Simviation Forum - ATC Project- Build a generic cockpit for the sims.

Jan 11^th, 2008 at 11:25am

machineman9 Offline
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Nantwich, England

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As you may have seen in the lounge, my Air Cadet squadron is starting some projects and I am joining the flight simulator team. Our project is to try and build a cockpit around the 2 screens we have (32" HD samsung ones I think).

The sim pits will need to be fairly cheap each, about £1200 at tops to build both I would guess, but as it is a project going on for months and months, this limit will probably get higher.

What I need to know is what would make a good generic cockpit suitable for flying fighters and training aircraft (we will be networking the computers for dogfighting)

Does anyone have any drawings that might be suitable for this, or atleast the sort of gauges it should have. What would be the best way to get the gauges to work? Is it FDSConnect that we need? Should it be mostly analog, or have a glass cockpit? The first would be cheaper I sopose.

So yeh, just any tips or anything appreciated. I know there is a huge sticky thanks to John... and I am making use of it- I would just like to know the things that the forums' experts could teach me about all this.

EDIT: Using SimKits.com the first price estimate for the gauges is £1000 for one pit... some of the controls are USB and some are CCU or something like that. Price includes a controller chip to get these analog signals to USB

Cheers

« Last Edit: Jan 11^th, 2008 at 3:01pm by machineman9 »

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Reply #1 - Jan 13^th, 2008 at 11:32am

beaky Offline
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You're going to have a hard time making a pit with PC-driven gauges within that budget... but there is a way to save some bucks by either buying kits or making your own.

http://www.mikesflightdeck.com/Iinstrument_panel_3.htm

http://bellsouthpwp.net/b/o/bobpaige/Instrument%20Kits.html

Both links were found here- an excellent site:

http://www.mikesflightdeck.com/

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Reply #2 - Jan 14^th, 2008 at 1:45pm

machineman9 Offline
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Hmm, well I did build one from simkits.co.uk, but the price was £1200 for one cockpit... it is just gonna be some wood+componants in front of the screen though... nothing crazy.

The flight deck site looks pretty good. I take it you need a controller card of some sort to get these to work?

I shall be referencing to those sites quite a bit, so thanks... But I really must dash, I have cadets in 20 minutes Wink

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Reply #3 - Jan 14^th, 2008 at 8:08pm

beaky Offline
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machineman9 wrote on Jan 14^th, 2008 at 1:45pm:

The flight deck site looks pretty good. I take it you need a controller card of some sort to get these to work?

(shrug).
I guess so... haven't looked at those much yet; that's "Day 2" stuff for me; "Day 1" (just having an enclosure, controls, and one screen) has taken me over a year so far... Grin

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Reply #4 - Jan 19^th, 2008 at 10:10pm

meo_udon Offline
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Udonthani, THAILAND

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My generic panel.

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/7165/img6351resizezy6.jpg

Linked image changed to URL -jb

« Last Edit: Jan 21^st, 2008 at 3:03pm by JBaymore »

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Reply #5 - Jan 21^st, 2008 at 12:07pm

machineman9 Offline
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hehe that looks pretty cool!

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Reply #6 - Jan 21^st, 2008 at 2:59pm

C Offline
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machineman9 wrote on Jan 11^th, 2008 at 11:25am:

Does anyone have any drawings that might be suitable for this, or atleast the sort of gauges it should have. What would be the best way to get the gauges to work? Is it FDSConnect that we need? Should it be mostly analog, or have a glass cockpit? The first would be cheaper I sopose.

Use a TFT as the main portion of the panel and have the choice of both for probably around £100 for each pit...

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Reply #7 - Jan 21^st, 2008 at 8:53pm

gokhotit Offline
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look in my signature for my generic console..no gauges..yet Wink

, but a fairly innovative, and original start

The Sim Console..."outside the box", within a box http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u185/gokhotit/th_sim.jpg

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Reply #8 - Jan 22^nd, 2008 at 11:23am

machineman9 Offline
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Nantwich, England

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Posts: 5255

C wrote on Jan 21^st, 2008 at 2:59pm:

machineman9 wrote on Jan 11^th, 2008 at 11:25am:

Does anyone have any drawings that might be suitable for this, or atleast the sort of gauges it should have. What would be the best way to get the gauges to work? Is it FDSConnect that we need? Should it be mostly analog, or have a glass cockpit? The first would be cheaper I sopose.

Use a TFT as the main portion of the panel and have the choice of both for probably around £100 for each pit...

There is already a 27-32" screen for both of the pits.. (2)

gokhotit... looks interesting, I shall umm... borrow some ideas maybe Wink

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