The Easy Airliner Cockpit enclosure is a new Do-It-Yourself Flight Simulator project. People love to simulate airliners with their flight sims and the cockpit enclosure makes it a fun immersive experience. The project includes two modified keyboards with buttons that correspond to the Mode Control Panel and the overhead panel...you don't have to memorize a bunch of key commands, they're all labeled for you.
The keyboard mods also have new overlays that make the panels look like a CRJ700, a Boeing 737, or an Airbus A320...the default airliners in FSX.
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Customers can instantly download the DIY videos and instruction manuals from DIYflightsims.com. Customers save money because the company doesn't manufacture or ship the products. The materials for this DIY project are already in most people's home town on the shelves at Home Depot, Lowe's or the local hardware store.
The DIY Easy Airliner Cockpit is made from plastic PVC pipe, Styrofoam insulation, a basement window well cover and a couple of standard computer keyboards. It can fit one, two or three monitors. The instructions show you how to adjust the enclosure to fit.
See more pictures and a video of the DIY Easy Airliner Cockpit and the gray modified keyboards here.
Showing posts with label diy flight simulators. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diy flight simulators. Show all posts
March 23, 2009
February 14, 2009
DIY Virtual Reality Helmet
We experimented with virtual reality technology for flight simulator. We ended up with a beautiful virtual reality helmet that works pretty well. The idea of virtual reality (VR) is quite tempting. Imagine being immersed in a different world with realism rivaling our own. Is today’s technology good enough to transport you to that other world? We investigated.
We started with a stock VR headset, the Vuzix VR920 which includes the display, the view tracker and speakers. We hacked and modified the headset until it became the finished VR helmet you see in the video. The video shows the evolution of the project.
A full transcript of the video and more info on the Vuzix VR920 is at this page on our website.
Don’t see a video screen? You can
1. try disabling ad blockers and refresh this screen or
2. see the blog directly or
3. update your Flash player
We started with a stock VR headset, the Vuzix VR920 which includes the display, the view tracker and speakers. We hacked and modified the headset until it became the finished VR helmet you see in the video. The video shows the evolution of the project.
A full transcript of the video and more info on the Vuzix VR920 is at this page on our website.
Don’t see a video screen? You can
1. try disabling ad blockers and refresh this screen or
2. see the blog directly or
3. update your Flash player
November 13, 2008
Flight Simulator Multiple Monitors
After we released our first video featuring DIY Desktop Airliner Cockpit, several people emailed and asked how we set up the two monitors to work together. Actually, until then we thought it was just one of those things that “everybody” knows. Well, this reminded us that flight simulating is a growing hobby and new people are always climbing on board.
A flight sim pilot can use two monitors to effectively double the amount screen area he can observe at once. For example, the left screen can show the flight instruments and the view out the cockpit. The right screen can show the overhead panel, GPS, throttle quadrant, radio stack or ATC window. In Virtual Cockpit, the view spans all the way across both screens.
Or you can get creative and show flight instruments on one screen and see external views of your pretty airplane on the other.
Or get even more creative and use a projector to display the view out the front window on a large screen. Show your flight instruments on a conventional monitor.
There are a couple of ways to set up multiple monitors and we had a lot of material so we ended up making two free DIY videos (below). At least one of these methods should work for you. The only problem we’ve heard of so far (Oct 2008) is that Microsoft Vista Home Ultimate still can’t support multiple monitors with some new graphics cards like the nVidia GeForce 8800.
Part 1
Part 2
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A flight sim pilot can use two monitors to effectively double the amount screen area he can observe at once. For example, the left screen can show the flight instruments and the view out the cockpit. The right screen can show the overhead panel, GPS, throttle quadrant, radio stack or ATC window. In Virtual Cockpit, the view spans all the way across both screens.
Or you can get creative and show flight instruments on one screen and see external views of your pretty airplane on the other.
Or get even more creative and use a projector to display the view out the front window on a large screen. Show your flight instruments on a conventional monitor.
There are a couple of ways to set up multiple monitors and we had a lot of material so we ended up making two free DIY videos (below). At least one of these methods should work for you. The only problem we’ve heard of so far (Oct 2008) is that Microsoft Vista Home Ultimate still can’t support multiple monitors with some new graphics cards like the nVidia GeForce 8800.
Part 1
Part 2
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Try disabling ad blockers and refreshing this page.
If that doesn't work, click here to update your Flash player.
November 1, 2008
Air Combat Training Simulators
One of our customers recently asked about the Air Combat Training Simulators (ACTS) machines pictured on our website and our videos.
There were two machines, ACTS1 and ACTS2 completed in early 2006. They were Roger Dodger Aviation’s first dedicated dogfighters and we flew hundreds of missions with them.
ACTS1 and ACTS2 are sturdy and heavy; built from wood, medium density fiberboard (MDF), and seats from a Dodge Caravan. The pilots view a large projected screen mounted on the wall and use the TrackIR system for view tracking. The TrackIR camera is mounted on a post in the pictures, but now it’s mounted on a HUD replica.
ACTS showed us that you shouldn’t build things that are difficult to climb in and out of. We discovered that a center-mounted joystick wasn't going to work well for this machine. People kept tripping over it, so we changed it to a side stick. We also cut out a section of the right sidewall to make it easier to enter/exit.
ACTS comes apart in sections to make it somewhat portable, but it’s still very awkward to try to move it anywhere. It was a real hassle to move it for the NY2LA for Diabetes fund raiser, and this led to the idea for the lighter, more mobile and more attractive Portable Aviation Combat Sim (PACS) DIY project videos we sell on DIYflightsims.com.
We sold the ACTS1 cockpit shell last week. We're still using ACTS2. There are several more pictures of ACTS1 on this page.
There were two machines, ACTS1 and ACTS2 completed in early 2006. They were Roger Dodger Aviation’s first dedicated dogfighters and we flew hundreds of missions with them.
ACTS1 and ACTS2 are sturdy and heavy; built from wood, medium density fiberboard (MDF), and seats from a Dodge Caravan. The pilots view a large projected screen mounted on the wall and use the TrackIR system for view tracking. The TrackIR camera is mounted on a post in the pictures, but now it’s mounted on a HUD replica.
ACTS showed us that you shouldn’t build things that are difficult to climb in and out of. We discovered that a center-mounted joystick wasn't going to work well for this machine. People kept tripping over it, so we changed it to a side stick. We also cut out a section of the right sidewall to make it easier to enter/exit.
ACTS comes apart in sections to make it somewhat portable, but it’s still very awkward to try to move it anywhere. It was a real hassle to move it for the NY2LA for Diabetes fund raiser, and this led to the idea for the lighter, more mobile and more attractive Portable Aviation Combat Sim (PACS) DIY project videos we sell on DIYflightsims.com.We sold the ACTS1 cockpit shell last week. We're still using ACTS2. There are several more pictures of ACTS1 on this page.
October 16, 2008
The Top Ten DIY Flight Sims Cockpit Construction Tools
We have a whole workshop full of tools that we use to build our home-made flight simulator projects, but we tend to use these ten tools a lot more than the others.
1. Drill / cordless drill
We would just say cordless drill, but the battery occasionally runs down at the most inconvenient times, so we have the old reliable regular drill to fall back on.
This isn’t our cordless screwdriver, it’s a picture of a similar model. We sacrificed ours to science by using the parts to create a jack-screw pitch attitude trim system for the MAACS flight simulator. Turns out we didn’t need it. It was a wonderfully useful tool and I miss it.
This single tool makes things 1000% percent easier. You can get by doing infrequent projects with just a hand miter saw, but if you’re going to cut a lot of 2x4’s and PVC pipe like we do, there’s just no choice but to get a chop saw. With the proper blade, it even cuts through metal. Love it.
The lowly box knife. So simple, but so very useful. This isn’t even a high quality box knife and it’s still useful.
5. Tape measure
It seems like we’re always reaching for the tape measure. Keep one in the workshop, one in the garage, one upstairs, one downstairs. I usually have one clipped to my belt whenever I go to the hardware store. Make sure at least one tape measure is both metric and standard.
6. Adjustable crescent wrench
You can get by most projects with a crescent wrench and a 7/16” wrench and a 9/16” wrench for the ¼” bolts and the 3/8” bolts respectively. If you’re going after larger projects, just get a socket set and ratchet wrench.
7. Sharpie marker
Sharpies are great. If you’re doing a lot of drawing on dark colored medium density hardboard (MDF) or any other dark material, use a silver-colored Sharpie.
8. Paint brush or roller
Paint your flight simulator project.
Paint your flight simulator project. There I said it twice. Paint makes your project look wonderful. Regular interior latex paint is cheap, convenient, and readily available. Keep the paint brush or roller in a ziplock bag in your refrigerator in between coats. It will actually keep wet for weeks.
Paint your flight simulator project. There I said it three times.
9. Caulking gun
Many of the DIY Flight Sims projects use PVC pipe, and we use our trusty Liquid Nails and a caulking gun to glue these pieces together. It’s much more easy to work with than quick-drying, noxious PVC cement.
10. Safety glasses
Are safety glasses a tool? Technically no, but they sure are important, especially if you visit a Federal Aviation Administration Designated Medical Examiner every year. I don’t want a stupid mistake in the workshop to affect my FAA medical certificate.
Did I miss one? What other wonderfully useful tool should be on this list?
1. Drill / cordless drillWe would just say cordless drill, but the battery occasionally runs down at the most inconvenient times, so we have the old reliable regular drill to fall back on.
This isn’t our cordless screwdriver, it’s a picture of a similar model. We sacrificed ours to science by using the parts to create a jack-screw pitch attitude trim system for the MAACS flight simulator. Turns out we didn’t need it. It was a wonderfully useful tool and I miss it.
This single tool makes things 1000% percent easier. You can get by doing infrequent projects with just a hand miter saw, but if you’re going to cut a lot of 2x4’s and PVC pipe like we do, there’s just no choice but to get a chop saw. With the proper blade, it even cuts through metal. Love it.
The lowly box knife. So simple, but so very useful. This isn’t even a high quality box knife and it’s still useful.
5. Tape measureIt seems like we’re always reaching for the tape measure. Keep one in the workshop, one in the garage, one upstairs, one downstairs. I usually have one clipped to my belt whenever I go to the hardware store. Make sure at least one tape measure is both metric and standard.
6. Adjustable crescent wrenchYou can get by most projects with a crescent wrench and a 7/16” wrench and a 9/16” wrench for the ¼” bolts and the 3/8” bolts respectively. If you’re going after larger projects, just get a socket set and ratchet wrench.
7. Sharpie markerSharpies are great. If you’re doing a lot of drawing on dark colored medium density hardboard (MDF) or any other dark material, use a silver-colored Sharpie.
8. Paint brush or rollerPaint your flight simulator project.
Paint your flight simulator project. There I said it twice. Paint makes your project look wonderful. Regular interior latex paint is cheap, convenient, and readily available. Keep the paint brush or roller in a ziplock bag in your refrigerator in between coats. It will actually keep wet for weeks.
Paint your flight simulator project. There I said it three times.
9. Caulking gunMany of the DIY Flight Sims projects use PVC pipe, and we use our trusty Liquid Nails and a caulking gun to glue these pieces together. It’s much more easy to work with than quick-drying, noxious PVC cement.
10. Safety glassesAre safety glasses a tool? Technically no, but they sure are important, especially if you visit a Federal Aviation Administration Designated Medical Examiner every year. I don’t want a stupid mistake in the workshop to affect my FAA medical certificate.
Did I miss one? What other wonderfully useful tool should be on this list?
October 14, 2008
Use a Projector for your Flight Simulator
We’ve been using projectors (or beamers) for our flight simulators from the very beginning and you can too. The idea is to fill the pilot’s field of view as much as possible for a more immersive experience. The sky is big, so the screen that displays your simulated sky should be big too.
The trade-off is that many affordable LCD or DLP projectors have a lower screen resolution than comparable conventional computer monitors. As you shop for projectors with better screen resolutions, the prices climb exponentially.
Projector manufacturers prefer to describe screen resolution with cryptic acronyms instead of just telling us what the resolution is. Here are some common resolutions:
SVGA = 800x600
XGA = 1024x768
SXGA = 1280x1024
UXGA = 1600x1200
Here’s a video clip of the Dogfight Club using three flight sims with XGA 1024x768 projectors:
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Try disabling ad blockers and refreshing this page.
If that doesn't work, click here to update your Flash player.
Another consideration is how many hours the projector lamp will last. The lamps in our Dell 2300MP projectors are rated for 2000 hours. How much is 2000 hours? Think of it like this. If you work at a job for eight hours a day, five days a week for a year, and take two weeks off for vacation, then that’s about 2000 hours. That’s a lot of flight simming!
One more note about projector lamps. We all know that we must allow the internal fan to cool the lamp after we turn off the projector, so don’t unplug the projector while the fan is running. That’s fine, but we occasionally have electricity failures here. If the power failed while a projector is running, the lamp would burn up from the excess heat and we would be stuck replacing a $400 lamp. So we recommend using an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) for $40 or $50. That will give you enough time to safely power down the projector.
So what is all this talk about buying a projector? We’re Do-It-Yourselfers, right? Well there are websites like LumenLab dedicated to DIY projectors. We experimented with a DIY projector, but found it to be large, heavy, and not as versatile as factory projectors. Not to mention, we had plenty of other projects to work on.
So projectors are a pretty good thing for stationary flight simulators (and home theaters). Stay tuned! The future may bring awesome wrap-around LED screens or high quality virtual reality headsets.
The trade-off is that many affordable LCD or DLP projectors have a lower screen resolution than comparable conventional computer monitors. As you shop for projectors with better screen resolutions, the prices climb exponentially.
Projector manufacturers prefer to describe screen resolution with cryptic acronyms instead of just telling us what the resolution is. Here are some common resolutions:
SVGA = 800x600
XGA = 1024x768
SXGA = 1280x1024
UXGA = 1600x1200
Here’s a video clip of the Dogfight Club using three flight sims with XGA 1024x768 projectors:
Don't see a video screen?
Try disabling ad blockers and refreshing this page.
If that doesn't work, click here to update your Flash player.
Another consideration is how many hours the projector lamp will last. The lamps in our Dell 2300MP projectors are rated for 2000 hours. How much is 2000 hours? Think of it like this. If you work at a job for eight hours a day, five days a week for a year, and take two weeks off for vacation, then that’s about 2000 hours. That’s a lot of flight simming!
One more note about projector lamps. We all know that we must allow the internal fan to cool the lamp after we turn off the projector, so don’t unplug the projector while the fan is running. That’s fine, but we occasionally have electricity failures here. If the power failed while a projector is running, the lamp would burn up from the excess heat and we would be stuck replacing a $400 lamp. So we recommend using an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) for $40 or $50. That will give you enough time to safely power down the projector.
So what is all this talk about buying a projector? We’re Do-It-Yourselfers, right? Well there are websites like LumenLab dedicated to DIY projectors. We experimented with a DIY projector, but found it to be large, heavy, and not as versatile as factory projectors. Not to mention, we had plenty of other projects to work on.
So projectors are a pretty good thing for stationary flight simulators (and home theaters). Stay tuned! The future may bring awesome wrap-around LED screens or high quality virtual reality headsets.
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