Raceguy

Thanks Oberfeldwebel Elmo I see the pictures but that could be due to being posted by me. Can anyone else confirm seeing or not seeing the pictures? Thanks everyone. Ed

Hello everyone I hope you are all doing great. Here is a quick update to show what I have been working on recently. I have all of the switches installed in the components but not wired. Next I will make and install the labels then it’s time to fire up the soldering gun and start making connections. Thanks for looking Ed The first two pictures show the emergency canopy release. First you can see it in the stowed position. If you look closely you can see a small silver screw just barely visible in the red handle near the turquoise lever switch. The second picture is after the handle has been activated. The screw has made contact with the lever switch to activate the release of the canopy. Here you can see the lever switch for both the canopy release and the canopy crank. Next is a nice blurry pic of the canopy crank actuator. (I fired the photographer!) You can see the peg holding the shaft in the handle plate. The peg also makes contact with the lever switch when rotated. The sim crank turns 6 times to open the canopy but mine will only make a ¼ turn. When the handle is toward the back of the pit the canopy will be open. When pushed forward ¼ turn the peg makes contact with the switch and the canopy will close, I hope. Here are two pics showing most of the right side components.

Hi DigitalEngine Thank you for your patience in my getting back to you. My crew chief keeps finding non aviation things for me to do! The first thing I can tell you about pit building is that it is a never ending process. When you think you are done you will find another change or function that is a must have to make you happy. But, it is a rewarding process. Where to start? Well, you have already identified some key items: What plane to build? HTC Vive will be used You want all controls functioning and correctly placed You want force feedback and vibration Where will this pit be placed? For the specifications you have several options for the Mustang. Plans are available from several sources on the NET. Please note that the qualities of these plans are not always great. They are from the original NAA plans but are microfilmed and not all sets are complete. The set I purchased has 12,500 prints and about 80-85% are readable due to the quality of the process in the 1940’s. I have learned that another set contains 16,000 plans but I do not know the quality. A friend is also building a Mustang and he is using information from the AIRCORPS Library. This is a service where you pay an annual fee then have access to a searchable database. You can order prints for the components you need. I have heard the quality and quantity of prints are very good. I wish this had been available when I started. Have a budget then multiply that by X to get to the actual cost. Time on the project is something else that will expand more than you can imagine. I am retired and have been working on this a little over a year. Not 40 hours a week but I am amazed at the amount of time I have on this project. I have spent time researching the plane, contacted others that are building or have built pits in the past for suggestions and ordered parts. And ordered MORE parts. I hope this helps and gets you thinking about your project. There are a LOT of talented people on this forum that are willing to share. Just ask. When you begin your build start a topic and post your progress so we can all enjoy your pit! Take care Ed

DigitalEngine It's been a busy week but I will post some suggestions for your build when I get a few things caught up around the house. Last Tuesday we went to the Sun "N Fun Air Show in Lakeland Florida. The weather was so great we went back on Saturday, it's only an hour from our home, and I got to meet Col. Bud Anderson. A very gracious gentleman. He signed my Old Crow Mustang shirt. Take care Ed

Thanks Pikey Not much is happening in the shop with spring arriving in Florida and yard work to be done. In the last few days I did spend some time on the flare gun slot. I’m sure this will be a part that I use everyday to let my crew chief know that I need more refreshments. Of course the first time I do this I will need to add bullet holes to the side of my sim to show where she shot me down! Thanks for looking Ed Here are the parts I gathered for this build. I had already started shaping the MDF for the front and back plates. The elbow may or may not be used to mount the component to the frame. Almost completed component. Quick update. The flare gun storage bag was just delivered.

Hello everyone I got tired of waiting for the Florida winds to drop to a level where I could spray paint the components without getting more paint on me than the sim. So I bought a custom acrylic color and rolled/brushed the paint. Still got some on me but being acrylic it washed off quickly. Here are the pics. Thanks for looking Take care Ed Right side Left side Full view

Thanks guys, I appreciate the comments. Not much to show for my shop time today. Most of the time was spent adjusting the fit of the sides and windshield to the main unit. However I did test fit the selector dimmer controls and dash lights. Also, my oxygen hose arrived and it fits the O2 regulator just fine.

Thanks guys. Just to be clear I have made all of the parts except the MIP instrument bezel, radio (real WWII radio from eBay) and real WWII era O2 indicator and pressure gauge shown below. I was looking into the components for the MIP when I found a company in New Zealand that makes them for flight simulator companies. Here is their site. http://www.ruscool.co.nz/index.html We traded emails and dimensions and I decided to have them do that component. I am very pleased with their work. Take care Ed

Thanks guys @hansangb. What do I need monitors for? Oh yeah, the flying stuff... :thumbup: There is a 27 inch monitor behind the MIP which you can see better in the pic below. A 32 inch monitor (or larger, still negotiating with the wife) will be mounted near the edge of the black paint on the cowl. Take care Ed

Hi guys I have been following the great builds on this forum for quite a while and it inspired me to make my own pit. We recently retired and moved to Florida so now I have the time to build mine. This is converted from a racing pit I used for online racing for about 10 years. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank Ed AKA Raceguy or in air combat as The Target

Check out their page covering all of their boards. http://www.desktopaviator.com/Pages/Boards/index.html If I understand what you need it looks like the Model 2237-SP 30 Input USB Single Pulse Generator is what you need. It gives 2 different commands and can be used as on/off vs the 2120 that gives a toggle action. I am building a P-51D full size cockpit and have 7 of their boards. It will be used for DCS and FSX. I hope this helps. Ed

Thanks Cripple This was my first time painting a 3D printed item. In reading about the material I found that this was black nylon and will absorb paint. I wanted to keep the rough texture so I sprayed a light coat of Krylon (enamel) flat black paint/primer as a sealer. I let that sit for 2 days. I did not want aluminum paint to run down into the recess and I was concerned using a brush would cause that to happen so I made a “stamp”. I cut a piece of 1/8 inch thick wood into a 1 inch square and glued a small block of wood on the back as a handle. I brushed a very light coat of Model Master Acrylic Aluminum paint on the wood and lightly pressed it against the selector plate overlapping each time. This left a thin coating which I let dry overnight. The next day I put a few drops of aluminum paint on a scrap of wood. I dipped a brush into the paint and removed most of it by dragging the brush across the scrap. The brush was not “wet” but was not as dry as a typical “dry brush” application. I then touched the brush against the lettering, lifting it vertically each time, not dragging, transferring small amounts of paint at a time. I continued this process until I was happy with the coverage. I hope this helps. Ed

Hello everyone I don't want to cut into Cripple's build thread but some have asked to see the P-51 fuel selector when painted so here it is. If there is interest in my Mustang build I will start a new thread. Thanks Ed

Cripple. Thanks for the heads up on the P-51 fuel selector. Mine arrived yesterday and I am impressed with the quality. Now to get it painted and installed in my build. Ed

Hi Cripple. I've also been following your build. Great job!

toxag, I did offer to help so I unwrapped my MIP, it's not installed yet, and took some measurements. You should be able to determine what measurement goes with what gauge. I hope this helps. Ed All in inches Inside Outside 3 7/8 5 X 5 ½ 3 5 X 5 ½ 2 7/8 3 1/8 2 2 3/8

Thanks guys. I appreciate the kind words. This project has taken on a life of its own as those of you that have built pits know can happen. I ordered the blueprints for the Mustang and waded through 12,500 pages looking for details. The items I wanted most for the P-51D version were poor quality or missing. The prints are copyrighted so posting here would not be a good idea. toxaq, I had http://www.ruscool.co.nz/index.html in New Zealand make the MIP. I think they did a great job. Here is what I sent John at ruscool. I told them the largest gauge is 3.125 inches and from that they determined the other gauge sizes. They created a master print for me to approve then they cut the MIP on their CNC machine. I hope this helps. Ed

Here's what I am working on. Maybe I can help.

Great job neoradix! I plan to build a 51 pit and would appreciate any suggestions on this controller. How did you letter it? I am stuck on this subject. Thanks Ed

I don't have monitors behind my MFD's so I built a box and inserted a LED from behind. Mounts are made for speakers. The LED's light up the custom cut outs I made, not shown here, that show the button functions. Ed