My A-10C preparation

[HitchHikingFlatlander]

LOL Still unpacking after two years! But I have all my cool stuff out, like GI Joe's and their respective parachutes (actually I use Star Wars figures for that).......................................

 

Great to hear you're getting settled, just received my first ever matrix board the XKeys 128 and I'm looking forward to learning how to wire it up or fire it up lol!

[Alex_rcpilot]

I'm done with the moving but not done with unpacking.

 

Ah....now you gotta pick a new spot for each old item. I personally don't enjoy figuring out the shelf layout of new houses.:doh:

 

Back to topic, as I cropped the CDU panel from wags' screenshot and zoomed to scale to measure on the monitor, I found the screen slightly off proportion from previous confirmed data (Screen size 3.25 in. x 2.60 in. )

 

I had to stretch its height in photoshop to make it fit. And this makes me wonder if someone want's to go precise, how much more correction does he need to carry out?

[rocketeer]

Talking about making the CDU, see how this guy built his CDU. He made it seem so easy, which it is, to some extend, if you don't do CNC engraving. Simple and functional.

 

http://www.lekseecon.nl/fmc.html

 

He used round, square and rectangular push buttons, placed them on a breadboard and wired them to his OC card. Printed and added the labels. Then added the screen. Voila! CDU done.

 

For our A-10C CDU, we'd need to add rocker switches. For those not getting big interface card solutions, you can use one or more BU0836 cards to wire the CDU push buttons and rockers.

[Alex_rcpilot]

I will go with CNC. gotta find a company nearby to do this for me. the electronics doesn't seem difficult. I'll reserve all the I/O interfaces for game data exchage.

[rocketeer]

Recently I started toying with improvising knobs and then making replicas using Tap Plastics' Urethan RTV mould.

 

First attemp was this.

 

I used some container's cap, and glued it to a small plastic disc from Tap Plastics.

 

After casting the resin, the result.

 

Now I just need to paint it. Given that this knob is all transparent, I can paint the arrow white and the rest grey and the white will lit up using backlighting.

 

Additional work is to drill the vertical hole and a small horizontal hole to secure a 1/4" D shaft of a potentiometer.

[rocketeer]

Another one.

 

My improvised knob with base.

 

And the transparent replica.

Note even the drill hole at the back is replicated.

[rocketeer]

Next.

 

I sawed some small piece of wood into a triangular shape with a flat top. Then sanded it and glued it onto the plastic disk.

 

This one is kind of rectangular with a fat waist in the middle.

 

Shape wise the two are similar to the actual panel. But upon further comparison I realised that my two knobs were too big, so I didn't make the transparent replicas.

 

That big knob at the bottom of the UHF will be difficult to improvise, unless I combine a cone, a rectangular block and a disc. Will be easiest if I can buy one actual knob to replicate.

[RipKirby]

wow! Very, very cool indeed! I am impressed that you're going for that kind of replica. What kind of equipment do you use to make these?

[CAT_101st]

looks like carved wood with a thin pice of plexy glass :thumbup: mabe you can cast a mold and make plastic knobs.

[RipKirby]

Another one.

 

My improvised knob with base.

 

:clap_2:

[rocketeer]

Continuing the fun of searching for A-10C similar-looking knobs...

 

For this one, I came across a knob in Fry's with similar shape and a white line indicator. Well, good enough for me.

 

I may add a grey base disc to the knob like the real thing. We'd see.

Edited January 27, 2010 by rocketeer

[rocketeer]

Some volume knobs are very small, hardly bigger than a 1/4" shaft pot.

 

 

Personally I don't like using 1/8" pot as they are harder to get, so I try to stick to 1//4" pots. But some knobs only take 1/8" shaft. For this one below, I came across in ebay a seller called West Florida and the knob is just barely wider than a 1/4" shaft, and takes D shape as well, my favorite! Just perfect for the job.

 

 

 

I'd probably secure the knobs to the base plates below with the black rings hidden below, they'd look nicer and the top will look less crowded.

[rocketeer]

This is my favorite so far, real 'press to test' knobs from ebay. They are a combination of push button and knob. You press to test as the name goes, and you rotate to dim the brightness. Haven't done the wiring yet but that's what it's supposed to do!

[RipKirby]

that looks awesome! I can't wait to see the finished product. must. have. patience.

[HitchHikingFlatlander]

Your pit is going to be amazing Rocketeer if anything just being based on the A10C!

[obotNapalm]

Hi rocketeer,

 

Just wondering where you got the pictures you printed in your first post? Seems difficult to find good close-ups on the net.

 

Thanks.

[rocketeer]

PM me with an email and I'd send them to you.

[rocketeer]

I recently acquired some hard to find knobs from an F-16 site http://aviationsimulationgroup.com/AircraftKnobs.aspx

 

Some of these F-16 knobs are the same as in the A-10, but the cost of $215 for the whole set made me hesitate to buy them, especially when I don't need all the knobs. Thanks to Deadman who told me that the seller Paul Bliss sells the knobs individually for $4 each. I immediately ordered the following except for the black knob which I already had.

 

 

After making the moulds, I put some casting resin to let it dry, and dry, and dry...

 

These ones below have three small knobs each.

 

You put the knobs in a cup, then you have to hold them down with hot glue. Else they may float up later. I use Urethane RTV from Tap Plastics to make my moulds. After 24 hours, I tear up the paper cup and what's left is the mould.

 

After the casting finally dries, I drill holes below and at the sides, and sand them. The ones on the left were bought. The ones on the right are sanded replicas.

 

As you can see one of them I've already put the 6-32 screws on.

Edited February 26, 2010 by rocketeer

[rocketeer]

I prefer the shaft for my knobs to be 1/4" D shape. Puting on both screws make it more secure on the flat side of the shaft.

This guy doesn't know it's not polite to stare.

 

Now trying them on my make-shift panels.

 

For the two circles above, Tap Plastics sell discs of various sizes. I found one that fits the size above perfectly.

 

Then I used CorelDraw and figured how to put text on a arc.

 

The printouts above of the circles are just testing. The actual printouts will be white text against black background. Also I'd have to add a rectangular block of wood as the knob for these two.

[rocketeer]

Looks like my printouts are of correct size. The actual knobs match the size of the knobs in the pictures.

 

 

 

 

This one below will be painted black. Most of the knobs in A-10 should be grey.

 

[rocketeer]

The following two black knobs I just received from Allied Electronics today. It's very hard to find grey ones, so I bought black and just have to paint them grey.

 

This one below I'd make a mould as I'd need seven pieces, plus the replica will be transparent. That'd come in handy if I want to do backlighting of the knobs later. Just paint it except for the white arrow.

 

 

Some of these knobs are really hard to find. I'm glad Paul Bliss sells them and Allied Electronics. Now I have more authentic looking knobs, better than those I've been trying to improvise.

 

Now I just need to paint them.

[walker450]

WOW. This is great! Keep up the good work!!

[Alex_rcpilot]

Be careful with spraypaint fume now that you keep working with it so much, lol.

[Duckling]

Looking great Rocketeer

 

I got the Defog knob from same as this part: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330377126474&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT

 

Quiz, how you manage to drill the center holes on the knobs. Are you using the molds to keep em centered ?

 

/Gus

[Boulund]

This is plainly amazing