metalnwood

I would like to be able to peck at the virtual keyboard with my nose, like a chicken, so I dont have to take my hands off the stick :)

For your example they are not the same. The tv would have a actual FOV of 26 degrees while the monitor would have a fov of around 20 degrees. That is besides the point as a tv can be placed as close to you as a monitor an many people have them at a similar distance they have a monitor. In this case the TV will always give you a better real FOV which can map in to a better in game FOV. No one sits 2 metres from their screen. You may as well have your example at 20M and then the comparative fov of view for them will be even closer but it wont make it any more of a useful comparison. I dont know where you have got the idea that there is any eyestrain involved with any of this. Yep, that could be what happened in your experience but it's not scientific and contradicts everyone else in the thread. So if its just down to personal preference why don't you just say, no its not for me but the majority of people seem happy using them. Why argue with numbers, resolutions and theories to back it up?

From memory simmeters was selling small lcd based gauges which would be good for some of the otherwise complex to make steam gauges.

On my 42" I can use it as a desktop to do the things I have to do, I.e. setup, the odd bit of browsing for finding info for troubleshooting etc. This is a dedicated machine for flying so I dont use it day to day for general things. Of course when I put the screens in I tried it for FPS games. Didnt like it too much. I found the screen was too large and prefer a smaller screen for that genre of games.

Oh Damn, game set and match then. Like I say in my first post. In a thread like this there will always be a whole lot of people who think they are good and someone who goes on about theory, resolution etc. At the end of the day it's personal preference and in this thread like most of the others its about 10:1 for and against ;)

55" I think is too large, with the exception of one person I know running triple 50" screens most are running single or triple's in the 40-42" sizes. I think 55" is to large because the resolution then does become more of an issue when you are sitting fairly close to a screen being used as a monitor, not a tv. Most people using around the 40" mark have no issue at all, I have not heard any negatives from these people in many forums. I understand if you plugged in your home tv and didnt like it a lot at that size but for someone buying one specifically as a monitor then a tv would be a recommendation but not a 55" one. I have triple 42" screens. Beats the heck out of my triple 27" monitors on my racing machine but the larger screens are more useful on the flight sim than the racing machine so thats where they stay.

Generally speaking, a thread like this goes that all the people who have tried using tv's like them a lot and the people that haven't tell you about resolutions and such like and how a tv could not be any good. Experience says most people who try them like them. That doesn't mean everyone who actually tries it for a while will be a fan but there are a whole lot more people around who dont like them based only on theory and expectation.

Shouldnt do? I am just going to tell people what sized switches they need to get for my panels and I ensure that anything that size or smaller will work with my panels. I dont see why you cant do the same? By smaller, I mean the enclosure size that sits behind the panel. They will have to still get the same panel mount size, e.g. 12mm for most.

I saw a mate with ones on his, I am sure mine which I got a while ago didnt have them when they arrived. When I saw his I thought WTF? He put some stickers on so he knew which way his stick goes on? Similar, if I had a car with a big sign saying 'keys go here' or 'pour petrol in this hole' I would get rid of it too :)

Don't be so bloody lazy. Why on earth would you want to get a new computer and use a year old or more install of windows on your PC. You're just asking for trouble!

I that case I would certainly think about this one http://www.wklaser.com/pro_190.aspx Its a little larger, I would ask them if they can do one in the size you want, I think they probably could. I got a larger machine from them and got a couple custom bits done to it. I dont get any commission but I have sent a couple more people there and they are happy.

What is cheap? $2500USD is a cheap laser comparatively and it's also about the price point where you get a working laser that doesn't require to to make modifications to it if you don't want to, which you suggest you don't. Same question, what is a reasonable price to you? For a laser, if you want to make panels for other people as well I would suggest you look at something along the lines of a co2 80-100W laser that has a reasonable sized bed so that you are not forever cutting up material to fit in it and so that you can get long jobs on multiple panels done without having to stand by and change pieces of material every 10 minutes. Something like this is a good candidate http://www.wklaser.com/pro_191.aspx

I take it you have had a good read of the thread at cnczone? I know there is an ongoing thread about it and I cant tell you if it's full of problems or praise but might be worth reading up on it a little if you have not already.

Glider, I agree, the different way people make panels will probably show up more than font but if people want to mix and match and are happy with the result then they have what they want. As far as font I believe the correct font is MS33558 which is available around the place. If you don't have it search the forums there are links about I think, otherwise pm me and I can send it to you.

yeah, I see what you mean when you search around for small trackballs, they are industrial and around $200 Thought about a trackpad? Thats what I had planned to put in mine, something like the apple on but others make them too now. http://www.apple.com/magictrackpad/

I see, nope, the cheapest way I know of doing that is with red paint :)

Hi, yes the backplate is made from plexi. When all three are bolted together it makes a very strong unit with no need to worry about it breaking. I can mill out the back plates from aluminium but for myself I dont see any practical advantage when it will all be painted black anyway.

There is cheap and then cheap. I know the $1 units from china are the same as the more expensive ones going for around $3 outside of china. You have to make sure of course but it seems that this is the markup on them. MacFevre, what part do you mean exactly about the look? Do you mean the longer different shaped toggle that is on it? I have done a quick search around for sleeves but come up short. I did think about grinding a specialised tool to use on the lathe to make sleeves but not sure I can be bothered.

I have a unit like this on my arcade machine. http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=74&products_id=363 perhaps you can find a similar panel mount trackball like this that is a little smaller? This is a 3" diameter bal. You need to add another $30-$40 for the controller and it will behave like a mouse.

Holy sh*t, bet the tax payers would be happy to hear the pilots are doing fun runs to 'prove' to anonymous internet dudes who they are. Even better they will do it again when guys are not home lol. It's a serious thing this forum competition :)

No problem Hans, I am open to sharing my materials and processes although there is nothing really new in what I do compared to others except for the new plexiglas product.

You are 100% correct, I will put it there as well but I know from my experience and others that the for sale section isn't frequented often for this kind of thing. BTW, Deadmans knobs would look much better than that $1 nasty thing I have on it :)

Hi all, this has turned out to be very coincidental timing that two of use have decided to offer our services at the same time. No matter, hopefully thats good for all the pit builders. I have always been happy when I have been selling as well as not selling that there are a number of people about helping pit builders get their dream pit going. I have in the past mentioned that I would offer full panels for sale, including electronics etc but the reality is that this may not happen for a long time, or ever. There is a lot of work to develop all of the software for the pc, micro-controllers and interfacing in to the games. There are other alternatives around to fill the electronics void like joystick controllers, sioc and what I plan to use myself Gadrocs EOS based boards. What I can offer more immediately is a service for a diy pit builder who is happy to get his hands dirty with assembly of parts but wanting to buy some things that are difficult to get done to a high quality without some expensive equipment. The panels that I am offering are generally three piece panels. A front, a light plate and a back. All panels will have the ability to be backlit with standard LED's. The material used for the lightplate is not a standard clear acrylic but a product called plexiglas endlighten which was designed for even illumination across the panel. For the faceplate I use a product called lasermax. This is specifically made for laser and rotary engraving. It has a very durable finish that can be molested all day by grubby fingers, the odd poke with other things and will not fade or wear off. It gives a very high contrast finish for daylight use and is excellent for backlighting. All panels are checked at design for component interference between parts so you can add your own switches, as long as they fall within the dimensions designed for the panels and everything will fit. As well as panels for the a10 the same procedure can be used for making boeing and airbus panels with the colour combinations of RAL 7011 and RAL 7031 available for each respective manufacturer. I have provided a few pictures below to give you an indication of what you would receive with a panel and what you would need to do to finish the panel. For each panel there are three pieces, here you can see the backplate, lightplate and front plate. Note that in this picture the backplate used for illustration does not match the other panels. To complete the panel you would paint the rear side of the light plate as well as the sides. This only needs one coat of white spray paint to do the job. The faceplate and light plate need to be either glued or adhered together with something like a good quality double sided tape. Then the edges should be painted black. Here they are stuck together with the white edge that should be painted. Finally, if you painted it fairly well you should have a panel of similar quality, although I am sure with good technique you can do better than I, I let some paint get on the front around where the bottom right mounting bolt would go. I have attached a fairly high resolution photo here which you can expand to see the good, the bad and the ugly. Paint better than me and the results will be better :) I can accept drawings in a number of formats, dxf is preferable but more importantly as long is it is some vector format there shouldn't be a problem. I can draw the plans myself but there is an hourly charge for that. In a couple of weeks I should have my plans drawn up and ready to take further orders. I am not mentioning a price just as of yet until I see how much machine time is required. They should not be expensive, I know that is relative. For now I can say that they would be cheaper than going to someone with plans and getting them done. I cant make it as cheap as others, the basic materials are around 400% more expensive than using basic acrylics but the difference is pronounced. Feel free to ask any general question here or PM me if there is something specific. Thanks!

Just to add, i saw some photos of yours for the same panel much earlier in the thread. You do have a larger angle on that panel, looking more like nearly 4 degrees. I will adjust my panel to suit then. Thank!

y2kiah, a question for you when you have the time. I am working on my set of panels for my pit (or your pit :) ) and have a question about the angles for the forward panels on the left and right consoles. Specifically the electrical panel. If I look inside the texture files for the A10 I can see that this panel has its bottom at ~ 2 degrees so the overall panel is not square. This is obviously so that when it's raised on its two angles the left side and bottom will align square with the panels its next to. On your plans the panels are angled 18 degrees on the side and I think it was 17.3 degrees upright for the forward most panels on the incline. With those angles the electrical panel doesnt align well, it probably needs that cut on the bottom of that panel to be closer to 5 degrees. So, thats not a problem but before I go about it I thought I would run it past you to see if there isnt something I may be overlooking. What angle is that panel cut at in your cad files? Thanks!