This library provides a wrapper to send and receive messages according to OAC Serial Protocol. It can be used to communicate the Arduino board with the flight simulator through OAC Command Gateway.

Getting Started

Installation

Initialization

OACSP must be initialized before any command is sent or received. Its as simple as:

#include <oacsp.h>

void setup() {
    OACSP.begin("MyCockpit");
}

Where "MyCockpit" is the name that identifies your client in Command Gateway. You may use any other name as long as it’s not used by another OACSP device.

Write Offsets

With OACSP initialized, you may write into FSUIPC offsets as follows.

int pressed = 0;
void loop() {
    int wasPressed = pressed;
    pressed = digitalRead(BUTTON);
    if (wasPressed != pressed && pressed) {
        OACSP.writeOffset(0x0330, word(1013 * 16));
    }
}

In this example, once the button connected to BUTTON pin is pressed, the value 1013*16 is written into FSUIPC offset0x0330. The type of the second argument determines how the value is written into the offset.

• A byte or unsigned char value is written as a 8-bit unsigned integer (UB in FSUIPC terminology).
• A char value is written as a 8-bit signed integer (SB in FSUIPC terminology).
• A word or unsigned int value is written as a 16-bit unsigned integer (UW in FSUIPC terminology).
• A int value is written as a 16-bit signed integer (SW in FSUIPC terminology).
• A unsigned long value is written as 32-bit unsigned integer (UD in FSUIPC terminology).
• A long value is written as 32-bit signed integer (SD in FSUIPC terminology).

Other types as float, double or strings are not supported so far.

Write LVARs

OACSP allows your sketch to write into LVARs (local variables managed by the gauges or the cockpit of the aircraft). That is very similar as writting FSUIPC offsets.

int pressed = 0;
void loop() {
    int wasPressed = pressed;
    pressed = digitalRead(BUTTON);
    if (wasPressed != pressed) {
        OACSP.writeLVar("AB_MPL_FD", pressed);
    }
}

In this example, each time the button changes the LVAR AB_MPL_FD is written with the value of the button. Any integer value may be passed as argument. Float or double values are still not supported.

Observe Offsets

OACSP is able to request the Command Gateway to start observing an offset in order to receive a event each time its value changes.

void setup() {
    OACSP.begin("MyCockpit");
    OACSP.observeOffset(0x0330, OAC::OFFSET_UINT16);
}

This line in setup() indicates Command Gateway that it should observe any change on the unsigned 16-bits integer at offset 0x0330. The type of the value that is observed is determined by the second argument passing one of the following values.

• OFFSET_UINT8 for a unsigned 8-bits integer (UB in FSUIPC terminology)
• OFFSET_SINT8 for a signed 8-bits integer (SB in FSUIPC terminology)
• OFFSET_UINT16 for a unsigned 16-bits integer (UW in FSUIPC terminology)
• OFFSET_SINT16 for a signed 16-bits integer (SW in FSUIPC terminology)
• OFFSET_UINT32 for a unsigned 32-bits integer (UD in FSUIPC terminology)
• OFFSET_SINT32 for a signed 32-bits integer (SD in FSUIPC terminology)

Float, double and string values are still not supported.

When a change is detected, a event will be sent to the Arduino board that can be read as follows.

void loop() {
    OACSP.pollEvent();
    if (OAC::OffsetUpdateEvent* event = OACSP.offsetUpdateEvent(0x0330)) {
        showQnh(event->value);
    }
}

In this example, the loop() function will retrieve an event from OACSP using OACSP.pollEvent(). This function makesOACSP memoize the incoming event (if any) so it can be manipulated latter. A subsequent call toOACSP.offsetUpdateEvent() returns the event if it matches certain conditions. The first one is that the previous call toOACSP.pollEvent() actually retrieved an event (i.e., there was one event awaiting). The second condition is that the polled event is a offset update event for offset 0x0330. If both conditions met, a pointer to the event is returned. Otherwise, a NULL value is returned. The if statement will evaluate to true if the returned event is not NULL, and then the update to offset 0x0330 will be processed by invoking the function showQnh() that would show the new QNH value, stored in event.offset.value, to a 7-segment display array. Please note that this showQnh() function is not provided by OACSP but implemented by yourself. It’s just an example of what we could do by observing offsets.

Observe LVARs

We may observe LVARs as well using a mechanism similar to the offset observation.

void setup() {
    OACSP.begin("MyCockpit");
    OACSP.observeLVar("AB_MPL_FD");
}

We just invoke OACSP.observeLVar() with the name of the LVAR we want to observe. Then, after that LVAR is modified, a new event will arrive.

void loop() {
    OACSP.pollEvent();
    if (OAC::OffsetUpdateEvent* ev = OACSP.offsetUpdateEvent(0x0330)) {
        showQnh(event->value);
    } else if (OAC::LVarUpdateEvent* ev = OACSP.lvarUpdateEvent("AB_MPL_FD")) {
        digitalWrite(FD_LED, event->value);
    }
}

In this case, we add a new else if branch that evaluates the result of OACSP.lvarUpdateEvent(). The mechanism is similar to the one used for FSUIPC offsets. The LVAR name is passed as argument. If the polled event corresponds to a LVAR update event for that LVAR name, the function returns a pointer to the event. Then, in this example we write in the digital output pin FD_LED the status of the FD obtained from the Command Gateway.