MIP Panels question!

[Corne323]

Hi everyone,

This is my first post on this great forum.

I have started to build a 737pit. I allready have CPflight MCP,EFIS,NAV,COMM and XPNDR modules to use with Project Magenta.
Now i will make the MIP from 8mm MDF, but i still dont know what Panels to put in the MIP like autobrakepanels,displaypanels etc. I want them to connect to the MCP via the MCPEX board because i think thats the easiest way, but maybe you guys have other suggestions?

I am not an electrician, unless there is a very clearly manual with it!

I hope you guys can help me to choose the panels!

Regards,

Corne

[Sean Nixon]

It's the MIP737 board you need, not the MCPEX1. The instructions and wiring are really simple if you take your time. It can be downloaded at CPFlights website, I'd recommend reading it.

There aren't that many panels on the MIP itself, so start with the one you'll use the most and maybe add the others later. eg, you'll use the autobrake twice every flight, but you'll never use the display switchpanel.

Sean

[Corne323]

Thanks Sean for your answer!
Im starting with the Autobrake panel. I have seen it from Hispapanels is that ''easy'' to build? Can i connect that to the MIPboard?
The panels from CPflight are to expensive for me!

Regards

[Sean Nixon]

Hi Corne

I dont have any experience with Hispapanels, so I cant really comment on whether their PCB's are compatible with the CPFlight MIP737 interface board. But if you buy the just the panel and use your own switches and LED's, which you need to buy anyway, then they will connect easily to the CPFlight board.

I notice the Hispapanel PCB's have backlighting, which you'd have to consider seperately if you just bought the panel alone. The MIP737 from CPFlight doesn't handle backlighting.

I'm not sure what interface boards the Hispapanels are designed to work with.

Sean

[Corne323]

Ok, so i can buy switches and LED's and can connect them direct to the MIP737 Interface board?
And when i want backlighting can i connect that seperatly?

Thanks for your help Sean!!

Regards

[Sean Nixon]

Yes, switches and LEDs are wired directly to the appropriate connectors on the MIP737 board. No resistors are required for the LEDs, as they are on the interface board.

And there's no programming to do, as the board is programmed for all the MIP functions already.

Backlighting is wired seperately from the MIP737 board. In simple terms, it's a seperate power supply feeding the LEDs or whatever else provides the backlighting to your panels. It can be ran through a dimmer if required.

That's the CPFlight way of doing things. You already have the MCP, so the MIP737 is just plugged into that.

As I said earlier, I have no experience with Hispapanels, so their PCB panels may be equally as good for your needs, you need to research that for yourself.

Happy to help.

Sean

[Corne323]

My plan is to buy only the panels, (without PCB) and the components from HISPApanels, and then manually connect them to to CPflight's MIP737 interface board. Does anyone knows if that will work? I have contacted HISPApanels already and they dont know!

Corne

[Sean Nixon]

It should be fine. Did you read the MIP737 manual? It recommends using high efficiency LED's. It also recommends testing different LED's, so you may want to hold off buying the full set until youn know they'll be suitable.

An alternative would be to get the switches and LED's from a local electronics store. They may even be cheaper and you can ask the staff for advice.

[Corne323]

Sean, saturday i start building the MIP stand, then it all starts ;)
Now i have another question! How do i fit rotary switches onto MIPpanels for the Autobrake,Vspeed etc? Does someone know if there is a tutorial for it or a picture to show me how to fit it?

Regards

[Sean Nixon]

I have no experience with the Hispapanels, and it's difficult to see in the photograph on their website, but usually the rotary switch (applies to other switches too) fixes to whatever you are fixing the panel to, the MIP stand if you like. Therefore this needs to be thin enough for the thread on the switch to protrude enough to get the nut on. The panels then fit over the shaft of the switch, with the nut sittings neatly in the hole.

Hope you can understand that. If not, I'll take a picture.

Sean

[Corne323]

Ok Sean, exactly what i want to know, it thougt it was fixing to the panel itself.
But if you have a picture of it that would be great!

Corne

[Corne323]

Hi Sean,

Today i have placed the screens behind the MIP and that looks better allready!

Now i need LED strips to light my MCP and under the glareshield to the MIP panel. Do you know how to power them up? I have seen these strip for the MCP http://www.ledtown.nl/winkel/43/flypagetpl/shopproduct_details/343 Is this strip also powerful enough to light the MIP panel???

Here are some pics of my pit!

http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/5839/img9129w.jpg (http://img641.imageshack.us/i/img9129w.jpg/)

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/9638/img9509c.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/221/img9509c.jpg/)

Hope you can help me!

Regards

[Sean Nixon]

Hi Corne, it's looking good, coming along nicely.

Those LED strips are commonly used by sim builders for various lighting, either backlighting or floodlighting, so you should find they work for you.

PC power supplies are often used to power cockpit lighting as they have the common voltages used (12v and 5v) and most have enough power to do a typical cockpit. The important things to look for in a power supply are the voltage and power output (or current rating). If you are unsure about this, just ask.

The cockpit lighting is wired seperately to your switches and annunciators, in that they don't need to be wired from an input/output interface card. Just come from the power supply, through a switch then off to the LED's.

What I have done is used a double pole switch for my battery master. One pole is wired to my interface card so that FS knows the switch has been operated, the other pole switches a set of relays, one of which controls my cockpit lighting. So the switch is in effect doing two seperate functions.

From my cockpit lighting relay, I take seperate cables to the correct light switch/dimmer in the cockpit so that all the different areas can be switched seperately from each other, eg. Captains MIP, F/O's MIP, MIP Floodlighting, Overhead backlighting, Dome Light, etc. etc.

Hope that helps.

Sean

[Corne323]

Thanks four help

Now i have bought this LED strip! http://cgi.ebay.nl/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150571299400&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT
it says output power is 20-24W /5 Meter does it work with this power adapter? http://cgi.ebay.nl/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280622615926&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT
In the first place i only use about 2 meters LED strip, maybe in the future more for backlighting!

Regards

[Sean Nixon]

That power supply will be good for up to 2.5 meters of your LED strip. You'd need a 2A unit to run the full 5 metres.

I'm looking forward to seeing a pic of the LED's fitted and lit up as this is one area I've yet to address.

Sean

[Corne323]

Hi Sean,

The LED worked also when i was connecting the 5m cable to the 12W Power Supply, but after an hour the powersupply was getting pretty hot! After that i tested it after i had the strips installed in the MIP (about 1,5m) and after an hour it was at normal temp. So you were right! Thanks
Here the pics of the LED's.

This one when still unpainted!
http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/6201/img9731q.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/820/img9731q.jpg/)

This week i painted the Glareshield in RAL9005 and the Panel is Base Grey.
http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/9056/img9747q.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/841/img9747q.jpg/)

http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/636/img9750r.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/121/img9750r.jpg/)

Today i received the CPFlight MIP board so i can start buying the Panels, switches, LED's etc.

Regards Corné