Uuuuaaaah..! I have started building now..!

I think he meant where would he get the 4-way buttons from.

Ahhhhh :).

Nice work triggerHappy!

What are you planning to use for a controller card for interfacing with the PC?

Looking good. Which switches are you going to use for the 4-way buttons?

4-way switches will be from Thrustmaster.. Ordered from theyr spare parts departments.

1 Hat switch to slew search/landing lights and one to select the external wapon hardpoints i think - "get real" ;).

Yup mate..! Youre quite right..!

Actually i meant something else. Not the function of the button, but the type of switch. I'm using for my hat button a joystick switch from www.conrad.de

part nr.: 705178 - 62. It works well and has tactile feedback (you feel a click), but there might be some better alternatives with a shorter actuation range. The one from conrad has a travel of 8°, which is okay, but it could be a little less.

I'll look right into those.. Also I am in the prosess of making a simple design for the 3-way and 4/5-way switches for the panels.. More on that later..

I think he meant where would he get the 4-way buttons from.

Nice work triggerHappy!

 

What are you planning to use for a controller card for interfacing with the PC?

All my controller cards come from www.opencockpits.com . I have played around with these for a while now, and as far as being cheap and easy to connect, they are really great.! And you can start out simple, and then add more IOCards for servos, 7-segment displays, stepper motors, LCD displays, and so on and so on..

As of right now I have a Master Card, a USB Keyboard card (for an in cockpit keyboard), a servos card (to run the gauges next to the AFIS because I can't find any practical way to project them to a monitor behind the AFIS. And for the APU Rpm gauge) and breakout board cards to ease the connecting of wires to the mastercards.

..I am making a schematic that shows the general layout with connections and cards as we speek.. If you want I can post it here as soon as it's done?

Collective assembly

Here's an update..

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I'll make the the collective stick brake functional..

wow.. nice one.

hope to see that in real life;)

breakout board cards to ease the connecting of wires to the mastercards.

..I am making a schematic that shows the general layout with connections and cards as we speek.. If you want I can post it here as soon as it's done?

wow.. nice one.

hope to see that in real life;)

Oh you will my friend... you will see the first "real-life" picture later tonight..

I have just made the "box thingie" that houses the switches. And as soon as I get out of my suit and tie I'll get started on sanding it and beveling the corners..

First edition is made out of 8mm fibre plates ('cause my own CnC router isn't finished yet, and there was a 2 month waiting for a repair dude to come fix the EMCO CnC mill we have at my neighbours house..) They actually had the nerve to ask if We could have it delivered to them... and the damn thing weigh 6 tons..!) :megalol:

This saves some soldering, no? Did you buy these, or make them yourself?

 

Please do!

You are more right than I whish to think of.. And especially since I do most of my Pitbuilding after dark (after 1630 up here north), Shaking is a problem..:megalol:

I use these boards that (no surprise I guess) also comes from opencockpits..!

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For some of the inputs..

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For the outputs..

If you want a general idea of what these cards can do for you check out the link:

http://www.andare-ing.com/uploads/Iocards_catalogue.pdf

And here's a fellow IOCard user who has buildt he's instruments almost exactly like I am. I just love how simple gauges can be made with the USB Servos card.. And this guy really managed tp balance simplicity and rigidity in his gauges.. WELL MADE DUDE..!

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( http://www.opencockpits.com/modules.php?name=nuevasfotos&numero=9999999999 ) Here's the link to the gallery.....

Allthough I am only building the four gauges to the far left and two on the rightside of the front panel right now. The rest will (hopefully) be run by gauge "LO Virtuel Panel" or "Gauge Composer" or the software I bought from simmeters (..whitch doesn't seem to be real practical to use if you ask me..)

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I have the mechanics made for the gauges from my previous project (while I dreamed about the day BS would be released). But as of now I have no faceplates for them. If you want drawings I can post those, but they're really so simple to build just from getting the basic idea of the pics.above..

What program did you use to draw it?

Quoted again as I would like to know. :)

Quoted again as I would like to know. :)

Looks like Solid Works to me.

Looks like Solid Works to me.

Yeah just looked around, has to be that.

Thanks.

Is there a freeware 3d mechanical drawing software out there?

Thanks

this pit will be very good when finished! :D

Is there a freeware 3d mechanical drawing software out there?

Thanks

If you are a student you can check out developer's page of the software you are interested. Some of them offer free license for som of their products. I know only about Autodesk for sure though. And I don't know if Autodesk is providing with any CAD/CAM/CAE software similar to UGS NX, Catia, Solid Works etc. AutoCAD is not an option IMHO. Autodesk Inventor maybe...

Quoted again as I would like to know. :)

Sorry for taking forever to answer mate... I have been out of town for a short while.

The drawings are all made on Solidworks 2007. I just love this CAD software.. Have used AutoCAD and TurboCAD earlier, but nothing can hold a candle to Solidworks if you ask me.. It's kinda "different" to use compared to the other two, but as far as planning a pit it is all I ever wanted..

this pit will be very good when finished! :D

thank you mate.. (blush)

Sorry for taking forever to answer mate... I have been out of town for a short while.

 

The drawings are all made on Solidworks 2007. I just love this CAD software.. Have used AutoCAD and TurboCAD earlier, but nothing can hold a candle to Solidworks if you ask me.. It's kinda "different" to use compared to the other two, but as far as planning a pit it is all I ever wanted..

Yeah I've got AutoCAD, and it's a great program for 2D, but rubbish for 3D.

I'll give SolidWorks a go.

At first look I thought that you had used blender to draw and render your images. BTW, if you don't know about blender, it's a great program. What's even better is that it is free.

www.blender.org

:)

Yup. Downloaded Blender about a week ago, and looking for good video tutorial for beginners. Found some on youtube but the videos are somewhat distorted.

Here are some more freeware that I found yesterday.

FreeCad/Motion simulator

Minos: 3D CAD prog

nothing but Freeware

POV-Ray is a high-quality, totally free tool for creating 3D graphics

CNC simulator Not quite sure why one would need it but it's free...

Enjoy.

At first look I thought that you had used blender to draw and render your images. BTW, if you don't know about blender, it's a great program. What's even better is that it is free.

 

www.blender.org

 

:)

Hmm never tried Blender.. But I am downloading it now.. Can't wayt to have a go at it..!

Yup. Downloaded Blender about a week ago, and looking for good video tutorial for beginners. Found some on youtube but the videos are somewhat distorted.

 

Here are some more freeware that I found yesterday.

 

FreeCad/Motion simulator

 

Minos: 3D CAD prog

 

nothing but Freeware

 

POV-Ray is a high-quality, totally free tool for creating 3D graphics

 

CNC simulator Not quite sure why one would need it but it's free...

 

Enjoy.

Phuuh..! I have a feeling that the next week will be dedicated to learning new software.. I'll have a go at these to.. Think I have a fixation on CAD software..., Meybe I should seek help..?:helpsmilie:

Workoing on the front pedestal now.. I have decided to make the front panel as a 3-piece panel. With leftside, center panels and ringht side with AFIS and the gauges.

As soon as the drawings are finalized (.. and by that I mean drawings done, pedestal and panel built, and I have made sure that this setup actually works) I will post the drawings here..

But if you use a program other than Solidworks, please let me know, so I can convert the files to your likings.

It will however take me about another week to do this. The other panels will follow as they are done..

Have a nice weekend.. c",)

Building pictures of the Collective Box

After throwing away at least 5 different versions of the collective switch box I have finally found a size that will work with my small hands..

Basicly the box is buildt with 6mm wood-fibre plates that I get for free from a wood store locally (they use it to wrap secure and protect other things during shipping. And chuck it away when they unpack the loads).

The 2mm aluminium plates are quite soft and easy to work with. I used a hacksaw with an aluminium blade to cut them out. And bendt them to the correct angle by hand on the edge of a table.

A belt sander (handheldt one) is probably the powertool I have had most use for when building the box. All sides where cut approx 2mm to big, and sanded to shape after fixing them together with white-glue and wood-pegs (toothpics). I used tooth-pics because I didn't want any screwheads to show after the final assembly..

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The box with all its holes for the switches

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And this is how I have made it..

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The end result will look like this

Looking good Trigger :thumbup: