASK mode.
|
||
|
||
*** WaypointsList ***
|
||
This screen shows the list of waypoint loaded from a route.
|
||
(SELECT) navigate through the list
|
||
|
||
*** WaypointEdit ***
|
||
This screen allows you to name a gps point in order to bookmark it.
|
||
|
||
(SELECT) cycle letters (from A to Z then 1 to 9)
|
||
[ENTER] next step
|
||
[ESCAPE] abort saving bookmark
|
||
[START] save bookmark
|
||
|
||
3. the 4 modes
|
||
*** POSITION ***
|
||
The simpliest one, just give information about the aircraft position. You can
|
||
save bookmarks from this mode (pressing ENTER in PositionMain screen).
|
||
(PAGE) cycle through these screens (both ways):
|
||
PositionMain, Odometers, WindInfos
|
||
|
||
*** AIRPORT ***
|
||
Useful to know wher you can put you aircraft safely on the ground, gives other infos
|
||
as the best runway, it is possible to search an airport (turn the PAGE knob until
|
||
Search airport page), add the airport to a route or as a bookmark (automatically
|
||
called by airports ID and name).
|
||
(PAGE) cycle through these screens (both ways)
|
||
AirportMain, NavigationMain, PositionMain, Odometers, WindInfos, AirportInfos, SearchAirport
|
||
|
||
*** TURNPOINT ***
|
||
Useful mode to join a specific point of interest, or to navigate around.
|
||
(PAGE) cycle through these screens (both ways)
|
||
TurnpointSelect, NavigationMain, PositionMain, Odometers, WindInfos, TurnpointInfos
|
||
|
||
*** TASK ***
|
||
Most useful mode :). Follow the route to go through long distances, without being
|
||
lost at anytime (even with no VOR or NDB near enough to get capted by radios). Or
|
||
if you aren't IFR skilled :D
|
||
When approaching a waypoint, a red led blink (this can be set in ModeAndSettings screens)
|
||
When on the point (idem), it loads autmatically the next point and calculate the leg infos
|
||
When the last point is reached, it come back to TaskSelect screen to allow chosing an other
|
||
route.
|
||
(PAGE) cycle through these screens (both ways)
|
||
TaskSelect, NavigationMain, PositionMain, Odometers, WindInfos, WaypointInfos, WaypointsList
|
||
|
||
5. FG INTEGRATION
|
||
=================
|
||
You can change the waypoints directly from the property tree (/instrumentation/gps)
|
||
or using the GUI (Menu Instruments -> GPS Settings).
|
||
Please note that, at this stage of development, I haven't yes set listeners
|
||
on the properties, when changing the waypoint, new route is automatically
|
||
calculated, but changing them don't call yet the correct mode and page.
|
||
|
||
6. PRACTICAL EXAMPLES
|
||
=====================
|
||
|
||
7. THE FUTURE
|
||
=============
|
||
The ZKV500 still lacks many features I plan to implement. I stop adding features
|
||
for now, as I want it to be the more bug-free possible before creating other bugs.
|
||
1. PLANNED FEATURES
|
||
* integrated help
|
||
* description pages (waypoints and airports)
|
||
* more useful informations
|
||
* make use of green led (for which use? surely depends of the above)
|
||
* altitude control
|
||
* two ways routes (toward and back)
|
||
|
||
2. PLANNED FEATURES LIMITED BY FG "API'S"
|
||
* search for VOR/TAC, NDB and FIX capacities
|
||
|
||
2. NOT PLANNED FEATURES
|
||
* graphical view of regions
|
||
|
||
8. ANNEXES
|
||
==========
|
||
1. creating flightplans with ./flightplan
|
||
You can get ./flightplan from this link:
|
||
http://seb.marque.free.fr/fichiers/scripts/perl/flightplan
|
||
|
||
-> Make it executable,
|
||
-> best to set $FGROOT and $FGHOME to respectives folders
|
||
-> For creating a flightplan from LFPT to LFBD:
|
||
$ ./flightplan -d lfpt -a lfbd --wpt
|
||
|
||
This will write in $FGHOME/Routes a file named lfpt-lfbd.xml, suitable for the
|
||
ZKV500
|
||
|
||
Sébastien MARQUE
|
||
seb.marque@free.fr
|
||
|