Hi all,A friend and I are building a B747-400 cockpitAnd: its all Linux based :-)))We use flightgear as our simulator. see signature for link.Nearly everything is home made.Many ideas of other builders were incorporated into our ideas.Right now we are focusing on the MCP (both panel and electronics)and the throttle unit.Our electronics stuff will be based on Microchip's PIC microcontrollers(mainly 16F628 and 16F87x). We plan to release our code and schematics under the GNU Public License (GPL). (there's already some code on our site)I'm also working on Glass Cockpit software for X11 that does NOT need OpenGL, to allow utilising older Pentium class PCs for the displays.Here's our project homepage: http://cockpit.varxec.deThere are already lots of pictures and we try to give frequent updates.For other fellow 744 builders: I made a MIP CAD drawing (http://cockpit.varxec.de/plans/)and I'd like to get some feedback on dimensions.--

>>I'm also working on Glass Cockpit software for X11 that does NOT need OpenGL, to allow utilising older Pentium class PCs for the displays. Something like that would, I'm sure, be very well received. I tried downloading the demo GA panel from Project Magenta, hoping I could use one of the old P266 Dell laptops I have sitting around to display the instruments, but with no OpenGL or 3D acceleration on the laptop, it was horrible.... the Project Magenta instruments lagged the FS ones by several seconds. I'm sure there's a reason - they're a lot more computer knowledgeable than I am - but I can't think why a flat instrument panel needs 3D acceleration to display!Richard

>>>I'm also working on Glass Cockpit software for X11 that>does NOT need OpenGL, to allow utilising older Pentium class>PCs for the displays.>> Something like that would, I'm sure, be very well>received.>> I tried downloading the demo GA panel from Project>Magenta, hoping I could use one of the old P266 Dell laptops I>have sitting around to display the instruments, but with no>OpenGL or 3D acceleration on the laptop, it was horrible....>the Project Magenta instruments lagged the FS ones by several>seconds. >> I'm sure there's a reason - they're a lot more computer>knowledgeable than I am - but I can't think why a flat>instrument panel needs 3D acceleration to display!I think the main reason is that OpenGL lets you do a couple of things much more easily than if you had to program this by hand. eg. rotation of the whole display (like if your monitor sits 90 degrees on its side in your cockpit) and also things like anti-aliasing. Also many geometric translations are simpler to implement w/ OpenGL.Manuel

To control aileron, elevator, rudder, 4x forward thrust, 4x thrust reverser, flaps,speedbrake, steering tiller, ... via joystick axes in our cockpit, I developed a minimal circuit based on a PIC plus 2 other ICs. This circuit hooks up to the serial port andis accessible as a regular joystick device with the Linux driver I've written for it.Here's a picture of it built on a breadboard:http://cockpit.varxec.de/electronics/img/p...y2003052101.jpgWhen I'm finished adding another IC to read in 32 buttons, the circuit could also beused as a multiplexer for 4 regular analog joysticks.Right now I use a PIC 16F628 w/ software ADC (there's a Application Note from Microchip with example code somewhere, with is used in an example on a german site: http://www.sprut.de/electronic/pic/program...c/compadc.html)Doing the analog to digital conversion in software is a little bit slow esp. if you have to multiplex 16 axes, so I might use a I2C ADC, or maybe another lowcost PIC that has both USART and ADC, like one of these: 16F73, 16F870 or 16F872