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BHawthorne

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Everything posted by BHawthorne

  1. I pulled the ejection seat on Thursday on my F-84F to begin cockpit restoration. Today I'm power washing the museum F-84F. Pics of the museum F-84F to come later this weekend.
  2. The thing with a project like that you need to enjoy building and tinkering as much as flying. For me I love that kind of stuff because I'm a manufacturing engineer by education. My curiosity has me experimenting with things all the time. Working on real cockpits is just a way to see how things work from a new perspective. If you're not a tinkerer or like to build things I'd take an easier route though and go with an established simpit design. Either way there is a ton of tinkering though. For me I look at each gauge as a project in and of themselves and my F-84F has a full panel of gauges.
  3. No, I'm not saying it's better, but it's more realistic. Going real cockpit one would assume you want things to be realistic. Otherwise there is no real reason to use a real cockpit.
  4. It might at first seem to be an odd suggestion, but I suggest getting help for overclocking on the EVGA forums. They'll help you OC regardless of hardware brand you use.
  5. The first question I'd ask is what type of aircraft is it and who owns it? Do you have space to work on it and use it after it's converted? Yes, you can make everything work. You're going to have a serious learning curve though. Most things are rewired with servos. Depending on the type, you might be spending $2500-$25000 just to get the cockpit section. If the cockpit is gutted, forget it. It takes 3x the cash to repopulate a cockpit with missing parts than just to get one cut with the parts still in it. Do not screw with it if it's missing the seats, throttle quadrant and control stick. I actually passed on that F-15A in the other thread. Too much was missing from it to be plausible. The only reason why it looks the way it does now is an owner of an aircraft instrumentation business now owns it. I purchased my F-84F back in 2008 because the cockpit was 95% intact -- only missing 3-4 gauges. Military aircraft cockpits are rare, you often have zero choice in what you pick. It's a case of 3-4 coming up for sale a year randomly and what is available within your price range and not totally gutted is what you get. It's such a highly specialized hobby that you'll know most of the people who collect cockpits after awhile. Fully expect to spend more time working on the cockpit than flying it.
  6. BHawthorne

    The Cube

    The lens throw for those are actually too short to work on curved screens. My suggestion is a mix of standard ultra short throws and custom first surface mirror mount designs. That way you have proper control over the screen projection coverage and can tailor it to what is exactly needed.
  7. BHawthorne

    The Cube

    The motivations for using Tendo fabric is that you'd only need a very thin frame to support stretch cloth screen material. It's also very cheap per linear yard compared to other options. Also if your frame is collapsible, you could just fold up the screen material and disassemble it like a tent. Maybe use slivers of clear acrylic sheet or clear acrylic rod for the frame? That'll still get a bit expensive compared to other materials, but it wouldn't totally obscure the projection with the frame. Interesting idea for acrylic use.
  8. BHawthorne

    The Cube

    hehe, the more exotic this thread becomes the more interesting. We're venturing into mad scientist territory.
  9. Fly-in to the actual McConnell AFB air show would need to be arranged with the McConnell AFB air show staff. That is a totally separate unrelated entity. This event is being done in parallel to the McConnell AFB air show. Also, we don't have taxiway access between KAM and KIAB with the runway construction going on.
  10. BHawthorne

    The Cube

    With body tracking using a Kinect, it might be possible to even show in-game avatar locations for hands, arms and body. That way you might be able to use in-game cockpit.
  11. BHawthorne

    The Cube

    You'll hear in the videos Carmack talking about problems with syncing orientation and location of the head with the game. It makes me think he doesn't know what TrackIR is yet.
  12. BHawthorne

    The Cube

    Might see what Carmack is up to on HMDs. Much more viable. He should have a HMD prototype SDK available soon. vIkrQK60N-4 NYa8kirsUfg W5tUnZ9b_34
  13. BHawthorne

    The Cube

    Projectors don't like certain orientations. You'd use an interface system similar to what CNC machines use with 2 axis and steppers though. That's a little too labor intensive and problematic for my tastes. Simpler just to get 2 or 3 projectors and call it good. By the time you've worked out all the design, labor and rework to get a setup done you could be 2 months of use into your multi-projector setup. There are no unknowns with multi-projector. I can answer all your questions. Someone did try a single projector on a movable mount over on the NTHUSIM site though. Looks like he dropped the idea. It's in the setups section.
  14. BHawthorne

    The Cube

    I could do a bit of experimentation. I have a few GT720 sitting around and some spare Rose Brand Tendo fabric. I could make one panel for a proof of concept for you. Don't expect anything pretty, just proof of concept validation. :) If you've not gotten projectors yet, I really suggest 0.49:1 short throws. The Gt720 is a 0.72:1 short throw. It has a longer throw distance than a 0.49:1. I'd only recommend the GT720 if you already have then or if you find them significantly cheaper than a 0.49:1 projector.
  15. I'd love to be able to surf USGS and DEM data and just clip an arbitrary area of the map and churn it through a SDK and begin dropping Google warehouse building models on it and defining land class areas with a pen tool. Also properly import Openstreetmap vector data to help populate the map. That would be my ideal scenery SDK.
  16. I get a chuckle at how much the internet has changed the world in the last two decades and what we now take for granted. Ponder what it would take to converse like this in the 80's? Thanks for the panel updates. It looks good. :thumbup:
  17. Maybe someone else could pick up the license to produce them?
  18. Updated first post with pics and more information.
  19. The Kansas Aviation Museum in association with the Newark Air Museum is hosting the first ever Cockpit-Fest USA this September 29th/30th in Wichita, Kansas -- the Air Capitol of the world. All private individuals and museums are invited to bring your cockpits and simulators for outdoor display during this 2 day event that coincides with the McConnell AFB airshow featuring the USAF Thunderbirds. An indoor exhibit area will also be provided for instrument panel displays. Free registration Private Friday night Cockpit-Fest USA welcome party Event prizes Hosted at the Kansas Aviation Museum situated adjacent to McConnell AFB Located next to Spirit where all 737 fuselages and Dreamliner cockpits are manufactured Photos of the previous Newark Air Museum Cockpit-Fests are here: http://www.newarkairmuseum.org/gallery.php http://s1255.photobucket.com/albums/hh628/cockpitfest We already have multiple cockpits lined up to attend, including a 737-200, AH-1 Cobra, DC-8 simulator, B-52 Stratofortress, F-16 simulator, F-8 Crusader, F-5 Freedom Fighter, F-84F Thunderstreak, F-4 Phantom simulators, and an F-15A Eagle cockpit. Visit http://www.kansasaviationmuseum.org for museum info. Email HeritageAviation@yahoo.com to register.
  20. BHawthorne

    The Cube

    I have a new pre-warp utility being sent to me later this week from Immersaview for evaluation and testing. If it works good for proof of concept testing on my end I'll let Andy at Immersaview know that there might be a few other people looking for 4-projector pre-warping capability as consumers. I know my Sol7 and SimVisuals builds work just fine for up to 8 projector, but they're a bit dated in build version.
  21. BHawthorne

    The Cube

    Beware of some of Paul Bouke's designs are theoretical in nature and don't always hold up IRL. Your link for example is an acadmic representation of how idome might work. The down orientation of the projection in that would mean instant death for it IRL from overheating. Be mindful that his papers are mostly for inspirational reference to give you ideas. Don't take them always as a literal guidebook on how to do it. In many instances his presentations are theoretical without real world examples. They make for a good starting point though. Always be mindful of the thermal characteristics of projectors and the limitations of mounting orientation. Also something never mentioned in those designs are pixel size. Be mindful of pixel density over a surface area. Sometimes these setups would only make sense with 1080p or 4kHD projectors. Not overly practical IRL. Using a security mirror is a sound design though. Just be aware of the quality of the mirror and ensure it's a first surface version. It'll require pre-warp utility but should work good after calibration.
  22. BHawthorne

    The Cube

    The thing you have to worry about the most is the top projection and head clearance. I'll need to bounce off of a mirror to get it projected correctly. Probably fab up something based on similar Mylar material for the top mirror to bounce to the top screen surface to what Gene Buckle uses for his project but re-purposed a bit differently. That's why I'm humoring 2 meter ball and not 3 meter. If I was smart I'd just build a shed out back in the yard and do 3 meter, but I'd like something a bit more portable and temporary. One advantage you have with flat panels vs the spherical I'm doing is you have no need to edge blend. The flat panel surfaces are all 90 degrees to each other and significantly simpler to align with a pre-warping utility. You only have to dial in the corners of the projection area. My reasoning for going spherical is to do away with surface distortion and ensure a seamless experience. Right now it's all theory though and your flat design is much more plausible to build in short order. Personally, I suggest you use Tendo rear projection screen stretch fabric by Rose Brand. It comes in 122" width and is sold by the linear yard. Just cut it to size, stretch it to your flat surface frame and rear project it.
  23. The thing is, it's not an either/or situation, it's value added. The more venues to make DCS World available the more people will know about it. For many people Steam or Origin is their limit of searching for games. If it's not on there, they don't know about it. While it might be debatable what that says about the gamer themselves, that is largely irrelevant in a value added setting. It doesn't make sound logical sense to omit a potential income resource. Then again people love to think and debate ad nausium about what ED is and isn't for them on the forums. It's one thing I've experienced on this forums that truly confuses me. People seem to know what ED is and isn't and what DCS should and shouldn't be better than the developers themselves? :doh:
  24. Do you have a ballpark figure on full set kit price?
  25. I am disappointed with the reasoning for much of the Steam bashing in this thread. Some don't want it because they want DCS to be some tight knit fringe platform. Others don't like it because they associate Steam with hyperactive children. The core of the matter is why put DCS World on Steam? To sell products for it. It's a value added prospect. ED can continue to do direct sales and pick up further sales on Steam. Steam and Origin are the most viable ways to get to the mass PC gaming audience via digital distribution revenue models. Many of you would spite the nose off of your face just to have DCS remain in it's own little corner of the gaming world. You have to take the good with the bad with sales and popularity. Part of that is just locking your server down so no public access if you're one of those elitist types. Don't ruin it for the rest of the potential customers out there simply because you don't want to fly with them. There are plenty of ways to handle that without marginalizing ED's sales in the process. I know some of you would just as soon have the same dozen people own DCS World and noone else know about it. Think about how destructive that mindset is and how it has effected serious flight sims in the last decade. That mentality has hurt the genre and made it a niche of people who flaunt their snobbery. Perish the thought that the unwashed masses might know DCS exists and might even be curious enough to want to use it. If any of this offends you it might of hit a little too close to home. Take an introspective look at yourself and why it would offend you at all? ED is a software company, they're not a charity organization.
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