Most korry switches on an Airbus cockpit panel run on incandescent bulbs. Each bulb is rated at 0.115 amps. An Airbus korry usually has 4 bulbs in total, with 1 bulb in each quadrant. The upper quadrants will require at least 0.23 amps to function.

Korry switches – light test; 0.115 amp is required for each bulb; Image property of Simon Stusek

Unfortunately existing interface solutions are unable to supply the current for these bulbs; they are built for LED outputs which have much lower requirements.

With no solution on the market, I set out to create an interface which could work with the existing Flight Simulator setup. I was keen to expand on the Arduino Mega 2560 boards because of its accessibility and affordability.

In the end, a shield was created to plug on top of the Arduino board; additional supply is provided and the current is amplified. Spring connectors are being used to easily connect your outputs. 54 outputs will be available for each shield. DMOS transistors were used for the current amplification because of its thermal properties. At this time the PCB boards have been sent to the manufacturers for production. 

More information about availability soon.