Have been toying with the Idea of building a simple home cocpit for awhile and think I'm ready to try it. I just wanted to build a panel and overhead with laminated plywood. I have all of the Goflight modules already but not sure what else I need say if I wanted to try building the overhead switches what I need to do this. What controls the imput to the computer. Also if I decided to have displays in the panel what does every one use for those. (ie:type of monitors) Any help would be greatly appreciated. Not sure what to buy first to try to do this. Thanks

Brad,You have a great many options to choose among. People have used a single CRT monitor behind a panel with cutouts that give the appearance of multiple screens. Others have used separate LCD displays. Clearly there are monetary differences to be considered. You might find it worth visitng the PM site www.projectmagenta.com and looking at each of the projects listed on the PM links page. This will give you an idea of the design choices other builders have made. As for overhead panels, take a look at Flightdeck Solutions, www.flightdecksolutions.com Mikewww.mikesflightdeck.com

Mike,Thanks for the link on the panels. (Much easier to buy than to make :)) I'm still unsure though about the switches. Say I install a toggle switch to the panel, is there software I can buy to tell MSFS what the switch controls? Thanks for your help

Brad,Many people make use of the EPIC card from R&R Electronics as an input path for switches. Its driver software can be configured to convert switch actions to keystock sequences for MSFS. See the Blue Side Up site here on Avsim for details. Another approach is to use the circuit board from a keyboard as your encoder. This is much less expensive but also a bit less flexible as it will limit you to a single keystoke per switch action unless you build a bit of sequencing electronics between your switch and the KB circuit board. There used to be a programmable keyboard supplied with Gateway computers called an "AnyKey keyboard" that would encode multiple keystrokes as macros, but I haven't seen one for some time. Though limited compared to an EPIC card, hacking a keyboard requires no software. It just looks like keystrokes to FS. On the down side the KB circuitry requires momentary contact switch action, although you can get around this by adding more circuitry. It's a trade off. EPIC does a lot for you but costs more up front. Hacking a keyboard is cheaper at least initially, but requires getting into the middle of the hardware. If you add a lot of multi-key stroke options to the hacked keyboard with additional electronics, it may ultimately be more expensive.Several companies make keyboard encoders. Hagstrom Electronics is the only other one that comes to mind right now, but I'm sure there are others.And of course, there is the do it yourself approach. You can program a PIC micro controller if you're into that sort of thing. Take a look at Myke Predko's site www.myke.com . Myke's one the gurus on the topic, having authored several books on micro controllers.Mikewww.mikesflightdeck.com

I take it then that whatever way I go I'm going to be limited as far functional switches to only the items that MSFS maps a keystoke to. So if I wanted to use something like the dreamfleet or PSS planes i would be limited.

I don't know enough (zero in fact) about Dreamfleet or PSS to give you a definitive answer to that question. In general however, keyboard emulation (i.e. sending keystroke messages through the Windows messaging system which is how I think the EPIC driver software functions) works for any simulation software under Windows that has keystroke commands. External keyboard encoding (hacking a keyboard or using a totally hardware keyboard encoder) works for any simulation software that has keyboard commands regardless of OS. I would (perhaps naively) think that you would not therefore be limited to only MSFS defined keystroke sequences.Please don't base your decisions on my lack of knowledge, however. There are many talented and knowledgeable people who frequent this particular forum. I'm sure a few of them will offer their points of view before too much longer.Mikewww.mikesflightdeck.com

PeterK Well Before you buy anything..figure out where you going to plant you butt..Using an office chair to fly a jet or prop is going to hurt after about 30 minutes.. Are you going to sit in a car seat or make some kind of airplane seat... Sit down and think of how you are going to suround yourself with this simulator..sound...views..and really how much room do you have in your house?... Its great to have a full size jet in the house or garage or even they guy who has the F15 cockpit in his ranch but most of use are limited in the actual size on the simulator.. Pete

I've pretty much figured out what I want, other than is it really worth building say an overhead if only a few of the switches are able to be mapped to a keystroke that MSFS uses. Bleed air, ect. Pretty useless other than for looks since MSFS dosn't map a key to them. Unless I'm completely confused now.

PeterK Well this is when the decision gets sticky....Some simmersdedicate all thier energy into a Boeing 7## project or some just make a seat witha stick...I guess my cockpit is A GA jobI fly every thing from a cessna 402 up to a lockheed Conniethen a spitfire or a BF 109...I used the keyboard as an overhead control panel... Next is are you going to plod along with FS2002 or use basically everything you own when the mood hits you....ME! the moodchanges all the time I run everything...peteHttp://home.attbi.com/~cockpitsimulator

HELP I WANNA BUILD A HOME COCKPIT BASE ON THE ROBIN DR-200 WHICH CAN BE SEEN HERE http://takeoff.to/beetson I am taking my ppl and learning to fly in this aircraft and it seems sensible to have one to practice in at home.1.i cannot find the robin for mircosoft flight simulator 20022. WHERE DO I START?3. HELP!!!!!!!

Brad,You can use the key2mouse software (freeware) for thiose switches that don't have keystrokes (only mouseclicking). Key2mouse offers the option of assigning a keycombination to a mouseclick. This makes it possible to use switches for mouseclick operation.Nico Kaan has an example on his webpage http://home.planet.nl/~nwkaan/ (look under flightsim. His page also gives you an idea how far you can go without rebuilding your house.Kind regards,Stephan Haashttp://vatsim.pilotmedia.fi/statusindicato...tor=OD1&a=a.jpg