Hypothesizing about a 737-300...

[POTKC]

OK, my idea is to make a fixed base (obviously) 737-300 sim, either the later EFIS panel or (more likely) the earlier analog version. What I'm currently looking at is a complete MIP for sale on oncealoft.com (not sure if I'm allowed to post images from the site on here so I won't, if you want to go to oncealoft.com, then the "instrument panels, throttle quadrants, glareshields" sections, and the panel is halfway down the page. It isn't possible to link directly to it. I had an email conversation with Nick Louis of OnceAloft about this, he told me that he has sold to many sim builders and knows that it is possible to convert instruments from real aircraft to work as an output from a computer, but does not personally know how that could be done. Which is why I turn to MyCockpit...any advice? How hard and/or expensive is it to do such conversions?

[Geremy Britton]

There are a number of people that have managed to do this. Previously it was an almost impossible task but as technology advances the capabilities are widening.

It is now quite simple to rewire, for example a compass, that can use one servo. Some of the other guages can be more tricky as it depends on how many moving parts there are internally.

These instruments are usually gutted of their original equipment and rewired, however I am seeing increasing number of conversions where the existing wiring and motors are kept intact.

In any event you will need to do plenty of research and start with some guages that you dont mind wrecking to avoid expensive mistakes.

The preferred card to link to the PC for this type of work seems to be the arduino card but i think others can be used.

Hope that helps,

[POTKC]

Alright, thanks for the reply. If I do go for it, I'll buy a few of Nick's $35 gauges and practice on them. Also, not a serious question, but what about literally connecting everything to an air pump through makeshift pitot tubes and the like, and getting the pump to raise or (most likely) lower the pressure, thereby using the gauges and instruments as they are designed to be used? It's a silly concept but would be a novel method of sim building...

[Avro748]

You could also save a ton of time (and money) by displaying the instruments on a monitor behind the panel. If you use some really high-resolution gauges the effect is surprisingly good.

[POTKC]

I know about that method, and I have flown a simulator which used screens like that. The problem with that, however, is that the lack of actual 3D detail on the gauges would drive me crazy if I built a sim like that. Not saying it's the wrong way of doing, it would just awaken the perfectionist in me and force me to either start from scratch or convert the pre-made gauges anyway.