Iain Emms Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Keep up the great work my friend, but dont forget to have a nice rest as well. cheers Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyguy737 Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 hey Frank looking good I have been out of action for a bit too much work no time to play. Sadly today I have had to dismantle my whole Flight Sim as I do not have the time or money at this stage to continue my wife recently had major surgery and it has cost me a fortune so I am getting back into my other hobby for now which doesn't require any more money just setup again I'm talking about Amateur Radio. I have always been a radio nut and often used to open up on ch35 CB or UHF or just listening to Shortwave Radio, but since the internet the radio gear was either semi sold off or packed away. thankfully I kept most of my gear and i am setting back up. Eventually I will get back into the flight sim maybe after x-mas. so keep the pics coming Frank it is looking great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted September 19, 2012 Author Share Posted September 19, 2012 Thanx, Iain. I have managed to hook up one of my last switches, so there are only a few stragglers left. It's all been configured in ProSim now and the next step is to get my visuals up and running, so when I finish off these last few lights, I'll move on to the visuals. Here's a few pics of what I've done this week: It is certainly nice to turn it on and see all of the lights and led's illuminate properly. Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmo32 Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 thats incredible frank im drooling !! :o looking fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockliffe Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Wow Frank, it's all coming together. I bet those days of frustration and questions are slowly forgotten and being replaced with anticipation and excitement! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted September 19, 2012 Author Share Posted September 19, 2012 You are right, Howard. I was reluctant at first to go back and alter the wiring that I'd already done, but upon reflection, it really was a dog's breakfast. The decision was made easier when the new dimmers became available. I bit the bullet and ripped out the wiring that connected the old dimmers. I cleaned out the bay that houses my power supply and made it more accessible. It's all, neater and cleaner and more efficient now, so the pain was worth it. At the end of the day, there is only one person that I have to please and it's me. So, I don't mind changing my mind or adding a few more weeks to the build to make it a more efficient unit and less hassle, maintenance wise. Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dean (PC Aviator) Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 I bags first go (ok well i'll settle for second) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted September 19, 2012 Author Share Posted September 19, 2012 I also forgot to mention earlier, that I ordered eyebrow trims and roof panels from the States last week. So, I should be getting a call from MR. Fedex very soon. Nothing like using parts from real aircraft....kinda like breathing life back into them again.. My TQ is supposed to be shipping from France tomorrow, so hopefully next week should be pick-up day for it, too. More to come..... Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David TRIGGS Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Absolutely brilliant ...... !!! David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mra Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 As usual, awesome Frank. Can't wait for the next instalment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted September 20, 2012 Author Share Posted September 20, 2012 Well, I'm pretty pleased with myself tonight. All switches are wired checked and configured. All of my annunciators are working and my lights are all finished and up and working. It's been a full on week, but now I can roll on to the next phase. I still have one panel left to finish and then fit my new gauges when they arrive, but I can still come back to them. I had a big clean-up in the garage again. The floor was strewn with wiring and cable-tie ends and bits and pieces, so it will be nice to have a clean floor to start the next phase with. Next week promises to yield some great results. Pics coming soon, Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boetie Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Good on you Frank. I must say seeing your lights and LED's even gave me a buzz, I hope you realise how we thread followers are also on your journey Looking forward to next week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Mason Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Looking good Frank, I can't wait to see the garage sale of all the items you bought and decided not to use lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Emms Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Sure does look the biz there Frank, i bet your face lit the street up when it all lit up mate. well done to you. cheers Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted September 20, 2012 Author Share Posted September 20, 2012 Haha...I even got the missus in for a show last night, to see where her hard earned money's been spent. Even she was suitably impressed.....hahaha Today, I'm hoping to finish off my last panel (the EDC panel) and hopefully, might have it in and connected over the weekend. TQ is supposed to be winging it's way to me, TODAY! Yahoo, finally. So, I gotta go down town and buy a PCB board for the SYS and ENG switches for the EDC panel. I'll throw a few pics of the conversion up here tonight. Later, guys..... Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted September 21, 2012 Author Share Posted September 21, 2012 No wonder I spend so much time on this forum. I have been engaged in a thread on another forum explaining how my visuals work. The guru's won't have it. My idea is crap and it won't work. What a bunch of thick headed wallies. Honestly, I have no intention of sinking thousands of dollars and man hours into something that was half baked. I have done my research, I have done the testing and it works. I have even made videos to prove it. Ohh well, I am just a mere beginner, what would I know. Hail the guru's! On a brighter note, I just got home from Brissie. I bought a coupla new GTX 630's to run the new CDU's. Here's a pic of the cdu's and the centre EICAS screen running win7: And here are the cdu's running ProSim cdu software, ready to go. Now, it's off to the shed to waste more of my time doing nothing I know anything about........ Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyxx Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 Yep it looks like you have no clue what your doing Frank......, clear to see in the photo's it's not working. You show um mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Emms Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 Well Frank there is some people that still think the earth is flat, its not is it, But mate i have followed this one from the start and i must say it sure does look like you know your beans mate. cheers Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmo32 Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 agreee with Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Mason Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 It's pure jealousy mate, seeing red because yours is better than theirs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingleaf Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 agree with Iain and Ryan. man iam totally in awe of your accomplishment and thanks once again for sharing it. looks awesome iluminated. go go go. but take your brakes too. thanks Frank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted September 24, 2012 Author Share Posted September 24, 2012 Hi Guys. I have been busy of late, handling a few little problems with the sim. The great news is that my throttle quadrant shipped from France at the end of last week and is now in Liege, Belgium. It should be here in Bris-Vegas by next Monday, all being well. Am working away at the EDC panel again and it's almost finished. I took the Sismo one apart and have hi-jacked a lot of the components out of that and put them in the FDS one, which has proper IBL (lighting), where the sismo one had 12 volt lighting which was causing some problems in the MIP. My testing with the graphics goes on and I have all of the in-built componentry working with ProSim now, so I am just waiting to replace the gauges and then it's good to go. Bear with me for the next week and I'll try and get some interesting pics and maybe a vid up here. Until then.... Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted September 25, 2012 Author Share Posted September 25, 2012 Yeah, weel, we all have our little wins. I went to Queensland connectors and cables today, to buy a coupla displayport to dvi connectors for my dual head2go. They furnished them and I hot-tailed it off home to try them out. I'v ehad some trouble trying to get my dual displays working with the NVIDIA SLI multiple monitor support. I tried nearly everything last nite and just gave up. So, it was nice to plug the connectors in and see windows and FSX fire up in full dual screen brilliance. Now I have that bush fire under control, it's on to the next one....... Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Emms Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 Great news Frank i cant wait to see some shots of this quadrant. cheers Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted September 27, 2012 Author Share Posted September 27, 2012 More great news...well, for me, anyway. My TQ arrived in Brisbane this morning and even better, it didn't attract any extra duty costs (which I hadn't expected). At this stage, it looks like it's gonna be delivered on Monday, so pics coming up on Monday, Iain. I've also dragged all my computers and related set-up out to the garage now and am setting all up, so that I can get it all configured, prior to moving back in my Flight Deck room. It looked really nice last night with the lights turned off. Anyway, I'll get out there and take a few snaps tonight and slap them up here. All for now, Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted October 2, 2012 Author Share Posted October 2, 2012 Sorry Guys, been off the reservation for a little while. Anyway, the TQ arrived today. Wow, it's very impressive. I'm not 100% happy, as there are some teething problems, but nothing I cannot overcome. So, here's a few pics of the little gem. This is the box that it came in. I was expecting a wooden crate, but it was 18kg and fitted neatly in the carboard box: Lots of foam, plenty of protection: And the power supply that was sent with various fittings And here's a few night pics, showing off the back-lighting: More when I get to terms with this beast, Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holy Cheese Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 wow, that looks like a very nice bit of kit there, Frank. Looking forward to seeing this all installed and working Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gandy Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 That throttle looks epic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyxx Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 OMG.....That throttle is stunning...just stunning Frank. Good for you mate. The overhead looks perfect also, man what a cockpit you will have Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Emms Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 Sure does look fantastic Frank, and when its lit up it looks even better mate im glad its all coming together for you. you deserve it with all the work and time you are putting into this. cheers Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted October 3, 2012 Author Share Posted October 3, 2012 Thanx Guys. Today, I plan on trying a few more set-ups to try and milk the best out of it. I also received my new undercarriage handle yesterday, so I'll be doing a swap in my MIP for that today, as well. MOF is doing a crack down at the moment....so, I have to slow down a bit. That's OK, I got a heap of stuff to keep me busy for a few months. Gotta keep the better half happy when she does all the finance figures......... Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank .A Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 The sim is shaping up to be stunning! Doesn't it just feel wonderful when the sim has that depth and detail that makes you feel like you are flying the real thing? Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted October 3, 2012 Author Share Posted October 3, 2012 You are right, Frank. But the amazing part is, you don't need to spend mega bucks and build a whole cockpit for the immersion. I've been testing the quadrant on my test machine (this one, which is nothing spectacular by today's standards) and the depth of detail and feeling of reality is astounding. Being able to control the aircraft with trim (properly) and seeing the trim wheels and the throttles run back and forth is amazing. If I hadn't opted to build the real deal, I would have bought a decent quadrant, a good ace yoke and probably upped my screens to 42" or 50" or something. For 4 or 5 grand, you could have a real great set-up now. The only problem with the current sim industry is standardisation. Nobody builds to plan, they all just build to their own specs and when you mix and match, it's a living nightmare. I have been gobsmacked at the lack of communication from vendors and the unresponsiveness of them to co-operate together. And unfortunately, it's not just the building process. Software that is made for specific brands and not others, is a real treat. Unfortunately for me, I let it all get to me so I end up getting small bits done at a time now and then throw my hands in the air and leave thintgs till tomorrow. I am perplexed and amazed at the stupidity of the manufacturers and their unwillingness to make the products fit together and just "WORK", when we pay so much for the parts. It shouldn't have to be rocket science, but unfortunately it is, for most of the time. Oh, well, no use crying now when you are up to your neck in it. And as an aside, I have fitted the new undercarriage handle and it was another nightmare, but it's done. Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockliffe Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Ooops, (salivating) sorry, I have to be excused... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonman Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 You are right, Frank. But the amazing part is, you don't need to spend mega bucks and build a whole cockpit for the immersion. I've been testing the quadrant on my test machine (this one, which is nothing spectacular by today's standards) and the depth of detail and feeling of reality is astounding. Being able to control the aircraft with trim (properly) and seeing the trim wheels and the throttles run back and forth is amazing. If I hadn't opted to build the real deal, I would have bought a decent quadrant, a good ace yoke and probably upped my screens to 42" or 50" or something. For 4 or 5 grand, you could have a real great set-up now. The only problem with the current sim industry is standardisation. Nobody builds to plan, they all just build to their own specs and when you mix and match, it's a living nightmare. I have been gobsmacked at the lack of communication from vendors and the unresponsiveness of them to co-operate together. And unfortunately, it's not just the building process. Software that is made for specific brands and not others, is a real treat. Unfortunately for me, I let it all get to me so I end up getting small bits done at a time now and then throw my hands in the air and leave thintgs till tomorrow. I am perplexed and amazed at the stupidity of the manufacturers and their unwillingness to make the products fit together and just "WORK", when we pay so much for the parts. It shouldn't have to be rocket science, but unfortunately it is, for most of the time. Oh, well, no use crying now when you are up to your neck in it. And as an aside, I have fitted the new undercarriage handle and it was another nightmare, but it's done. Frank Congratulations Frank! THIS is amazing! Amazing work indeed - even more so, when keeping in mind how weird it from time to time obviously turns out to be just as described in Your post quoted here. So saying again: Great Work and Congratulation on all Your progress and what You have achieved by now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Mason Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 I agree with your sentiment frank. When I do consulting on commercial helicopter simulators it would make it so much simpler if there was a standard, but alas, each producer is always trying to outdo the other and keep their products proprietary which is where the issues come up. I had the same situation with a cyclic on a helicopter sim, we ended up buying both of the top units and canabilizing each to make one that worked well as each on its own had serious faults in design. I have felt your pain mate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted October 4, 2012 Author Share Posted October 4, 2012 Yeah, Ryan. Unfortunately, the constant battle of just getting things to fit, wears you out. You end up with a very expensive piece of equipment that is full of compromises. This is probably why there is a growing trend toward buying "real" aicraft parts, which I have no problem with. I just wouldn't consider converting gauges and stuff, too damn exspensive. And I have now made a radical change of plan. I am chnaging the living place of my sim. I had planned on keeping it in my converted computer room, when it was finished, but now, after careful consultation with the big "Boss" lady, I'm going to set it all up in my garage. The benefits are two-fold. I get to leave my computer room intact and can still use it to test and iron out new bits of gear for the sim and the room is much bigger. This means I can now think more carefully about my options for the visuals. So, in the mean time, I'll be getting on with now building the aluminium frame needed to hold the roof structure to the sim. Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuisong Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Ooops, (salivating) sorry, I have to be excused... Me too. You must be getting excited now that things are really coming together Frank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted October 5, 2012 Author Share Posted October 5, 2012 More than you know, Roger. When I received the TQ on Wednesday, I was anxious to test it out. Unfortunately, the deeper I get into this building caper the more I understand how complex it is. Just turning things on and having them work first up is not really feasible. Most heavy duty cockpit parts rely on other bits of hardware or software for their interaction. And such is this throttle. For several days now, I've been tearing out what little hair I have left, trying to get the motors in the throttle working. I had been relying on older software to tell me when the motors were active, only to find out that the software now is defunct and a whole other system is used for current models. Anyhow, tonight, the Gods smiled upon me and helped me to overcome all of the stuff-ups I'd done earlier. I had a wonderful flight from Sydney to Brissie, with a bumpy landing. The throttles powered up and down as I manipulated the MCP and I actually sat back in awe for the last 50 nautical miles to JCW, prior to landing. I got the missus to come take a look and she was amazed. I then turned out the lights, turned on all of the MIP lighting and sat ther like Santa watching the Xmas tree. It was priceless. I keep telling myself, there's a long way to go, but al least I'm making headway now. So tomorrow night I'll set up the camera and get a little footage and youtube it and post it here. I'm so glad now, to have spent the extra bucks on the auto throttle. It makes for a much more realistic sim. Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted October 5, 2012 Author Share Posted October 5, 2012 8 months, 19,000 views. At this rate, I might need John to build another server for this thread....... Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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