tennyson Posted April 15, 2012 Author Share Posted April 15, 2012 No rest for the wicked, so after church this morning.....(just kidding about that, don't want the roof to fall in), I changed the case over for my Avionics 2 PC to a thermaltake chaser case like the other three. All done and dusted and moved back to the glares. Am spending some time sanding and filling and generally making them as nice as I can, so tomorrow I'm hoping to finish them both off and then integrate the MCP and twin EFIS's into the panels and mount them back into the MIP. I'm counting the days until my Sim Revolution motorised throttle quadrant arrives. Here's a few piccys of it: Can't wait to get my hands on this baby, Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Emms Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 Well then Frank that sure does look the business mate, keep up the great work on this fantastic project. cheers Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyguy737 Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 mate your making us jealous seriously as I live on the Gold Coast I will have to come visit you soon please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gandy Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 wow that throttle is super sexy My wife would never let me buy one Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted April 16, 2012 Author Share Posted April 16, 2012 Paul, just quietly, my wife would never let me buy one, either.... Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank .A Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 The cockpit looks like it is coming along very well, good job! That motorised throttle is very nice, too! Frank P.S: What are you going to do with that GTX 580? Can I have it??? Kidding, of course! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodduck Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 Frank If that thing works as good as it looks you're missus is going to have to pry you out of that cockpit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank .A Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 Frank If that thing works as good as it looks you're missus is going to have to pry you out of that cockpit. LOL, I'm only 11 years old! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted April 16, 2012 Author Share Posted April 16, 2012 The GTX580 went in this machine I'm using now and the 570 from it went in my Productivity unit and so on down the line. The IT in this house is a full time job, I tell ya. My glares are approaching the finished stage (just gotta get that finish just right) so hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to mount the other gear to it. I'll take a few piccy's, promise. Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argharg Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 I am not asking for the budget so far but.... good luck. etienne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted April 17, 2012 Author Share Posted April 17, 2012 Let's just say I could be driving 3 x MX-5's or a good sized limo for the money, but hey, I don't need petrol for the sim....... Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyguy737 Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Let's just say I could be driving 3 x MX-5's or a good sized limo for the money, but hey, I don't need petrol for the sim....... Frank yes mate but you wouldn't have as much fun either hehe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted April 17, 2012 Author Share Posted April 17, 2012 Already got one of those, so I don't need another two, nor a limo @ $1.72 cents a litre at the moment. That's not the only reason I'm building the cockpit, tho....... Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted April 17, 2012 Author Share Posted April 17, 2012 When I re-did the glares this time, I stripped them back and filled and sanded them. I was looking for a finish that would suit the glareshield, so I hunted down a surface finish that I've used in a previous life, fixing cars. It's crinkle finish and is more commonly used on engine parts such as tappet covers and the like. It's not easy to use and needs several heavy coats to achieve the desired effect, but I think I've got what I wanted. Will add a few snaps tomorrow, when the glares are dry. Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Emms Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Look foward to seeing them Frank, you old boy racer cheers Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted April 17, 2012 Author Share Posted April 17, 2012 Ok, they are all but finished, so I've gone back and dug up some before and after pics. Here they are: Original pristine engravity and FDS glare wings. Now to marry up the two. FDS glare Rip, tear, bust This is kinda the engagement before the marriage The magic paint After a gazillion hours of filling and sanding. The coats are laid on thick and she has a nice gloss to it for many hours Yeah, so now they are married and about to go on their honeymoon Voila, as if by magic, the next day, you have crinkle....... I'll have to continue the theme now and do the top glare panel the same. I often wondered while reading the cockpitbuilders forums, why these guys hardly get any flying done. Now I know. This little side job has sidelined me for a week. I guess what you need to take out of this is the enjoyment of creating your cockpit and not just buying something off the shelf. The journey continues.......... Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek McAllan Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 Frank, your dedication to the end result is amazing, talk about going above and beyond!! Its great following your progress. Cheers, Derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OmniAtlas Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 Wow, whats your budget for all of this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted April 18, 2012 Author Share Posted April 18, 2012 Nil....I don't eat, drink or sleep. Just live for the sim....in between overseas trips and a bit of leisure time.....hahaha Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockliffe Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 (sits crossed legged, brings hands together in a praying fashion, closes eyes and quietly whispers words of wisdom)......... "though the prize is of great satisfaction, the real joy is in the journey my son...." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OmniAtlas Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 Nil....I don't eat, drink or sleep. Just live for the sim....in between overseas trips and a bit of leisure time.....hahaha Frank If you ever get it up and fully running you should rent it out or start a club to recoup some costs. I would gladly pay some cash fo a realistic experience... I know there is the 737 experience in the gold coast and Brisbane but that comes out to be like over 150 / hour which is a little too much for me. I also live in QLD so please let me know if this happens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted April 18, 2012 Author Share Posted April 18, 2012 First off, I have every intention on finishing this project completely. I have had other projects like this in the past and have finished just about all of them, so along with the fact that I've sunk a whole lot of time and money into it, I have the time and resources to take it to fruition. It's not a project I went into blindly after giving it a few minutes thought. I worked out the large logistical problems way before spending the bulk of money I've already outlaid. My time frame for completion is flexible, as I also like to go away now and then, I love and care for my family and they also take precedence over this, but the cockpit is pretty high on the priority list after those. Having said that, I'm hoping to have the entire cockpit (minus the overheads finished by Xmas (this year). The overheads (forward and aft) are a massive undertaking on their own, so even tho I have them scheduled for next year, that won't prohibit me from flying the cockpit (once it's at that stage) without them. And I am sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings, but I will not be renting or hiring my sim to anybody. Apart from the fact that it's far from commercial quality, I have a very close friend who runs the sim at Archerfield (Flight Simulator 737) and that is purely his domain. I don't need to recoup my costs and I have many friends already lined up to fly the FO's seat, when it's ready. I'm just incredibly fortunate to have the time and ability to put something like this together. What is really exciting is being able to use Australian scenery like ORBX to fly the routes that I want to replicate in Australia. So, hopefully John doesn't mind the thread blowing out like this and I will keep putting my progress up here for anybody who's interested and when I have some pics of the maiden flight featuring Russ White's (and the ORBX team) YBBN, you'll see it too. Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gandy Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 Frank what made you decide on the 737 as your home cockpit project and once you have completed your project will you fly anything else ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted April 19, 2012 Author Share Posted April 19, 2012 That's a good point, Paul. Don't know why, but always liked the airliners. I worked on jets a lot of my life, so have the aviation thing in the blood. My best friend is also an aviation engineer (we joined the air force together a few milleniums ago) for Qantas, so we talk a lot about aircraft even now. Probably made my mind up after working on a professional 737 sim and taking a paid flight with one. When I started my research, I was blown away to see the level of expertise out there in building, in the quantity and quality of parts and the general information available from the vendors and cockpit builders themselves. I'm really happy with my decision and for me, it was the right path. I'm already planning upgrades on this sim before it's finished. As for flying other aircraft, the server unit that I use for the cockpit was transplanted into my old set-up, which runs triple head2 go, saitek throttle quad and pedals and all of the nice stuff. I mostly fly the PMDG on that, training up for my sim, but every now and then, I break out the beautiful C340 or the bird dog and suck in the beautiful ORBX scenery form low and slow. You can't just go cold turkey on some of the best that sim aviation has to offer. There are some beautiful and fun aircraft out there still waiting to be explored. Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuisong Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 You are doing a great job Frank. I enjoy following your progress. Rome wasn't built in a day. However I know you are just going to have so much pleasure from both the build and the eventual flying of your sim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted April 19, 2012 Author Share Posted April 19, 2012 Thanx Roger. I'm actually taking a break at the moment 'cause I'm up to my eyeballs trying to mount the twin monitors in the MIP. It's turned out to be a very difficult exercise. I'm working off a maximum floor height of 1280 cm (that's what the real aircraft supposed to be), but it's getting the right angle of the screens and making them fit the MIP that is so difficult. I'm hoping that I might have it sorted by the weekend, so I can test the twin screens with the GTX680's. Fingers crossed....ohh, and I'll get some snaps as well. Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockliffe Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 Still log in every day to keep track of your progress Frank and try hard not to turn green It really is a fantastic project and you undoubtably have the resource and ambition to see it through. More piccies soon please! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted April 19, 2012 Author Share Posted April 19, 2012 Ok, just because you asked so nicely Howard. I'm a little ahead of schedule here: This is the inside of the glareshield Screen mounting to check the positions The frames have foam on the inside to protect the lcd's Ok, so screens are mounted here Everything is easily removed, so that I can do maintenance if needs be. This is what 2 x 32" lcd's look like from the front First fire up. Looking good, but some work to do yet. I did start up Flight sim and had a quick fly, but have got to buy some long HDMI cables tomorrow, as I'm not able to span with normal vga cables. All in all, I was quite pleased with a first attempt. Sizing and positions look good and when I moved my viewpoint forward in FSX, it looked glorious. Ohhhhh, just can't wait...like a kid with a new toy! Frank P.S. My cockpit's name is Ozsim 738, in case anybody's wondering about the graphic on the screen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyguy737 Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 looking very good there mate so when we gonna get invited to the grand opening Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted April 20, 2012 Author Share Posted April 20, 2012 I don't want you to hold your breath, Colin, you might do yourself an injury. Second test today. Bought some DVI to HDMI cables this morning and hooked them up. FSX is such a frustrating cow! Crashes and BSD's to start the day, but at the end, I had success and have it stable now. Playing around with all of the views and finding it unsatisfactory. I think I've come to the realisation that I need two dual head2 go units to really get the most from this set-up. I did get a few flights in from the Gold Coast and it was really impressive and I still have the graphic properties in FSX turned down. If I'd realised that earlier in the week, I could be doing further testing this weekend, but it will have to be next week now. On another note, two of my radio's for the radio bay came today from CP Flight.That only leaves about 10 more to buy. I'll throw a video together in the next week, to show the screens running, Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Emms Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 Well then Frank this is looking just fantastic mate, as ive said i would not know where to start on such a project as yours and keep reading and looking with amazement on your progress. cheers Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyguy737 Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 cool I am looking at the CP stuff too let us know how it goes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted April 21, 2012 Author Share Posted April 21, 2012 Colin, If you want great reviews on all hardware for cockpit building (including CP Flight gear), go take a look at Iain Williams's brilliant site at www.flaps2approach.com He's a fellow builder in Tassy and does brilliant write ups on the stuff he's buying for his 'pit. Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank .A Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 Its getting along very well. How many computers do you have all up to run the sim? Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted April 21, 2012 Author Share Posted April 21, 2012 I have one Graphics PC (3960x, twin GTX680's), one Server PC (i72700, GTX580), two Avionics PC's (i72700, multiple graphics cards), 4 in all. I'm running Sim Avionics (which you can run with 2 PC's) via network. It's the most compact and comprehensive package that's available for running a full 737/777 cockpit that I know of. It also supports many hardware and software products, which gives you a wide variety of available options for your build. Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gandy Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 It is looking great Frank Im thinking i might of caught a little of the building bug as im planning a Mini overhead panel ( lack of space ) that will work with 737 and a 757 but i will have to paint mine Boeing brown due to the 757, if i can do it for under £70 i will be very very happy Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodduck Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 Frank, I come to this Forum every day, particularly now to read your post, and I am never dissapointed. Looking at the Link for Ian Williams you can really appreciate the amount of work you blokes put into a project like the 737 pit. I must say yours is looking good and I am sure you will take great pride with your finished project. I was surprised with you saying you will need 2xDual Head2go for your Monitors. I thought that would have been a backward step, does the Commercial Software available for this type of build not work efficiently, or difficult to program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted April 21, 2012 Author Share Posted April 21, 2012 Good question John, but to the contrary about taking a backward step. What I have is two GTX680's that have two DVI outs and a display port adapter and a HDMI out. I'm going to run the forward 2 monitors (in this case the forward 737 windscreens) via one card and the other 2 monitors (which will be the side views, left and right) with the second video card. I can span the screen with the two monitors without the help of any supplementary software, except the nvidia geforce settings panel. The porblem arises when you go into FSX and it only sees them as two separate views and will only allow you to stretch the image to the max. screen size of that monitor (in my case 1920 x 1080 x 32). What the matrox dual head2 go Display Port edition does, is that it connects to the display port outlet of the card, doubles the output without loss (2 x 1920 x 1200 max, but I only need 1920 x 1080) allowing you to connect two DVI leads to your monitors. Then, when you go to FSX (the same as it does on my triple head2 go unit), you can go into FSX and stretch the screen to 3840 x 1080, thus correcting the inconsistent eye line problems running two undocked screens. I've already ordered the dual head2 go and will pick it up next week, but I might just hook up my triple head2 go and double check that's what is gonna happen first. Hope that all makes some sense, mate. Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Mason Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 I have been following this thread for a while, some amazing work there frank. Is te gap between the screens off putting when you fly? Or is that just not complete yet? I was thinking you should name it tennysim lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted April 21, 2012 Author Share Posted April 21, 2012 Hahaha, that's great, Ryan. Long time, no hear, mate. I guess you are so busy getting the bad guys, these days. Very perceptive about the gap, too. But there's a fitting to go over that gap and you won't see it. I'll probably be knocking that up real soon, as the next job is to finish off the top of the glareshield, after I wire it all up. The screens, too are just sitting in the frames and will need fastening before I finish them off properly. I even have the "standby compass" and "radio receiver on" decal ready to go on the fitting (they sit right behind the wet compass). Keep up the good work over there, mate, Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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