About

Welcome to the Sim Electronics blog.

I began this site to provide information on building cheap custom hardware interfaces for the X-Plane flight simulator using Arduino-compatible, low-cost Teensy USB boards. Nearly all the knowledge in this specific field was tied up in one behemoth thread on the X-Plane.org forums, which is extremely awkward to browse. My aim is to make this site a useful resource and source of inspiration for fellow hardware builders.

I’ve been playing around with electronics since January 2011, when I discovered that cheap generic USB interface boards existed, and asked if they could be used for custom hardware for flight simulators. I got in touch with Paul Stoffregen, creator of Teensy, who responded by writing a very robust and easy-to-use interface between Teensy and the X-Plane simulator. Since then I’ve been gleefully scouring eBay for cheap components, mounting them to plywood sheets, and connecting them to the X-Plane sim using Teensy USB boards. The staggeringly low price of the electronics means it’s practical to build custom, modular hardware for individual X-Plane aircraft.

In the future, I hope to extend the site simulators other than X-Plane and microelectronics other than Teensy – I really ought to get hold of the Raspberry Pi.

Disclaimer: There is nothing to disclaim! I have no relation to PJRC, Laminar Research, Teensy, X-Plane, the Arduino organisation, or eBay’s electronics vendors except as a very satisfied customer.

You can contact me by email at simulationelectronics@gmail.com.

– Jack