Prototyping, Test Workbench

I can assure you that with the RealSimControl interface, all your switches, annunciators and displays will work as they should if you follow all our instructions, diagrams and make clean, carefully designed wiring.

But before assembling and wiring your cockpit panels, you would like to test your configuration. For this you may need some kind of work space, and it should be conveniently organized for your needs.

Workbench

Here is my “workbench” that I'm currently using to test and debug all input/output features and quickly check all problematic situations that users have encountered. It's the main test panel and the LCD slave board panel:

This layout includes all I/O devices used in RealSimControl - all types of the 7-segment display modules (MAX7219, TM1637/6, TM16374 and display on the regidsters HC595), one 20x4 LCD display, 3 input multiplexers with connected buttons, toggle switches, encoders of all types, multiposition and two-way momentary switches. The output multiplexer is used to connect 7-segment displays and LED drivers (that also can be easily reconnected to the pins directly when needed). The separate LCD test panel includes all supported LCD connected to one SImVimX LCD slave board.

Below you can see my previous more simple “workbench”, which was used with the first interface implementations.

The basis of this workplace was a piece of rigid PVC wall panel. The master Mega2560 board is fixed on this panel and several breadboards of different sizes are surrounding the controller board.

Any other device can be quickly added for testing using a large number of spare breadboard nodes, extension address bus ( the long power bars from a breadboards are used as 4 address lines) and ready to use serial interface for additional slave boards (servo, stepper drivers etc.).

This is a mobile table, which, if necessary, can be easily moved to other places, for this it is enough just to disconnect one or two cables (USB and additional power).

Mini Panel TEST Module

This is a small "generic" test panel for quick test for all main input/output types. It was made out of an old box for 5" floppy disks, PC case plastic front covers, and this is just a small example of how to make old things work, giving them a new life, when you need to make one sample very quickly, there are always many “useless, waste” stuff around which can be utilized.

See more info and photo here: SimVim Test Panel