GA: Malmi Aviation Club sim - progress report

[tigert 0]

Ok, after a week of "tear-everything-down" work, we have a much better mood and stuff starts to look more like an airplane again :)Some pics from tonight:Marker-leds, controlled via FSBUS - Outer, Middle and Inner marker.http://tigert.gimp.org/tigert-albums/simu_...e/aaa.sized.jpgFlaps-indicator in the round gauge style. Controlled via FSBUS as well (servo board) because we dont have a potentiometer flap controller, but rather a (on)-OFF-(on) switch for this.http://tigert.gimp.org/tigert-albums/simu_...e/aab.sized.jpgOverview of panel, note the marker leds in the middle. Yes, it really is painted plywood :)http://tigert.gimp.org/tigert-albums/simu_...e/aac.sized.jpghttp://tigert.gimp.org/tigert-albums/simu_...e/aaf.sized.jpgThe stuff still needs the trim wheel hooked up somehow to the centering springs that we need to assemble to the yoke, so there is some brainwork left.There are also a bunch of open issues with Simkits, which will hopefully be resolved with the dude at Simkits support. He is very responsive which is good.Anyway, enjoy the pics. We also put black curtains in place of doors to keep outside distractions away, and to block outside light in case one wants to fly at night. It does very much add to the feeling of "being there" when all you se "outside" is the FS scenery. And the speakers under our butt do help in that as well, you can feel if the engine is running or not.. :)/Tuomas

[Guest MikePowell]

Outstanding, as usual, Tuomas.Thanks for the update and pictures.Mikewww.mikesflightdeck.com

[tigert 0]

>Outstanding, as usual, Tuomas.>>Thanks for the update and pictures.We are pretty excited ourselves too. For those who think this is a bad imitation of "emperor's new clothes", my website is down currently, so the pictures are not visible. Hopefully the situation will be resolved quickly.EDIT: Put one of them on another site so you can have a peek:http://primates.ximian.com/~tigert/stuff/a...on/overview.jpgTuomas

[Guest perchas]

Very nice Work TuomasCongratulationsSaludosRafael

[Guest the_knack]

Tuomas,You have done a fantastic job on this pit. It's been a source of inspiration for me. I'm just beginning mine and will use yours as a model. BTW, do you have any plans for the radio stack that you would be willing to share? Maybe a cad or photoshop drawing? I'm just starting my FSBUS boards and your layout would work perfectly for me.Thanks & keep up the good work,Danny

[tigert 0]

>Tuomas,>You have done a fantastic job on this pit. It's been a source>of inspiration for me. I'm just beginning mine and will use>yours as a model. BTW, do you have any plans for the radio>stack that you would be willing to share? Maybe a cad or>photoshop drawing? I'm just starting my FSBUS boards and your>layout would work perfectly for me.>Thanks & keep up the good work,>Dannyi must stress that we have a team of maybe four-five very active builders who have put this together, when needed there have been more people helping as well, whenever people had time to spend on it.I did the radio designs in Illustrator, but the versions I have are too small, but I need to ask a friend for the last, correct sized files.We just used plywood behind the panel, but the design perchas has done is a good approach too. What you probably should do is to get the "breadboard" - a circuit board with the 2.54mm spaced holes and copper "blobs" on the copper side, and assemble your components on that - then design a front plate to fit.For the front we used just laminated b/w laser print paper. It is not ideal but does the job. If the corners start curling and tearing, we need to figure out something.Perchas, how did you do the front plate of your panels? Is it painted? Engraved..?Here's an older design of mine that might be useful: http://tigert.gimp.org/files/fs2002/screen...-printready.pdfThe hole on top is a parallel-port attached 4-line-20-char character LCD display that does all my radio displays at my home setup (which is currently, you guessed it, on hold because of the above :))http://tigert.gimp.org/aviation/vatsim/coc...uff/radiot.jpegYou can find software and instructions for the lcd thingy at http://mikkila.wabbits.org/fsbus -> FSLCD link if I remember the url correctly, my DNS server is acting weird currently :/Tuomas

[rickalty 0]

I use the same software as Tuomas for my radio stack, but I use two 2 x 24 LCD's intead of one big one. Just to give you an idea, it loks like this, just to give you another idea. Total cost of this setup was about $15. (It does have knobs now, too :-) )http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/64266.jpgRichard

[Guest the_knack]

Excellent Tuomas, That will help a great deal. I also like the idea of the 4 line LCD. I've had some experience with the serial version of those and might just consider using one for the autopilot or annunciator panel.Thanks for your help,Danny

[Guest the_knack]

Richard, That is another great idea. I had not thought of using the 2 line displays. You did a great job of laying out the display so they are easy to read. I will certainly look into this. Thanks so much for sharing it with us and keep up the good work.Danny

[rickalty 0]

Glad u like it, but I just realised the $15 was just for the display side, including the control knobs and switches it was about $45 Richard

[tigert 0]

>Excellent Tuomas, That will help a great deal. I also like>the idea of the 4 line LCD. I've had some experience with the>serial version of those and might just consider using one for>the autopilot or annunciator panel.>Thanks for your help,>DannyYea, those are useful and a nice way to get started into cockpit building. They are definitely functional, not for the "realism freak" that thinks the radio stack needs to look 1:1 to a "real cessna radios".. (He obviously has never seen a few different planes to notice they all have different radios ;)) But they work great and that's the whole point of home cockpits, at least to me. Screw the looks rather the functionality.There's a program for those serial port lcd's, check out avsim and somewhere, I dont remember exactly where I saw it. That "FSLCD" works only with the hitachi controller LCD boards (or compatibles, there are lots - basically it's the same thing a lot of other applications use too, there are winamp plug-ins to display song titles etc on those..)Tuomas

[Guest perchas]

Hi Tuomas, Me panels is make and engraver by laser, thats are same original panels. that is a very complicated process, I have proven all the systems, silk screen, CNC, etc. and all they have given very badly to result, only the Laser me does correctly. I will try to help. Send me a drawing in DXF and a photo of real panel of cessna 172. SaludosRafael These is a original panelhttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/64344.jpg

[tigert 0]

>Me panels is make and engraver by laser, thats are same>original panels. That explains why they look so good! :)>that is a very complicated process, I have proven all the>systems, silk screen, CNC, etc. and all they have given very>badly to result, only the Laser me does correctly. >I will try to help. Send me a drawing in DXF and a photo of>real panel of cessna 172.I will need to get the latest files from my friend.What would be interesting is to make backlightable real-looking Bendix/King radios with PCB's and front panels so that we find out small enough 7-segment displays and suitable switches etc - so that it would create a very good looking general aviation radio panel.Needs thinking. I will see what I can figure out.New photo from today: http://tigert.gimp.org/tigert-albums/simu_...e/aah.sized.jpgWe have a glare shield now :)Tuomas