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Yeah, I was sorry to see this post ... maybe everyone will just agree I must have them. ;)

Jealous much? Yes I am.

LOVE the backside pic with all the wires! Nice setup!

Oh yeah - that's bad-ass right there. Love the stick placement.

Oh, snap ... does that "yet" mean we're working on it/have it planned but it isn't working yet, or maybe we'll think about adding that at some point in the future, yet?

I'm with Yoni63; can't help but be a little worried about the stick now, but I haven't seen ANYONE have a problem with it. There seems to be a problem with the throttle, however - it seems as long as the computer at least recognizes SOMETHING plugged in, a firmware update (even if you're jusst re-loading the current version) will work for you. If the system simply doesn't see ANYTHING when you plug it in, it'll probably have to be returned to TM. Mine had a firmware failure within a few days of receipt, and has now bricked. TM has me shipping it back to Canada for replacement.

Ok, I've been a bit skeptical of this the whole time - but I have to say that doesn't look bad at all.

I'd agree that it's doable, and judging from your mockup, it may not look bad at all, especially since you can account for viewing angles through the panel cutouts to the LCD surface. Have you already got the monitor you plan to use for this? My mind is working overtime on the possibilities and trade-offs of doing something similar. I'm leaning toward building the gear/flaps/fuel gauge panels and incorporating physical instruments (stepper motor/servo driven) for those, while leaving everything in-between as 'glass' instruments. I could still go this route for the AHCP ... hmmmm

So simple it's elegant.

Yes, VERY fun! Addicting fun, to be sure. I'd caution you about simply using a 'baseplate' under your switches and relying on that to eliminate force transferred to the monitor. Unless you have a very strong material or method of construction, there will likely be some flex when you push on a button, and some of that force is likely to transfer to the monitor unless it's separated enough from the monitor face. I admit that I may be concerned for nothing, and that the small force (spread over a larger area by the backplate) wouldn't do any harm. In any case, I look forward to seeing what you come up with, as I'm sure that we'll all learn something from it one way or another. :D

I agree ... possibly THE single most marketable item (past the HOTAS and MFDs) would be the UFC ... small, generic shape, nearly indispensable functionality.

Would you tell us what font you used? This is one of the closest I've seen to looking like the real panel (or at least like the panels in DCS, since I've never seen the real 'pit).

Okay, I'll say it ... the lines (graphic lines) look a little thin. Otherwise, looks fantastic! Do you have the laser cutter, or did you have it done at a local shop? If the latter, about how much did it cost (if you don't mind)?

+1 dude, seriously! Thanks for sharing!!

Rocketeer, again, you're fiddling with stuff I've been pondering as well. I've been fighting with myself over how much room to "sacrifice" by mounting things in front of the 'instrument panel' monitor vs. how much to rearrange things around it. My main concern has been the force transferred to the monitor face - which is going to happen with any pushbutton. The only other alternative is to mount the monitor face further back away from the panel. If you're mounting toggles and rotaries, then it probably forces you to mount it further back, anyway. I can't help but wonder how the glass gauges will look set that far back from the front panel, or whether the panels with switches would look 'funny' jutting out from the panel as an alternative. One of the ideas I had (that I haven't done any testing on) is whether it might be possible to mount fresnel lens material into gauge openings that would make the glass gauges appear to be closer than the monitor really is. I suspect that wouldn't be a satisfactory option, though. So far, I'm fairly well resigned to rearranging the glass instruments to fit the confines of my monitor, and rearrange the various cockpit controls around it, even though that means some things may be located fairly far off from where they "should" be. I may attempt mounting a rotary or two within the panel itself (e.g. the knobs on the ADI/HSI), but that's probably it. I'll be very interested to see whatever you come up with!

That looks fantastic!

I just finished my first test flight with Helios ... me likey. I think it certainly has some room for improvement, especially since I couldn't manage to do ANYTHING at first, but after watching the two tutorial videos, I had no problems getting the primary instruments properly configured. That said, it was great to have most of the up-front instrumentation available at a glance, and it seemed to work very well.

I'll be interested to see what you come up with for a throttle mount (as a collective).

That's what I did, too - boxes are just 6" deep, and sitting on a PVC frame - height adjustments are relatively cheap and easy. Of course, most of it has been lucky circumstance as opposed to intelligent planning. :music_whistling:

Yeah, that's cool ... and the sticker really does add "something". :)

I believe you need Helios actually running while you run DCS ... did you actually exit or just minimize?

"OC cards" are cards available from www.opencockpits.com and it is a system of cards available for multiple functions. Check out their website. It isn't as simple to implement as a joystick controller (basically what Leo's boards are), but FAR more versatile.

Thanks, Sharkster! Other folks are making me jealous with their progress, and I'm anxious to get back to work on mine! :)

Fly with your instrumentation in place just once, and I'm betting you'll see the benefit for yourself. Sure, DCS has a great clickable cockpit, but there's something to be said for having things right there to glance at or (even better) be able to reach out and touch without having to look. It may not be for everyone, but products like this and LOVP/BSVP before it are *fantastic*, especially for us sim-pit builders.

This appears truly inspired ... can't wait to try it out!