flyguy737 Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 hey frank I think my ATC radio is here but can't collect it until tommorow but I have also ordered the CDU bay from Gold medal sim parts today as i ordered from him before and his quality is outstanding for wood construction and as I never get the CDU bay right it is easier and cheaper this way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David TRIGGS Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 Bonjour Frank, Coming back again to your forward views, what size are your 2 forward monitors (to be "about the same size as a B737" as you state)? And are you running them (and the future left and right window views) off just one computer? ... how can you hold your frame rates up ... ?!? Sorry to pester you still, but on take-off (or landing) where is the runway centre-line? ... on your left screen (captains's position) or between your left & right screens? ... I'm really interested on how you can fly (from left or right seat) with just 2 forward screens. Perhaps it would become clear to me if one of your (great) videos could include a take-off? David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted May 8, 2012 Author Share Posted May 8, 2012 The two forward screens are 32" high def monitors. This equates to roughly 80 cm, which is about the size of the real screens, as you can see from the pic below: As far as running them from the one computer...well the PC that's running them is a six core i7 3960x with two GTX680's in it, 16gb of fast ram and the fastest PCI-E SSD on the market in it. That's about the fastest and most expensive PC one can buy at the moment. And finally, the runway centre line is in the centre, if you are lined up on the strip. The viewpoint is as it would be if you were running a single monitor- just add a strip in the middle of the monitor for the same effect. Now back to the soldering..... Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyguy737 Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 hey Frank I got my Opencockpits ATC Radio today wow very impressive took me a bit to get it working but got it one thing I can't understand is the other connector on the back the two prong connector can't find what it is for, any ideas? Do you understand the SIOC coding as I am having trouble getting that to sink in my thick head hahaha Anyone looking at this Unit I have only 1 CON: NOTdual centronic encoders. Otherwise for the value it is fantastic! Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted May 9, 2012 Author Share Posted May 9, 2012 You need to download the manuals from Opencockpits and follow them closely. I'm not up to my radio bay yet, just been collecting radio's to put in it. Will be able to tell you in a few months. On another note, my Sim Revolution throttle quadrant is coming along nicely and I'm hoping to have it in my greedy little hands within the month. Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyguy737 Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 oh you lucky bugger hehe no worries Frank I'll probably have answers on the radios for you by that time haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted May 9, 2012 Author Share Posted May 9, 2012 I have a small dilemma on my hands. The new Sismo EDC panel (which lies right in the centre of the MIP), is a 12 volt backlit panel. The other 10 IBL panels from FDS are 5 volt. The illumination and dimming of these panels need to be co-ordinated together via a single dial on the sub panel on the captains side. Never a dull moment........ I think I'll need a holiday, soon! Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bnepethomas Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 I have a small dilemma on my hands. The new Sismo EDC panel (which lies right in the centre of the MIP), is a 12 volt backlit panel. The other 10 IBL panels from FDS are 5 volt. The illumination and dimming of these panels need to be co-ordinated together via a single dial on the sub panel on the captains side. Never a dull moment........ I think I'll need a holiday, soon! Frank A Dual Ganged Pot is your friend! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted May 10, 2012 Author Share Posted May 10, 2012 Took the words right out of my mouth... Thanx Peter. I should have given you a ring, first. But my friend, Alden, at Jaycar came up with the same answer. I've installed it and have yet to hook it up. I also purchased a power supply to run both of my clocks from. That saves me one more 240 volt connection. On the other hand, I'm very cranky with myself. I installed the undercarriage handle without first wiring up the two micro's, so when I looked for the wies to connect, they weren't there. I had to pull the entire right side of the MIP apart again, just to wire them up. Note to self.....wire up everything with lots of wire and trim to size later on. Wire is cheap, saves on the dummy spits later on down the track! More patience grasshopper, more patience....... Cranky Franky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deverette Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 Frank, Is that a Velleman ABS Enclosure you're using for power distribution box? My MIP/MAIN/GLARE is assembled, and going to start wiring this weekend. I really like the distribution box and circuit breaker idea (I was planning inline 10A fuses)... think I'm going to steal the idea. Your build is looking great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted May 10, 2012 Author Share Posted May 10, 2012 Hi Dan. Yeah the guys from Jaycar came up with that idea. It does look good and keeps everything covered and clean. Don't do my mistake and forget the negative rail. And the circuit breakers are a little tight in the box, so I probably would have mounted them in the top if I could have. I have also redeemed myself. For the blue I did about the U/C handle, I stayed up late last night, fitted everything back together and I'm ready to carry on wiring this morning. It's a long, slow process, Dan, so take your time and make sure you know the limitations of your software. I am a bit bummed, having gone and spent a lot of money on my EDC panel, that not all of the functions are supported (this is not just the software I've chosen, it's all of them, from what I'm told). Have fun, mate, Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted May 11, 2012 Author Share Posted May 11, 2012 Today, I've been correcting another mistake I created awhile back. When testing all of my lighting, I accidentally connected a 5 volt tester to quite a few of my pcb mounted annunciator leds. Suffice to say, I screwed them. I was a little reluctant to shell out 8 bucks each for them, so I set about repairing them. Putting new led's on the pcb's isn't rocket science, but you need to mount the anode (leg) on the right side or you just short it out immediately you add power. And there isn't a million annunciators on the MIP, but somehow I squandered the day away and still have annunciators to be fixed. Luckily, there is a test prog built into the software to test them and make sure they are good to go, before mounting them in the MIP. Here's a few pics of what I'm talking about. And before anybody says "oooh, look at the shocking solder job", this is not one that I made. I tin my iron and my solder joints are good. So, I was hoping to have it all back together by now and testing the graphics, but it's going to be a few more days yet. Now, back to it..... Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Emms Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Keep up the great work Frank. cheers Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deverette Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Thanks for the close-ups of your power distribution box, going to order one today. Sorry about the LED's... How are you wiring your PSU switch? Leaving the actual PSU power switch "ON" and just shorting pin 14 on the PSU with your added key switch? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf2grey Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Awesome read and "View". This will make a great how to book when finished Frank. Very impressive. I enjoy very much reading this post all the time....Keep up the great work my friend. Cannot wait to see the finished detailing video of this project..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BennyHill Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 To keep your soldering iron clean, periodically wipe it on a damp sponge or folded up damp paper towel. Then melt a small amount of solder onto the tip of the iron to facilitate the heat transfer. Apply the solder to the point where the iron touches your circuit and you will get a perfect solder joint every time. Keep the solder at the joint ot the miniumum. A large blob of solder can heat damage the LED. I am enjoying your journey. Keep 'em coming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted May 12, 2012 Author Share Posted May 12, 2012 Thanx mate. I've already done an electronics course and used to repair two and three levels of motherboards. But having said that, thank you for the advice and I try and keep the soldering iron tip clean and tinned at all times. It certainly helps when it comes to the finer things like soldering led's. I've had a bit of a win tonight, desoldered and made up some new annunciator units now, so I'm going to replace them all with new led's now and make them all the same. Thanks for all the comments and it's been a buzz just seeing how many people are intersted in my build thread. It's now nearing 6000 hits and still going strong. Wonder what we're going to hit bu the end of the year? Hope to have a finished article (minus the overhead) by then and hopefully, a maiden flight out of my favourite airport, Brisbane (YBBN). Keep watching, people and thanx, Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyguy737 Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 hey frank going very well mate. When you say the EDC unit not supported I am wondering if you look at Prosim737 I think you can make it work with the software maybe using FDS cards as it supports them. As you may know I use Project Magenta and have been very happy with them but for some aspects I am considering if Prosim737 will better suit my needs. I am still testing the demo out but it does have some nice features. On another note I will have to send my Opencockpits Transponder Back for a repair under warranty as the Fail LED doesn't work. The rest of the unit works fine (when you get used to SIOC that is) but I had it working at one stage by using my fingernail across the PCB track so I thought it must be a dry joint. I contacted the team at OC and tried to resolder the joint (a simple job) but alias now it won't work at all. It must be something simple but it is frustrating to have to send it back and wait another few weeks to get it back but I guess I have no choice. Anyway sorry to hear you woes I guess it's all part of the building process Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael63 Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 Thumbs up for this post Frank, I follow your progress every week. I would really like a 737 cockpit like you are building but I can clearly see that I am not capable of that so I will probably settle with the "discount" solution from Jetmax by FSD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted May 13, 2012 Author Share Posted May 13, 2012 Mike, That's a fine idea. Jetmax is a great solution for anybody who wants a single sided 737 pit. It's also economical and you can be up and running in a short time. I really considered it, but Jetmax came out after I'd started building my pit and I really wanna full cockpit and I'm spending a fair amount of cash, making my co-pilot side work as well. And Colin, I've got a full DSTD from Sim A. It smokes the other software. I wasn't exactly right about the EDC panel. It can be supported in Sim A, but apparently, the rotary settings are hardly ever used. My annunciators are proving to be a little troublesome. The thing is, I don't think they were manufactured with replacement of the led's in mind. The problem lies in their design. The PCB has a little tube for each leg, so that you can solder the legs on the top side of the board, but when you un-solder the led's, it is very easy to damage the tube. This means that soldering cannot occur as solder on the legs cannot reach the upper portion of the board. What I've mangaed to do now, is bare back a small portion of the upper track and solder a very fine strand of wire on it (there are 4). Then, all I need do is place the new LED through and solder the legs to the strands of wire. It works, but I'd rather it have been from original, rather than making a work-around. I've completed 6 and only about 10 more to go. Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyguy737 Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 ok cool Frank well good luck and I'd love to see SIMA in action one day anyway I think the jetmax idea is also great for the cost it is a great looking product cudos to Peter Cos for that one. I guess your right Frank the rotaries are not used much but I might do some research on when pilots actually use them you have me curious now hehe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deverette Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 My annunciators are proving to be a little troublesome. The thing is, I don't think they were manufactured with replacement of the led's in mind. The problem lies in their design. The PCB has a little tube for each leg, so that you can solder the legs on the top side of the board, but when you un-solder the led's, it is very easy to damage the tube. This means that soldering cannot occur as solder on the legs cannot reach the upper portion of the board. What I've mangaed to do now, is bare back a small portion of the upper track and solder a very fine strand of wire on it (there are 4). Then, all I need do is place the new LED through and solder the legs to the strands of wire. It works, but I'd rather it have been from original, rather than making a work-around. I've completed 6 and only about 10 more to go. Frank, tell me about it! I knocked out 8 last night, and working on the rest today. Unfortunately I think I inadvertently damaged one of the PCB's. It's soldered correctly. No shorts on the IDC connector, and each LED lights properly when voltage is applied from the SYS card directly to the soldered LED terminals. But when applying power via the IDC connector, it fails to light up. Rest work like a champ. Also, you're quite right, not designed for LED replacement. However, the entire assembly kit is cheap ($8 CAD). I think when I start the overhead next year, I'll probably see if I can order 10 extra PCB's (can get the IDC's and LED's cheaply elsewhere) as spares, they should only be a couple dollars a pop. BTW, one thing I discovered by accident (and was lucky up to that point)... Test the color of the LED BEFORE soldering. Even though the envelope said they were all red LED's, found one green in there, so need to pick up a red. That would have been an interesting discovery after soldering. Also, found a slightly easier way to solder them than the AN-1 soldering guide shows. Put the LED's into the PCB, then put the assembly into the plastic annunciator holder, solder LED's in, then use a "helping hand" to solder the IDC connection. Works like a champ.. This is pretty addicting... Didn't realize it was 0300 here, was just chugging along with the soldering iron. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted May 14, 2012 Author Share Posted May 14, 2012 Hahaha....good to see I'm not the only one, Dan. Yeah, I been chugging along, too. I've got all of the U/C ones and just about to finish off the rest now. I'm a bit of a stickler for them looking right, too, with just the right amount of solder and the pins all neat and tidy, so you don't end up with dodgey connections. And the bit about the clear led's, Alden (from Jaycar) sold me a neat little led tester on Saturday: I've just connected up my annunciator fitting (yellow and black wires) and as I finish an AN unit (on the right of the tester), I can just plug it in and test it before moving on to the next one. It's also useful to test at different voltages, so you get an idea how bright the led's gonna look in the MIP. Oh, and the hook up for these little monsters is a daisy chain from the common wire (in the bundle you'll have a common wire, usually blue or black) amongst the 8 wires in the fitting. The other 7 wires go to the anode side of your AN unit (the yellow wire above). Hope that makes some sort of crazy sense. Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deverette Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 Managed to fix the issue I had with the one rouge AN-1, problem was one of the pins didn't solder completely.. One thing might want to consider buying (especially if you're going to wire your own overhead), is to pick up the IDC crimping tool. It's a bit pricey, but a) saves you from having to splice into the SYS board harnesses, and create your own custom harness. Here is when I did a quick test of the AN-1's I'd done so far. Took me 10 minutes to create the custom harness to plug directly into 2 of the output sections of the SYS board. Definitely going to be a time saver, and allow for neater wire runs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted May 14, 2012 Author Share Posted May 14, 2012 Nice work, Dan. As for the overhead, I think I've learned my lesson, here. I'm going to buy a fully finished forward and rear overhead, but I haven't worked out which manufacturer yet. I'll be buying the frame and setting it up and then buy the whole overhead complete and install to the frame. At least that's the plan. I think I'll have to put aside about 5 or 6 grand for the forward and a bout a grand for the rear. From my research, that should get me a top of the wazza, backlit panel, ready to go. Have just completed my first wiring loom for the annunciators and I'm pretty pleased with the results, so far. I only have one other wiring loom for the captains side, so I'm working on that next. More pics to come, real soon. Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted May 14, 2012 Author Share Posted May 14, 2012 Well, I'm tired and sad cause I haven't had a dose of FSX/FTX for a good while. I've watched those ads for Stewart for a while and haven't bought anything ORBX for some time, so tonight, I'm lashing out and buying Stewart. I'm also excited 'cause it's a Russ White production and I am a big fan of Russ's work. It's downloading now and as soon as it gets here, I'm breaking out my bird dog and taking off to experience some Russ White goodness... So, enough building for a little while, I'm hanging up the Busy sign. See you guys when I get back from BC............ Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Emms Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 Nice one Frank you will really enjoy yourself flying around Stewart for sure. cheers Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted May 14, 2012 Author Share Posted May 14, 2012 Wow, it's beautiful. Great job by Russ, that's for sure! I set it to Hard Winter and the setting was great. I was really starting to get a little chilly. I had to end up shutting the window on the old bird dog, I couldn't feel my fingers....hahaha It's another really nice piece of Canadian software to add to the kit. I also had a fly of the turbine duke there. I haven't had her out of the hangar for some time. It wouldn't be hard for that to become a real favourite. I got a few snaps while flying, so I'll pop over to the screeny's forum and drop them in.... Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyguy737 Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 Frank you didn't win lotto did you 5 or 6 grand for the overhead complete? Mate you are one lucky bugger that's the way to do it if you got the money why not save all that time and effort. I swear if I ever win lotto I gonna get me a new house full of simulators hehe oh well dream on Colin dream on!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockliffe Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 Keep the piccies coming Frank. Nice to see things still on track... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted May 16, 2012 Author Share Posted May 16, 2012 I'm cashing my chips in early, tonight. I really can't remember working this hard in my entire life. It's not just physical, but mental. Always trying to work out the best way to make this work or that work, it's pretty tiresome. And having to contend with limitation issues is a bummer. I was hoping to have all of the switches and lights operating, but I will have to be content with 95%. I've gone through a ton of solder and about 10,000 zip ties already and I've still got a lot to do, yet. Hoping that it all looks the goods when I'm finished. I'll try and take some piccy's tomorrow, but there really isn't much to see until I finish this phase of the build. Later, guys, Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Emms Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 Aye Frank have a break mate you dont want to bugger anything up by doing to much, i look forward to some more of this fantastic project. cheers Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyguy737 Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 Frank your an vison for all of us and thanks for your kind words. I am getting myself ready for my upgrade as suggested soon I hope to have an i7 machine until then I will be hoping the tax man is good to me this year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted May 17, 2012 Author Share Posted May 17, 2012 Keep it in perspective, Colin. I'm just an ordinary guy, building a cockpit. Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyguy737 Posted May 20, 2012 Share Posted May 20, 2012 hows things going Frank got some more stuff to show us Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingleaf Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Yes. Paleeeeeeeeease. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodduck Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Hey Frank what's this early night thing, I am reading about, us guys here want pickies, lots of pickies. After looking at what you have shown us so far, and reading about your endeavours, I will take back my earlier comment. I no longer feel envious of you. Looking good mate, keep up the good effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted May 21, 2012 Author Share Posted May 21, 2012 Hi Fellas. I'm really sorry, but there just ain't that much going on at the moment. I got my nose to the grind stone, bum in the air and solder pouring out my ears. I am awaiting some more electronic parts from Canada and England, but they should be here in a few days, so I'm hoping to have all of the electrical parts finished and functional then. After that, I've still got quite a few days of testing and programming, but I may just move the MIP back into my "Flight Deck" room, to finish that stage off, so that I can get started on further modules in the garage. I did manage to take a few snaps last week, so maybe you'll be happy with these: Glares mounted again and being hooked up electrically. Strip hanging in front of the Cpt's EFIS, is the LED strip for the Autopilot, which will be mounted when the top of the glare shield gets fitted. And here's the underside of the glare-wings showing one of the 3 led strips that will illuminate the MIP at night Here's the back of the MIP again, only with the glares attached. I'm just about finished wiring up all of the glare switches and led's now. I've only just realised that I need 2 of these IBL distribution cards, one for the Captain's side and one for the FO's, so I'm waiting on one from Canada now. And here, you can see the 3 dimmer controls in front of the power pack. They control the dimming for the LED strips for the MCP and the MIP And finally, here you can see the flap gauge and the back of the Sismo EDC panel. Lots of connections and LED's to be connected! So, that's it fellas. I will be getting my ACE yoke in the very near future (hopefully in the next few weeks), as the transport is being arranged now. I'm also hoping that my throttle will be arriving soon, so when I get those two units, things will be hotting up. Until next time, Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockliffe Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Wow Frank, things really are starting to take shape now. Thanks for the update. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Emms Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Sure is looking great Frank i await the next installment and thanks for keeping us up to speed. cheers Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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