Input/Output Control Interface for Simulator Cockpits

The RealSimControl develops the flight simulator software and this is our latest flight simulator interface designed for home cockpit builders that will save you a lot of time and money by allowing you to focus on the build process itself as no any programming skills are required.

Only cheap, readily available electronic components and ready-to-use modules are used without need to order or make any complex PCBs.
However, we have plans to start developing and produce some PCBs and breakout boards for future implementations of the interface, based on modular architecture.

This project came about out of a need for a user-friendly yet powerful control interface for cockpit simulators. After initial success with the program for Baron-58 panel simulator (2012), we eventually decided to develop a versatile and user-friendly I/O system for home cockpit builders that allows you to build any home simulator without programming and a bunch of electronics.

RSC/SimVimX is the sixth generation of our I/O interface since 2012, among those we've developed before:

System Components

1) SimVimX Plugin for X-Plane

The SimVimX Plugin is the most essential part of this interface. Since this project launch, the plugin has grown into a huge program code, which is not just an I/O interface that simply executes some X-Plane commands, but a "cockpit simulator" with many complex custom functions for number of input/output systems. It provides data processing for output, receives data from the control board and communicates with the panel simulator (SimVimPanel program). Download SimVimX Plugin on our SimVim project website

2) RSC firmware for Atmega 2560 controller board

The RSC firmware is a kind of universal "driver" for all output devices and input controller. The firmware is a highly optimized non-open source program for AVR controller, written from scratch, without using Arduino libraries, to handle a large number of inputs, synchronize control of a large number of different input/output devices, data exchange between the SimVimX plug-in, the master board and the “slave” controller boards.

The Interactive Configuration Tool is a handy online I/O Configurator used to configure cockpit control hardware for any aircraft. Parameter image maps of different panel areas make it easier to find and assign the needed elements (parameters) to the switches, encoders, analog axes, rotary switches, LEDs, 7-segment displays, LCD and gauges connected to the master board, without any programming.

3) SimVimPanel Software

SimVimPanel is a standalone program providing a set of realistic, fully-functional aircraft instruments to be displayed on a computer that is connected by network to the main computer with X-Plane. The system is built in such a way that any number of computers with different instrument panels can be connected to the main computer running X-Plane. The program doesn't require any configuration on the user's part. Once you download our SimVimX plugin for X-Plane and run the program on another computer in the local network, they will connect automatically.

Preliminary notes

Before building a home cockpit (especially if this is your first project), you need to understand that it can be a complex and time-consuming process. Please first carefully study the pages of this site (all information is presented in a fairly understandable form).

! While using the RSC system can greatly simplify the process of creating a home flight simulator, you should have handicraft, basic wiring and soldering skills and sufficient technical knowledge in an aviation related field. Basic knowledge of electronics can be useful (but not required).
It is not necessary to know X-Plane's data structure and scripts, only a basic understanding of commands and datarefs can be useful for custom data conversion.

The RSC interface project is always in a state of constant development and its functionality can be improved and changed during development.