Before buying
You need a Windows computer. It works from Windows 8 to Windows 11. We recommend using Windows 10 or Windows 11.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020. It also works with X-Plane 12 but it’s still too early to recommend it, it’s past the experimental phase, but some more development time won’t hurt.
A USB to Micro-USB cable and a USB port to connect the panel to the computer where you run Flight Simulator 2020.
(This is not necessary with Windows 11) Install some drivers so that your operating system recognizes the panel. Below we talk about the drivers for CH340.
An available connection port on your GPU, preferably HDMI and an HDMI or VGA cable for the MCDU panel display connection. If your graphics card only has a DisplayPort output, there are very cheap DisplayPort to HDMI converters.
A 12 volt power supply to supply power to the panel display and backlight. (This power supply is delivered in the MCDU Panel box, you don’t need to purchase it separately.
In summary, our panel, like any other, is nothing more than a collection of buttons and lights that allow us to control functions of an aircraft. If it is a more complex panel, it could have rotary encoders, stepper motors, numeric and/or alphanumeric displays, but in the end they are various means of displaying or entering information from the aircraft, or in the aircraft.
All this in our panel is controlled and programmed by means of a microcontroller from the manufacturer Atmel, the same manufacturer that supplies these chips to the Arduino brand for the construction of its boards for multiple uses.
Therefore, up to now we have a button or a light that is going to convert its position, in the case of the button, or its state (on or off), in the case of the light, so that it can be sent or received through a post. USB that we will connect to the computer where we have our flight simulator.
Now we need to understand how we are going to make the simulator capable of receiving and understanding, or transmitting, the data between the MCDU panel and the flight simulator.
Our MCDU works with Mobiflght.
Mobiflight is in charge of receiving the data from the USB port where the MCDU is connected and making them arrive or be transmitted from the simulator to the Panel.
Mobiflight takes care of discovering all the elements that are available on each plane to be controlled or displayed externally.
Mobiflight is also in charge of putting possible changes in the physical programming of the MCDU within the Atmel microcontroller.
Both are files that you can download from the download area.
The Module is the physical definition of each of the MCDU connections. The Module is where we tell Mobiflight which physical pin of the microcontroller each of the keys and lights on the Panel is connected to.
All our panels are shipped with the corresponding Module already loaded and programmed, so you don’t have to worry about loading it.
But it is good that you know its function because our panels offer approximately 20 microcontroller pins available for you to solder your accessories if you dare to make one for yourself.
In the technical area you can find detailed information about these available expansion connectors.
Yes and no. To control an aircraft, in any of its functions, the aircraft must offer the possibility of being controlled. We cannot make a certain button be pressed externally if it is not set up to be pressed externally.
What is guaranteed is that the aircraft files that we offer in the download area are fully functional.
Yes, the video controller installed in the panel supports HDMI and VGA signals, but it is only possible to work with VGA signals in the pedestal version of the panel.
During the Purchase
We ship our panels to virtually anywhere in the world. There are very few limitations and most of them are circumstantial and temporary (territories at war, areas with recent natural disasters, etc.)
Shipping costs are calculated dynamically based on the shipping address you enter in your purchase process. To know exactly the shipping options available, as well as their price, follow the entire purchase process, just before making the payment, the shipping options and their cost will be shown.
No. All our panels leave our facilities assembled, fully tested and working. Before we offered the possibility of buying the panel as a kit so that you could assemble it yourself, but this option is no longer available.
The same guarantee as any other product you can buy in the European Economic Community. Two years on possible manufacturing defects.
After buying
If when you receive your panel, at the time it is delivered, you already notice damage, ask the carrier to state them on your acknowledgment of receipt.
Notify us of this incident as soon as possible to our email info@a320fcu.com attaching photographs of the damage to the packaging and the panel so that we can file the claim with the insurance company.
We will send you a label so that you can send us the damaged panel at no cost to you and we will proceed to send another panel, as soon as we receive the damaged one, without you having to wait for the resolution of the insurance company
*** UPDATE ***
Windows 11 already includes CH340 drivers and it is not necessary to install them
The CH340 drivers are necessary for the communication between the panel and the computer. For its installation it is only necessary to execute the .EXE file
You can download the drivers here. Driver CH340 Windows 7/11
After having installed the CH340 drivers it is time to connect your panel to the computer and check that it is being recognized by the system. For this we can use only the USB connection.
When you plug in the USB cable, the panel will blink a light twice.
The other two connections (HDMI and 12 volt power) are not needed yet. The panel can be recognized in the operating system only with the USB connection, it is capable of taking the necessary power current to answer the calls of the operating system, configurations can be made without the need for the connected screen.
Go to the Windows devices panel and in the COM connections section you should have a COM port whose name is CH340 plus the port number assigned by the system. You don’t need to remember this port number if you only have one panel connected to your computer.
In the event that you have several panels identified, this is a good place for you to identify each one of them and later you can assign them correctly in Mobiflight.
You can download Mobiflight from their website https://www.mobiflight.com/en/index.html or from our website at this link.
For its installation, click on the EXE file and accept the steps that appear.
At the end of the installation process a window will appear that says that if you like Mobiflight you can make a donation for the maintenance of the project. It is not necessary that you do it since we are official sponsors to cover this help on behalf of our clients. However, if you also want to help the project on your part, I’m sure Mobiflight will be very grateful.
Start Mobiflight. The first time you install it or when you update the version you must tell Mobiflight to install the WASM modules in your Flight Simulator 2020. You can do this from the Extras menu of the application.
As we already explained in the “Before Buying” section, the Module files are not necessary for the panel to work. If you want to know more about the Module files, go to our Technical Zone.
Now you must look in our Downloads area for the aircraft configuration file you want to use for the panel version you have and for the Mobiflght version you have installed.
Use the filters on the left side of the Downloads page to select your options and the server will show you the files available for your options.
Each panel has a unique serial number. This serial number is stored in each configuration file that is generated, in this way, when you have several panels connected, Mobiflight is able to distinguish one from the other and correctly assign the functions of each one.
The files on our website are created with our master panel, and they all have the serial number of this panel. When they are uploaded to your Mobiflight to be used in your panels Mobiflight encounters a serial number mismatch (Mobiflight calls it “orphan serial number”) You just have to match the file to your panel in this popup window.