I would like to ask how easy could be to design and produce a breakout box for the CS4122 air-core gauge driver. Its an SPI device that can drive one 360 degree and two 112 degree gauges from a real car cluster. I heard that its rather cheap chip, but its in SOIC format that makes it difficult for the average hobbyist to use it on simulator applications.
I already tried to make some car instrument gauges myself using simple servos but their quality and speed reaction cannot compare with air-core driven gauges.
Anyway, an easy to use air-core driver would benefit all motion simulator community as then real car clusters could be used in motion car simulators to increase the realism to the max!
Just to mention, that such real instrument gauge clusters, driven by computer simulator data are so popular in the racing car simulation community.
But very few solutions are exist so far, and most of the times too expensive for anyone to buy…
If Sparkfun could produce a small breakout box for the CS4122 air-core driver (with the CS4122 already mounted on it…) I’m sure that it would sell like crazy!!!
I would then be able to use real instruments on my controllers, as well others that making similar attempts on this area!
I haven’t found SOIC chips to be hard to work with as a hobbyist, especially if I put them on a professionally made board (but homemade boards work very well at that pin spacing also). The smaller chips get difficult, but SOIC isn’t bad at all.
Well, I agree, but the most difficult for the average individual builder out there is not to solder the CS4122 on a generic SOIC breakout board, but to source the CS4122 chip itself!!! Some companies sell them only in large quantities, while others just not sell to individuals!!!
Oh, I see. I have often been frustrated by that kind of thing too.
OTOH, [octopart says that [Mouser will sell you the CS4122 in singles (cheaper if you order a multiple of 25 though). I don’t know if they will ship to Greece without charging an arm and a leg.](http://www.mouser.com/)](CS4122* | Octopart)
