Building a full-sized cockpit

Lots of progress on the cockpit front since my last post! Here's the landing gear handle assembly lit up:

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and the whole thing

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Then i started sculpting the throttle arm assembly, of course out of wood again.

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Used a long drill to open a cabling hole through the arm:

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and continued shaping the object

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I then strengthened it with fiberglass sheet:

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And after lots of sanding, sealing etc. i painted it

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Here's some parts of the assembly i built out of aluminum to attach the throttle quadrant:

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The toothed disc is the friction disc. Here's how the quadrant assembly will fit on the existing controller:

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Needs some finishing touches!
 
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Nice progress there!

Btw, you can find the gameport version of CH Combat stick relatively cheap from the other bay, although I think you had made good progress with your grip already.
 
As usual it is looking amazing (y)

If you need some simple IO for buttons / analog inputs I can help you out with an Arduino (HID) USB interface. I already have wired and wireless sketches coded. I am happy to help, PM me if interested :)
 
Thank you both for your comments! @Bastich: i might as well "bother" you on that! I was thinking of utilizing something like the USB interface i put in the arcade cabinet, but would require something more complex..
Anyway, here's another part of the build. I got me a regular 3M protection mask:

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and have been working to bring it up to a pilots' mask look:

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Got me some 1mm rubber sheet

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and started covering parts

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The plastic filter cover is an accessory from tent tubing..

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Lots of epoxy and thin ply later.

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Still needs some work on minor details. :)
 
Are you going to mount a microphone inside it?

Bryce.
 
@Bryce: That's the plan! I got me some intercom set long ago, when i was planning to make this a two-seater rig, but i'm still not sure what i'll use. However... when things get better, (space-wise) i do intend to make my pit a two-seater. I'm not sure i mentioned this before, but i got the pit 'stationed' elsewhere, and bring things at my current home to work on.
 
I haven't updated this in a long time, mostly due to image hosting BS from photobucket and postimg. They both make your life harder...
Anyway, i've had lots of progress since, and here's some of it:

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That's the DED display, and tests have been successful with Falcon!

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And that's just a sample of progress, stay tuned. :)
 
Another part of the cockpit are the indexers. Got me some aluminum profile:
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Cut to required shapes:

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This is how the LEDs fit in:

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Then i cut some rooftop tin pieces:

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Paint n' rivets:

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More parts:

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And this is how the finished part looks:

INDEXER_STAND_19.jpg


Haven't yet connected these electrically, but it's no rocket science..
 
And some more pics of the progress. Here's the throttle arm with wires passing through:

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That's 29 cables going through that part!

Here's the indexers' stand wood-carved prototype:

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And this is the mold i made for casting it in resin:

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Here's the result:

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I've installed bronze 4mm screw inserts.

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Another part of the cockpit is the FFI (Fuel Flow Indicator). That needed an Arduino and a miniature OLED screen.

FFI1.jpg


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Now, that gave me a headache, but it was the display's fault, so i switched from the cheap OEM to a more expensive Adafruit one:

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After that, it was 'smooth sails' testing successfully under Falcon.

I also started collecting some electronics for interfacing.

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That's a very nice system by PSCockpits (Spain). I would highly recommend it to people looking to build a working cockpit. Pictures show mainboard, CMDS, Caution Panel, compass, TWP, TWA, UHF, and 40 I/O plus 16 I/O boards. It will not be the only electronics interfacing system, but the most important one.
Other subsystems include Pokeys, Adafruit servo controller etc.

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And yet another part, the Caution Panel.
I used some Greek match boxes:

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Put them together...

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Lots of more work to be done on that, but pictures are posted here to bring the thread to an updated status. These past few posts are a summary of approximately a years' work since my last updates..
 
Another minor update, some homemade switch knobs carved out of wood. These need a little bit of more work, but will soon be used as prototypes for a mold.

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Hi Bud great your still working on this u got a pic of you whole piece to show us.
 
Hi Bud great your still working on this u got a pic of you whole piece to show us.

Thanks Johnim, not a recent one actually, since the pit is stored in a different place, and i work on sub-components at home for the time being.
I wish i had everything in one place, but real life is a b***h as we all know, and keeps getting in the way..
Anyway, here's one from a while back.

TUB SIDE 1.jpg
 
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This is a real labour of love. Can't wait to see the finished work :)
 
Hey there fellas, been a while, but as always, many things in real life tend to become an obstacle for my many hobbies... Will not go through details, but it's been a nightmare till recently. Anyway, i manage to work a little now and then on the cockpit front. Here's a few things i managed so far:
-Had the Logitech G15 keyboard working as a DED and PFL display. I will actually be using this strictly as a PFL because i already built my DED.

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-Experimented with panel build using a CNC:

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-My latest pride is what i call "Project: MustaComp" (from mustard and compass)!

Pics will help your imagination:

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Here's testing the backlight circuitry:

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And that's about it for the time being.. Stay tuned! :)
 
Here's the latest updates on the cockpit front. Lots of things have happened since my last post. Here's the TWP (Threat Warning Panel), with smd leds and microswitches replaced by RAFI illuminated switches:

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Cockpit PC is slowly being assembled..

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Needs many video outputs, so i utilized a PCIe adapter for a second graphics card:

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I've 5 monitors and 2 projectors to drive (for the time being!).

Here's a rough idea of the left top side:

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That's one of the monitors and required the purchase of a controller:

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Designing the compass scale using a graphics tablet:

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Results:

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Stay tuned for more pics in a bit!

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Next up is the UHF panel. That one needs lots of more work:

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Now this is the SSC, actually the joystick mount base:

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Still lots of sanding, putty, filling etc. to be done there..
Next up is the right AUX console, where the PFL (Pilot Fault List) and Caution Panel are mounted:

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The PFL is actually a display ripped from a Logitech G15 keyboard, and it works quite well.

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And that just about sums it all up for now, but you get an idea of what "staying inside" means here! ;-)
 
Thanks mate! What people who aren't in the specific hobby don't understand usually, is the fact that it can take quite a big while to finish.
I know plenty who are still building for decades. Even hobbyists who managed to finish their cockpit tend to always try making them better, or keep them updated with modern Block numbers. Of course finances play a big role too; imagine having to scratch-build most of the parts..
 
A small update. Used putty to fill the gaps on the joystick:

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After lots of sanding, I did two coats of epoxy resin on the joystick body, in order to "plasticize" it.

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Left it to cure for two days, and resin hardened really well. Went through lots of sanding again, and then primed and painted it.

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Last, i went through three coats of mate varnish, and after it dried, i can say the result has really paid off.

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It has been a while since my last update, but at least i have some work done. First up is building the rudder pedals. This set is built after open-source instructions and plans. What you see here are the aluminum rails, and plastic parts which were 3D-printed. Luckily, i found some nice fella in the UK who prints parts for me real cheap and with good quality!

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This is not yet complete, as i am awaiting some more parts for this kit. I have also received parts for the throttle quadrant, which were also 3D-printed by the same person. With a little love and affection (aka sanding, priming and varnish), these parts became real smooth on the surface.
Pictures are worth a thousand words..

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Here's how she looks temporarily mounted on the throttle bracket (before smoothening treatment):

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Stay tuned! :)
 
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