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mauriceb

How does one start a home cockpit?

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I'm finally getting serious about building a home cockpit & I have spent a considerable amount of time in the forums & in hundreds of websites dedicated to home cockpit hardware & software. Nowhere yet have I found a single place where someone starting construction of a home cockpit would have some sort of a guide of where/how to start. The more I read, the more confused I seem to get since there are so many hardware & software options available today. My

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Guest mondo

I am also new to the building process. The first thing I did, was to build all of circuit boards (FSBUS) to interface to the PC. Building the boards can have an expensive learning curve. It would be best to have someone make them for you. As far as offsets go, the FSBUS software takes care of all of that for you. It was an amazing thing to see what I was changing with the FSBUS setup was actually changing the values in FS9. I have just ordered my MCP from WWW.Dakenskys.com. I am getting very anxious to start putting my homebuilt circuit boards into this panel. Go slow, ask a lot of questions, that will eliminate the expensive errors encountered in the "try it and see what happens" approach. Good Luck!! Milt

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There are some howto's in Flightsim.com HOWTO section. But the problem is, there is no "right" way to do this. Everyone tends to use the tools and facilities available, with the budget that one has.My suggestion is to sit down and think what you want. Start by building one thing at a time - if it is an airliner you want, a MCP / autopilot panel is a big thing in realism. See how others have done that, look at the different options, ask on the forum (it is much easier to get useful answers when you ask a more specific question than the "how do I start?" :))What you could do, if you want a generic cockpit, is to identify the *aircraft systems* you want to implement (hydraulics? autopilot? light swithces? want them on a overhead panel? gear switch and other stuff? what else? good flight controls are a good start too etc..) Try to think of a flight, what stuff you want to move from the mouse to your self-built gizmos? Probably everything like we all do, but start with something that is small enough to complete without too much hassle, since you *will* rebuild stuff later for sure when you get better ideas. That's why it is not smart to start off by ordering a full panel set from flightdecksolutions and then wondering what to do next :) Peter Cos's stuff is great once you have a clear idea what to do - it can be a huge time-saver (and money too, when you look how much it will cost to have a CNC milling work done somewhere else) - but before getting a panel set for a certain airliner type it is very very important to know how to do the rest - the BIG work is the interfacing, and the electronics and computers and scenery display etc - a full cockpit is a huge job - all those panels dont just magically work when you carry them home - it is a huge task to do a type-specific cockpit. And all the electronics, switches and wiring will be costing easily a lot more since a modern airliner has a huge amount of knobs and switches and lights and such.Better start with some prototypes, build something that can be used with less than a huge building effort and you'll know a lot better what you can do. In a generic setup you can simplify things too - just implement the systems you think are most important to improve the feeling of realism on your own sim flying.There is no "right way" to do things - the tutorials are good, but we all are just human beings - you might come up with even better ideas when you put your creative thinking into work.Good luck :)//Tuomas

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Guest Tomlin

Author removed due to a lack of conscienceness!

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>it is much easier to get useful answers when you>ask a more specific question than the "how do I start?" :))The only problem here is that I don't know what I need to ask until I actually start & this is where I'm stuck right now :-)>Better start with some prototypes, build something that can be>used with less than a huge building effort and you'll know a>lot better what you can do. In a generic setup you can>simplify things too - just implement the systems you think are>most important to improve the feeling of realism on your own>sim flying.I understand that & this isn't what I was really asking. I am just looking for a guide about taking your first baby steps by building something useful & yet not overly complicated. Perhaps an MCP panel is too big a bite to start with, but I thought this would at least make me understand what needs to be done and how the hardware & software functions & is able to control that part of the simulation. Once I understand the various principles, I can move on to bigger & better things.Would starting with something relatively simple like a keyboard encoder for instance be enough to give me the basics I need to move on to more complex items?Thanks

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> I am also new to the building process. The first thing>I did, was to build all of circuit boards (FSBUS) to interface>to the PC. Building the boards can have an expensive learning>curve. It would be best to have someone make them for you. I looked at that website & it struck me as being a very complex way to start. Making circuit boards or even populating them is not something I would like to start with. There must be other alternatives (undoubtedly more pricey). I'm impressed you had no difficulties starting there :-)>As far as offsets go, the FSBUS software takes care of all of>that for you. It was an amazing thing to see what I was>changing with the FSBUS setup was actually changing the values>in FS9. That's good to know. Offsets are a big mystery to me right now & I'm glad that I may not have to really understand what they are if the hardware takes care of that. > Go slow, ask a lot of questions, that>will eliminate the expensive errors encountered in the "try it>and see what happens" approach. Good Luck!!>If I went any slower right now, I'd be dead :-). I will certainly ask questions once I know what specific questions to ask.Thanks

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Welcome to our world!I've been building my 777 full-size cockpit since 1997.Some things I learned along the way:1. Wear safety goggles!2. Buy a nice scrollsaw and lots of blades3. buy a few dozen soldering irons4. ...and about 4 miles of various wiring types5. If you're married, buy lots of flowers for your S.O.6. Install a dedicated power circuit.by far though.... your biggest challenge is the continuing will to build it.


Ray S.

 

Check out my aviation portfolio:

http://scottshangar.net

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>5. If you're married, buy lots of flowers for your S.O.I've already taken care of that. I wanted to renew my pilot's license & build a real airplane from a kit. Building a simulator instead seems much less 'threatening' to her :-) > by far though.... your biggest challenge is the continuing will to build it.I intend to start small and only build enough small pieces at a time so that I can still fly from time to time (if that is possible). How much longer do you think it will take you to finish your project, if there is such a thing :-)

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Guest Robid

I started by pulling my joystick apart and making a flight yoke from an old desktop computer case, the sliding parts out of an old scanner and some cogs and ingenuity. (oh, and lots of patience)This was a great way to start because you have to think laterally about how you going to get it to work. And when it does, your ready for bigger and better things.I have now gone on to build FSBus boards (no prior electronics knowledge) 2 different versions of throttle quadrants, trim wheels using FSkey and 12 pos. rotary switches.All this sounded like some foreign language 6 months ago, now it's almost my second language.The point is, start someware easy and learn as you go.David

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>All this sounded like some foreign language 6 months ago, now>it's almost my second language.>>The point is, start someware easy and learn as you go.>>DavidI get your point. Perhaps I just need to dive in without trying to understand everything before I start (which would never happen anyway). I am still very curious though about the meaning of FSUIPC offsets. I have yet to find a decent simple explanation anywhere. It seems like everyone in the AVSIM forums understands what they are except me.Can anyone provide an explanation that someone with zero knowledge about the internals of FS could understand?Thanks

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People starting cockpits today have a wider selection of resources to draw from. Back in 1997 when I started mine, there was Ralph... and some guy named Matt and Peter. ;-)I also started with absolutely no knowledge on where to start or how to tie everything together. For you, that will come with time, or at least one switch at a time. In '97, had you asked me about FSUIPC offsets, I'd have looked at you with about as much intelligence as the chair I'm sitting in... Today, it'd be the couch. I'd have to say, at my current progress rate, I have about 1 year left.One year, until I factor in a possible motion platform, upgrading all my CRTs to LCDs, all the necessary (Necessary) system upgrades to handle FS2009 :-) ... So... the process never ends.I have all the panels from www.flightdecksolutions.com (Plug!) and with that has come a furvor of activity in getting all the switches and lights to work.I have flown my sim regularly since 1997, even in it's unfinished state which I think is key to keeping the momentum going to finish. If I had started back in '97 without the ability to put the soldering iron down and just fly for flying's sake, I'd have abandoned the effort long ago.


Ray S.

 

Check out my aviation portfolio:

http://scottshangar.net

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Guest MikePowell

About FSUIPC offsets...In earlier versions of MSFS, the variables were stored together in a block of memory. FS5IPC, the precursor to FSUIPC, used an inter-process communication technique to gain access to that block. Specific FS variables were identified by their positions within the block rather than by a specific variable name. (FS5IPC and FSUIPC are not Microsoft products.) The offsets are just the location within that block. Moving forward to more current MSFS versions, we find that variables are no longer stored in the same block. The current releases of FSUIPC have been greatly enhanced to add additional features and to keep track of where the different FS variables are stored while maintaining the same user interface (same use of offsets) for those of us using the data I/O features of FSUIPC.Essentially, you can think of the offsets as indices into a large monolithic virtual table that stores a great many internal variables used within MSFS.Mikewww.mikesflightdeck.com

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Definately dont concern yourself about FSUIPC offsets and any software when your first starting out, simply because most of the hardware interfaces have the software already written to these offsets anyway so all you will have to do when you get to that stage is point and click. Besides it will probably be some time down the road before you even get to that stage and you will end up picking it up along the way anyhow.Although at first simbuilding may look overwhelming,the very basis you need to begin building is basically just simple commonsense as you can see exactly what needs to be done. If you have been to most of the sites you would have already seen tutorials from building a MIP frame to an airline type seat, but in a nutshell you need to:Pick a plane and decide how realistic its going to beBuild a supporting frame for the mip, pedestal etc.Choose a panel manufacturer for the panels or make your ownpopulate the panels with switches etc and wire them to the interface you choosebuild or buy your yokes, rudder pedals and seatsFLY!Think simple, follow tutorials and you will be amazed at what can be achieved in only a short time.Gary

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Guest luckiest

Hi, I'm new here, but if your considering building a F-16 cockpit you might want to try www.viperpit.org . These guys are willing to answer any questions you may have. Lucky

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>In '97, had you asked me about FSUIPC offsets, I'd have looked at > you with about as much intelligence as the chair I'm sitting in...>Today, it'd be the couch. Does that mean you still don't understand what they are as well? :-)>I have all the panels from www.flightdecksolutions.com (Plug!)>and with that has come a furvor of activity in getting all the>switches and lights to work.I'm lucky to live almost next door to Peter Cos. I will be visiting him soon>I have flown my sim regularly since 1997, even in it's>unfinished state which I think is key to keeping the momentum>going to finish. If I had started back in '97 without the>ability to put the soldering iron down and just fly for>flying's sake, I'd have abandoned the effort long ago.Couldn't agree more.

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