KungFuCharlie

I'm working on a F/A-18D pit parallel to a A-10C pit. I used to work on C/D models so have a bit of insight into that one. :thumbup: Just getting ramped up though so not much to release on it yet.

For the MyDIYCNC it is $580 if you want it fully assembled and ready to go out of the box (you just attach the upright gantry and install the limit switches - everything else is installed and wired up). You can also order different kits depending on how much work you want to put into building it or if you want to use different electronics and such with it. You can see all the buying options on their website here: http://www.mydiycnc.com/catalog

Thanks! My brother and I have been planning our sim pits for a long while now but I didn't want to get started on it until I knew that I could do it right. This machine gives us that ability so now its time to go full throttle!

I ordered the MyDIYCNC machine as a first machine to learn the ins and outs of CNC milling. Its a nice looking machine and should be large enough for each individual panel. I still need to get the wiring cleaned up and move it out to its new home in my workshop. Will most likely take what I learn from this machine and build a much larger one in the near future. And so it begins...

Did Thrustmaster ever fix the problem with these or will warthogs purchased today still have a risk of bricking?

So I started playing with this app yesterday and have to say that I am pretty impressed. Its a bit expensive even for what it does (in my opinion of course - it is half the cost of A-10 itself!!). It does exactly what the videos he has released show... interfaces with the simulation and aids a lot in terms of immersion. Until I get my simpit finished I don't think I will fly without this app... it is pretty bad ass!! First, a few issues: 1. Need to make the "zip unpacking" fix more prominent on the website or find a different way to distribute the server application (unpacking EXE file?). I had read about needing to do that prior to purchasing the app but forgot about it when I downloaded the server later that day. Thus I spent about 60 frustrating minutes trying to figure it out before getting an email from the developer on how to fix it. Should also reference the exact error message since it is misleading... the error says there is a problem with the Bonjour service but it is actually a zip file unpacking error. So I was troubleshooting the Bonjour service the whole time. 2. Inadvertent button presses are common when navigate between screens. I wanted to go to my MFD view as I approached my target and hit the landing gear button as I swiped. This caused my landing gear to go down and then it changed to the MFD page so I had to go back to the main view, raise my landing gear, and then go back to the MFD page... all while ingress to the target. Not good! The swiping is cool but I would rather have a navigation bar or buttons on the right or left side of the screen to switch between them instead. Upgrade Request: 1. Make a full zoomed out cockpit view as the main view. Then you can tap on any panel to have it go full screen for use. Another tap of a button sends you back to the full cockpit view. This would make it much faster to select panels for use, get you more familiar with the cockpit, feel more realistic, etc, etc. It would mean that you have to model each panel in the app but that would be awesome none-the-less! Seeing as how the app is half the cost of the full simulation itself I personally think it should support them all.

I know I am going to get flamed for this... forget the Android and add more stuff to the iPad version. :D

I have to admit this looks freaking amazing. I just bought it for the app store. Then I realized that I don't have wireless in my office (doesn't reach since my office isn't attached to the main house) so I have to buy a WAP for my office now. If it works as well as it looks from the videos it will be worth the $30. Lets not let this thread die!

Does anyone have a list of part numbers for various switches, knobs, etc that are good "look alike" parts for the A-10C? I've seen a few posted in various threads in the past but unable to locate them now. One thread with the full list would be killer.

Converting a mission should be pretty simple. Its just a matter of updating the tags and their content from the old version to the new if there are any changes to that tag. The main thing that I saw as a problem is the map changing to a larger area... will the coordinates used in the editor be the same for the locations so nothing changes or will they have to be adjusted? And no... it would not be easier to just make them over again if you spend a great deal of time on each mission and you have a campaign set of 20-30 missions divided up into multiple stages. :)

Not sure if this has been asked yet (I cannot find it) but are there plans for a mission conversion tool that will convert FC2 missions to A-10C missions? I know the new editor is vastly improved and the map is larger but there should still be a way to map the locations of units from the old map to the new map as well as bring in the triggers and such. Any info on this one?

If you read lots of books on kung fu and know them inside and out, would that make you a kung fu master? No. There is more to flying than pushing buttons. I can make a perfect landing in FSX and X-Plane in a Cirrus SR-22 but when I got into the real thing during my flight training it was as if I had never flown before in my life.

I think someone needs a hug...

Lately I have been wanting to pick up Python programming so I decided to work on an application relating to flight simulation to do just that. Introducing MIZER or Mission Analyzer. Basically, it parses through the debrief.log file created by Flaming Cliffs 2 and creates a HTML file with pilot performance data such as number of take offs, landings, crashes, ejections, deaths, shots, hits, and so forth. This is a much less involved mission analyzer than TacView. No graphics or timeline. Just numbers at this point. Oh, and there is no GUI so I hope you like command line tools. :D Why version 0.0? Because this is just the proof-of-concept version and is extremely lame. Keep in mind this is roughly two hours of work if that so don't expect anything fancy. I will be re-writing it to parse a lot more information and perform a much more in-depth analysis of the data (not to mention include a better architecture) and releasing it as version 0.1 soon. In the mean time, I wanted to get this version out just so people can play with it, hack it, and post any suggestions for the 0.1 version. I commented the source code (i.e. python script) pretty well so even those who don't know any programming or python can understand what it is doing and make modifications to it. It is released under a free and open license so you can do whatever you want with it. All I ask is that you post any modifications or upgrades publicly so the whole community can benefit. All the information you need to indulge yourself is located at http://www.52ndvfw.com. Known Issue: Russian aircraft are not determined since I am not familiar with their armament (only way to figure out what type of aircraft it is in debrief.log is by what weapons it fires). I put a TODO comment in the source file so you know where to add it if you want it. Feel free to post any unique weapons for each Russian aircraft type that I can use to make the determination. For example, if it fires an AIM-7 or AIM-120 it is a F-15. Now for the poll question: Do you mind a custom export script so that I can parse a lot more data to provide better analysis results or should I stick to using the debrief.log file and just not get as good of results?

I have the same problem in multiplayer missions where there is most definitely an AWACS present.

In the missions we (52nd VFW) are working on we referenced various real life sources (CIA World Factbook for one) to ensure that we are giving the right equipment to the right countries in the right numbers. I think that is also crucial if you want to achieve any resemblance of reality.

Just use your video card utility and tweak the contrast, brightness, and gamma for your monitors and you can get the same basic effect without running any additional software.

Awesome, that is what I figured. Thanks for the answers, gents.

They would send in a Carrier Strike Group (or two depending on the size of the conflict) and, if ground engagements are taking place, an Expeditionary Strike Group (or two) as well. Both contain a lot more than just "a couple escorts". CSG: 1 Aircraft Carrier, 1 Destroyer Squadron (4-6 ships), 1-2 Aegis guided missile cruisers, 2-3 guided missile destroyers, 1-2 attack submarines, and 1 supply ship. ESG: 1 Amphibious Assault Ship (LHA/LHD), a Dock Landing Ship (LSD), Amphibious Transport Dock (LPD), and an assortment of cruisers, destroyers, and attack submarines.

Does rudder trim affect the nose wheel steering in the real A-10? I lost an engine last night (common occurrence for me :music_whistling:) and used rudder trim to null out the yaw effects. Once I was on the ground I couldn't steer at all and I noticed that the aircraft would only turn right... which was very weird since my right engine was the one that was working. Basically, I would throttle the right engine to 100% and the aircraft would do tight right donuts. Physics seems a little weird there even with right rudder applied. I couldn't turn left at all as the best I could do was go mostly straight with full left rudder applied. Once I nulled out my rudder trim I was able to steer properly. Is this how it is in the real A-10? If I remember correctly from my F/A-18C maintenance days the rudder trim did not effect nose wheel steering accept maybe in high gain mode. I cannot be sure though... would have to consult my manuals again.

That is not an assumption that can be made simply from pictures of a UAV on the wall. My old units ready room had photos of all types of aircraft on the wall and yet we were a F/A-18C squadron only. Besides, there are military grade simulators for UAV's... why would they be using an A-10 simulator to train on? Doesn't make any sense.

I spent many hours in the F/A-18C simulator at MCAS Beaufort back in the early 2000's myself. We would schedule a few hours for maintenance engine quals, knock out what we needed to do for our quals in 30 minutes, and then shoot carrier landings for the next few hours. I loved sim days. :)

Parallel processing isn't a simple "mod" to a project. A game engine would have to be designed from the ground up with parallel processing in mind. Creating a multi-threaded application is a little tricky but easily do-able. Creating an application the truly supports parallel processing is a whole new challenge. I really wish game / sim designers would get on the parallel processing bandwagon soon but the cost (engineering wise) is probably out of range for many. Lets just hope ED is getting enough $ in military contracts to make this happen!! :D

If I created a wiki to capture all the knowledge, how-to's, and such for modifying DCS, would anyone here actually use it (add topics, edit topics, etc)? I don't want to waste my time getting it all set up and just have one or two people actually use it so I am trying to gauge interest prior to kicking off the idea.

I've put two hard drives into every computer I've built since back in the Windows XP days. I install the OS and programs on one drive and use the other for all of my files. The great thing about this set up is that when Windows starts getting really slow (4-6 months), I can easily format the OS drive and reinstall it and my applications. I keep all the installers that I need or links to the download page for the latest version on the documents hard drive so I don't have to search for them or try to remember what all I need to install. For data redundancy I sync my documents drive with a network attached storage drive (Western Digital MyBook World - 1TB) every week or two in case that hard drive dies on me. RAID is nice and is useful but I've just never used it. I like keeping my documents drive separate from my OS / Apps drive and never feel like buying 4 hard drives to get the benefits of RAID redundancy. If you're worried about data safety, get a DROBO. They are ultra-sweet.