Keyboard labels

**letsgofaster** · 05-16-2012, 07:29 PM

I just got a keyboard so I can make something like what Roger dodger aviation has, just not as specified. I would like to program my 2nd keyboard, which I already have a little bit, and I would like to make labels for the keyboard.
Does anyone have any suggestions on where I can get free keyboard labels for FSX, and if there is no such thing, advice on how to do it myself.

**lolaloa22** · 05-17-2012, 10:44 AM

I made mine with Microsoft Word but you can use Paint as well. You are basically just drawing a square, filling it with whatever color you want and adding text to it. It's VERY easy. At first they were a bit small for the keys so I had to resize them and print them again so you may have to fool around with the sizing. After I printed them I laminated them and stuck them to the keyboard. The fisrt time through I glued them but found they came off after use so either use a strong glue or do what I eventually did...use velcro. That way, you have the option of moving them around later if you need to. Experiment using different colors for similar controls...like blue for engine controls and yellow for surface controls etc. It ends up looking rather nice
I was going to use the keyboard as my overhead panel but found a (more or less) life size photo of an overhead panel that I printed, laminated and installed switches onto. For $20 worth of switches it looks pretty decent.

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**letsgofaster** · 05-17-2012, 03:24 PM

Did you use a special paper and ink? because from previous experience, normal paper and ink is not very good.

**lolaloa22** · 05-17-2012, 03:41 PM

Yes...just used normal paper and ink. What problem did you have with your paper/ink? My overhead panel is obviously bigger than an 8x11 sheet of paper so I had to cut and paste smaller sections of the panel jpg into pieces that would fit onto the paper. Once everything was printed I laminated it and pieced it together. You can just barely see the keyboard in the shot below but it does have the labels on the keyboard as well. I haven't had nay trouble with this i.e no smearing, no ripping etc. perhaps the fact that it is all laminated makes everything hold up better.
The guages on the instrument panel are also pictures that were printed, cut out and laminated. there are circles cut out behind each guage so in effect it is backlit when I turn on the light behind it. Same for the GPS that you can see....photo printed and push button switches installed across the bottom and side which actually work the on-screen GPS.