Pitbldr's progress thread

Very Nice!

Thanks! Not quite there, but close. :)

CDU design

Hey guys, I started working on the design for my CDU panel. Attached are a few images for comment. My plan is:

1. Cut the "top plate" (modeled in black) from .125" acrylic.

2. Cut the "bottom plate" (modeled in dark gray) from .25" acrylic.

3. Weld the top and bottom plates.

4. Cut the "backplate" (modeled in light gray) from .0625 aluminum.

5. Buttons will be cut from .25" and .125" acrylic as well, but reversed. The button top will be .25" thick to allow it to sit 1/8" above the top plate. The bottom portion will only be .125" thick to allow for 1/8" of travel when pressed.

6. I'll attach a piece of clear acrylic rod to each button that will pass through the backplate and actuate the buttons underneath.

7. I'll mount a PCB board with pushbuttons underneath the backplate about an inch or so using standoffs. (not modeled yet).

Depending on the push buttons I use, I may also add some small springs underneath each key if needed.

The unknowns at this stage are lighting and LCD. I know the acrylic rod will pass/carry light very well, so I am hoping to find a method to light the keys using that. Attaching an LCD will be done once we know exactly what we'll be able to pull from the sim.

Feedback/thoughts welcome! :D

Ambitious, but workable, I'd imagine - are you one of these folks with your own CNC?

nvrmind - I see that you are! I only wonder if it would be easier to cut the buttons out of a single sheet, instead of having to weld all those little buttons together.

Yeah, on my second CNC machine. First one was too small. :D

The buttons will be made from a single piece of acrylic or at the very least two pieces bonded together *before* I cut them. The thought of trying to clue all those small pieces together and keep them aligned correctly sends a shiver down my spine. I'll do it the easy way! :)

Anyway, here's pics of the top and bottom plate. Had some blue and red acrylic scraps sitting around that were the size I needed. This looks very promising.

See, that's the kind of thinking I need - glue before you cut - simple! :) That panel looks good - I am thinking more and more that I need my own mill!

Yeah same here lol.

looking good mate!

Thanks guys! :)

I tried to make some panels years ago when Janes F/A-18 came out. Wanted to build a pit way back then too! I can honesly say I would not be attempting this again if it were not for being able to use the CNC to do it.

1. Great work.

2. Wish I had a CNC machine. ;)

Update on the CDU. Spent all morning working on the buttons. Don't get too excited, this was a first run and there were several mistakes. I am on the right track I think.

Painted the bezel yesterday and it turned out great. No good pictures of it yet. This morning I took a piece of acrylic that I had previously welded together. It was made up of .25 clear and .0625 white. I painted the white side with some light gray paint I had on hand. I think I need something darker. Anyway, after the paint was dry, I used a .0625 V carving bit to engrave the text. Very happy with those results.

Then I cut the buttons out and this is where I had a couple problems. First off, the piece moved - I've learned the double sided tape does not work well when adhered to wood. So, after several minutes of trying to re-align the piece, I started again and was off only by a few hundreths on one axis, so some of the text was not centered once the button was cut out. Lesson learned - I'll be attaching these with screws from now on.

I lost a few buttons due to my depth of cut being too deep (final specs on this was for a .375 piece, so I was .0625 too deep.) :doh:The buttons went flying up into my vacuum system.

I was also off in the measurement of the line select keys. I think the layers of paint may be a factor here. Anyone know how thick a layer of paint might be??

The end result is encouraging though, so next I'll be getting the correct thickness of acrylic and the proper paint color and running this again.

Using a flashlite to demonstrate the backlighting affect.... and that's with only one layer of paint and the sides still unpainted.

Some very poor pics are attached as proof! :D

Very Nice keep it up!

god how i need a CNC lol

Good job! Every pit builder should own a CNC machine.

Just promise not to laugh when you see my cheapo CDU panel.

Thanks guys! You won't hear my laughing, cause I've been there! :)

Not too shabby for a first try!:thumbup:

That's outstanding ... truly inspiring. I need a mill. LOL

Not too shabby for a first try!:thumbup:

Thanks! :D I think I've got it dialed in enough that my second attempt will be usable. Now I just need to start working on a PCB board for the switches - another first for me.

That's outstanding ... truly inspiring. I need a mill. LOL

Thanks! I feel like I am inspiring the purchases of CNC machines! They are great toys....er um, tools! ;)

That looks awesome... I wish I had a CNC :) (and know how to use it :D)

Hey guys,

I hope everyone had a good holiday weekend (for those of us who celebrate). I actually managed to not stuff myself and was able to get a lot of work done. :)

I turned out all the left and right console "prototype" panels. I call these prototype becuase I know I'll need to make some modifications to the design as I start adding the switches and other hardware. Once some more aluminum sheet arrives, I'll start cutting out the switch plates.

The only panels not shown in the pic are the panels that are included with the TM Warthog and the CDU.

Next comes painting and engraving, which I still need to perfect the process for, but I'm close.

looking good!

Well, first attempt at the caution panel is done. This is basically a faux panel as it's all one piece of acrylic. It's white too since this was only a test. I am going get some green acrylic to use for the real deal.

In the second pic you can see a LED behind one of the sections and there is some bleed over right now, but I think I have a solution for that.

I've also already modified this design to make the grooves smaller and enlarge the text from .1" to .11". :)

The caution panel reminds me of a Hershey's chocolate bar.:D Lookin' good, mate.

Instead of building a whole new panel (as that one looks really good), why not put a sheet of green gel (as in lighting gel sheets) between the panel and the LED's?

Get a few different shades so you can determine which one will illuminate only the desired area without bleed-over, but still have adequate visibility.

When I first saw your unpainted caution panel, I had wondered if perhaps you had cut those grooves (I see now that they're actually more chamfered) with the intent of laying in some sort of opaque barrier ... I still thought you might get some bleed-over anyway, but I thought it was a cool idea and certainly worth a try.

Also, wouldn't simply using green LEDs work to light the indicators?

The caution panel reminds me of a Hershey's chocolate bar.:D Lookin' good, mate.

It does look delicious doesn't it?

The caution panel reminds me of a Hershey's chocolate bar.:D Lookin' good, mate.

LOL - I'm not much of a chocolate lover, so I never even noticed that! :lol:

I'll try both the green LED's and the gel to see which one works best. The only issue with the gel that comes to mind is that the panel has holes recessed on the back of it for the LED's to sit in when the panel is mounted with the backplate. With this design, I'd have to find a way to get the gel in those holes.

I'll be redoing this panel regardless as I don't like how large the grooves turned out. Especially now that I'll always want a chocolate bar whenever I'm sitting in the pit! :)

This is why I like posting my progress... you guys are full of great ideas! Thanks for the feedback guys!!