My Lear 45 setup ;-)

[Guest alexlaw]

Hi guys,I have been working on my Lear 45 setup since January and now I have something to sho-off with. Be gentle .Best regards,AlOOPS: Link! http://www.excitingsimulations.com/cockpit

[Guest twabi2]

Hey Al!Good to see you here :)As you know, this is one of the most impressive wip's I have seen... All those self-made components are just WOWI think I'm going to order some Propoxy too. How much should be enough 500 or 1000Kg ;)?Nice glare btw, what lights did you use?

[Guest airhead]

Nice work so far. I really like the attention you paid to "portability" of the unit. Good work on the throttle quad, too. :)

[Guest alexlaw]

Thanks guys,There is still some work to be done and right now I'm pondering on the materials and methods for the MFD panel and bezels "manufacturing".I also just bought a Cyclotron module from Beta Innovations for an EFIS control panel near the MCP. A GPWS control panel is also in the planning stages - I just love how easy is to work with the RealityXP gauges set and Leo's electronics.I'll keep you posted on new developents. Oh, and to your question Toine, the night lighting is provided by three white, high-intensity LEDs. They are cheap, cold and live forever.Regards,Al

[npbosch]

Very nice setup, congratulations.I am interested in the flood light you created under the glareshield with the high intensity leds.Doe you now the specs of the leds? How many micro candela's do they give. If I look at the (european) catalogs of electronic manufacturers I see all kind of intensity, ranging from 5 to 9000 mcd. The brightests ones have a warning that you should not look directly into them because you could hurt your eye.The brighter leds do have also a disadvantage. The angle at which they emiit the light is smaller. The brightest ones shine at an angle of 15 at 30 degrees, the low intensity ones shine with an angle of 60-70 degrees. If I see your pics they shine with a wide bundle. How did you combine the brightness with the wide bundle? A combination of several leds placed under different angles?Thanks for your comment.regardsNorbert

[tigert]

>Very nice setup, congratulations.>>I am interested in the flood light you created under the>glareshield with the high intensity leds.>>Doe you now the specs of the leds? How many micro candela's do>they give. If I look at the (european) catalogs of electronic>manufacturers I see all kind of intensity, ranging from 5 to>9000 mcd. The brightests ones have a warning that you should>not look directly into them because you could hurt your eye.I am still wondering why everyone wants super bright leds on their setup? If its a day flight, you have an "ambient light" on, so no need for glare and backlighted panel lights.If it is a night flight, it is *dark*. Your eyes need to adjust to the dark. In a real plane you *dim* the lights a LOT because you want to be able to look outside for traffic etc. It should not be very bright. We are not building christmas trees..//Tuomas

[npbosch]

Just for the reason that you mention, Thomas , I ask this.I will certainly NOT go for the 9000 mcdl LEDS.As a physician and a PPL-owner, I am completely aware of how our eyes work. We discussed that already in another topic. But I know for sure that a normal leds of 2 -5 mcdl will not give the result the threadstarter got. It will not give any result at all I think, it is for far not strong enough. SO the leds for this have to be morepowerfull than just standard leds, but what then, extrabright? ultrabright? Best is to speak about microcandela's.I totally agree about not creating a christmas tree, besides that it is important to put the leds under the glare and between the lcd, so the lcd's stay dark.So with how many mcdl did the lear45builder got his result?RegardsNorbert

[Guest alexlaw]

>If I see your pics they shine with a wide bundle. How did you>combine the brightness with the wide bundle? A combination of>several leds placed under different angles?Hi Norbert,Thanks for the appreciation. Now to the LEDs thing. I might disappoint you but I don't have a "scientific" answer for you ;-P. I also got fed-up with the zillions of LED options and tradeoff between intensity and angle. I didn't have the nerve to build a "LED simulator" and actually see what a 9000mcd on a 20 deg white light really looks like so I chose the more available and time-saving option. I just happened to have one of those "Made in Taiwan" cheapo LED flashlights - you know, the ones running on two 1.2V LiIon watch batteries - and just tried it. I liked the result and bought two more, dismantled them and used the LEDs. The baterries are now spares for my other flashlight and the LEDs light up my cockpit. The LEDs actually seem to havea 20-30 deg field but as you see they also have two major "lobes" which add to the illusion of appearing to have a 90 deg field. I really don't know their characteristics, but I guess that you can't go wrong if you test some yourself - just like I did. It's cheaper than ordering several LEDs and trying them all.As to the "why should we need high intensity LEDs" question... well, I WISH I had real "ambient light" which moves as the "plane" turns. I also wish my cockpit was enclosed and installed on a full motion platform - AMOF, I wish I owned a Lear 45! - but I can't have any of those ;-) I played with amber and red lights but I didn't like the effect. The light was not sufficient and the color was disorienting. The bright white LED - except for being maybe unrealistic - offers sufficient light to allow me to work the knobs, while not blinding me - after all, I don't point them to my eyes!Oh, and when I fly during daylight (real daylight) I don't turn on the cockpit light .Best,Alex

[npbosch]

Thanks Alex for your answer. So I go for somewhere 100-200 mcdl and see how it looks.If somebody here has pics of his nightsetup and data of the intensity of the used leds, please post your infoRegardsNorbert

[Guest alexlaw]

I just found this for you.I guess that this pic will put to rest all that controversy about using "high intensity" cockpit lights. Although my photos don't really show it, the effect is very similar to what you see here:http://www.flypfc.com/jet%20cockpit/inside...%20cockpit.html (you'll have to scroll down one pic to see what I mean).Al

[Guest alexlaw]

Just got my Beta Innovations Cyclotron (up to 16 rotary decoded board or 8 + integrated bushbutton rotaries or duals). Now everything is set for building additional panels for the cockpit. Stay tuned.

[Guest comma]

Amazing sim... reallySo well made !You only work on it since January ??? What a quick work for so good result.I'm also planning a "mobile" 737NG DIY flight console, first officer only, on wheel (see attached picture)I can't see your mail on your website, i'd like to ask youa few question if you agree... how ?Thanks and "bravo" for your workcomma

[Guest twabi2]

I'd say:here? So we can learn something from it too!

[Guest alexlaw]

I am happy that you like it ;-).Technically yes, I started actual "work" on January, but I've been planing it for at least one year before doing the first cut. My motto is "Measure twice and cut once".Even with so much planning ahead , I had several surprises, but I didn't waste any significant time or resources on them. You have a nice picture (plan) - this is how it started for me too .If you want to ask a question, then shoot it here - unless it is of a personal nature - then use the Private Messaging system ;-)Best,Al

[Guest comma]

yes you're righti have a simple question for your sim :- Is it closed from behind ? Are your monitors hanged to the MIP ?I'm planning to let my sim opened behind so i can actually just lay the monitor to their respectives places, and when i'm not using the sim, get the main 17" monitor out and back in my desk (visual will be provided by my videoprojector, movable too because his very place is in the home cinema room :) ). It may be easy with the help of the wheel, to rotate the MIP...I wanted to know what were your choice for that provided your sim answer to a similar concept of room savingThis is actually more a "WAF complient procedure" (woman acceptance factor) than a money issue, my wife won't agree the concept of having two sleeping LCD monitors inactive behind an "ET" object to here.That's for one question. Another was regarding your throttle central powered by a stripped usb joystick. It is trully amazing, great look. Wondering if you had drawing or explanation on how you made the stripped usb axes mechanlicly linked to your actual throttle... And your flaps, i see you use an axe for flaps, did you made mechanical step by step block for them ?Regardscomma