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pitbldr

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Everything posted by pitbldr

  1. Very cool! Do the seat lock in place when you move them into the forward position? I really like the idea of having those on tracks like that!
  2. That's very nice! I flirted with doing a Hornet pit as I love the jet, but I really want a pit that I can with the sim more that any current F/A-18 sim will allow. Now if DCS ever puts out that jet, I'll be jumping all over it!
  3. LOL - yeah, I think I may end up enjoying building them more flying! :lol:
  4. Just curious if I am the only one planning to build pits of both the blackshark and the warthog. Not sure if I will keep both, but I see the blackshark being easier to do right now since I can look around in the sim and see where everything is and how it works. It will also be a good test run in pit building to prepare to for the A-10. I am torn though, because I like the idea of having both - rotor and fixed wing. I suspect though that I'll only have enough time to fly one, especially since you really need to devote yourself to learning the systems. Worst case, I'll build the BS pit and then 'retire' it when I'm ready to build the A-10. I'll be in really bad shape if one of the future aircraft ED releases is either the F/A-18 or F-16! :D
  5. The testors paint is what I've been using so far, so I'd like to hear some ideas on this as well. I've been applying 3 coats of paint then 3 coats of 'clear coat'. It works very well, but you're right... small bottles will mean going through a lot of them! As long as the acrylic is cast and not extruded, I don't expect any problems with engraving it. The cast acrylic cuts much better and does not melt as quickly. The 7328 I've ordered will be here the 30th... I have so many tests to run! I'll post results as soon as I have them.
  6. I am fairly certain the piece pictured above is 2447. I have some 7328 on the way and also ordered some 222-402 engraving plastic (http://www.delviesplastics.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=DPI&Category_Code=Rowmark_Value_Mattes). Is this the type of material you were referring to Film?
  7. Thanks for the tips Film! This was a scrap piece of acrylic I had laying around, so it's what I used. I was thinking along the lines you suggested about using a thinner piece on top. I think I'll go ahead and order some to try your method out. By the way, what type of laser machine do you have? I'd love to buy one for myself, but it's not in the budget right now. Stelios - if you mean how I lit this for the picture, I just put a small light behind it. If you're asking how I made the panel, this is a piece of translucent plexi glass, 1/8 inch thick. I painted the top with several layers of black paint and then engraved the text, using my CNC. I have a long way to go before the panels are finalized, but I'll get in touch with you when I'm done.
  8. Man, that is extremely cool! Awesome work!!!
  9. Not much to report yet. I ran a "test panel" to try out several fonts to see what looked best and worked for the size needed. Right now, the largest text I have on any of the panels is .2". On some panels I had to use .15" text to fit the words in the right place. I am forntunate enough to have a TechShop nearby that has a laser engraver that I want to try. I expect it will do a much more precise and cleaner job than my CNC. I am also working on the method for back lighting these which will play a part in how I design them. I think I've come up with a good idea, I just need to get the electronics to test it. Here's a couple pics of the test panel. Crude lighting to see the effect...
  10. Good to know! I may have to pick some up and play around with it. Thanks!
  11. Thanks! :D I hope to try creating a few of the panels by next week. I'll post some pics if I do.
  12. Hey Oakes - very impressive work!! I am just starting on my panels and hope to turn out a few of them as soon as I can get some acrylic. I saw that you mentioned Gravoply. Are you able to back light your panels with this? It's been my plan to use translucent white plexi for the light panels and use colored plexi for the buttons. Of course my method will involve painting the plexi before engraving. If Gravoply can be back lit, that would be a quicker method. Thanks!
  13. Well, I've gotten a fair amount done on my initial panel designs. I am to a point where I'll starting trying to make these on the CNC and tweak the design and build process as needed. I still have a few of these that are not complete as I could not make out text in a few areas. These are obviously not 100% accurate, but I am going more for functionality than hardcore realism. If these turn out anywhere close to the previews, I'll be very happy! :) Here's a few images of the panels so far. Feedback (corrections :music_whistling:) are appreciated!
  14. @ Sweinhart - Thanks alot! That will definitely help! You using Alibre design?? @ Deadman - if you're asking me, it will be a combination of wood, plexi and aluminum. I have a small CNC that I'll be able to make some of the parts on, just won't be able to go over 12"x16" in size. Should be able to make all the panels and possibly the aluminum backplates. @ Duckling - thanks for pointing that out. I hope to have a mixture of real and homemade instruments. It will depend on availability and costs for one. Plus, I'll have to wait and see what the sim will allow (and what I am capabable of! :)). I hope to start making some mock-up parts soon from wood or a stiff foam. Once I can physically see how it will all fit, I'm sure I'll redo my models/plans. I just finished reworking the MFD panels. I took measurments from a picture and used those a the basis for this model. Comments are welcome and appreciated! :D
  15. OK, modified this some and I hope it's getting close to the real panel. Again, I am not going for complete realism... just want to be able to have a pit that somewhat resembles the real thing. I'm afraid I don't have the time, patience, skill, or money for more! :D
  16. Thanks! That makes sense as I was having trouble getting it all in there and did make the mfd's a little smaller. I just finished my first draft of a MFD that I think is pretty close to actual size. I'll throw that in there and rework it some.
  17. OK, I have my preliminary draft of the front panel. Keeping in mind that I am not going for total accuracy... thoughts? I modeled the A model panel from some of the info on strandedduckling's site (Thanks SD!!!) and then modified it to more closely resemble the C model panel. I am sure I'll need to tweak this several times.
  18. Thanks! I did my searching here and those are some of the threads I was referring to. I think I had brainlock or something, because I was fixated on find only C model stuff and did not stop to think that the A model dimensions would be more than adequate for what I am doing. Since realizing that, I've already been able to get a good bit done in sketchup. I'll probably post back when done to get some feedback on my design. :)
  19. I did find some, but everything I found was for the A model. But now, thinking about it, I imagine the panel shape/size are the same. They are upgrading the hogs right, not producing new ones with different size panels. :doh:
  20. Hi all, New around here and just getting started on the plans for my pit. It's going to be based on the A-10c model. I don't expect it will be extremely accurate as I want to actually fly it not long after the sim is out! :) First thing I am looking for is the dimensions of the cockpit - mostly the front instrument panel. I've seen tons of images and photos but I can't find any numbers on the size of the panel. I know if I can get the front panel modeled that I can then determine the rest of the panels/tub based on that and on my own specific requirements. So, does anyone have any data on this? Looking for the height, width at the bottom, and width at the top. I think this will be all I need to draft this up in a CAD program and then start adding the panel components. Thanks!
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