MacFevre

Wait, not to take away from Deadman's great work, but since when is the USAF planning to retire the A-10C? I know they have talked about it, but they talk about a lot of things. Cripes, they just spent billions refitting to the C. Back to the discussion at hand, apologies DM for going off the thread. It is interesting how I've suddenly seen the commercial market get A-10C panels. I sure don't know what's driving it. I bet they came on here and saw what yours looked like DM and saw stars and dollar signs. :thumb up: You sure aren't wrong about the CNC's and Lasers. I just don't know if it's because they are a lot more accessible now or what. I mean, I'd love to have one or both! The thing is, when the pit is done, I simply don't know what I would do with it. Keep up the great work and if you get a chance, keep us updated. :smilewink:

Just incredible. You should be very satisfied and proud. It really is quite an accomplishment, and hope that mine turns out looking at least half as well. Very, very nice.

Splash, letting you know right now, it will never stop. Ever. When it's done, you will always find either more to do, or things to upgrade. Your top dash is all wood? I could swear it looked like plastic or the like. It looks great. However you got the subtle curves, you did a good job.

I just got their catalog yesterday. Will have to take a look today. It's really great that you have others that can chip in and use it together. I'd love to be able to do that. Unfortunately for me, I'm in NEW England. :D

I think it looks fantastic! I'd really like some more info and pictures on your dash. A how-to would be great, of course, but what kind of material did you use? The whole thing looks pretty sharp, though. Keep us updated!

So what did you order?

Nice decals! Can't wait for mine. Actually, yes, I can. I need to make the outer shell first! ;)

No problem DM, you can take your time for mine. :)

Odd. These are looking like the same indicators as Simmeters. Down to the same descriptions, like the engine pack. I wonder what the big push for the A-10C cockpits? It just seems like suddenly someone thinks there's a big market for Warthog pits? I can see those that are offering to create panels and the like for others in the community, but to actually make it a business? Hmm. Just didn't realize there was a big demand for it, I guess. Brings me to another point. CAN-BUS. Is that going to be the big standard now? I can look on Google, of course, but does anyone know of a site that has how this works in relation to what we are trying to achieve here? Thanks

Looking great! Your cooling fans? Does your consoles get warm? I was actually thinking about adding vents above the knees like in the real plane. For cooling me though, not my gear. I am really surprised at the end of a mission, wait scratch that. I'm really surprised any time I fly how hot and sweaty I am by the time I touch down. (If I touch down!) It might not be real, but sometimes it feels like it!

Always happy and willing to help anyone when I can! Don't know a huge amount yet, but learning every day. X, is it important that the button be wider than the steel bar? I have a stock bar that is exactly the width of the button, so the vice kind of tightens on both. Was also thinking of the solution to the round button cap and applying it to the square. (We're actually talking about 99 total caps needing drilled, so a jig, I believe, is a good investment.) Anyway, what if you were to place two pins on either side of the square cap? That way, you wouldn't need to find the center of each cap. Simply place the cap on your bar stock, between the two pins every time. One other thing. Your a machinist that has a shop? Bet you could find a bit of work in this community if you wanted! I'm not sure who else works or hobbies a lot in that field. I think MetalNWood does, or at least dabbles. I'd love to, but don't know a grand amount. There's a few items that really need a machinist touch, were few have gone before. Some things include creating and fabricating a stick extension, landing gear handle and mechanism, and the fuel refill lever and mechanism. Just a thought! :)

PM also sent

This is awesome. Thank you. I do appreciate the time you've dedicated. If you have a PayPal account, I'll buy you a beer! :D

I am in awe. Truly a daunting task to take, but one that is not only dreamed by most, but needed. All I can say is thank you for forging these trails, since one like myself can only wish they had the ability.

Very nice! I've always liked the look of some of your control sticks. Also, that whole "keep your base swap the grip" idea is sure to catch on! ;) (It's too bad that other company decided not to keep going forward with that one. :D )

Excellent! Thank you. That would be extremely helpful. One thing you might also want to think about if your pretty good at jig designing is knobs. There have really been a lot of different ways that people have tried to make those deceptively simple little holes, but as I know all to well, when you finally place that knob on the potentiometer, what you thought was a small error becomes a huge cockeyed mess. Again, thanks for your assistance, and if you happen to need anything at all, don't hesitate to ask.

Wow! It's like Simmeters went from steam gauges to the major supplier of A-10 related panels! Where did this come from? I'm wondering how much their panels will go for, as their indicators are pretty steep in my opinion. I wish they were in my price range. :( (I mean really, it might be worth it to some to pay $1,000 USD for 10 2" really close but not quite right engine indicators (&2 APU)) Anyway, it looks like they are offering all the panels. Even the LASTE, HARS, (really?) the KY. I think the CDU looks nice, the panels however I see personally as stock built by a lot of the builders on this board. There aren't any specialty switches or anything. The locking toggles are NKK's, regular toggles for landing/taxi light. I will say this. Don't know why, but IMHO there is no contest between Deadman's knobs and Simmeters. They should have taken a lesson from DM. Will be interesting to find out the cost though, as I still really need a landing gear panel. (And now they have me looking at the fuel indicator panel. :eek: )

X, was thinking on what you've described. First off, on the "button jig," I'm assuming that the scrap metal for the vice would be to keep the button from slipping down? Just trying to picture the purpose. When i worked for the majors, I was only a line A&P mechanic so never got over into the hangar much to watch the machinist and the like. I just received this drill press for Christmas, and as noticed by my pictures I'm still learning how to use it correctly. Haven't been able to get a dial gauge or anything yet to check the runout. So as one that sounds like he knows quite a bit about this stuff, would one of those slot drill cutter be better than this Dremel router bit? You can see by my picture (I think) what kind of hole it makes. I thought it did alright, especially with it only being glue that holds the cap on, so the hole in the cap basically discourages any lateral movement. I have a good friend that lives in Almeria. Do you know him? :) I jest, of course.

I'd take it if you were in the states. I still need a an Aces II. Unfortunately, I believe your in New Zealand? I'm assuming here, but I think that's were your at.

Fantastic advise! Thank you! Just got the new Travers catalogue in the mail so it looks like I got something to search for. ;)

Hey thanks for the link, BoltZ! Appreciate it. I'll go take a look now.

It's looking like good old fashioned LEDs are the way I'll be going then. Still interested in looking at the SMD LEDs though. Thanks for the tips.

Panthro, one more thing. If the idea was "stolen," who was the first? I'd like to ask how they went about attaching it to the switch. If it was glue, what type? And all the rest of the details. Thanks!

DM, I thought I remembered they were having problems with the EL sheets. I was looking into them, but as soon as I saw that, I started looking at other options. Lately I've been looking at SMD LEDs. I think that might have some potential, that is if the EL sheets do or don't have problems. Might have to look again if they're starting to get used more. And hey, on a more personal note, are you getting that cold, or are you too far West? Well regardless, stay warm!

My TARDIS Thank you Wild Bill! Really appreciate it. Can't believe I've been working on just about a year now. Honestly can't tell if time's flying or not! Of course, I feel like it's just my "Version 1" of who knows how many. :) Panthro, I've gotten some gauges from our fellow board members, and others off of eBay. If you go the eBay route, don't look for only A-10 gauges. You pretty much have to comb the aircraft parts because a lot of the time they're mislabeled or posted under different aircraft. Most of the time, the gauges or panels aren't exclusive to just one a/c. Good luck!