A few pics....

[No Longer Active]

Hi All,

Apologies to all if I have not replied to your messages, been extremely busy lately at work, I will respond to all messages shortly....

Here's a few pics, still loads of work to go such as throttle, glare needs painting and sanding, simulator lid needs building, and labels etc etc....But as of yet what you see in the sim all works, what you dont see in the sim needs doing....(in plain english)......

http://alexpilot.50g.com/phot1.jpg

The basic idea of it....

http://alexpilot.50g.com/phot2.jpg

Showing the warning panel which is an hd44780 screen connected to parallel and FSLCD and LED'S lit up like a xmas tree...

http://alexpilot.50g.com/phot3.jpg

Gauges and basic switch panel, all connected to the bu0836x (toggles, magentos, rockers, push/pulls)

http://alexpilot.50g.com/phot4.jpg

The pc next to the sim is the gauges pc which is net'd to the main FS pc....

More to come......

Because I have no space for the sim in my house sadly, the whole complete sim will have to go on ebay when finished.....

The sim will be sold complete with pc and software ready to fly.....so watch out!

Alex

[RojanTrojan]

Looks really good Alex.

Where did you get the black switches with the white actuators from?

I am trying to search for them for another project I'm working on but I can't find any of them without some sort of lettering on them.

Out of interest is it all made out of MDF or is the panel aluminium?

Cheers

Rhydian

[No Longer Active]

Hi Rydian, the switches you will find in Maplins, I think they are about a £1 each! Everthing was CNC'ed from MDF (12MM).

Cheers,

Alex

[RojanTrojan]

Thanks Alex

Found them. I forgot about looking at Maplins even though we have one here in Cardiff.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=12219

I love MDF, The stuff is so versatile and best of all it's really cheap. Had my case routed out of 12mm too.

That's a shame about you having to put it on ebay because of lack of space. I'm with you on that one. I had to scale mine down after the other half took one look at the plans and cracked the whip! I told her the solution was simple... we'll just have to buy a bigger house! That went down very well.

Cheers.

Rhydian

[No Longer Active]

As you can see, the pic's are taken on my dining room table, to fly the sim I would literally have to set everything up....fly it...then store it away.....

Luckily, my partner says when we move into a bigger house then the garage or shed could house such project....

She even suggested putting whatever money I get for the sim into an ISA and then spend the money on a new sim when we have the space (ie bigger house).....good idea...

I have proven a personal point to myself, I know how to build a sim, and interface it, and do it pretty cheaply, I have cnc on my side to cut the panel, only if space was on my side too....

Thinking that the next sim will be the glass version, regardless of my views, just that I'd hate to live in the old days because the technology is slowly fading away!

Cheers.....

Alex

[Ronson2k9]

I found a C185F amphibious float with a glass mip. I had always thought it would be an analog way but that is changing even for the heartiest of bush pilots out there. Progress can't be stopped it seems. Great looking mip BTW. Although I kind of miss your C172 mip. I like the analog because of the simplicity and because of my eyes. I don't have the greatest of eye sight so reading intricate instruments is a bit of problem for me. I know that good eyesight is a must (required before you can get you PPL). Reading MFD's could be a problem. Not in gathering general information but in getting the specifics. I don't know what those that read them on a daily bases would say about that. The MFD's for airliners are different then those for a GA but still they have quite a bit of info crammed into it.

I had considered it when I first started looking at the C206 as they came with factory installed Garmin 1000's. Not finding them in float aircraft had a few different possibilities.

1 - The price point (more expensive then analog)
2 - Repair and service (harder to find in out of the way places)
3 - Stress and power usage in the bush perhaps higher
4 - Provided data is greater then a bush pilot would require.

Now though as the price point fades and they become more common in GA it's more practical to have digital over analog. Much like a computer spreadsheet over a pocket calculator and pad and pen.

Keep up the great work on the MIP it looks amazing.

Cheers.
Ron

[No Longer Active]

Hi Ron,

Good news, I now have a place to store my sim until I move into my bigger house next year (I have a kid on the way, need a house now!).

So it pretty much means that I can work on it, even in storage as there is limited power for tools etc!

Regard in PFD's etc, they may be expensive in terms of kitting out aircraft with G1000's, but it's good news for simmers!

A 10" LCD screen a load of buttons and rotaries comes to no where near the cost of the analogue simkits gauge suite!

So look at the pro's in that respect, it wont take long until some clever f*cker relaeases the simplified way to build one for peanuts!

I guess EmuTeq will be making a G1000, and I recon if they sell their suite based on the pricing from the garsim 530 then I am guessing £1500 the pair + audio panel! Which could make simkits a thing of the past!

Well lets see how glass will turn out for us, but......

I still have my little 152 to play around on, its building in progress and will be great fun!

Cheers!

Alex

[Ronson2k9]

Hey .. Where is all this great news coming from.. Congrats to you. Yet another simmer is born.. :) Or to think even bigger perhaps pilot. I know my life would have been different if my dad had a cockpit in the house ;)

The glass cockpit I saw was rather minimalist but all the analog instruments were in back up to the LCD's. They were rather small displays about 1/3 more the size of the Garmin 530. Even though the C185 isn't to big it made the MIP look even bigger with it having so much 'empty' space about it.

Like you perhaps I was intrigued by the G1000 in FSX (C172 variants) but at the time my comp was less then capable of chewing that up. Now my comp is pretty great (although I just had a cooling fan go on me a few days ago) and I'v gotten used to the analog and resist the urge to change. In the real world it's a different matter of course. For GA owners they must adapt despite the challenges in doing so. Us simmers have it a bit easier. We could if wanted swap out one panel for another without to much work. As many are already using LCD's for the analogs anyway.

I like the happy mix I've come up with the Garmin 530,430 mix plus other radio stack goodies. Keeping all the primary as analog. Like a classic Cuda with a great stereo (you gotta know the original radio just ain't going to cut it when crusin') ;)

Congrats again Alex. When is the co-pilot due to arrive?

Big Cheers...
Ron

[No Longer Active]

Hi Ron.

Little co-pilot due around March/Early April. My step daughter is already 9 yrs old, she wants to be a writer, I am just trying to convince her to be cabin crew atleast! She isn't convinced! lol.

If I get a bigger house, with garden or garage at least, then expect some big cnc'ed frame work from me for the sim! lol

I am totally dependant on cnc now, so easy and so cheap but so pro looking! I have already cnc'ed an espresso cabinet for my espresso machine in my kitchen, little stool next? who knows what next Its great fun!

Cheers,

Alex

[AK Mongo]

Hi Ron.

Little co-pilot due around March/Early April. My step daughter is already 9 yrs old, she wants to be a writer, I am just trying to convince her to be cabin crew atleast! She isn't convinced! lol.



Congratulations Alex! Having a little one is a life changing event, but worth every smile and tear! Don't feel too bad about the writer bit...think how many 152's JK Rowling could afford to own!

[No Longer Active]

If I had her money, I'd just order a Simkits Complete Cessna 172 in a Shell and on a motion platform with the best visuals that money can buy...all in my garage...not too big and not too small.....

When it rains in the UK who cares....the weathers perfect in the sim!

(Might buy a few hours real training on the side, just so I know how to fly the blimmin thing!)

Kids ha? What would you do without them!

Lol....Alex

[kermit]

If I had her money, I'd just order a Simkits Complete Cessna 172 in a Shell and on a motion platform with the best visuals

well I`m nearly there, just ordered some parts for the motion platform ,
I have figured out how to get the software working with FSX and Platform.
after that I`m hunting for short throw beamers.:)
greetz