tigert

>I wish Matrox was pushing this product harder : more sales>might encourage them to put more development into the product,>including for instance support for DVI, support for greater>resolutions with widescreen monitors (which seem to be fast>becoming the norm) etc.They support widescreen resolutions now, check their site. New driver.//T

>Maybe someone would know, although I think full redundancy is>not necessary in a home simulator.Yeah, your judgement call. But it's pretty obvious, that if your plane has electric trim switch on the yoke/stick, that'll be the one you will be using, as long as it works :)It's so handy.//T

>but the spoilers and reversers are more difficult, how do one>callibrate these?>i have a registered version of fsuipc, 3.70, and read>somewhere you can use it to get the reversers and spoilers to>work,Spoilers is just another axis, it should be available there. It might be also called "speedbrake". But it's just a control surface you can assign a joystick axis to - either from FSUIPC or from the FS 2004 dialog as well.For reverser, the setting is in FSUIPC, and it is tied to the throttles - there's a "Joystick Calibration" tab, where you press the black "right" arrow a few times to get to the page "3 of 11: Separate throttles per engine" -page (might vary between fsuipc versions)There you set Throttle 1 to be calibrated (press "set" and you get more controls - move the throttle to full and press the "Set"-button below "Max", move the throttle to idle, and press the "Set"-button under "idle" and then to reverse and press the "Set" under "Reverse".As I don't like them hairdryers, but enjoy piston prop planes more, I havent actually done this myself, but it looks to me this is how it should work.//Tuomas

>It sure was ;)Be sure to check my photos from our little sim builders meet in Finland too (the other thread) - should be similarly interesting.. the Bonanza sim was pretty nifty - the control loading especially: when the plane wasnt moving, the yoke got pulled forward due to the weight of the elevator. As you taxied faster, or against the wind, it would center itself after enough wind went past the control surfaces..It just made it more obvious to me that the elevator trim is one of the more important things in a light plane simulator.//T

Awesome! :-)//T

Some hopefully interesting photos for you from our small annual Finnish builders' meet:http://lentosimulaattori.1g.fi/kuvat/Kotio...iv%E4t+4.11.06/ (by my friend O.P.)http://tigert.1g.fi/kuvat/MIK/2006-11-04-p...tiohjaamopaiva/ (my photos)We visited finnish aviation academy's simulator dep't - and had a chance to try out the Frasca Beech Bonanza and the King Air FNPT'sThe bonanza was pretty awesome, as it's in "my league", meaning I knew how such a plane works and thus could get more "out of it" than from some big jet where I wouldnt be familiar with the systems. The 3 projector visual was very nice, giving a >180 degrees field of view and huge size.The gauges are done with a TFT screen behind the panel, and the avionics are separate, at least the GNS430 was a real unit with apparently custom simulated firmware - it was very nicely done, the TX/RX symbols lit up when using the radio etc - the frasca had synthesized ATIS'es etcetera. And the control loading was awesome. But ask if you want to know more, you are all watching the pictures anyway and not reading this :^)//Tuomas

>You have a new implementation of this software with 8x2 model>included (and others new features) in www.opencockpits.com>site>>The card is ready for upload users-defined characters, but i>want to create a software for easy-design those characters.>>Maybe we could just have them defined in the .ini file? This way configuration could be shared easily?Something like MyArrow-1="....."MyArrow-2="..X.."MyArrow-3="..XX."MyArrow-4="XXXXX"MyArrow-5="XXXXX"MyArrow-6="..XX."MyArrow-7="..X.."MyArrow-8="....." Or something like that? Then you wouldnt need to spend time doing a software to design chars, it would be pretty easy to do them with notepad..?//Tuomas

>Nex up should be an USB-key card ? I know there is the>keyboard card on usb but as I think I understood this doesn't>work like an other key/switch input card ?What I'd love to see in the future is:* USBLeds led output* USBSwitches (that supports toggles and gray encoders like Master)So that the cumbersome USB Expansion + Master monster combo could be replaced by two simple and small USB modules. The USBSwitch card would also make a GREAT starter-kit for people new to cockpit building.I just ordered an extra Master+USB set as I accidentally connected my laptop's AC adapter (16V) to the card instead of the 5V.. Nice smoke.. :-] Oh well, it was my turn to join *that club* I guess ;-)//Tuomas

Looks like I need to add a link here to make people notice :-)IOCards USBLCD Manual (spanish): http://www.opencockpits.com/modules.php?na...p=getit&lid=2731T16 Mounting kit for USBLcd card(PCB+components+Micr.writed+USB cable)(4 lcd cable not included)21 Eur AVAILABLE 2T16 USB Lcd card completely finished and tested (including USB cableand cable for 4 lcd)30 Eur AVAILABLEJust noticed it yesterday. Lets you hook up FOUR into one card, and since it's USB... :)//T

Send them here? :) We all read this forum anyway.. The registry instructions read: "Sim Spares doesn't actually allow you to upload photos, so you will have to link to them from your own location. Simply copy and paste the complete URL, to the photo of your choice on your web site, and it will be displayed on the page accordingly."This is kinda unfortunate, as people tend to break their links kind of often without remembering the pictures were linked. But if you want to put the pics up, you need to have a webspace somewhere and you need to put the pictures there, and put the URLs of the images in the registry, then it will show them in the page.//T

You know about FSLCD, right?http://mikkila.wabbits.org/fsbus/lcd///T

If it's 1x16 and you only see 8 chars, it could be that the display is internally a 2x8 one, so try that mode too, if it helps.Those things exist.Also, did you notice IOCards now has a USB LCD card that can drive 4 of such displays? :) Nifty!//Tuomas

Wire the pot to your interface card first and see how it works. Then attach it to your throttle mechanics.//Tuomas

For example the USBAxis card from www.opencockpits.com (look for "Joystick" on the left side, after clicking on the english/american flag on the right side :-)//T

>That link is to some hacker web site.> If you did that by mistake please correct the mistake, if not>I think this is against avsim rules and regulations. It does not link to a "hacker website". It just shows that fly-by-night.de sysadmin should do their homework and keep up with security issues better.//T

>Excellent, thanks Mike.>>Anyone using any of this company's products?A friend in our finnish sim forum got the module with the key lock and he was happy with it - worked nicely.No personal experience with it here.//T

>How long did it take you to do the GPS? was it alot of work?Hmm. One does not tend to count hours in this hobby :-)But the making itself is not very hard - etch the pcb, solder in the components, stick in the LCD and screw it together with the panel. Then stick it into IOCards, program some SIOC for button -> key event mapping and configure the RealityXP .ini to respond to these key events.Not that long - but then again, this whole process of "getting this far" has been ongoing since autumn 2002.. :-)http://tigert.com/aviation/vatsim/cockpit-stuff/console1.jpgThe method of doing pcb's and panels in front definitely makes things easier, but it requires a lot of planning beforehand, to do the pcb right, depending on your interface solution and the pin order your input card expects etcetera..I think the GPS took about a year from the idea to the actual working thing. Although I noticed in my junk folder that I had sketched a GNS530 panel "for fun" in August 2004. But I dunno for sure when I actually got into building it for real.The planning tends to take long - or, if it takes less, then it tends to take a few iterations of actual building to get the final result right :-)//T

>Thanks. I'll drop by to my local electronics mall and check>for local prices. Maybe i'll find some interesting stuff. I'll>probably go for a PCB. Soldering 69 switches to wires just>seems too much for me to handle. Making PCB's is not really that hard. It's messy with the chemicals and those are "problem waste", thus need to be disposed of properly. But other than that, its not hard.I used this method: http://www.fullnet.com/u/tomg/gooteepc.htmI mean, if you are reasonably capable of learning stuff and don't fear a bit of a learning curve, it shouldnt be a problem. http://tigert.com/aviation/vatsim/cockpit-...s-pcb-ready.jpgI found this is a very good method of making panels: PCB on bottom, then components soldered to the PCB, then 8 or 10mm "spacer" nuts between the pcb board and the front panel.http://tigert.com/aviation/vatsim/cockpit-...audiopanel3.jpghttp://tigert.com/aviation/vatsim/cockpit-.../audiopanel.jpghttp://tigert.com/aviation/vatsim/cockpit-...audiopanel2.jpgVery clean and nice solution. The front panels are made with FrontPanelDesigner program (www.schaeffer-ag.de or www.frontpanelexpress.com for you north americans) - you design, click the price button and it tells you it costs something like 30 euros, depends on how much stuff you put there.. The quality of the work is just awesome. It's definitely a good method of making The Final Version of your panels, once everything else is done and you found the best way to do it. It's a bit too expensive for prototypes though :-)>Now i'm hoping to find out what fantastic LCD screen did erik>use. How good is the PSone screen George? Is it worth the>money? Can i use any screen. I'm thinking of going down to a>second hand store and look for something with a LCD screen i>can rip out?It's OK. This is how it looks with the RealityXP (www.reality-xp.com) Garmin GNS530 gauge using TV-out.http://tigert.com/aviation/vatsim/cockpit-.../baron-gns2.jpgIt's not a small version of your desktop TFT monitor - this is a video monitor, but I find it works just fine as a GPS display. Shouldnt have any problem with a FMC text screen.

Archive.org has most of it still, some images seem broken though:http://web.archive.org/web/20041011055102/...~nwkaan/fmc.htm//T

Yeah, very good.How do you intend to do the hole for the switch shaft?I think if you made another mold of siliconerubber of the hole, maybe that could be placed on top with some holder so that also the shaft hole would be part of the epoxy part?//T

>Yeah, I know about PFC and their yokes. I bought a 'Cirrus'>yoke from them and immediately returned it because it did not>come close to what the real hydraulics on a 737NG feel like>when they are actuated.Well of course, it simulates a light GA plane.>I frankly can't understand why PFC hasn't come out with the>USB interfacehttp://www.flypfc.com/entertainment%20products/jetliner.html"Connectivity: * USB * Serial Port /USB Converter when used with Jetliner Flight Console or Throttle Quadrant Console"I guess if you use those things together, there's extra functionality that requires serial protocol between the equipment or something. But they claim a USB-serial converter should work still.//T

>Great Pic's....and good job. It's unbelievable that CH>Products Inc. or whatever they are just can't produce a>product that is halfway realistic. The market for a better>yoke & rudder system is here but nobody at CH Products is>LISTENING....There's Precision Flight Controls (www.flypfc.com) that produces pretty decent yokes.The problem is, most people then again scream at the $500+ pricetag.Plastic is cheap to make, decent metal stuff costs more to manufacture.//Tuomas

>Hello Everyone>>I'm trying build a Learjet type throttle and am having trouble>locating any information about them. Does anyone know where I>might find demensions or close up photos.>>Thanks in advance>TerryAirliners.net -> Photo search -> Flight decks, select learjet for plane model.Then you can find measurements for example by estimating the sizes of the gauges or such, whatever else you might see in the photo.//T

I think it will work fine, and the bonus would be that it would be very easy to fly all kinds of different aircraft.//T

www.orbitersim.com ? //Tuomas