Another B737 Homecockpit

[bravolima]

Hello all,

my first Introduction in Oct. 2007 started with my idea to built a 747 home-cockpit. I got some nice introductions, but two month later I had to make up my mind and change to a 737. Sorry guys, from the big iron family, this idea would have had overstressed me in serveral ways. I can say this more convincigly in review of the development and realizing the 737 project. My handskills, my IT- and my electronic-knowlegde, finally my financial source are not as far as good to succeed in such a project. Now that my project is in a presentable shape, its time to share some up and some downs with you.

My idea was to realize the pit in a modular way, three four or more steps, initially to keep my old units as long as possible. Well you can do this, but keep in mind, combining CP, cockpitsonic and engravity and goflight hardware might be difficult. Don´t loose time and money in creating to much interim solutions. I started with a MIP from Cockpitsonic. Today I would say it might be better to start with a MCP and Throttle unit, next pedestal, then high quality Yoke and rudder and finally MIP and Overhead.
The disatvantage of this course might be that updates and modifications during the time hamper, because the hardware units get more and more improved, perhaps some have to be replaced to come further.
If you start with a project, keep looking around to systems at close range and try to establish contacts. In general the hardware firms do good support, but be patient, you are not the one and only customer, be more carefully when using local distributors, usually they sell and can´t give you much support, but I admit this is my personal experience.
Usually plan your contacts during working hours, on weekends no on is around, usually the time you are fiddling with your sim…..therefor modifications should be planed carefully. At a certain stage you might realize, things go big, then you need help from professionals, you might be a good or excellent simpilot, but you might be not a good IT/Software/electronic freak. If you buy a Mercedes, you don´t think of doing service and fixing all by yourself, buying and using a homepit might need the same approach, moreover when your main goal is flying the sim vs. to built a sim. The initally delimited costs of course exeeded the limits (approx. 25%). In the beginning I decided to spent as much money for my sim as for a PPL liscence and for 30-50 flying hours in the first two years. I can say today I practised more than I thought in the beginning…. but after two years I´m happy with my sim, this ist he most important thing to say and I wrote this to thank some person who helped to realize it.

things remain to be done:

platform, seats, overhead panel

My Sim:

Hardware:

Cockpitsonic
FDT with CP-flight MCP/EFIS for Captain and F/O
Throttle and Pedestal from Cockpitsonic
CDU from Engravity
Column-Yoke/Pedals for Captain and F/0 from PFC

Software:
Microsoft FS9
Project magenta
FSUIPC
Autobrake and others (TSR)

I would thank for helping me realizing my homecockpit

Mr. M.Roehr (Cockpitsonic)
Mr. H. Sobisch (Cockpitsonic)
Mr. P.Dowson (FSUIPC)
Mr. T.Richter (Technical Service Richter)

Bernhard (LSZH)

[Michael Carter]

Your sim looks great.

I would not try to build something that was over my head. If I built it I better be able to perform the maintenance for it.

[Matt Olieman]

Looks fantastic, nice job. Thanks for sharing the pics with us

Matt Olieman

[bravolima]

Your sim looks great.

I would not try to build something that was over my head. If I built it I better be able to perform the maintenance for it.

Hi Michael,

that depends. seems to me you are more the pit-builder. If you only have the idea and the wish to improve your sim, you don´t think first of maintenance. So did I. BTW my old sims where demanding concerning network and config and so on. But a homepit is a higher class, then you have to deal with it, learn to work with it and of course maintain it. What I want to say beside all, keep looking in this forum and gain knowledge as far as you can, and don´t be foolish when realising you need "professional" help.

Bernhard (LSZH)

[nricky]

Hi Bernhard

Great looking Sim, could you please tell us also what computer you are running your Sim on.

What I really like to know how you are coming along with the Matrox triplehead2go, that is the only thing at the moment that I need for my sim.

Keep up the good work.
Cheers Norbert EDDK

[SimSimmer]

Looking great.... well done!!

Ian

[bravolima]

Hi Bernhard

Great looking Sim, could you please tell us also what computer you are running your Sim on.


What I really like to know how you are coming along with the Matrox triplehead2go, that is the only thing at the moment that I need for my sim.

Keep up the good work.
Cheers Norbert EDDK

Hello Norbert,

I have two machines. The FS9 machine, the more powerfull one is a
Intel P4 Core2 Dual (E8600) 2MB Ram ASUS P5 Mainboard.
The second one for the pm stuff is a older P4, I think CoreDual.

With the Matrox stuff I´m rather satisfied. I must admit for the F/O side it is still work in progress. I´ve heard with FSX it should be easier, but I´m not ready to change to FSX for many reason.
According NIcD http://www.mycockpit.org/forums/show...hlight=officer I changed the eyepoint to zero. When established on final I achieve a sufficient outside view from Captain and F/O side, but during turns the outer screens give some distorted impressions. After angulating the outer screens are a little bit, approx. 5-10 degree to sim a more panoramic view, this effect is minimized the now. I fly usually with 0.50-0.60 zoom and I use the keypad to change the angles of the outside view during climb and descent.

Thanks

Bernhard (LSZH)

[Matt Olieman]

Good information Bernhard, thanks.

Always interested in reading how others set up their sim.

Matt Olieman

[GeorgS]

Dear Bernhard,

Glad to see your pit is improving! And be assured your "old" parts are at a good place now, spending a lot of fun .
Thanks also for sharing your experience building up the pit. Good to know that the strategy I thought about myself is logical to others too, as I am waiting for the CS throttle (everybody needs a present for his 40th birthday) after getting your MCP/EFIS...

All the best
Georg (LOWW)

[bravolima]

Isn´t it time for an update?

In 2012 I moved my Sim into a basement and started "another round of improvement". It is still a complete privat project and I will keep the pace not to turn a good
hobby into a bad business. In the end, as many predicted, it was more than an improvement, it was nearly a new Sim. If you intend to ask about costs I can give you my account number. If you want to buy such a unit, I can tell you it will cost you roughly the ammount of privat pilot license and three to four years frequent flying. Remnants of my former mostly Cockpitsonic-Parts were the forward Overhead and pedestal and CPflight MCP and EFIS-Units. The renewal finally lasted until autum 2013. In 2014 a rework of the yokes was done and finally I am nearly there where I wanted to be. The width of the room is 3.95 m: The projection is realized with three BenQ T1080 projectors, outer two one´s in overcross-technique. Wrapping software is actually Nthusim (you can get fast and easy reasonable results with this tool), in middle
term a precise adapted solution based on fly EliseNG Immersive Calibration Pro is projected. Software runs on a Server and five clients (Server with FSX and
P3d) Clients for CMD, FO, upper and lower EICAS and a for systems. Software is still Project magenta with some tweaks and enhancements. Two smaller
notebooks serve as EFB's on each side with Aivlasoft EFB-Software.
In the room is as well a general workstation for administration and instruction. The project has became such a size now, it is inevitable to start organizing all the
software stuff and what´s going on and yes, part of the sim is a vacuum cleaner, a small fridge and a coffee machine......
Since the Sim is alive I do flight training and online flying (with some fellows I will attend the Worldflight Australia 2015)). Pitch & power sessions, I rifled the Boeing
Flightcrew Training Manual and had 4h training in a full-flightsimulator. Sometimes you need some new input in such a project.....


On my Sim I put a note (inspired by Frank Zappa)

This isn´t an airplane
It is a flightsimulator
It isn´t a Bobby
It looks like one
If you realize the difference
You might be a pilot.....

Summary 2015


The floorstand is selfconstructed
MIP, Shell, CDU are from Flightdecksolution (Toronto, Canada)
Brake pressure and Jaw-Indicator are from Flightillusion (Belgium)
Weber-Seats from Airline Pilot's Historical Society (US)
Rails from Flightsimulatorcenter (Italy)
Linked yokes (revised) from Flightsimulatorcenter (Italy)
Throttle (revised) ReSim (out of market)
From the old Sim:
Overhead and pedestal (Cockpitsonic, Germany)
MCP EFIS (CPFlight, Italy)

Software
Win 7 Professional, FSX, P3D, project magenta, TSR, Aivlasoft EFB



Have fun with your sims

best regards

Bernhard(LSZH)