Your Cockpit?

[Triford]

QUOTE (Triford @ Oct 29 2011,2:27 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

MY Cockpit

Since I got a mention on the forum re my simulator I thought I would give a short run down on it
AST300 simulator to FSX conversion two seater which I use a Beechbaron with after market sound pack

Main PC for FSX
Aywun G Series Case
Aywun 750watt Power Supply
Intel Core i7 2600K 3.40GHz Quad Core 8M LGA1155 Processor
Asus P8P67 Intel P67 ATX Socket 1155 Motherboard
8GB RAM - Kingston 4GB 1333MHz DDR3 Non-ECC CL9 DIMM
1TB Western Digital Caviar Blue SATA3
DVD-Writer
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
2GB Asus HD 6950 DDR5 PCI-E Video Card
1 2,210.00 2,210.00
MC Saphire Active Display Port Adapter
MC 1GB ATI HD5450 Graphics Card

Second PC drives the instruments Plan G etc
Intel ®core ™2 CP 6600@2.40GHZ 2.4GHZ
350 MB Ram
32 Bit
Nivida 8800GTS
Vista
Etc basically an old gaming PC

FS Software
FSX
New Zealand Scenery only
Plan G
FSUIPC (wide client, wide server)
Piex software for the instruments
Active sky, x graphics,
( Vox atc, My Traffic x , It Your Plane, Flight Sim Commander and many more including a hanger full of add on aircraft I have refrained from installing) I’m trying to keep it generic and simple





FS Hardware
Vrinsight GPS 5
Saiteck Multi Panel
Saiteck Radio Panel
Track IR (Trackclip pro)
Hagstrom Keusb108 X2 one for each PC converts keyboard commands to switches

Hagstrom Rotary 5 Switch interface this along with one keusb108 allows the full control of the below through rotary and micro switches on the instrument panel
TAS correction in airspeed
Artificial horizon
Kollsman value
Gyro drift in hsi
Heading bug in hsi
Heading bug in adf
Needle source change rmi (vor –adf1) micro switch
Needle source change rmi(vor2-adf2) micro switch

Hastrom Kead6 x2 Potentiometer interface boards which converts keyboard commands through FSUIPC to control the throttles, pitch, mixture, alt air, cowl flaps, aileron trim, brakes and rudder trim

Hagstrom 10x36 Breakout boards x3 allows the miles of wires it required to connect the switches to interface with the keusb108 boards

Custom interface board to interface led’s for parking brake, landing gear and flaps (new one getting made to give 3 flap positions with three colours) Made by Milton Hartley from M.B.D.D.S

The panel after my templates were finished I had water jet cut from 2mm aluminium the instrument depth water jet cut from 4mm black poly carbonate slightly smaller to give a bezel finish and 2mm clear poly carbonate sandwiched in between to give the panel a real instrument look everything you see on the panels is operational.
Mechanical and electric trim
Masters
Avionic masters
De-ice
Pitot heat
Left and fight fuel pumps
Landing gear
Prop sync
Dme
Adf
Nav/ gps
Lights- panel, beacon, nav, strobe, taxi, landing
Magnetos left engine left &right
Magnetos right engine left & right
Flaps 3 position manual down auto up function
Chronometer
Engine hours
16 programmable fuses for fsx failures
Fuel selector switches 3 way left & right
Vr insight GPS5 and Saitek radio and autopilot and all of there functions
Pug in head set mic function

It has considerable more functions than the original AST and is very stable, it requires the two computers to run it one for fsx and the other which communicates wirelessly through FSUIPC wide client to operate the instruments rotary encoders and mico switch functions. Yet to finish is new carpet and recovering of the seats for cosmetics and a decent visual system I am considering a short throw projector but if any one has ideas let me know .The main pc has two video cards one for the GPS 5 and the other which is eyefinity allowing 3 monitors I may have to ditch the shell to allow better visuals. I have written a manual on the build and where every colour coded wire has gone and how it was programmed through FSUIPC and hagstom software just in case I develope a problem or sell it. The quadrant, yoke, trim and rudder controls are all quality original AST and are well machined and feel very realistic the only change being toe brakes I have manufactured and programmed with potentiometers. The computer was built by Matt at VR Concepts here in Palmerston North for the sim and does the job extremely well. I have loads of photos of the build and the wiring if anyone is interested.

Looking at another simulator project so this one has to go to make some room. If anyone is interested you can PM me

[Ian Warren]

Now that's cool .. imagine putting a spring base on that just for that little extra wobblyness .. im sure an aero-club would take that off your hands as sim trainer

[Kelvinr]

QUOTE (Triford @ Jan 7 2013,11:40 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Looking at another simulator project so this one has to go to make some room. If anyone is interested you can PM me

What's your asking price?

[deeknow]

QUOTE (Kelvinr @ Jan 7 2013,4:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What's your asking price?

Says the guy who just sold all his cool gear so he could pay for his real-world flying !!!

[madaz]

Not much of a setup but the ol girl is still going despite being dragged over the ditch and stored for the past 15 months, my 15" (gps) montor is absent due to damage and FMC (ipad) is absent due to wife using at present. Priorities The latest edition are the 250W subwoofer, blue ambient lighting and Saitek Pro Flight Switch Panel. (purchased last night and awaiting delivery)

[Ian Warren]

And a printer to log hard copies of your flight

[Yob]

Would you like my projects Wip.

[Adrian Brausch]

WOW thats some rig man,....me myself I have a Joystick (and a Saitek Yoke and throttle which I think is rubbish IMO )

[mfraser]

QUOTE (madaz @ Jan 15 2013,7:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

.... FMC (ipad) is absent due to wife using at present.

I've just bought my wife and son an iPad 4 and iPad Mini respectively. I've heard of using iPads as a touchscreen FMC before - but as I understand it you have to keep everything in windowed mode! Is that the same with your firsthand experience?

Mat

[madaz]

QUOTE (mfraser @ Jan 16 2013,11:14 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've just bought my wife and son an iPad 4 and iPad Mini respectively. I've heard of using iPads as a touchscreen FMC before - but as I understand it you have to keep everything in windowed mode! Is that the same with your firsthand experience?

Mat

Yes you are correct, to use ipad as FMC you must remain in windowed mode.

[madaz]

Some more pics

[whirlybird]

QUOTE (madaz @ Jan 16 2013,3:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Some more pics

Hey how do you do that? Im about to get an ipad
would be keen to have that setup working.
Can you use it with other panels etc?

[Kelvinr]

QUOTE (deeknow @ Jan 7 2013,7:36 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Says the guy who just sold all his cool gear so he could pay for his real-world flying !!!

Once a simmer, always a simmer. Even real world flying can't keep me away for very long especially when it is quite $$ hungry! A good point you make though.

[madaz]

QUOTE (whirlybird @ Jan 16 2013,7:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hey how do you do that? Im about to get an ipad
would be keen to have that setup working.
Can you use it with other panels etc?

You need an app called air display and a wifi network, yes it works with other panels. I found it useful to monitor my flights (squawkbox, gps,fmc) on my pc upstairs while I sat downstairs enjoying some "inflight" entertainment.

[whirlybird]

QUOTE (madaz @ Jan 17 2013,6:36 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You need an app called air display and a wifi network, yes it works with other panels. I found it useful to monitor my flights (squawkbox, gps,fmc) on my pc upstairs while I sat downstairs enjoying some "inflight" entertainment.

Ahh ok. Sounds good to me. I like the idea of being able to monitor your flights etc while doing other stuff. Helps with the longer haul flights anyway
So slightly off the topic here a tiny bit. Are you able to load the Airways Charts on the ipad for use in real flying? I have heard a few people talking about
it but now that I will actually have an ipad im naturally a bit more interested haha. Would be very useful. I figure you still wanna carry the real thing but still.

[madaz]

QUOTE (whirlybird @ Jan 17 2013,6:42 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Are you able to load the Airways Charts on the ipad for use in real flying?

I dont see any reason why not, I use charts in pdf form for flightsim, it is certainly an easier way of viewing small details(with zoom function) without the need for reading glasses.

[madaz]

QUOTE (whirlybird @ Jan 17 2013,7:42 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ahh ok. Sounds good to me. I like the idea of being able to monitor your flights etc while doing other stuff. Helps with the longer haul flights anyway

Absolutely, remote monitoring of my long hauls has allowed me to spend more time with the family, the only real problem is there are no associated sounds with the windows you are monitoring.

[madaz]

Saitek switch panel finally arrived, yay!











Now what next??

[Ian Warren]

QUOTE (madaz @ Feb 8 2013,4:51 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Now what next??

A yoke for your LAPTOP during the monitoring of my long hauls just in case

[AndrewJamez]

Where do you get airways charts in PDF??