i like it 

BTilson,

Glad you found that Frontpanel Designer link I posted.  Looks good.  Real metal is nice....pricey but nice.  Are you sure about the 2mm?  That is THIN.  It'll have to have a backing plate.

Well... you are on your way to bankruptcy and depravity. 

best,

..................john

Update!

I discovered that you can do a true to scale print out from the panel designer program, so my first thought was PROTOTYPE! I cut out a piece of plexiglass the appropriate size, then marked all the holes and such. I then drilled them all out with my drill press and used my sons glue stick to just glue the printout to the back of it. I cut out the switch holes in the paper with scissors. I then put in all my switches and tightened them all down. It doesn't LOOK very pretty, being a (rather poorly) printed panel backing a piece of rather beat up plexiglass.

BUT... it WORKS. Only thing left to do is program a macro for the AP altitude + and - adjustments since those aren't available in default FS controls. I still need to build an enclosure so there are a bunch of wires all over my desk at the moment, but it WORKS. I have built my first piece of real sim hardware! A fully functional AP panel.

It's amazing just how much more immersive it makes everything feel just by that one little addition. Now to engage any of the AP modes, or to adjust my heading bug, I can just use the panel I made. No more mouse clicky clicky for me. (At least not for AP functions!  )

I spent a couple of hours just doing touch and gos around one of my favorite little airports, playing with the AP heading and approach modes and such. It was very fun. (Runway 3 at KMRN if anyone is interested in checking it out. Has a localizer approach, but no glideslope. GS help is a VASI by the runway) I'd shoot one landing with approach mode on and just control the slope, land, take off again and circle around, then shoot the next approach completely by hand. It was a blast.

I don't have any pictures of the "finished" panel yet, but I shall take some this evening and update again.

On a side note, I had my first experience in a REAL plane on Sunday. Went to the local regional airport (KAVL, Asheville Regional) and took a "Discovery Flight" with WNC Aviation. Went up in a Cessna 172SP. It was an ABSOLUTE BLAST. I actually got to handle the controls a bit and everything. It was well worth the $100 fee for the flight.

I like that very much, a very cool layout. Are the drilled holes going to be for encoders? I am guessing so since they're under the buttons that have an adjustable value (CRS, HDG, ALT)

If you are going with encoders, what kind are you planning on using?

any 2 bit "grey scale" encoder should work fine

for the altitude, vert speed, heading, and nav a pot isnt what you need. Encoders send momentary key pulses and allow you an unlimited range. Pots basically offer a set range of resistance example 100k ohm is 0-100k ohms of resistance as you move the dial.

To be honest I dont think you can setup a pot for that application. If you are looking for an encoder opencockpits has them

cool

I use phidgets for my interface, so FS2PHIDGET is used as well.  I have the mixture controls hooked up to slider pots (see my sig for details), I just reassigned the handle to offset 07D4 (autopilot altitude).  just moved the pot and there it is.  works like a charm, a little bit on the sensitive side (small altitude changes are hard to do).  Assuming all is the same I don't see any reason why it sould not work with any other offset.

Hey good. I look forward to seeing what kind of work they do. Please post some nice up close detail shots as well. It will be nice to see a customers panel up close, instead of the "examples" on the web site.

oh good...Im the guinea pig..

Looks like they do pretty clean work! I work in steel manufacturing myself, so the questions that come to mind for me, is there any burring anywhere? Are all the edges broken and smooth, or did they leave them at raw sharp corners?

TO BTilson, I am sorry if i hijcked your thread, but I figures it would fit here

i have an update on my panel.
Got the switches in place and the push buttons wired.    

front side


Back side

good thing I color code...let me know what you think.

sorry about the poor lighting

EDIT:  the labels currently on the switches will be changed when I am done.

got the power wired up.  Just a small update, havent worked on it for awhile.  



PS red is lights, white is switch power

I dont know how much "they" would charge.  I have about $150 invested in it (switches were free, and the I/O card that will be on it is a spare).

gokhotit, if you could describe your wiring in a bit more detail it should be possible to help you...

I have two questions off the top of my head..

1. Why are you using 30 volts?
2. What are you using for a power supply?

What are the specs on the power supply.? It might be 40V, but if it can't handle any current it's not going to be much use to you.

I think you might be better off modding an old computer power supply to get useable voltages and currents. Probably cheaper in the long run as well.

Check out this thread: http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1177366444/0#0

That adapter isn't going to do you any good at all... 500mA is hardly any current.

Take a look at the specs on an average 350W power supply:
http://www.ultraproducts.com/product_details.php?cPath=103&pPath=653&productID=6...

What light bulbs are you using that require 30 volts?

gokhotit wrote on Jun 6^th, 2008 at 8:15pm:


By "they" I meant the shop that cut the panel for you.

What's the bulb number for the ones installed in the switches?

It may be possible to get conversion bulbs for 12V or even LEDS that just drop in.

Maybe even this page?

http://www.ledtronics.com/ds/FF200/

Just for fun, I put in an order (just in shopping cart), and it would be $400 in bulbs .  Don't think the wife will let me get awa with that.

Those will work, or the 394s.  It's so close to being done I am getting jittery .  I am hoping to have it functional within the next two weeks. 

got the switches and everything all hooked up.  The phidgets card is defective .  However, all the buttons do work, and all the lights work, just can't program it (says my 0/16/16 is a 0/64/64, I wish).

So, the quest continues.....

Anyone got a spare 0/16/16 phidget card they want to let go for cheap??