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Hi all, I am in the process of building my Sim. I purchased the Simionic PFD and MFD as well as their switch panel and standby gauges. I am looking to purchase a panel to mount everything into. I could make it out of wood but prefer the clean look of a professional metal panel. The only 172 Panel I found so far is from Homecockpits.fr located in France priced around $500 plus shipping. Does anyone have any other suggestions as to where to find a 172 Panel.
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I am building an overhead panel for FS2004. I have a zero delay arcade USB encoder, connected 12 on/off switches and plugged in the USB. The switches work straight away both through options-controls-assignments or through FSUIPC. No problem, except, for example: To switch on the landing lights I switch the allocated switch on. So far so good. But to switch the lights off I have to switch the switch off then on again to send the necessary signal to the sim. Obviously I would like that when the switch was on the lights are on and off when the switch is off. I think I could place two switches close together, one upside down to the other and some sort of handle across the two to make one switch to achieve the required result. But does anyone have any experience, suggestions, ideas? Thanks.
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Hi all, I am looking to use a keyboard (for now) as a overhead panel for the Aerosoft A321-200. Unfortunately it not possible to assign for example every fuel pump to an individual button in FSX. Does anybody know if there is a way to do this? Kind Regards, Nathan
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How To Build Your Own Cockpit Parts 25 - 30 by Kev Saker Part 25 Some exciting news starts this article on the building of my simulator. It would appear that a number of people who are constructing their own flight simulator have been having problems obtaining solenoids, as described in my last section. There are a number of alternatives that folks can look at when they decide to build a sim. However, a good friend, Robert Prather who lives in Texas has come up with a simple way to build a computer interface. All you need is a second keyboard and a little patience. I should mention that other people have used a similar system but Robert has taken the time to test this idea and lay it all out in print and diagrams for the rest of the flightsim community to enjoy. Well done, Robert, and thanks for the contribution. The rest of this section is devoted to Robert's article; read it here. Part 26 As a footnote to Robert's article a thought springs to mind. If you have already started building your simulator with transformers, which means all your systems and keyboard functions are 12 volt powered, you can still use this idea by simply connecting all your functions to small relays, and then connect the keyboard connections to the relay. This will have the advantage of keeping the entire keyboard wiring very short. Relays are very cheap to obtain. OK, the next thing to build is the seat. I have drawn the plans in such a way that you can build the seat as a heavy jet or an ejector seat depending what type of sim you are constructing. If you look at the diagram BASIC SEAT STRUCTURE, you will see that the construction is really very simple. Start with a good sturdy base; use 6x4-inch timber and screw it together as in the plan. Add extra pieces at the front and back; try to ensure that the front of the seat is higher than the back so the seat pan has a comfortable slope back. Next, using 1/4 inch plywood, cut two side pieces as shown. I have given sizes of my seat however you should make up your own mind if these sizes will suit you. I would suggest you cut a card template for the side panels so you can get the angle right before you cut the ply. When you have these parts, screw them to the base already completed. Next add the top piece. This should be slightly narrower than the seat base. As for width, make it wide enough to drill a couple of holes so you can add a head rest if you wish (these can be obtained cheaply at your local car breakers yard). The next thing to cut is the seat back. You should use 1/2 inch ply or MDF board so it will give the seat the strength it will need when you start climbing all over it! Finally, cut a slot at the bottom of the seat back as shown. This is where the seat motion arm will exit. Looking now at diagram SEAT PAN you will see the way to proceed. Basically, the motion system comprises of a piece of thick ply, which is attached to the seat base at the front of the seat. Use two door hinges so the pan will move up and down. If you look at the drawing you can see I have attached an arm under the seat pan (buy a length of angle iron for this and another job later on). Bolt the arm to the seat pan so about 7 inches protrudes through the back of the seat as in the diagram. The next things to fit are the springs that the seat pan sits on. You can see where to fit them in the drawing. They should sit on the rear piece of 6x4 timber. I used two car engine valve springs, as soft springs will not work. You can get a couple from the good old breakers yard for next to nothing. As for attaching them, the simple way is to get two pieces of steel plate with a hole drilled in the middle, slot this into the bottom of the spring then screw the plate to the 6x4 timber. Also on this drawing you will see two holes drilled in the sides of the seat for the folding arms. You can make these up from a couple of lengths of timber drilled and attached with two long nuts and bolts. Buy some covering material and a piece of foam and using two pieces of hardboard make up the padded arms using good material glue. You will need to fit a couple of stops on the sides of your seat so when the arms are lowered they will rest on the stops. Now at this point you should decide what type of seat you are building. If it's for the heavy jet then skip this part, if however you are making a fast jet then look at the diagram entitled FAST JET MODIFICATION. Basically, the seat needs a wooden box structure added to the back; this would contain the rocket motor and drogue chutes etc. You can make this up as drawn using ply or MDF board and screw it to the back of the seat. You may wish to change the shape and size of this part depending which type of ejector seat you are building. Mine was based on the Martin Baker MK4 seat used in the Phantom. As mentioned before, excellent detailed plans and drawings of your seat can be found in books called DETAIL SCALE F-18 HORNET for example. Check out your local model shop. An ejector seat is a fantastic project in itself, so take your time and build it up with lots of detail; it will be the centrepiece of your simulator. Finally, you can fit the ejection handles so they work! Don't worry, you do not want to blow a hole in your roof, just fit a couple of micro switches that are pulled when you activate the handle, connect these to the EJECT key on your interface so you can see yourself floating down in your chute. Part 27 Continuing with the seat motion system (both seats) see SEAT MOTION SYSTEM diagram. This is a side view of the seat base. You can see the layout of the various parts. You can also see the seat pan is quite thick. You should use this to adjust the height to your preference. Moving back, the geared down 12 volt motor is seen attached to the angle iron bar. The motor needs to be able to turn a small flywheel with an off center lead weight attached. The motor can be fitted using large nylon ties. Also fit the motor with a piece of rubber between the motor and the bar as this will avoid noise and vibration. (Use an old piece of bicycle innertube.) You may need to slow the flywheel down to produce the right effect. The best way to do this is fit a resistor speed controller. Yep it's back to the breakers yard--look for a car instruments light dimmer switch. This is usually a round coil with an arm that moves to vary the output. Fit this in line with the motor; you will be able to slow the flywheel right down to produce a nice bouncing up and down type motion. While you're at it try to get a few of these resistor controllers, as they are great when you fit the cockpit lighting system. I have previously described the sound to light unit but just to recap, you can buy a disco type sound to light unit to activate your motion system. They are available at music shops or can be bought as electronics projects in kit form. We do not require the lighting effect so rather than a light fit a heavy-duty relay that will activate the seat motor instead. This should be placed near your bass speaker, as it will react to the low frequency sounds. The overall effect this system produces is quite impressive. If you change the touchdown wav from a screech to a rumble you will feel every landing you make through the seat of your pants! You will get many other effects too. For example, when you raise or lower the gear you will get some turbulence, and of course if you crash heaven forbid! Finally for the seat you will need to fix it to the floor. If you use that other piece of angle iron, cut and bolt it to the floor at the front of the seat, cut two lengths of threaded rod and drill two holes in the front of your seat, screw the rod into the wood base. You may wish to glue them as they need to be secure. Now line up your seat with the angle iron and mark were the rods touch the angle iron; drill holes here so the rod will slide through. This will hold the seat in position and will also allow you to slide the seat forward and backwards for adjustment. Another thing springs to mind--cover the parts of the seat frame you might touch with very thin Aluminium sheet so the seat feels right and will give a nice metal appearance when painted. You can use a cheap rivet gun to attach the Aluminium; this looks very good on the ejector seat. The only thing remaining is to obtain two pieces of foam and some covers for the cushions, and don't forget the sheep skin fronts! Part 28 That about covers the seat, etc. The next job, and quite a big one, is the overhead systems panel. The basic construction of the frame for the panel was covered in part 16. You will see that there are wooden rails where each panel can be attached using small self tapping screws. Each panel on my sim is made from Plasticard as in part 23. This takes some time but it is the best way to proceed because you can cut the panel and paint it, then drill all the holes necessary for fixing switches and knobs etc., and before you fit them it is easy to add the text using Lettereset transfers. Finally add the switches and screw the panel in place. If you look at diagram OVERHEAD PANEL you will see that each panel is numbered from the left top corner down each column, so starting with panel 1 I will list what each panel is. 1 IRS MODE CONTROL PANEL 2 YAW DAMPER 3 BLANK 4 HYDRAULICS 5 BLANK 6 WARNING LIGHT PANEL 7 BLANK 8 H.F. RADIO when fitted. 9 BATTERY STANDBY POWER. 10 GENERATOR CONTROL PANEL (see diagram) 11 APU start / stop 12 COCKPIT VOICE RECORDER 13 PANEL and RUNWAY TURN OFF LIGHTS 14 BLANK 15 EMER LIGHTS--PASS OXYGEN 16 ENGINE START SELECTORS 17 FUEL PUMPS SELECT 18 FUEL QUANTITY AND TEMP 19 ANTI ICE ENGINE / WING 20 WIPER and RAIN REPELLENT 21 ANTI COLLISION - LANDING LIGHTS 22 BLANK 23 WINDOW HEAT 24 BLANK 25 SELCAL / CABIN CALL 26 PASSENGER SIGNS 27 CABIN ALT CONTROL 28 CABIN ALT GAUGES 29 EQUIPMENT COOLING 30 PANEL LIGHTS / DOOR LOCK 31 BLANK 32 CABIN TEMP GAUGES 33 PACK CONTROL 34 BLEED AIR (PRESSURIZATION) Now how many of these panels you wire up to work in your sim is up to you. Some are important where others you don't really need. For example, you will need the electrical panel and engine generators, but you may not need the cabin signs (seat belts). I tried to get them all working in some way. Hydraulic pump switches can interrupt the joystick circuit. Cockpit pressurisation and pack control can simply be wired to a small fan providing a nice cool flow of air on your flight deck. These days they use the "dark cockpit principle" which means there are no warning lights on if every thing is working normally, so you can wire many panels to show an off warning light. Some panels are easy to simulate. The cabin temp panel can be a thermometer, the cockpit voice recorder can be a small tape deck, as far as functions that control keys in flight simulator. Working from left to right, YAW DAMPERS, PANEL LIGHTS, ENGINE START, FUEL PUMPS, ANTI ICE, EXTERIOR LIGHTS can all be connected to the interface of your choice. If you intend to fit the overhead circuit breaker panel then many of the switches can be included in the mentioned systems simply as an in line switch. Some folks have asked were to get all these switches. You will find there is a mail order catalog that supplies all types of switch to electronics enthusiasts or look at surplus electronics stands at model railway shows etc. Also if you email Robert Prather he has an idea for homemade switches. Part 29 Part 29 deals with the basic wiring of the generator control panel. See diagram panel 10 and BUS DIAGRAM. I have used two model railway 12 volt transformers as the basis of my electrical system. Each transformer has a thermal cut out which means if you get a short circuit the switch will pop out and cut the power. If you copy my diagram when this happens you will get a GEN OFF warning light on the gen panel. Also there is a simple bus tie system which means that if you lose a gen the supply from the other engine gen will provide power for this bus. I have tried to keep this diagram as simple as possible. I think if you study it, it is self explanatory, however I will describe how it works. At the bottom of the drawing you will see the two transformers. The power runs from these to the gen control panel. You could just switch these on to provide power to the bus at the top of the diagram, however this would not be very realistic. First you need to start the engines so the engine driven generators will supply power, so you now as pilot have a choice: hook up to ground power or start the APU (auxiliary power unit). There are switches for APU and ground power. You will see on the diagram that it is possible to provide electrical power to the bus by activating the APU or the ground power. You then start the engines and switch on the Generator switches. When you have done this and the engines are supplying power the APU or ground power can be shut down. If for some reason you switch a generator off, then a warning light should illuminate. You can do this two ways, using a six pole switch wired to illuminate the warning light when the bus is off, or a relay powered by the other bus to illuminate the light when the power is switched off. As for the bus tie switches I have drawn one to keep the diagram simple. Basically this is a switched connection between the positive and negative sides of both buses, so if one drops of line the other will supply power to that bus. The power bus are the two main power supplies for all the functions and circuits in your flight simulator. You can piggyback these supplies rather than have long cable runs going to one power supply. Just connect two wires and run them up to your overhead panel, for example, so you have a handy power source up there. One final thought--remember to include suitable fuses between the transformers and the gen panels. Part 30 For a quick look at my Auto Brakes system, see diagram AUTO BRAKES. This is an easy way to create automatic braking after touchdown or on a rejected takeoff. I wanted this to work from the auto brake panel with working warning light rather than use the mouse to select it. It works like this: if you have built your simulator along the same lines as mine you will have working thrust reverses connected to a solenoid or relay switch. Looking at the diagram, you will see that the auto-brakes get their power from the thrust reverse solenoid or relay. Through the auto brake selector switch a relay and AUTO BRAKE ON light is activated. The relay is connected to the micro switch on the brake pedal. This means that after landing or on a rejected take-off if you pull reverse thrust and provided the auto brake panel is set to RTO 2 3 or 4 the auto brake on light will illuminate and the brakes will be applied until you cancel reverse thrust around 60 knots then revert to manual braking. Well that about covers it for this section. I had intended to make this the last article however I have made a few modifications to my simulator including an extra computer with two graphics cards which now give me a working ECAS system and FMC / NAV display. I have learned a lot about networking and running multiple monitors while doing this so I will write it all down before I forget it all! I have included an up to date photo of my simulator, hope you like it. Finally if anybody needs any more info drop me a line, it's always nice to hear from fellow simmers. Any problems, email me at Kevin.saker@virgin.net Read other articles in this series -
How To Build Your Own Cockpit Parts 22 - 24 by Kev Saker Part 22 Part 22 shows how a simple manual stab trim gauge is made and linked mechanically to the stab trim lever, the working of the manual stab trim lever is described in part 8. It should be remembered that the main trim facility in Flight sim is a simulated electric trim activated from the three-position yoke trim switch. Below this is the panel I use to control the view selections, I use 5 solenoids to provide 5 possible window views, Forward including panel, left front, left, right front, right. Finally for this section there is a drawing of the parking brake switch. You will see it uses the same methods as already described, but to run through it, the handle is attached to a piece of aluminium bar which slides through a aluminium tube fitted onto the centre panel. At the bottom of the tube there is a toggle switch which provides the on/ off action of the handle and also controls the parking brake warning light. You will also see two micro switches that connect to the solenoids that activate the parking brake function in Flight sim. As you pull the handle up to activate the brake the micros are pushed momentarily to switch the function. The same thing happens when you push the handle in to release the park brake. Part 23 Now we come to the radio pedestal and its functions. A plan view of this can be seen on drawing 17. All the radio panels are made of plasticard sheet; I begin by cutting the panel to size then cutting another piece the same. These are glued together, but first I cut the corners of the top piece as in diagram 23 this produces a panel that is strong and has recessed screw points as on the real plane. The next thing to do is drill the holes for the rotary knobs and momentary switches if required. At this point I would paint the panel and mark it up with Lettereset dry transfers. Finally I fit the micro switches and momentary buttons as in the drawing. All the radio panels can be built using this method. The panels in the middle of the plan that have toggle switches are simply wired in series with the momentary buttons on the radio panels and are master switches for each radio panel. Also on this panel there are three momentary buttons which are connected to solenoids that activate the Morse code ident functions in Flight sim. Finally on this drawing you can see the wooden frame built into the top of the pedestal box. These wooden rails are where all the radio panels are attached. Part 24 This next section covers the building of the solenoid computer interface. I first built this over ten years ago for the Phantom. Today there are several choices available to the cockpit builder. I believe it is possible to hard wire a keyboard running wires directly to the various switches. I myself did consider this but I was not happy with the fact that you would be using the computers power supply, and running wires all over the sim would create the risk of a voltage drop as the computer keyboard only uses very low voltage. There are also some commercially available, programmable switch pads that it may be possible to use on a home built sim. The best solution available to us at present is a device called an EPIC card. This fits into your computer and allows you to program many switched functions into your cockpit. I believe it is possible to get additional EPIC cards to control digital displays too, so this represents what is probably the best way of building a cockpit at this time provided off course you are prepared to pay for it. Some people have asked me which is the best method to use, my solenoid system or the EPIC. The simple answer is I built my system a long time ago, long before the EPIC appeared. Perhaps if it had been around then I would have used it. My system has a couple of things I like. Firstly provided you can find a cheap source of small low voltage solenoids, you can build it for very little cost, secondly it has absolutely nothing to do with the computer and does not require a slot on your motherboard, finally it is very reliable and when up and running requires no attention at all. I use about 30 solenoids which may not sound like a lot of functions, however by using the SHIFT and CTRL keys you can double the no of functions. For example I mentioned that the heading hold function used the CTRL and H key, so if you assign the H key on its own to another function you will see that you can get more than one item controlled by each solenoid. The choice is yours. As for the construction of the interface it is very simple, cut two plastic plates, one for the top, and one for the bottom, use a piece of clear Perspex to obtain a keyboard map. This is done by placing the clear Perspex over the keyboard and marking out with a permanent marker pen the position of all the keys, then using an electric drill cut all the holes to form a template. Tape the two plastic plates together and place the template over the plates, now drill out all the key positions. When complete make a base from ply or chipboard and drill holes in each corner for the threaded rod supports. Then using aluminium tube threaded rod and nuts assemble the interface as in the drawing. The solenoids fit on the top plate. Using hollow plastic rods (again obtainable from good model shops) you can make simple self-adjusting connections between the solenoid pin and the plastic rods. This is done by cutting some very thin strips of rubber (cycle innertube is fine). Looking at drawing 24, bottom left you can see how easy it is to make the connection, by pushing the rubber into the hollow rod with the solenoid pin you get a tight fit that when the solenoid pushes the rod down on the key will self adjust the throw of the rod. My drawing of the interface is rather poor, I would sooner build anything than try and draw it! If you look at the photo in the introduction to this article you will get a better idea. One final word on solenoids, I have used three different types on my interface, some cost 6 pounds each while the others I obtained from a surplus electronics stall for 1 pound each. They are in use in many applications that require a small push or pull movement so they are worth searching out. Finally for this module on drawing 25 you can see the layout of the two keyboards and how the data switcher controls them. One other thing springs to mind about my system of two keyboards. This set-up offers the possibility of providing an instructors position on your simulator. For example if you wanted to simulate failing an engine on take off, all that would be needed is for the instructor to wait until you had started your take off run, and then quickly switch control of the sim back to the main keyboard, then he could shut down an engine and return control to you in the sim, all by the flick of one switch. To take this a step further you could build a simple board at the instructor's station with a few toggle switches so you could illuminate the engine fire warning light after failing the engine. With some thought it can be seen that many failures could be simulated in this fashion, from the discreet drop out of an Autopilot hold to a dangerous trim runaway on final approach. I believe this idea could introduce a hole new aspect of flight simming were you could not only simulate line flying but use checklists to practise dealing with the many faults and failures that pilots train for in multi million pound simulators. My next and final module will feature the ejector seat and 757 seat construction, also the over head system panel and the seat motion system. (And anything else I can think up in the mean time!) Finally I would just like to say thanks to all the people that have taken the time to write, and their encouragement with this project. Read other articles in this series -
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How To Build Your Own Cockpit Parts 20 - 21 by Kev Saker Part 20 This section will describe the various ways you can build the engine instruments. My displays are made of plasticard and brass wire, the box is made up as in the diagram, the instrument faces can be done using your printer and the Windows program Paint, or you can make your own using Lettereset dry transfers. You will notice I have left the side of the display for a block of warning lights. This simply pushes in place so if you need to change a bulb it is reasonably easy. There are two bulbs fixed in the back panel of the unit which provide back lighting to the display. The mechanism for the display is very simple but quite effective when completed. By drilling small holes in both front and back you can push brass wire through and bend the pointers to shape. These are then bent at the back and connected to a plastic snake (obtainable from model shops and used in radio controlled planes etc.). These run under the centre console and connect to the bottom off the throttle arms. As I said this is simple and can be very useful, particularly when setting power in flight sim. You know how slow the engines respond to throttle movements making it difficult to set specific power settings. Well using the gauges and marking them up with say take off and cruise markings it is easy to set the power by monitoring the gauges. Fitting a Perspex front to the unit and cutting very thin aluminium sheet for the surrounds completes the display. Any type of engine instruments can be built in this way; the flap gauge is another example and is described in part 7. The warning light cluster can display a number of lights, on my sim there are parking brake, oil pressure, hydraulics, fuel pumps and seat belts warning lights all connected to the various system switches. This method allows us to build the simulator using a single computer, as said additional machines can be networked to provide more complex displays, it just comes down to how much you are prepared to spend. Part 21 Assuming you have built the Autopilot tray described earlier I will now talk about the MCP (mode control panel) for the Autopilot. Looking at drawing 21 you can see which functions on the panel I have working at this time. The functions on flight sim require that you push CTRL and another key for most operations. This required a special switch to be made using two micros as shown in 21. The switch is made up from plasticard and square section wood for the button. You will notice that one micro switch has a piece of plastic glued to the arm (see star). This means that when the button is pressed the left micro is depressed a fraction of a second before the other one. All the left micros run to the CTRL key solenoid while all the other micros run to the function keys. For example, the heading hold function when pressed the CTRL key is activated a split second before the H function key thus setting heading hold by pushing one button. I made up 6 of these switches for the functions now listed: APPROACH MODE ALTITUDE HOLD VERTICAL SPEED HOLD HEADING HOLD NAVor LOC HOLD SPEED HOLD There are several other functions on the MCP panel that I will now describe. Firstly there are three rotary knobs used for heading select, altitude select and speed select. These are made up using two micro switches for each function; the micros are then wired up to the corresponding solenoid at the keyboard. (As on 21 lower right). Finally for this section there is the autopilot ON/OFF lever type switch. This is one of my favourite functions on the entire sim. The switch itself is simple in that it is made using two micros as in the drawing and manual operation of the switch is easy to understand, the two micro connect directly to the solenoid over the Z key which turns the autopilot ON/OFF. The interesting part of this device is that it is usual for the pilots to switch the autopilot OFF by pressing the A/P cut-out button on the Yoke. This was achieved by using a small solenoid and attaching it to the switch arm as in the diagram, when the button on the yoke is pressed the 12 volt solenoid pushes the L shaped arm down until it engages the lower micro switch thus switching off the Autopilot. Using one off the many sound files available on the net to provide the correct audible warning for Autopilot disconnect for your plane. Part 21a This drawing provides a simple to understand diagram of how the autopilot panel is wired up. You can see that most of the functions are wired to the CTRL key and there function key. Also on this drawing you can see how the nav selector box is wired, Firstly I will describe its operation. The box consists of two rotary knobs and two momentary push buttons. To select a nav frequency I push the momentary button, which is marked as standby, then using the left knob it is possible to set the required frequency. To set the decimal point I press the standby button again and set the frequency with the knob. In a similar fashion to set the course bar I press the other momentary button and set the course with the right rotary knob. The rotary knobs are made up the same as the other rotary selectors already described, these are connected to the solenoids over the + - keys and the two momentary switches are connected to the N key for the nav select and the V key for the course select. In fact all the radio rotary selectors are connected to the + - keys which makes things quite simple, the only other function needed on all the radio panels is a momentary button to select that function before using the rotary frequency select on the + - keys. Finally for this part the auxiliary switches for gear and flaps can be mentioned, these are simply a set of momentary switches or buttons wired in parallel with there respective functions. Read other articles in this series -
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How To Build Your Own Cockpit Parts 18 - 19 by Kev Saker Part 18 The gear lever mechanism can be simple or slightly more complex, looking at the drawing you can see the gear lever has two micro switches at the up and down position, these are wired directly into your number one joystick (see part 11). As the lever is moved up or down the micro switch is momentarily depressed activating the gear. However I wanted the gear lever to do several things including working wheel and door lights; this is how it was built. You will also notice that the gear lever is attached directly to a three-position toggle switch (centre off) This drives a small geared down 12-volt motor (any good model shop), which is attached to a length of threaded rod. On this rod is screwed a nut which has a length of brass strip soldered to the top of the nut. So if the lever is moved up the nut and brass strip will move along the threaded rod, if the lever is placed in the down position the nut will move back. Now what I hear you ask is the point of all this complexity! If you watch in the cockpit videos you will no doubt have noticed that the green gear lights usually light up in a certain order, for example the two main wheels may light first followed a couple of seconds later by the nose wheel. Also when the gear is lowering (or raising) you will see the door light is illuminated. So if we want an accurate simulation of the gear system all that is now required are three micro switches fixed as in the drawing, you can glue small pieces of plastic to the arm of the micro so certain lights illuminate first when the brass bar engages them. As for the door lights you just wire a bulb in parallel with the motor so any time the motor is running the door lights is on. Also you will see on the drawing two micro switches are marked with stars, these are limit switches that stop the motor when it gets to the micros. (See wiring diagram). This system can have many other applications too; for example you may wish to fit a fan which can deliver cool air from the cockpit vent's, this would activate automatically when the gear is raised. Another idea would be to have a CAT (clear air turbulence) simulation, this could be a small electric timer that would activate the seat motion system from time to time, all activated from the gear lever. This is a simple system to build using a motor a length of threaded rod and a nut with brass strip, the rest of the components are micro switches and a single three position toggle switch. The accurate gear simulation alone makes the effort worth while. Part 19-19a In this part we look at the auto throttle select panel, this only applies if you have constructed the auto throttle mechanism as described in part 5a. The hart of this panel is a special type of push button switch used in TV's and old type radios, basically it is a four button (or more) push switch that when one button is pushed the other automatically goes to off. There are three main functions on my system, EPR which is a pre selected, reduced thrust mode used on take off, CLIMB1 mode which is selected after take off and sets a specific climb thrust setting, and DESCENT MODE which on my sim slowly returns the throttles to idle for the descent. Looking at drawing 19 you will see how the EPR mode is built. Basically the EPR switch applies power to the drive motor, attached to the throttle arm is a single micro switch, tied to the arm on the switch is a length of nylon cord which runs forward through a pulley or hook and up to the selector panel. At the back of the panel there is a small drum which the nylon cord is wound around. It works like this, the switch is pressed and the throttles move forward applying power, as the throttles move the slack is taken up in the nylon cord, as it is pulled tight the micro switch is pulled and this cuts the power to the motor. The position and therefor the thrust setting is adjusted by turning the knob on the selector panel, this simply adjusts the length of the nylon cord. OK, the next function is the climb 1 setting which would be selected in the initial climb, this works in the same way as EPR, when the button is pressed this cancels the EPR mode and applies power to start the throttles moving back, by fixing a micro switch near the throttles in the same way as before this cuts the power to the motor when the setting you require is achieved. (This is not adjustable). Finally the descent mode is very simply a mode that applies power to the motor to return them to idle; there is already a cut out micro on the throttle tray in diagram 5a. There would also be a cruise mode on the panel which at this time I have not built, however the fourth button on the selector panel is a OFF switch that deactivates the system, I have labelled this up as cruise. On drawing 19a I have drawn a simple wiring diagram for this system. The key to it is obtaining the switch described, also it is seen in the diagram that each segment of the switch must be double pole, in other words the switch will turn both positive and negative OFF/ON. Read other articles in this series -
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How To Build Your Own Cockpit Parts 15 - 17 by Kev Saker Part 15 This drawing gives dimensions of the various components so far; also it shows the shape and size of the left side panel, the circle on the panel marks the location of the nose wheel steering tiller. You will notice that the side panel runs outward from the window pillar at a fairly wide angle. This it to allow for the contour of the fuselage and also to make room for the captains seat which needs to be able to slide over to the left to make enough room for getting in and out of the seat. Again MDF board is ideal for constructing the side panel, you may wish to fit a piece of thin aluminium sheet on the outside of the structure to give it the right feel. Another nice touch (which I used on the F-4) would be to glue a piece of sheet steel on the floor of the cockpit and paint it the desired colour, then using wire wool rub out a pair of ovals on the floor. This simulates the wear you always see in front of the rudder pedals, you can polish up these ovals so the effect of aluminium floor is very realistic. (See * on drawing) to take the scale modelling aspect a bit further you can use a Stanley knife blade to score along the corners of the pedestal box, as these are aluminium this will also give a nice metal appearance to the box. Finally you will see there is a slot cut in the forward part of the left side consul, make a Plasticard box to fit under this. Just the place to keep all those approach plates you will need. Part 16 You may wish to build the instrument panels first. However as I am describing the construction of the cockpit structure I will continue with that for now. Drawing 16 shows the shape and dimensions of the outer cockpit and windows. Also the position of the monitor can clearly be seen. The actual construction of the cockpit shell will vary between different aircraft types but basically you start with the forward window posts, then I built the rear frame work from 2"x 1" timber, next, again using timber I linked the forward window structure to the rear bulkhead, this forms the frame of the overhead panel which can be seen on drawing 16 (lower left) the system panel at the front and the circuit breaker panel at the rear. You will see that the overhead panel is divided into three sections, these are where the various system panels are secured later. On the 757 and other aircraft there are 4 divisions on the system panel but because I was only building the left seat and centre console I left out row 4 as this contains mainly heating and pressurisation panels which I felt I could do without. The skin of my sim is made of white-faced hardboard, which is easy to work with an electric jigsaw. Windows on the sim can be glazed using Perspex or acrylic sheet. If you want to make them opaque use the method described for the cockpit canopy in section 12. Again, finishing touches can include aluminium sheet glued to the inside of the skin and aluminium strip used around the window frames will give a nice scale appearance. The outside of the simulator can be painted up with the logo and colour scheme of you favourite airline. As in the F-4 it is a good idea to fasten the frame to a wall to give it the strength and stiffness it requires. The lighting system in the sim is all low voltage. It comprises a white cockpit light with a potentiometer dimmer switch, a set of 14 grain of wheat type bulbs (used in modelling etc.) which run along the autopilot glareshield. These are wired in series two at a time so they are not to bright. Finally there is a red map light over the seat and a set of red panel lights that illuminate the overhead and centre panels. It is a good idea to fit a separate power supply for the lights; this will avoid the lights dimming when other functions activate. Part 17 OK, the next part covers the making of the centre panel and its associated systems panels. On drawing 17 you can see the basic layout of the panel for the 757/767. The parts that work on this panel are as follows, landing gear handle and wheel and door lights, flap gauge (covered in part 7) auto throttle select panel, alternate gear and flap switches, the two centre displays containing engine gauges and a number of system warning lights, the master caution warning light cancel and recall switch, a selection of warning lights, speed brake autopilot cut out etc, and finally the auto brakes select panel, which is just procedural at this time. The other instruments on this panel are just modelled replicas, the standby flight instruments are all red flagged at this time. If you wish to activate these instruments you would need to fit a second monitor as mentioned before. In the next sections I will describe the various parts working from right to left, starting with the gear lever. Read other articles in this series -
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How To Build Your Own Cockpit Parts 12 - 14 by Kev Saker Part 12-13 I have had a number of requests about the structure of the Phantom, as a result I have included some diagrams on the construction of the cockpit, see part 12 and 13. First a chipboard base is built; this needs to be solidly constructed, as the weight is quite considerable when the cockpit is complete. Next the front rudder pedal box should be made; this forms a table were the monitor will stand. If you are using a Fresnel lens you can see the approximate position. From here I built up the side consuls using MDF board and install the throttles and flap lever etc. all the switch panels are made of plasticard which can be obtained at model shops or sign makers. You may well be building another type of aircraft so I will not go into detail on the individual panels. If you need to obtain accurate drawings of panels for different planes try a company called "Detail Scale", they produce a large range of books on just about any military aircraft, you will find all the info you may need as well as cockpit dimensions too. Any good aviation book supplier will keep Detail Scale also try model shops etc. I think it makes good sense to build the interior of the sim first because you can be sure that the side panels and front panel are the right size etc., and you can install all flight controls while they are easy to get at. When you are happy with the interior you can begin building up the cockpit frame, this is built of wood. The rear panel is cut from ply sheet. The cockpit frame needs to be quite sturdy, as you have to climb in, so it needs to be able to take your weight. A good idea is to screw the rear panel to a wall this will give your sim the rigidity it needs. The two cockpit side rails should be made of 3"x 2" wood for strength. When you have built the frame you can start the outer skin, this is best done using thin marine ply wood, make a card template for each section then cut out the wood using a electric jig saw. When complete buy several sheets of very thin aluminium and cover the ply using a rivet gun to secure it to the plywood. This gives the sim an excellent look and feels right. Finally buy two lengths of aluminium plate and screw these along the cockpit side rails. The cockpit canopy is made up from aluminium strip and depending on what type of visual system you are going to use can be glazed with thin acrylic sheet. If you wish to build the complete canopy, this can be done by cutting out the rear bulkhead of the canopy from ply and building up the bow frame from aluminium. I went to my local car breakers and obtained a gas filled telescopic arm (the type used on car hatchbacks); this supports the weight of the canopy and lifts it easily. Again this can be glazed with thin acrylic sheet. If you want that opaque look for your canopy but still let light through buy a plastic mattress cover and fix to the canopy, you can attach this with white insulating tape then using a electric hair dryer stretch the thin plastic cover drum tight so there are no creases. As I have said before there are so many good stick and throttle combinations available now there is little point in making them yourself, also you can program many functions to the various buttons as in the real aircraft (HOTAS hands on throttle and stick). Any other functions, for example gear flaps engine start stop weapons jettison etc. can be controlled from the relevant panel using my solenoid interface or an EPIC card. It is possible to buy surplus ejector seats that have been made safe, this certainly would be an excellent finishing touch, However these proved too expensive for me so I built the seat myself and included a simple motion system, this will be described in the next and final module. Part 14 OK, the 757 centre consul and front panel structure is the next logical thing to construct, looking at diagram 13 you can see the way to proceed, if you have not already done so build up the centre consul frame from strip wood as in the drawing. Buy thin aluminium sheet and cut panels that will form the enclosure, these must be easily removable so you can get at the workings within. You will see the pedestal box has two rails running down the centre, these are where you secure the various radio panels later. Next we need to build the frame for the centre panel. At this point you need to decide what level of complexity you intend to have, if you are going to use only one computer you may wish to build up your own engine instruments etc., I decided to make my own instruments which would be linked directly to the throttles. If you look at drawing 20 you will see how this was done. However if you want to have computer-generated displays you can fit a monitor at the back of the centre panel, and use a second graphics card to drive it or you can use a second computer networked to your main machine. When you have decided which method to use you can continue building the centre panel. Next to the centre panel I fitted the Fresnel lens, looking at diagram 14 you can see how this is positioned, it will need to be raised about 4" from desk height so the instrument panel and the external view is at the correct height. On this drawing you will see an X and an Y, these show the position of the left window pillar and the centre window pillar. Finally for this drawing you need to construct the tray which holds the Autopilot panel. This can be made from aluminium strip and thin aluminium sheet for the sides. Read other articles in this series -
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How To Build Your Own Cockpit Parts 9 - 11 by Kev Saker Part 9 This diagram shows how to make up a pair of rudder pedals with built in toe brakes. The rudder bar is wood with a pair of alum brackets bent and screwed to the bar. These provide the hinge point for the brakes; the rudder bar is secured to the sim base with a large nut and bolt with washers and a lock nut. Next we make up the pedals. They are cut from half inch ply and have a piece of alum strip bent and screwed around the edge as in the drawing. Paint the pedals matte black and secure plasticard fronts with the cut out pattern desired for your aircraft, paint to finnish. Part 9A This part shows the rudder pedals attached to the brackets and a rubber spring fastened around the bracket to act as return springs for the brakes. Next fit a micro switch to the assembly to provide the brakes on command. This can be directly attached to the joystick button on joystick one, see part 11. Finally, fit a rubber block to act as a pedal stop when you push the brakes. See * on part 9A. The next part shows that it is possible to make a nose wheel steering tiller that will drive the rudder pot. Basically you mount the rudder pot on an alum bracket as shown on the drawing. Connect the pot linkage up to the rudder pedal assembly and the other end of the bracket up to the steering tiller. It works like this: when you push the pedals the steering tiller holds the bracket still and the pot gets the command. When the steering tiller is moved the rudder pedals hold the bracket still and the pot gets the command. The nose wheel steering tiller on most aircraft provide a tighter turning circle than the pedals. The pedals are used for steering at speed on the ground using the rudder and for controlling those tricky cross wind landings (and engine out procedures). So with this method it is possible by extending the length of the arm to the nose wheel steering tiller to produce a different turning ratio to the rudder pedals. This system creates a part of heavy jet flying that FS98 sadly lacks. Again it is important to stress the need to have no free play in any off the linkages. Part 10 The structure for the throttle housing etc. is made up using sheet plasticard which can be obtained at most good model stores. Also it can often be found in larger sheets at commercial sign makers. I have given a few dimensions of my housing to give you the idea of size. I will not be more precise because I have only guessed these sizes from watching in the cockpit videos many times. You may well have a better idea of the correct size. All the parts are cut from plasticard and assembled using super glue and thin wood strip to re-enforce the seams. The flap selector plate is cut from alum plate using an electric jigsaw and bolted to the side of the throttle housing. You can see in the lower (rather poor drawing!) how the housing fits on the wooden frame with the auto throttle tray under the not yet built radio pedestal. This assembly is then painted to colour. Part 11 Finally I have drawn a simple diagram showing the potentiometers (pots) removed from their respective joysticks. I used Super Warrior joysticks by Quickshot. These sticks have the slider type pots instead of the rotary pots found in many other joysticks. It really doesn't matter which ones you choose. To remove them just open up the cases and cut the usually three wires going to each pot. Extend the wires to a workable length (depending on where you're going to put them). Do not mix the wires up, then reconnect them up as they were before, then remove any linkage from the pots. Unscrew the nuts holding them into the housing and fix them near their respective controls. One thing I should mention, these sticks work on very low voltage so use thin wire to extend the cables so it does not create a voltage drop which would effect performance. Also, again I should mention that it is important to have no free play in any linkages. OK, finally for this section you will see that I have said at the bottom of the page that it is also possible to use 4 joystick buttons wired direct to certain flight controls. By carefully removing the two wires from each switch or trigger in the joysticks you can extend them to the micro switches at the flaps up/down, the gear up/down and the toe brakes. This saves a few solenoids later on. Well that's about it for this module. If anybody has any problems email me at kevin.saker@virgin.net The next module will describe making up the instrument panels and the solenoid interface. I should mention that although I have been using the 757-200 simulator for these plans you can use many of these ideas for a military fast jet as well. Also this section is mainly describing flight controls and let's face it there are some excellent flight sticks and throttles available that even have programmable H.O.T.A.S. systems for fast jets. I will cover the structure of my Phantom cockpit at a later date when I do the module on structures. Read other articles in this series -
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How To Build Your Own Cockpit Parts 4 - 8 by Kev Saker Part 4 It's now time to decide if you are going to build the full cockpit or a smaller set up. If you decide to build a smaller set up all you require is a simple wooden base for your flight controls and centre consul. If you wish to build the full cockpit please refer to diagram part 4. This shows how I constructed my base. You will see this is designed around the sliding monitor display system. The drawing shows dimensions for my sim, however you can make the base to your own dimensions if you wish. Materials used were 6 inch x 1 inch floor boarding and one inch ply for the top. The workstation is made of white faced melamine board. All the dimensions are approximate. Part 4A Next we need to build the control column. I started by cutting a length of aluminium tube; cut a hole in this for the cables from the yoke to exit in to the centre consul. This is fixed to the base using two pieces of alum plate bent to the shape of the tube and fitted with plasticard inserts which provide bearing surfaces. Finally, the control column is cut from 3-inch plastic drainpipe and bolted to the alum tube. The top of the column has an alum plate bolted in position as shown this is the bearing plate for the yoke. Part 4B This section shows how the yoke is attached to the column. The diagram is looking down on to the column and you will see there is an aluminium plate bent and fitted inside the tube, the yoke centre pin is pushed through this and secured with a split pin. Also it is necessary to push all the cables from the yoke through and down the control column and alum tube into the centre consul. Below this diagram is a simple drawing on the layout of the joystick pots which shows how the controls are attached to the pots. The aileron pot is secured at the base of the control column and the elevator pot is fixed on the base in the centre consul in front of the alum tube. Both linkages use model aircraft snap on ball and socket connectors. It is important that there is no free play in any of the flight control linkages. Part 5 Part 5 shows a simple wooden frame for the centre consul. Attached to this are two metal plates which the throttle bar uses as shown in the lower drawing. This bar is steel with an aluminium sleeve cut into segments which are used as spacers between the stab trim lever, the two throttles and the flap handle. The bar is held in place with split pins. Also on this page you will see a tray which has two sliding lead weights attached to the throttles. This provides the throttles with feel and is also part of the auto throttle system. Part 5A The auto throttle system is a basic unit that will move the throttles via micro-switched commands from the control column and from the auto throttle control panel. It is a simple system, which can be added to at a later date. In this form when the control column is pulled back the auto throttle will add power, when the column is pushed forward slightly the auto throttle will move the throttles back towards idle. Also a simple E.P.R. reduced thrust mode for take off can be included and a descent mode which will retard the throttles slowly. The system is easy to build and requires a small amount of electrical knowledge. The metal tray with the lead weights forms part of the system. Simply attach 4 wheels to the tray and fit aluminium guide rails at each side. All this fits under the radios pedestal. If you move the tray with your hand you will see that the throttles move forward and backward, so now we fit a geared down motor to drive the tray. (The best place to obtain a motor for this job is your local car breakers yard, a car windscreen wiper motor is ideal being 12 volt and lots of power to move the tray.) To do this cut a length of threaded rod and attach it to the motor. Next cut a piece of metal and bend it to an "L" shape, weld a nut to this plate that the threaded rod will screw through, bolt this assembly to the under side of the tray. If you apply 12 volts to the motor you will see the throttles move nice and slowly forward and if you reverse the polarity to the motor backwards. Naturally you need to fit cut out micro switches to each end of the assembly to stop the tray over running. The wiring diagram for this is on the page. The beauty of this system is at any time you can move the throttles manually, as the lead weights will just slide along the tray. Inputs for this device can be as simple as two micro switches that will detect small movements of the column. The E.P.R. system is a switch on the auto throttle panel to start the throttles moving forward. By fitting a micro switch to one of the throttles with a piece of nylon cord attached, running forward through a pulley to a small drum fitted to the back of the temp selector on the auto throttle panel. So when the throttles move forward the nylon cord is pulled back until the micro switch is activated to cut the power to the motor. The temp selector can have a scale on the panel so by rotating the selector the cord length is increased or shortened to adjust the selected thrust setting. You can also fit a descent switch to the panel that can activate the motor to slowly return the throttles to idle. Parts 6 And 6A Make up the throttle tops as shown in the drawing, use alum bar and plasticard with micro switches to activate the reverse thrusters. Cutting a piece of alum tube, glue two plasticard disks to each end. This makes the throttle handles. Next mix up some two component epoxy putty (Milliput modelling putty) and clad the handles as shown. When completely dry put the handle in an electric drill on slow speed, glue some course sandpaper to a piece of alum tube to use as a sanding tool. Carefully sand the Milliput down until you get the concave shape of the throttles. This method will also produce the thrust reverser handles also. Part 7 The flap lever is built using aluminium bar and a selection of nuts and bolts plus a couple of micro switches. To set the flaps, a lever is pulled up and moved to the next detent position. The method I used to accomplish this is as follows: first cut two pieces of alum bar, bolt them together with a washer so that they can move as in diagram. Fix two micro switches to the lower bar as indicated; this lower bar then fits on the throttle bar across the centre consul. You will see that there is a control cable fitted to the bottom of the lever, this goes to the flap position gauge on the centre instrument panel. (These plastic control cables are used with radio controlled model aircraft). When the lever is moved for example backward, the micro switch is depressed once for each detent; also the flap indicator gauge shows the corresponding flap position. The micro switches can be connected directly to the joystick cables for the flaps up / down function. It is necessary to fit a tube to the top bar. This has a rod with a spring at the lower end, the lever is lifted and the flap handle moved to the next de-tent, as in diagram. Finally, the flap selector plate is cut from a piece of aluminium and bolted to the side of the throttle housing. Part 8 The manual stab trim lever is perhaps not needed on the simulator as we have a very good electrical trim system on the yoke, however I thought it would be better if I could build a simple system if possible. The diagram shows my idea. The stab trim lever has a friction plate which makes the movement quite firm. This is attached to the stabilizer upright bar inside the centre consul via a nylon line and two springs. Basically this adjusts the centre stop position of the control column. So by moving the stab trim lever back the column centre stop is commanding a slight climb, push the stab trim forward and a slight descent will be held hands off. It's quite effective when used. Below this is a diagram of the speed brake set up. The lever is attached to a toggle switch which turns the speed brake deployed light on. When the lever is pulled back this momentarily activates a micro switch that deploys the speed brakes. It works the same way to lower them. Also there is a diagram showing how to wire up the speed brakes so that they will automatically deploy when reverse thrust is engaged provided the speed brake lever is in the armed position. Read other articles in this series -
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How To Build Your Own Cockpit Parts 1 - 3 by Kev Saker Introduction This is the first of several modules on the building of my 757-200 flight cockpit. I would like to point out that these are not intended to be a complete set of plans on how you should build a simulator, they are simply a set of drawings and pages of text describing how I built my sim. If you choose to build a cockpit, you may well have ideas yourself on how certain systems should be built. That's fine, just share your knowledge with the flight sim community so everyone can enjoy this great hobby. Flight Controls This is an in detail description of how I built my set of flight controls, (yoke, control column, throttles, flaps, speed brake, stab trim and rudder pedals). I have chosen the flight controls first for two reasons. Firstly, they are the most important part of the entire simulator, and the rest of the sim should be built around the flight controls. Secondly many people may not wish to build the entire enclosed cockpit, so this description will enable them to build a much more realistic set of flight controls. Part 1 Those people, who wish to use a bought yoke could skip this part. I think it is fair to say that the yoke is the hardest thing to create in the entire simulator. My yoke is based on the Boeing 757/767 aircraft, you may choose this aircraft or another, the decision is yours but the method of building remains the same. The first thing to do is obtain lots of photos; research is the key to obtaining accuracy. I would start by drawing the yoke full size on a piece of card. When you are happy that it is the right shape and size cut it out. This is now a template for your yoke. Measure from the top of the left handle on the yoke around to the top of the right handle. This measurement tells you the length of copper pipe you require. If you look at diagram 1 (part 1) you can see how to proceed. Use the template to mark on the pipe were to make the cuts for the handle bends. Use a plumber's pipe bending spring to give the handles a slight curve, bend the yoke to shape. It will be necessary to place a blob of solder on each cut to give it the strength it requires. Drill out the two holes on each handle. These are for the tubes which hold the autopilot cut out and the mike switch. Next cut out a hole in the centre of the yoke on top, this is the exit route for the cables. Next drill two holes as seen on the diagram, these are used later to attach the centre box. Cut two small lengths of brass tube (obtainable at any good model shops) epoxy these in place on each handle. On the 757 the left tube is straight and the right tube is an up-angle. OK, next we need to make a simple bracket to hold the stab trim switch. Cut a small length of alum strip and drill a hole for the 3 position switch (centre off). Secure the alum plate as seen on the diagram. Do not fit any switches yet, however it is a good idea to run the three sets of cables through the yoke as seen on the diagram. Finally, using super glue and thin plasticard make a small box, open at the back. That keeps the filler paste away from the switch space. Part 2 Now we come to the messy bit, we need to clad the entire yoke in car body filler paste. This is very dusty and should not be done indoors! Also use a mask if possible. Start with the bottom of the yoke, mix the filler in small amounts, (it will dry very quickly) cover the entire lower part of the yoke. It will look awful to start with so don't worry. Using very rough glass paper wrapped around a small block of wood start sanding down to shape, this takes time, then mix up some more filler and apply over the top. As you sand and fill you will start to get the shape and the finish you require. When you're happy with the lower part start a handle in the same way. If at any time you are not happy with the shape of the yoke just sand it down and re-fill. Finally, apply filler paste around the plastic box for the trim switch. You can make up any shape you want. Part 2A When you think it's finished give it a coat of paint. This will show up lots of small craters and scratches. Mix up a small amount of filler and fill them out. Reading back perhaps I give the impression that it takes a long time to build the yoke. In fact the whole thing can be built in three afternoons. Part 3 Now we move on to the last part of building the yoke, the centre box. Start by cutting out two alum plates, one front and one back. The back plate needs to have a hole cut about 1-inch diameter for the centre pin. Make up the centre box as described on the diagram. The centre box is fixed on to the yoke using two nuts and bolts. All wires must be pushed through centre pin before fixing centre box in place. Now fit the three switches to the yoke, (stab trim and two momentary type buttons for the mike and autopilot cut out). Do not glue these two switches in place. Try using a small amount of silicone to secure them as you may need to remove them for replacement at a later date. Part 3A Finally the map holder, which is optional, can be made up from plasticard, painted and the checklist data applied using "Lettereset" dry transfers. If you make a mistake when you apply these you can remove them with a piece of sticky tape. Read other articles in this series
