Competition Control Box for SRT80 actuators

Presentation

The Control Box Competition is the Plug And Play solution for taking full advantage of SRT80 actuators.

The multi-layer PCB has been optimized to reduce electromagnetic interference and ensure better signal quality.

As a result, you can take full advantage of your actuators in complete safety.

The Control Box Competition is based on an Arduino Leonardo board. The pins used are the same as for the OpenSFX, so the Control Box can also be used for these actuators.

It is supplied pre-flashed and ready to use with Simhub, Flypt or Simtools. Adding the fifth/sixth actuator does not require any modification to the code; you simply need to adapt the FlyPT profile by making the modifications indicated in the manual.

DB25 connectors

The board is designed to use DB25 male-male connectors. Here are two references: Amazon, Aliexpress.

Status LEDs

One LED indicates that FlyPT is connected, and 5 LEDs indicate whether the drivers are operational.

Security

The PCB incorporates end-stop detection on cylinders 1 to 4: if one of these cylinders attempts to exceed its end-stop, the board disables the drivers, and goes into error (flashing red LED).

E-Stop

The board is supplied with an emergency stop port. Use of the E-Stop is optional.

Fifth/sixth actuators

The 5/6 actuators requires calibration, as is the case for a Traction Loss assembly. When connected to FlyPT/simhub, the actuator will retract until it reaches the stop, a stop detected by the driver. The actuator will then relax to reach the middle position. From this point on, it is only controlled by FlyPT.

Where to buy ?

Manual

Manual download link.

Firmware

Last Version : V1.5 (no button)

Last Version : V1.5 (button)

Old version (compatible Simhub) : V1.4

Old version (compatible FlyPT) : V1.3

The no button version runs faster. In theory, this means the motors spin faster. In practice, the difference isn’t necessarily noticeable. If you don’t use the buttons on the v1 control box, use the no button version.

How to update the code:

• Download the Arduino IDE and install it. During installation, accept the installation of the USB drivers.
• Shut down Simhub completely.
• Launch the Arduino IDE.
• Upload the downloaded code (the file with the .ino extension).
• Select the Arduino Leonardo from the drop-down menu (be sure to select the correct device. Don’t hesitate to unplug and replug the control box to ensure it’s the correct port).
• Click upload.
• Restart Simhub and reset the port if necessary.
• Finish.