Gathering info to start 737 Sim build .... HELP

[737NGDriver]

Hello my fellow builders/simmers. This may seem a rather silly perhaps somewhat redundant question. My plan is to build 737NG sim. I wish to use PMDG (Love their 73x). So far from what I gather FSUIPC has now support for mousemacros which is needless to say a huge step forward for all of us. (Thank you Pete). I will probably build the MIP stand my self and thinking of using fsxpand. My biggest concern is the overhead, which is best in your opinion and which interface hardware (Phidgets, SIMboards, etc...) that will provide me with 100% interface capability to the overhead with PMDG. It seems that if I want to use PMDG models I will preety much need PMSystems, I think. Any input would be absolutely great. Thank you all.

[ian@737ng.co.uk]

have a look at what i did with the PMDG737. i'm basically doing what you want to do, but simply using BU0836X cards for the inputs and the CPFlight MCPEX1 and the MIP737 for the outputs. all the overhead wiring is 'home made' but does the job admirably.

www.737ng.co.uk

regards from wales and good luck ..... ian

[737NGDriver]

O man, Ian thats your website ?!?!?!?!, mate I must say you are in big part the reason for me wanting to do this. I'm a huge fan I must say. That is excellent work you did there to say the least. And I cannot thank you enough for actually putting all that vital information together for all of us. I think my pre-building plan is comming together quite nicely. I take it you decided to go with the BU0836X's because of ease of implementation and/or price? Im still re-searching which interfacing to go with. And pondering about PM software, which by the way is very very expensive I think. And I really want to use PMDG 737NG. So lots of questions to be answered as always. And now Im seriously considering a CNC machine to make my own panels, though not sure I can pull off the overhead, and FlightDeskSoltuions overhead looks more or less affordable. So its a great pleasure to meet you. And I will hope to talk to you more about this.

[xtreme3d]

Hi,

How is NYC? I will definitively agree, Ian website is awesome. You can also check the website listed below if you are looking for a software alternative (I did). Just check out the website and see if it is going to be a good choice for you. If you are curious about the software check my other post and take a look at the pics. Take care and stay warm.

http://www.flightdecksoftware.com/


Respectfully,

Pedro

[ian@737ng.co.uk]

gentlemen, don't be nice to me, i'll come to expect it all the time )
from experience, start small and work up. i've had almost 3 good years with the setup i have, but like everything else, nothing is forever and i'm now thinking about how i will upgrade.
i'm looking at the above program, but also at this
http://www.sim-avionics.com/
nothing concrete yet because neither are compatible with all my hardware at the moment.
and i need to know i can integrate my overhead 100% or there's no point in changing is there.
have a great day chaps and thanks for the compliments.
rgds... ian

[firstinflight]

I realize that it may be a little late to respond to your question.. however here is my experience.

I use PMDG 737, FS9, GC for EICAS, FDS MIP, FDS SYS3 for MIP, Leo Bodnars card for TQ interfacing and now experimenting with Overhead.

However, while Pete Dowson's latest innovation with mouse macros resolved the issue of "input" with regard to the overhead, the challenge with lighting the overhead annunciators continues. Ian Sissons (UK) has adopted the approach of wiring his overhead in a way that he controls the logic for the leds to light up. And indeed that may be the only way to do it.

To do this via software control, one needs the offsets PMDG uses. At least from my research, I cant seem to find very many PMDG offsets that can be used directly control the lighting of the annunciators.

Now to the question of adopting pmSystems. Indeed that may work. However, PM software in general was built to work with the stock (default) FS aircraft.

I am not sure if sending a switch input to the PMDG overhead (either by using the mouse or via FSUIPC mousetrapping) will actually force pmSystems to read it and respond appropriately. Hence using pmSystems in the setup may or may not display the correct annunciations given that it is not tightly integrated with PMDG internal workings.

What i believe one can do (and I am experimenting with this now) is to provide inputs both to PMDG and to pmSystems in parallel. That way whether or not pmSystems reads PMDG tightly, pmSystems will always respond to the input you sent it as well.

CPJ

[Michael Carter]

What I've found out is that not many third party aircraft will talk to FSUIPC for output control of indicators. Common FS indicators like marker beacon, windshear, DH, etc, will probably work fine, but I haven't experimented with it yet.

One project at a time...

[ian@737ng.co.uk]

hi guys,
ok, it's impossible to get at the outputs from the PMDG overhead logic, but it's not impossible to 'emulate it'. there is already a 'cunning plan' on my desk using the phidgetts card. but i am thinking of 'upgrading' to either Flightdeck Software or the Sim-Avionics packages so haven't done any more work on it as yet.
maybe worth looking at it again........
regards ... ian

[Holclo]

hi guys,
ok, it's impossible to get at the outputs from the PMDG overhead logic, but it's not impossible to 'emulate it'. there is already a 'cunning plan' on my desk using the phidgetts card. but i am thinking of 'upgrading' to either Flightdeck Software or the Sim-Avionics packages so haven't done any more work on it as yet.
maybe worth looking at it again........
regards ... ian

Now wouldn't that just be brilliant!
Bill