agrasyuk

one of these is reserved for you in case you are interested. Screens are ordered.

this will get as ridiculous as wallets of those interested will support. would it really make you feel better staring at an empty shelf with MSRP sticker on it? the root cause of the situation is supply not meeting the demand, obviously. sticker price that retail puts on a box does not change the supply levels. I find it ridiculous to blame or shame the retail . but we already know where that conversation is going, i'm going to bow out, feel free to keep shaking fist at clouds.

Why?

PM

oh boy. any plans to mitigate the 3d print marks? they ruin all of your hard work.

Yes, that is quite a wall of text. And a very interesting reality that you live in. A reality where you see a country that collapsed on its own economy as example of viable economic model... Oh well. In any case crypto is here to stay, and it's more likely then not that GPU supply will stabilize eventually. I'd give it a few months.

there is definitely some language barrier since I can't understand everything you trying to say, but I did get the gist of it. wrong, there was not a single period in USSR's history with anything close to successful economy. except the select elite all it's citizens lived in various degrees of poverty, waiting years for basic services and goods such as phone or simple household appliances. the limited services and goods that happened to be available were markedly behind western world in quality, soviet citizen never seen a simple steak. lack of innovation, growing technological gap, subsequent inefficient production and lower GDP. the only sector that wasn't multiple decades behind was military. USSR economy was not anywhere near development of modern electronics. planned economy would have never produced a competitive CPU, or GPU, or a video game, you are being overly dramatic. GPU's didn't cease to exist. there is way more GPUs manufactured in 2021 then in say 1900 or 1990. they just got more expensive due to increased demand. It so happened that miners have deeper pockets then gamers. you are understandably sour about that fact, but what is sad here is that the only solution that you see to your own gripes is an intervention by a benevolent czar... oh well. the good news is that is all temporary, free enterprise (capitalism) assures that when there is demand eventually there will be supply - with all the gamers waiting cash in hand someone just bound to attempt to deliver on that demand. not because he cares about gamers but because he wants that cash! one way or another crypto is here to stay. not a single dictator in the world has power to stop it, even the US federal reserve. you will have to deal with it. have a good one!

Черный Дракул, dude... "just services stock market speculants in their gambling" - stock market and the market makers is the very reason things such as GPUs exist. it's not governments but venture capitalists that funded those companies state of USSR's economy and later collapse was a text book demonstration of why planned economy and government intervention never works. the fact you and I can't get a reasonably priced GPU indeed sucks. I get it, I was also planning to build a PC for my sim. but that inability is far far from "harms the society". i'd say even the opposite - a transparent decentralized digital coin can be a tremendous benefit to society as it can remove ability of corrupt and irresponsible governments to manipulate currency . it probably sucks living in Zimbabwe and Venezuela right now, but lack of affordable GPUs is the least of their troubles . Imagine how much better lives of people there would have been if the idiots up top didn't have the possibility to print gobs cash and dilute it to nothing. and it's not like cash wasn't ever used for criminal purposes.

This ban never prevented the thriving black market in USSR, which was used even by the very elite. this statement of yours is either shortsighted or ignorant. what on earth would give any government on this planet the right to tell me what medium of exchange I should use with those who agree to trade with me and what I shouldn't ?

I I started with small K40 laser as well. I now use a. Bigger machine with true 40Watt of power output (Chinese manufacturers liberally overstate capabilities ). Both can cut through 1/4" acryl in one pass if properly aligned and focused. As to uniformity of light, true on what CC said. Needs good LED positioning . Things get significantly better with reflective back though

I'm working on AHCP panel. I can't get to painting due to low temperatures in the garage . here is more images for anyone's reference. Faceplate + Lightplate assembly prior to paint. in this case i'm working with a piece without protective film. this means the front will have thicker layer of paint then usual. while this is not an issue on mechanical engravers in my case i'm most probably going to make additional pass for best clarity of engraving ( I engrave at the lowest consistent power I can get out of the machine). backplate to be painted as well. backside. LED drill target marks are visible. it does take quite a few of those to shine through the polystyrene sheet with the intensity and consistency that I like. while not absolutely required I will be hand painting the inside edges to block light bleed from the switches. perhaps you can spot the 4 blind holes (not through the faceplate). Larger ones are 7mm recesses to clear for M3 nuts on the backplate, that will hold the interface board standoffs behind the switches. 2.5mm holes between switch row 2 and 3 will get tapped to M3 to hold two more screws holding the faceplate to the backplate. usually I tap thread before I glue the plates, in this case I forgot. for this situation I have a shallow tap , not ideal but gives enough of usable thread.

any guestimates on when things get more "normalish" ? I am thinking to buy when Intel releases their 11th series ( march-April?) , but it looks like I will not have a GPU ...

tried several processes through the years and narrowed it down to the below. I use laser , you will need to do your adjustments. painting with rattle-can spray paint. For the face plate I use engraving material called lasermax. it's a white polystyrene sheet 1/16" thick (that's about ~ 1.6mm) painted black at the factory. Light plate (mid layer) is a 1/4" (~5.2mm) transparent acrylic. this thick layer provides rigidity and ability to tap thread into it if you need it. prior to cutting the lightplate it gets a coat of white spraypaint to help reflect the light. cutting the lightplate happens upside-down so the LED locations are marked for "drilling". "drilling" I touch with a larger drill bit into the lightplate creating a conical depression to let the light in and help it spread. Faceplate and lightplate are carefully aligned under clamps and cemented with solvent based acrylic adhesive. Notice at this point the protective film is still on the faceplate. I mask the underside as well and spray several layers on the sides (and sides of switch holes) to block the light. make sure sufficient drying time between layers is observed, attempting to repaint in under 48 hours resulted in several ruined panels (had to strip paaint and start over). Remove protective film from the front, sand the edges with 600-1000 grit wet paper from the paint buildup and paint one final time , blending the edges. this way the face is not glossy. all this assumes you have capability to put the panel back into the machine precisely - engraving happens as last step. shown without layer of white on the lightplate. for this panel self-adhesive aluminum tape (shiny and very reflective) was mounted onto the backplate. it's a long process but the result is worth the effort. good luck and make sure to share your work

We have a dedicated subforum for cockpit building right here. There is also several FB groups that have this topic covered. You are welcome to contribute to either

Hi Callum, great to hear from you again and thank you for kind words. Fast? Well, I guess that is relative . From my vantage point I don't get nearly as much time as I would have liked to work on these . I have extra PCBs left, I would love to have my devices as part of your build. But we will need to confirm fitment and I cannot commit to a timeframe at this point. weather is a factor, right now it's -10C so the laser coolant bucket is frozen shut . plus started new work last week and it takes pretty much remainder of the free time. All I can promise is that I eventually will get to it . What devices are you interested in? current version of DCSBIOS code for CMSC (still WIP) :

CMSC device is alive. Based around HCMS-2973 displays. Buttons still need to be engraved.

Awesome. last picture looks like a scale model for some reason

good looking art, but please please please! Sand the prints or finish it at least somehow. those print marks are ruining the entire build

thanks DM. I was monitoring the TK series , T4 somehow didn't come up on my radar. researched the catalog some more and verified the sizes. after some back and forth and then a painful plunge I have pair of T5 switches incoming. Right engine throttle grip is painted and ready. My warthog is getting an upgraded IFF , looks like it was pulled from a Viper . Non rectangular to fit a very specific location. First batch of knobs painted IAS, ADI and altimeter bezels Trying to make functional ELEC/PNE switch with embedded pair of 6mm tactile buttons

Thank you very much for the comment amido. MIP in progress CMSC Details New faceplate for the throttle is complete. lots of SMT LEDs glued into recesses ground into the backside. Backside is layered with clear insulating tape, aluminum reflective tape and self adhesive PVC light blocking old VS new. if anyone wants the original throttle faceplate let me know (it lights up with 5V. orange) And mounted. looking at this picture I think it was worth all the effort. now I need to find these OTTO directional switches. Mouser reports availability ETA of March, ebay searches come up dry. anyone has a beat on suitable mini trim switches for left throttle handle? left console so far and for the fun of it I stuffed everything I have

if you didn't tap then the only way you could have got the screw part of that standoff in is by deforming the threads. Nylon has enough elasticity so it probably will hold but for how long? plus I don't think it's good idea to stress the acrylic. why not just tap the sheet ?

don't glue anything, it has to be removable. Drill and either use a nut or tap a thread. the 2.5mm acrylic sheet can reliably hold a bolt. I usually do M3 unless specific task requires smaller. or you can use pins and headers to sandwich a device together , it holds reliably if you place them strategically. below is a sandwich of 3 boards not counting the PI

DCS can see up to 128 buttons on a joystick (windows can only see 32). BBI64 is a solid choice. Again, for input only

Announcing a limited run of Landing gear panels for A-10. this go around it's not a kit, you are getting a complete and tested device. Laser engraved front plate, 1/4 clear acrylic light plate, milled recesses for mounting hardware. backplate is acrylic, option to upgrade to aluminum backplate exists if there is enough interest, but not really necessary - the thick acrylic construction is very rigid. servo actuated backlit flap gauge with individually lit needle, one piece gear handle with lighted clear knob, hand painted striping, switch guard, 4 piece indicators. connection for 12V backlight. Interfaced with Arduino Nano (provided) with DCS-BIOS code already loaded. You will need to have a working DCS-BIOS master board to connect this device to the sim (I can assist). Can be used outside of DCS if you connect additional poles on the switches to interface board of your choice (not provided). Stencil for precise cutout and mounting holes will be provided. I will be building 4 units. Timeframe is 2-3 weeks. asking price is 250$ shipped (within continental US, international shipping extra). 50$ deposit today to secure your spot (so I can order materials), remainder on completion. Paypal is preferred. Matching fuel gauge panel is in development and will be offered to buyers of LGD panel first. Pictures show the model with Airpax circuit breaker Anti-skid for simulation of magnetic hold functionality described here . I have 3 more breakers that I can sell at cost and install to those interested (I'm keeping one for my pit +1 spare) . They do come up on eBay on occasion, but the supply is not stable. You will need to provide a suitable power supply for a slow overcurrent trip (~12-14V). More Pictures Simulated magnetic action with circuit breaker Fuel Gauge WIP preview

Your situation with free time is not unique. It's a personal choice how to spend the limited free time one has. Nothing wrong with button boxes, I simmed with a cheap logitech joystick for years and had a blast. But you are in "home cockpit" section of a forum and that is another hobby all in itself. It seems that the answer to your "what an I missing" question is desire to build a cockpit perhaps? Hence for now you have no tasks that would nessesitate use of Arduinos, PIs and other electronic trickery. Best of luck on your project whatever it is.