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Using the selector knob on a Honeycomb Bravo

Using the selector knob on a Honeycomb Bravo

The Honeycomb Bravo’s autopilot inputs rely on a selector knob to indicate what autopilot feature the right knob controls. MobiFlight preconditions can be used to configure the appropriate events for the right knob based on the selector knob position.

A sample project that implements this is available. It provides all the input configs necessary to make this work, however you’ll have to edit all the knob inputs to specify what events you actually want to have happen when the knob is turned.

This same technique can be used to do things like display different radios on a 7-segment display based on a knob position, or to use a single encoder with a toggle button to change different radio frequencies.

Want to build the profile yourself and understand how it works? Here’s how to do it.

Create input configurations for the ALT selector knob position

  1. Create a new input config called Selector - ALT
  2. Set the controller to Bravo Throttle Quadrant and the device to Mode - ALT
Screenshot of an input config with the trigger set to the Mode - Alt input on a Bravo Throttle Quadrant.
  1. For the On Press event select MobiFlight - Variable for the Action Type
  2. Set the variable name to Selector
  3. Set the value to 0

The input config should look like this:

Screenshot of the input config wizard configured for the ALT selector knob.

Create input configurations for the other selector knob positions

Repeat step 1 four more times, updating the name to and device to reflect the switch position (VS, HDG, etc.) and incrementing the value by one for each switch position. When you are done you should have five input configurations that set the Selector variable to the following values:

Input name Device Variable value
Selector - ALT Mode - ALT 0
Selector - VS Mode - VS 1
Selector - HDG Mode - HDG 2
Selector - CRS Mode - CRS 3
Selector - IAS Mode - IAS 4

Your list of configs should look like this:

Screenshot of the main MobiFlight window with the selector knob configs added.

Create an input config for a left turn of the right knob when ALT mode is active

Start by configuring the trigger and on press event:

  1. Create a new input config called Right knob - ALT decrement
  2. Select Bravo Throttle Quadrant and Encoder - Left in the Trigger section
  3. Configure the On Press event to do whatever you want.
Screenshot of an input config for the right knob - ALT decrement input.

Tip

The above example illustrates mapping the ALT decrement action to the Cessna 172 autopilot ALT decrement event in Microsoft Flight Simulator. When building your own profile, adjust the selected event to match the appropriate one for your aircraft.

Then add a precondition:

  1. Click Preconditions then Add precondition and select Variable for the type
  2. Set the Select variable dropdown to Selector
  3. Set the value to 0

The precondition should look like this:

Screenshot of the precondition for the right knob - ALT decrement input config.

Create an input config for a right turn of the right knob when ALT mode is active

Repeat everything in step 3, except select Encoder - Right for the trigger name and name the config Right knob - ALT increment.

Create the increment and decrement configs for the other four knob positions

Repeat everything in step 3 and 4 except when configuring the precondition use the appropriate number from the table in step 2. For example, if you are creating the increment and decrement configs for CRS you would use 3 for the precondition value. Make sure to name the configs appropriately as well (e.g. Right knob - CRS decrement).

When you are done your input config should look like this:

Screenshot of the main MobiFlight window with all the input configs created.

Create an output config for the selector (optional)

To assist with debugging it can be helpful to have an output config that references the Selector variable. To do this create an output config that looks like this:

Screenshot of an output config set up to display the value of the selector knob variable.

There’s no need to actually display it on any output device. This basic output config will show the value in the main MobiFlight window:

Screenshot showing the main MobiFlight window with the selector output configuration highlighted and showing a current value of 1.

MobiFlight also indicates which of the input configs are inactive by showing a purple ! icon next to configs that are disabled by the precondition value. In the above screenshot, the VS inputs are active and the rest are disabled.