jnr641802

Thanks for the reply,I have to go from 1.20 zoom on the ground to 1.34 in flight due to mismatched projectors/view sizes and it is the return during descent to 1.20 that I want to be accurate otherwise when I touch down all the airport views are out of alignment with the main fwd view and the immersive effect is lessened,it used to be fine before when I could see the text .I'll try the backspace idea but I find the zoom level does not default on startup to the level(1.20) as set in Wideview,so if I can get that to default to 1.20 on backspace that will solve the problem with one key stroke,I'll have a look at the .cfg to see if it can be set there. regards Jim

Hi I have an enclosed multi view setup and need to use +- keys to regularly change the zoom rate on the left/right views in flight, but having just repositioned one of the projectors I can no longer see what zoom rate is applied to one of the views (red letter message).I don't want to have to always open up the views window each time to see the zoom rate,so is it possible to reposition the red messages somewhere else on the view,tried dragging but no go. Thanks for your help. regards Jim

I have done things an unusual way with my setup.I have a 747 'ish' enclosed cockpit(narrower than real 747) in a 9ft x 9ft room so had to do things very differently as I would have to have spent large amounts of money on ultra ultra short throw projectors to get views to cover left/right peripheral vision as there is little more than 12-14 inches spare on each side of the sim. 1) Infocus Ultra short throw projector for the main fwd view(9 ft wide), 2) 37 inch lcd tv for the left/left fwd view pressed up against the left side perspex window.It more than covers peripheral vision for the left/left fwd view .Fortunately as the window pillars are wide on 747's, where the tv bezel 'appears' to meet the left corner of the fwd projector this is hidden totally by the window pillar.This really does work well and the 'join' is invisible and completely believable and immersive.My mind does not notice that the right bezel of the lcd is actually 3ft away from the wall for the main fwd view 3) Mitsubishi normal throw projector for fwd right/right view (the right side view only goes back far enough to cover half of the side window,but it is enough to see 90 degrees right when entering /crossing a runway. You do slightly notice the point where right main fwd view meets the fwd right /right side view as it's at right angles but once you're moving and concentrating it is not a problem,and configuring wideview to the correct angles gives a very accurate view. The biggest drawback to my set up is that It is totally set up visually for the Capt side and I need to be roughly in the same seat position every time, a first officer would get a totally unuseable view,but as I always fly solo it's no problem for me.Also it is very time consuming setting up the views with Wideview and the a/c cfg.I also have to change the zoom (+- on keyboard) for the left and right pc's view once airborne and back again on descent but it takes a couple of seconds and I've memorised each zoom requirement for the different stages of flight (the main fwd view pc does not need adjusting).This is the drawback of unmatched projectores/lcd's, but with a 9ft x9ft room I had few options. regards Jim

BHX-JFK then on to YYZ.I did the flight many times in the 90's out of Birmingham UK. Regards Jim

Thanks for the reply. After posting yesterday I came across a payware utility by FSPS called Rwy Bumping Effect which does just as its name .I bought it, and with buttkicker it really gives a good thump in the seat plus sound.Unfortunately I'm having some issues with it at the moment which the very good support is trying to fix but it has great potential.If I can't fix the issues I'll maybe try AES. regards Jim

Hi I've just got a buttkicker for xmas and it works well , but what is missing is the sounds/feel of the nosewheel running over the centreline lights at speed,does anyone know of any fs9 freeware/payware that does this ? regards Jim

Hi Manny the Bu0836x card only allows inputs through the card , it does not work with outputs from the sim/aircraft i.e the outer marker etc output from the aircraft cannot be sent back through the BU0836x card to operate an led,for that you need an output card which are widely available. regards Jim

Hi there is a basic (no photos) tutorial in this thread,but I am currently making additional panels for the 747 pedestal and will try to take photos of the process and post them here. regards Jim

Q:How to make instruments.......A: a lot of skill I would think which sadly I don't have :Hypnotized: Q:How to make simple panels.......A: 5mm white acrylic/jig saw/electric drill/sticky letters/paint/tweezers It really is that easy to make a simple/basic panel,try it.... the cost for one small panel is minimal. Regards Jim

Using a mixture of wideview and playing with the aircraft .cfg you should be able to angle the views anyway you wish.I would think that you could also have 2x large screen tv's rest against the windscreen of the aircraft(as if it was the windscreen itself) and modify the viewing angles to your liking,the advantage being that the tv bezels will be less visible if the tv screen is against the windscreen and the less you see of the room you are in then the more immersed you become.I use a projector for the fwd view and a 37" led tv for the left side view(no right side window view yet) with the screen angled to follow the angle of the side window and it blends well with the projector,but it does take a lot of trial and error setting up the angles within wideview and the a/c.cfg.The extra view is really worth it though as the effects on your senses are very strong and can cause some motion sickness to some people. regards JIm

I'm really pleased that there is some interest in my 'cockpit on the cheap' .It is very easy to throw crazy money at these home cockpits and a quick visit to Mycockpit.org will give you an idea how much money can be spent on the ultimate exact replicas (mostly 737ng) that are being constructed.I was tempted to spend many many thousands myself on professionally engineered components/panels/yoke/throttles etc but I was happy with just a reasonable representation of the 747 and wanted to see how cheaply it could be made.If you are an Autocad expert and have access to or own a cnc machine you may want to look away :( as your panels will be 100% better than mine!.Unfortunately I did not take any o/head build photos.How to make:Firstly make a 3 x bay (as with the 747-400) wooden frame for the overhead to house the panels.Mine is 20 inches fwd/aft by 26 inches left to right which is approx 6 inches shorter than the real one and approx 5 inches narrower so space was tight.I have my cockpit/ shell in a 9 ft x 9 ft room so have had to adapt the size,if you can afford the space build the o/head bigger as it is easier to get all the lettering spacing correct if you are not fighting for space.To make the panels you need :1) A piece of white (NOT opal) 5mm thick acrylic sheet ( mine comes from ebay),start off with an A4 piece .Using a jig saw or electric mitre/chop saw cut your first panel to size.Start with a simple one like the nav /beacon etc panel for example.Drill the holes for the toggle switches (I use 'Rapid ' in the uk for all the switches they average about 50 pence uk each).Now drill the mounting holes for the panel in each corner.Now lightly sand the acrylic panel to smooth the edges and sand the side you intend to paint so that the paint sticks better.2) Apply your lettering. I get mine online from a model supplies business in the uk called 'Barry's Model lettering',I use 4mm arial bold in white,but I may switch to black next time as it is probably visually easier to apply against the white acrylic background. Each sheet comes with letters/numbers/lines/arrows /fwd slashes etc etc.I also order a blank A4 size piece so that I can use a coin/button etc to cut out backlighting circles which some toggle switches have on the O/Head.You will need a good pair of accurately made tweezers to remove the lettering from the sheet and a load of toothpicks to help remove the middle of for example the letter 'o',and you will also need the toothpick to manoeuvre the letters to where you want them.When they're lined up to your satisfaction press the lettering hard using a tissue to help it stick hard.3) Spray any aerosol paint primer onto the face with the lettering( I use an auto acrylic primer) .I found that the red oxide Rustproofing ones stick to the acrylic panel best but also used regular primer in grey and it was fine.I give it 2-3 coats and leave until dry(maybe overnight).When dry apply 2x coats of aerosol top coat (again acrylic auto paint) although others I'm sure will do .I use Boeing grey RAL 7011 Matt finish from an online company (Autopaint.co.uk in St Helens uk which mixes it for me £8.00 per can approx) .4 ) When the paint is dry ,6-8 hrs I find is enough,It's time for tweezers/hobbyist Magnifying lens if possible and remove all the lettering.If occasionally while removing the lettering the middle of an 'o' etc also comes away with the tweezers then dab some top coat using the end of a toothpick to repair the damaged letter.I then use a toothbrush /soap/water on the surface when finished to get rid of paint flakes.5) Attach your switches and screw to the wooden overhead frame you've already made.Solder or crimp on the wires.I use the Leo Bodnar BU0836x card ( approx £50 for 32 switch inputs plus axis controls etc)for all the inputs,there are probably cheaper input cards around but these are so simple to use, no soldering or screws,and are read by flightsim as a game controller i.e joystick/throttle etc so no software required.Buy a registered copy of FSUIPC approx £20 ?? and using the Mouse Macro facility available with the registered copy of fsuipc assign the mouse macros(not that hard really If I can ,anyone can believe me...) to the switch action you want and voila you have a working overhead switch,now repeat for 130+ switches........it is actually very easy and suddenly you realise it's all done!6) Backlighting...I use led strips. (as I can't be bothered wiring individual leds)It needed 1x 4 metre length uncut for the overhead.I run the strip from left to right at the back of the overhead facing towards the back of the panels obviously :( and support the strip using sticky tape at various points.The overhead basically has five runs (like one long 4 metre snake if you see what I mean....)of the tape ( approx £30-40 ) which gives more than enough light for all the panels lettering .I hope this is of some help to you and if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.Also if you want a realistic boeing -ish yoke for £15-20 approx, that is also quite easy and needs no engineering skills to make(just wood /drain pipe/couple of bolts/ potentiometer /slide potentiometer) and adds a bit more realism to flying without spending much money ,however I don't pretend it will ever be even slightly near as good as a bought one(Ace make excellent ones) or as good as some of the beautifully engineered home made ones that some builders have constructed.regards Jim

It really is very easy to do,the most boring part is setting up the lettering.I made/wired the whole overhead in about 3 weeks,I'm retired :( and have lots of free time,and finished/installed approx 1x panel per day,zero skills required,just input cards and fsuipc mouse macros. regards Jim

I have just finished my pmdg 747 fs9 based 747-400 basic/generic-ish o/head and at less than £300 and a lot of patience you can enhance your cockpit using zero programming/engineering skills(if I can do it anyone can...).For the o/head I use 3 x Bu0836x cards for inputs only,no outputs.The cockpit was originally going to be a 737 but I always preferred the 747-400 and it has ended up as a 737 shell/cp flight mcp/efis and the rest inc throttle/yoke is 747 ish(throttle /yoke home made and about £15 in bits to make) but all in Boeing grey as I was not striving for an exact replica of the real aircraft.I need one more Bu0836x card to get the fire handles working and a couple of other switches .I use the tedious method of 5mm thick white acrylic sheet /sticky letters/paint/remove letters(tweezers and magnifying lens required...) 4 metre led strip lighting for backlighting.I use a fourth bu0836x for some pedestal switches/nose wheel/gear/747 eicas panel( simple to make).So it does not have to cost the earth to get a bit more realism out of your simming,all you need is time................ :( .regards Jim

No probs :( ,the a/c would then shuttle from JFK to YYZ and back, but the narrow body was unpopular across the atlantic and the service was abandoned after a couple of years.regards Jim

British Airways definitely did operate a 757 from BHX to JFK in the 90's,I was regularly on it :Money Eyes:regards Jim

I used to time the take off run out of Nairobi northbound to London on the 747-200 back in the 1970's as it was always famously long winded.The longest run I recorded on a very warm evening was 1 minute 25 seconds from brake release(take off power already set) to lift off!!.It must have been rather "interesting" for the crew...regards Jim

ViscountBac-111Super vc10Trident1/2/3Concorde748AtpB707727737 2-8757767747 200/400TristarDc6Dc8/9/md8--/dc10Twottervarious beech/cessna/floats(forgotten details..)A300/318/319/320AtrCrjElectraBiplane(stearman I think!)Thruster microlightGemini Alpha microlightVarious gliders inc BlanikJet rangerSikorsky s61?regards jim

:( regards Jim

Apologies if I'm wrong but I'm not too sure that pmdg and flightsimlabs contact each other that much......but I'm sure a driver will be forthcoming at some stage,and I can highly recommend cpflight hardware.regards Jim

regards jim

Thanks for the info,I've tried it and I may well be imagining it but there appears to be a very significant improvement for me. :( regards jim

BA did a similar thing in the 80's with regards to paying for a Lockheed Tristar,can't remember if they succeeded or not.regards Jim

Exactly!,and being a European myself I would rather....well...you know. :( regards Jim

Lets face it most Americans want the world to buy American aircraft and protect American jobs,and most Europeans want the world to buy European aircraft and protect European jobs,nothing wrong or surprising about that,simple really :( .regards Jim

I have a 2pc setup and could not face the idea of a HDD crash in either drive so I took the easy no skill required (important in my case!!) albeit more expensive option of buying 2 spare Hard drives and a Hard drive duplicator device £45 approx.Incredibly simple to copy the whole drives to the new drives.I have no idea if there are any pitfalls in going down this route but I have tested the new drives and all is running perfectly.The drives are now stored awaiting the inevitable crash.Obviously if I make any major changes to my installations in the future I will need to re copy the entire drives again but it only takes me approx 45 mins per drive.regards Jim