Some actual progress has happened. A reasonably functional home-brew air-core movement has evolved and prototype circuitry to drive it now works. No pretty package yet so it doesn't much look like an aircraft gauge, but the pointer points and the circuitry doesn't smoke (much). A bit more info is available at www.mikesflightdeck.com/aircore_instruments_1.htm toward the bottom of the page.Mikewww.mikesflightdeck.com

Mike,Did you already check the site www.ferrettronics.com ?There is a chip ( FT 639 ) with which you can move 5 RC servos from simple soft.You can do a soft to extract any variables from FS and move the servos as you would like.For your information I have a system operating with that chip and a soft extracting from FS , the pitch, bank, throutle position, IAS and hydraulic pressure.Look that and let me know your comments.RegardsAlberto Kunzel

Alberto,FerretTronics is new to me. I appreciate you telling me about them. The FT 639, assisted with a buffer amp, could certainly be used to drive an air-core movement, and as an added benefit, provide a convenient interface to the PC. All in all, a very nice looking chip.Please tell me more about your use of it. Are you building a simpit?Mikewww.mikesflightdeck.com

Mike,Yes, I am starting to build a simpit ( 737-400 ),I hope with a motiom simpit.My idea in using that chip is to have it doing the management of pitch, bank, IAS, throtle position and Hydraulic pressure.I think that you know how a RC servo works, so, the servo will move proportionally to the input received from the FS, through the soft that extract information from FS.Just to you understand what I am doing : - The servos change position from 0 thru 255 ( servos have 255 positions ) - for pitch, the neutral position I start is 127, so , when I pitch up the servo moves in direction to 255 position and vice-versa, pitching down the servo goes to 0 position. - I can connect to the servos any thing I want, solenoid valves ( through relais ) pneumatic valves ..)and we will have the movement of pit proportional to FS indication. _ I can do panel instrument ( IAS,Hydraulic pressure )using the servos. See in Dunkley site ( www.senet.com.au/~dunkleyj ), how he did panel instruments with servos, there he used a microcontroller, not FT 639, but the priciple is the same. Hope now be clear for you what is my intention.If you like to talk more about, you or any other can contact me in [email protected] or [email protected] regards.Alberto Kunzel