REVISION 1.6

GARMIN© GNS530FOR X-PLANE

BY SIMWARE KITS“exterminating mice from the cockpit”

REVISION 1.6

Introduction

SimBuild Kits are designed to give the flight sim enthusiast a great hardware solution at asensible price.

The GNS530 kit features the correct size and aspect ratio screen, aviation grade encoders withsoft touch knobs, all with a versatile and expandable low-cost Arduino interface. Theapproximate build time for this kit without finishing and painting the bezel pieces is 3-4 hours.

Recommended Tools For Assembly (does not include finishing and painting of bezel)

Item Good Amazon Choice

Electronics solder stationX-Tronic Model #3020-

XTS Digital DisplaySoldering Iron Station

Electronics trimmer/cutter Hakko CHP-170 MicroSoft Wire Cutter

Wire Stripper

Hakko CHP CSP-30-1Wire Stripper, 30-20

Gauge Maximum CuttingCapacity

0.020” flux core tin lead solder

BNTECHGO 2PackSolder Wire

Dia.1.0mm/0.039Inch 63%Tin 37% Lead 1.8% FluxRosin Core Net Weight

0.71 Oz/20g

Precision Philips P0 screwdriverand small flat blade screwdriver

Klein Tools 32581 4-in-1Electronics Precision

Screwdriver with Spin Top

Thin CA Glue with applicator tip Local hobby store

CA Glue Spray Accelerator Local hobby store

User Provided Components

REVISION 1.6

LCD Screen

Link to product on AliExpress.com

Or from eBay

Link product on Ebay.com

REVISION 1.6

Arduino MEGA

We recommend the clone from eBay seller frentaly, they work fine and are much lessexpensive than the originals, and it comes with the USB cable. Link to product on eBay

From eBay:

12VDC 2Amp Power

You may have a 12VDC supply available, if not www.jameco.com is great low-cost source.Order part# 2228922

REVISION 1.6

3D Printed Parts

All of the plastic 3D printed parts are made from the 2 supplied.stl files. The quantity of eachcomponent required is part of the filename. The recommended printing parameters are:

Material: Black PLA

Layer Thickness: 0.20mm

Platen: If parts will not be finished, then 3MTM Original Blue Painter’s Tape is recommended toprovide a textured surface to the appearance faces of the components.

Orientation

The orientations are given below. Parts not shown have an obvious orientation to avoid the useof support.

Sources

There are a number of 3D printing services on the web, www.makexyz.com andwww.3Dhubs.com are 2 good choices.

REVISION 1.6

3D Printing Orientations

Bezel

Bottom ButtonTrim

Button TrimPieces

Buttons(support req’d)

NAV/COM knob

Clips (supportreq’d)

Board Supports(no supportreq’d, the

starter screwholes will bridgeduring printing)

REVISION 1.6

REVISION 1.6

Bezel Finishing

Depending on the quality of the printed parts finishing may not be needed or desired. If aninjection molded look is desired or major defects need repairing, the following steps can befollowed.

1. With Bondo #907 Patch and Spot Putty apply a very thin coat to the face of the bezeland allow to dry. Fill any large defects as well.

2. Lightly sand with 320 grit paper. Look closely you should see the filler in the valleysbetween the plastic strands.

3. Wipe down with a damp cloth and allow to dry4. Repeat as necessary5. Prime with hi-build grey primer using a couple of light coats and allow to dry6. Sand with 320 then 600 and inspect for defects7. Re-apply Bondo in any needed areas and repeat priming and sanding as required.8. Use the back edge of a hobby knife or a jeweler’s file to scrape out any accumulated

putty from holes and button openings.9. Repeat for the sides of the bezel and the trim pieces as desired.10. Apply one last light coat of primer.11. Don’t apply the black paint coat until after the bezel is glued.

REVISION 1.6

STEP1: Bezel Assembly

1. Mount lower button trim 2 to bezel 1. Make sure it seats fully against the bezel.2. From the inside of the bezel apply 1 drop of thin CA glue to trim and bezel joint3. Mist joint from the inside with accelerator4. Repeat for NAV/COM trim 3, range button trim 4, and single button trim 5.5. Trial fit buttons in bezel openings. Buttons must drop into opening freely for proper

operation.6. Remove buttons7. If you have finished and primed the bezel, wipe the parts down and then paint with a flat

black spray paint. Go easy on the paint as the button openings are a close fit andexcess paint will impede the button action.

REVISION 1.6

STEP 2: PCB Assembly

Cut Headers to Size

Prior to assembling the PCBs, the headers need to be cut to length. There are (2) 40 pin headerstrips in the kit. Using a pair of electronics wire cutters, cut the headers into the followingnumber of pins being sure to cut between the pins in the notch:

Strip 1: 25, 7, 7Strip 2: 4,4,2,2

For each board the tactile switches and encoders are installed from the white printed side of theboard and soldered on the other side. The headers are installed from the opposite side of theboard and soldered on the printed side.

When soldering in any of the components, it’s very important to solder one pin, then look tosee if the component is fully seated. If it is not, then re-melt the solder and while positioningthe component, locate it correctly, then allow the solder to cool.

Range Board

REVISION 1.6

1. Solder tactile switches 2 to range PCB 12. Solder 7-pin header 3 to PCB in position from the opposite side3. Confirm all of the pins have been soldered and set aside

Encoder Board

1. Solder tactile switches 6 to encoder PCB 22. Solder the encoders 1 to encoder PCB, note the pins on the encoder, one row is

longer that the other. The long pins mount to the holes labeled LONG PINS on thecircuit board.

3. Solder the headers 3,4,5 in position from the opposite side4. Confirm all of the pins have been soldered and set aside

REVISION 1.6

Flip Flop Board

You will first need (2) 1.5” pieces of wire stripped about .20” at each end. These are made from(1) of the M-F wire leads included in the kit. Cut the terminals of each end of the lead, then cut2 1.5” pieces of wire and strip each of the ends about 1/8”.

1. Solder tactile switches 2 to flip flop PCB 12. Solder the potentiometers 3 to the flip flop PCB3. Solder the headers 4,5 in position from the opposite side4. Solder wire leads to the micro switch 6. TIP: tape the switch to the worksurface to

hold it in place when soldering. Use a minimum amount of heat to make theconnections

5. Solder the other end of the leads to the PCB installing from the switch side6. Double check that all the pins have been soldered.7. Rotate the COM pot fully CCW and install the switch cam 7 in location and position

shown noting the orientation of the notch. If the notch is not oriented properly thecam is installed upside down. This can be corrected by simply flipping the cam over.

REVISION 1.6

REVISION 1.6

STEP 3: Flip-Flop Board Installation

1. Carefully position microswitch 3 on mounting pad 7 on the inside of the bezel 1 routingthe wires as shown. There is a pin on the switch that engages the lower hole in themounting pad. With M1.6 screw 4, secure the switch with the other hole. Only very lightlysnug this screw, it will strip very easily in the bezel. If you do happen to strip it you canuse a small piece of thin double face tape such as Scotch Double Sided PermanentTape to secure the switch. Don’t use the thick foam type double faced tape as the switchwill be in the incorrect position.

2. Position the 2 medium height buttons 5 into openings in the bezel confirming they freelydrop into position.

3. Install the flip-flop board 2, route switch wires thru the openings around the mountingpost as shown.

4. Secure flip flop board in position with one screw 6 in location shown.5. Temporarily install one of the volume knobs on the COM pot and confirm it seats

properly and the switch is activated by the cam when the knob is turned.

REVISION 1.6

STEP 4: LCD Screen

1. Mount the screen 1 into the bezel 2 noting the ribbon cable goes towards the top of thebezel. Secure the screen with (2) clips 5 and screws 4. Carefully untape the LCD boardfrom the back of the screen and reposition it and tape it in the middle of the back of thescreen. This will allow you to easily free the LCD board later in the assembly.

REVISION 1.6

STEP 5: Range Board and Encoder Board Installation

1. Position Range button 1, short buttons 2, tall buttons 3 into bezel 4.2. Assemble range board 5 to bezel using screw 6 as shown.3. Assembly encoder board 7 to bezel face with nuts 8.

REVISION 1.6

STEP 6: LCD Board Mount

1. Carefully un-tape the LCD board 1 from the back of the LCD screen. Slip mount 3 underboard, and secure to the mount posts with screws 2.

2. Attach the left upright 4 and right upright 6 to the mount from the underside with screws5 noting the locating tabs on the uprights.

LCD screen not shown

Top of screen

REVISION 1.6

STEP 7: Board Mount Installation

1. Assemble mount 1 to the bezel 2, thru range board 3, and flip flop board 4 withscrews 5.

2. Connect the cable from HDMI board 6 to LCD board.3. Locate the HDMI board 6 on the mid level of the mount assembly orienting the HDMI

jack towards the bottom of the unit. Secure with screws 7.

REVISION 1.6

STEP 8: Arduino Mounting

1. Assemble Arduino 1 to mount 3, using screws 4.

STEP 9: Cutting Panel Opening

The completed unit is designed to be mounted in an opening in your flight sim panel, or into astandalone panel used on a desktop. The panel 2 (not included) can be made from ¼” plywood,acrylic, etc.

REVISION 1.6

1. Position template 1 over panel 2 in desired position.2. Trace along inside of template3. Cut opening in template being sure to just “save the line”.4.

STEP 10: Panel Mounting Hardware

1. Position lock nuts 1 in pocket of short clip 2 and long clip 32. Secure bezel 6 to panel 4 using screws 5

STEP 11: Install NAV/COM Knobs

REVISION 1.6

1. Gently push the NAV/COM knobs 1 onto the pot shaft 2 aligning the D features.2. Assemble encoder knob assembly 3 onto the encoder shaft 4. The outer (large)

knob can be secured with a 5/16” or 8mm socket or nut driver. The inner (small)knob can be secured with a small flat bladed screw driver used in either notchadjacent to the central shaft. When securing the inner knob, leave a slight gapbetween it and the outer knob to allow for proper action of the push button. Thecap simply pushes on.

Wiring Assembly

Before making the cable assemblies, the connector housings need to be cut to size. There are(5) 20 position housings provided in the kit. To cut the housings to length use a hobby knife andcut thru the adjacent position. You will lose (1) position with each cut but following the cuttingarrangement below will provide enough housings. After cutting to length, trim the cut regionedges square with the housing as required.

REVISION 1.6

1. Cut 2 connector housings to (1) 13 positions and (2) 2 positions as shown above.2. Cut 2 connector housings to (1) 12 positions and (1) 7 position3. Cut 1 connector housing to (2) 4 positions

Both the male and female terminals use the same housing. To install a wire in a housing, insertthe terminal into the housing thru the larger opening. Push it into the housing until you hear aclick as it slides past the lock tab. If when sliding the terminal into the housing you don’t hear aclick, it may not be in far enough or its upside down. The picture below shows a male terminalcorrectly oriented and ready to be pushed into the housing.

REVISION 1.6

All of the cables are straight thru type, meaning pin 1 of one end goes to pin 1 of the other end.The sketch below shows and example arrangement for a 4 conductor (4C) and 2 conductor (2C)cable.

STEP 12: GPS Cables

Using the female-female wires make a 7-conductor cable, and a 4-conductor cable. Connectthe 7-conductor cable between the range board and the encoder board, then connect the 4-conductor cable between the flip flop board and the encoder board. Ensure the pin labeledGND is connected consistently between the boards.

STEP 13: Arduino Cables

Using the male-female wires build a 13-conductor, 12-conductor and (2) 2-conductor cables.Note the markings on the encoder and flip flop boards, these are the connection terminals onthe Arduino. Note the 12-conductor cable connects between pins 23-45 and the 13-conductorcable connects between pins 22-46 on the encoder board.

REVISION 1.6

STEP 14 (optional): LCD Screen Adjustment Board

There is no provision for mounting the small screen adjustment board. The as delivered settingsare normally acceptable. If desired, the small board can be plugged in and using the button orthe included remote, the screen can be modified as desired.

STEP 15: Software

1. Goto www.simvim.com and down load the ArdSimX software Arduino library and plug-in(right side of the screen)

REVISION 1.6

2. Place the ArdsimX plugin in the xplane11/resources/plugins directory.3. Place the data.cfg file provided on the simwarekits.com website, in the ArdsimX folder

replacing the default file.4. You will need to load the ArdsimX Basic sketch to the Arduino. The www.simvim.com

website explains the process. The provided data.cfg is setup as board #1, theBoardNumber variable should be already set to 1 in the base sketch.

5. If you are using 2 of the 530s in your setup, change the BoardNumber variable to 2 inthe base sketch and upload the sketch to the #2 Arduino. The data.cfg file from thesimwarekits.com website does not need to be changed as the datarefs for both the #1GPS and #2 GPS are included in the file.

Only final thing on Ardsim, please consider making a donation to Vlad and Roman inappreciation of their superb work in developing ArdSim. It’s superb. Details are on simvim.comon how to donate or subscribe to Patreon.

STEP 16: LCD and PC Cable Connections

1. Connect the 12V power supply and your HDMI cable to the HDMI board.2. Connect the Arduino to the USB cable and to your computer or USB hub.

STEP 17: Positioning the GPS Display

1. In Windows go to the Control Panel | Hardware and Sound | Display | Adjust Resolution2. Select the small LCD display and select orientation to Landscape (flipped).3. Every system is different but drag the LCD display to align the bottom of it with the

bottom of your primary display.4. The most recent version of X-Plane 11 allows for pop-out windows for the GPS units.

With the unit pop-out into its own, drag and resize the data portion of the GPS to alignwith the LCD display. This usually takes a few trials and errors.

STEP 18: Startup

REVISION 1.6

1. Start X-Plane and bring up the plugin menu then select the ArdsimX plugin. The Arduinoshould visible with 24 inputs. Refer to simvim.com for further information.

2. Test out the button and encoder functions for proper operation.

STEP 19: Bottom and Bezel Labels

Achieving white printed graphics without the expense of screen printing or laser etching is achallenge. The provided white on clear labels provide an inexpensive durable alternative.

1. With scissors closely trim the desired label as close as possible to the graphics2. Peel the split liner from the label and apply to the desired component.

Additional Arduino Functionality

The Arduino MEGA is an amazing piece of technology for only $10 (clone). It has 50+ digitaland 16 analog inputs. The SimBuild GNS530 only uses 25 digital and 2 analog inputs. Thebalance of the inputs can be used for other controls. These could be switches, buttons,encoders, potentiometers, etc. The following other SimBuild kits can be connected into the GNS530 Arduino to provide additional functionality at minimal expense. <TBD>