WayneLaycock Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 Thought I would just show everyone the cockpit setup I have been working on. It has taken a couple of years to get it to the stage where I can feel satisfied that I have a system that allows me to truly simulate the big jet experience. I have modelled my cockpit on a B737-800 (Qantas of course). It has fully functioning main instrument panel (MIP), overhead Panel, flight computer, and main control panel (MCP). The centre pedestal contains the fire panel and comms/nav radios. The cockpit is not to scale because I had to fit it into a small room in our house (bedroom my son left when he moved from home) but it is functional with all systems operational. I am now running it using FSX (still a few problems) and of course FTX for the scenery. For the instruments and systems I am using Project Magenta, a wonderful program but a tad expensive. My comms radios are GoFlight systems, control column is CH Products and pedals are Saitek. There are six (6) computers in all running the cockpit, includes an Instructor Station. My out of the window display uses an overhead projector but because of the small room the size of the display is somewhat small. Quite a lot of work had to be put into wiriong up the cockpit, especially the overhead and MCP panels but thanks to a bit of help from my son (an avionics technician in the Army) were finally got it done. So now I can start from a cold and dark cockpit, fire up all the systems, load the flight plan into the flight computer and away I go. I have attempted to post a couple of pics of the cockpit below. If anyone else has one would love to hear about it. Happy simming everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
}SkOrPn--7 Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 WayneLaycock that is absolutely fantastic and would go along way to making the experience more life like. You have really done a great job and I fully understand the night mares or problem solving that would have gone into such a project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Venema Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 Wonderful stuff Wayne! Congrats on such a fantastic setup! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolter van der Spoel Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 WOW'zers ! Great setup Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teecee Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 Niiiice..OK.. I will be the rude one..how much have you spent on this mate.. Teecee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan2 Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 Wayne , I would like to hear more about your troubles and wins on building such a thing. Im starting out on the theory thing at the moment but hope to build a "modular" system i.e. slip into a spitfire or walk into a DC3.(something like that).But it has to be cheap, Iwant to follow up the idea of usb keyboard, chopped and hacked, as an interface to a switch or lever,quadrant . I think it may be possible . Because Im not quite up to speed on computers this seems to be a way out. Look, I dont want to hijack your post , but I too wouLd like to hear from cockpit builders . Yea, great cockpit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penzoil3 Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 Holy BLEEP! And I thought I was an FS addict! WOW LOL Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxter Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Wow, Wayne, sensational stuff, thanks for posting. Keep us appraised of developments. Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maurice_King Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 While I couldn't give two knobs about Tubliner's I can see there has been a lot of thought and work gone in here and as such I'll doff my Cap sir well done. This is the sort of thing I'd like to do for a GA Full motion Mooney (one day he say's dreamily looking at the sky) . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WayneLaycock Posted August 18, 2008 Author Share Posted August 18, 2008 Thanks guys for the encouragement. teece --- I haven't a clue how much it has all cost me. It would add up to thousands of dollars but I built it bit by bit when I could afford parts. The software and the panels were really the costly items, the software has doubled in price since I purchased it. The original hardware to enable the switches and lights to talk to the software I constructed myself from plans obtained over the internet (FSBus). Worked OK but did have some bugs in it. They have since changed the way they do their electronics. By the way its all free to download their circuits and anyone with a little electronics knowledge can build them. I did have the circuit boards professionally made though. I have since changed to IOCards which I buy already constructed and tested. A lot of parts I just made myself after a bit of trial and error. The throttle assembly with reverse thrust, flaps, spoilers and fuel cuttoffs just work from switches and potentiometers. Just means sitting down and working out how to make thewse things work while still having things look like the real thing. My son gave me for my last birthday a flight in a commercial simulator B737. After it was over I found that I could do everything with my simulator that the commercial one could do. So I was quite pleased with everything. I haven't added up the costs for two reasons: 1. I didn't want to scare myself, and 2. I didn't want my wife to know (that would have meant the end of it)--kidding of course. Alan2.... as I said there was a lot of trial and error in building the thing. Sometimes things worked OK, others it was back to the drawing board. Then after things were working ok, I re-worked things to either perform better or look better. Seems to be a never ending process. As to building things cheaply, I guess that you get what you pay for. If you want functionality over looks and with a bit of enginuity, you can do wonders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamnugget Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Wow.....If I told my missus that I was building an aeroplane in one of the kids bedrooms she would freak . Maybe if I was to tell her that it was one of those build it month by month things from the newsagents.....over time she may not notice . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamC Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 Hey wayne awesome job firstly, looks like you'll be going for a 737 licence pretty soon. like you were saying you've built a lot of it yourself, have you thought about getting parts from an actual aircraft from here in aussie or overseas, such as seats and maybe some of the switches. Not sure of the cost though. I'm sure you've probably had a look at some of the projects that some people have going to see what they have done. I must say i'm very jealous, as i don't have the room to do that sort of stuff. Cheers Adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awright Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 Awesome mate. I dare not even think about it. My daughter's room is sacrosanct even though she now lives in London!! Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WayneLaycock Posted August 20, 2008 Author Share Posted August 20, 2008 Adam. Had a look at that when I first started. Far too costly for me. There is really no where in Australia to get cheap second hand parts. Seems like the only place is USA but the prices and postage is just too much. Had more fun designing and building the parts, especially when they actually worked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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