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My A-10C preparation

rocketeer

By rocketeer
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rocketeer

rocketeer

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What are you using to connect your knobs, buttons etc to the PC?

 

At the moment, I plan to use Open Cockpit's IOcards. They have a wide range of cards for inputs, outputs, gauges etc. Initially I wanted to use Hagstrom's cards but they don't have output solution and their input cards are way more expensive if you use a lot of cards.

 

Also, Oakes' excellent youtubes videos have demonstrated how OC can work with BlackShark, so it should work for the A-10C as well.

 

I just moved to a new place. Been busy packing, now busy unpacking. Will give an update soon.

My A10C cockpit thread
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RipKirby

RipKirby

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I want to build a small desktop pit around the new TM HOTAS when that comes.

 

I live in a very small flat so for now it'll probably be something along the lines of Talisman's Ikea pit http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=42253

 

But as soon as we move, I am going for a fantasy side-by-side pit with the left side being as close to the A10 as possible.

 

My spouse recently declared that she wants me to teach her how to fly and wants to build a pit with me. I guess I am pretty lucky in that department! So a side-by-side where we can both fly but still doubles up as a single seater when I need to blow some stuff up in the hog. But that's for much later.

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Tbag

Tbag

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I'll start with building a panel to see if I enjoy the process. Over time it might become a pit. My problem is that I don't have any tools here in the UK so I have to go shopping first.

 

I thought about starting with this panel:

 

http://strandedduckling.com/SAS_Front.jpgSAS_Front.jpg

 

It looks fairly easy to build, so just the right thing for a beginner like me. Thanks again for the link Chibawang!

[/url]"Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so." - Douglas Adams

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y2kiah

y2kiah

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Also interested in starting with panels for the A-10C to get my feet wet, then maybe moving on to a full pit. Right now I'm still building my 5'X3' cnc. The structure is built and I have all the electronics except the power supply, so once that's here I can wire it up and start learning how to use it.

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memento10

memento10

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I love the A-10 but as far as building a pit for it I'm very hesitant. I really want to use 3 projectors for the visuals in the 3 screen mode and ditch the TrackIR. In a helicopter this is a realistic option as a 180 degree field of view horizontally is very immersive. But in an A-10, you spend a lot of time looking behind you, above you in turns etc and there just isn't a realistic solution to the visuals. I think if you're going to make the effort of building a pit, there's no point in just having a 20 inch monitor in front of you and as good as the TrackIR is, it would be better to not need it. Just my two cents.

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Deadman

Deadman

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Who said any thing about being stuck with a 20 inch monitor :megalol:if you don't plane on building a pit why did you post? Just my 2 cents :thumbup:

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https://www.shapeways.com/shops/a-10c-warthog-supplies

https://forum.dcs.world/topic/133818-deadmans-cockpit-base-plans/#comment-133824

CNCs and Laser engravers are great but they can't do squat with out a precise set of plans.

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Duckling

Duckling

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There aren't exactly blueprints of the A-10 cockpit floating around the internet, but I found this...

 

...here: http://www.strandedduckling.com/html/frame.html

 

I have no idea who this "BigB" guy is or where he got those dimensions, but I can tell you that they're pretty close.

 

Hi Guys, Love your progress, really would like to visit buy more often. Great to see the gang of crazy Hog builders is growing.

 

Chibawang. Let me clerify the note above. During the days Frugals site were up. BigB sent me a sheet showing a "standard" pilot with measuring, angles etc in a cockpit (without any other stuff then just the guy in the pic) . I think the info comes from somekind of Nato/US standard documentation. I've searched for it out there but been unable to locate it. From the giant 15 piece puzzle I made originated from a few known objects together with some very good help from some of you here also, I tried with best effort to reconstruct the Pit and used BigBs doc to verify that I wasn't to far of. The pic in the link actually shows "all" but the info provided by BigB:-)

 

Was probed just now from a guy with a quizz about sidepanel sizing etc and it struck me (must be getting older) that some of the info I put on Frugs is not avalible at my home sweet home. Dropped the pics of my sidepanel setup if it could be of some help http://www.strandedduckling.com/html/panels.html but remember it's wider then the real thing due to I'm not using Dzuz rails or likewise. Note that I target the A version. The quadrant/panel heads are allmost ok (the word here is "allmost") provided you watch up for distorsion between metric and inches. You may have to adjust to get the true width. Think Deadman pointed it out some time ago also.

 

An excellent thread for aid to sizing panels can be found here http://www.viperpits.org/smf/index.php?topic=352.0

 

Cheers

Gus


Edited by Duckling

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Duckling

Duckling

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Would be great if it could be tracked to an opensource or likewise. I got the pic but since it was sent without a note if I could post it or not I must treat it as my eyes only. I made the misstake some times back to mess up some of my references and I can't make the same misstake twice :-)

 

If its public avaible (ignore spelling please :-) I could post the original reference pic I made for reference

 

Thx Chibawang

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RipKirby

RipKirby

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In spirit of open source and all that jazz, it seems a wiki with a file repository would be a good thing for those wanting to share their knowledge and have a place in 'the cloud' for the files. It's always good to have a spare spare.

 

I'd be happy to host it and carry the cost.

 

Anyone can log in and add articles, prints, files, how-to, blueprints etc. Buying tips and offers too.

 

If you guys are interested, I'll set it up.

 

Heck, if anyone wants a blog to post their progress, I can help out there as well. I build sites using WordPress as a CMS using custom data fields for a living, so there's really no limit to what can be done (see pickupsongs.net for my current project).

 

Let me know. It's the least I can do in return for some knowledge.

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rocketeer

rocketeer

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For those without the space for a full pit, and plans to have a desktop pit, I'd say the key things to have for the A-10C are the HOTAS, the MFD (both can be bought from Thrustmaster when available) and the CDU as I think these would be the most commonly used controls. No point building panels that you'd seldom use.

 

Making inputs (toggles, push buttons, rotaries, encoders) are easier than outputs (LED, LCD, 7 segment displays). For the CDU, you can buy square and round push buttons, and rocker switches, and wire them to the BU0836 which is USB plug and play. The print, cut and paste the CDU numbers and alphabets on sticky label sheets onto the push buttons. It would not be backlight enabled but at least it'd be a functional CDU once configured using some key mapping software. The CDU screen will be a different challenge.

 

The comms and nav panels can be also done using encoders and rotary switches with the BU0836 card. Of course if you plan to build many panels then it makes more sense to use interface solutions that can handle a lot more inputs per card like Open Cockpits, Hagstrom, PHCC, Flightdeck Solutions etc. than say using ten BU0836 cards.

 

Personally I don't like to use the mouse to flick switches or set radio frequencies. I know we have touch screen solutions which is much easier and cheaper than building a pit but I just want it to be more immersive. And once you start pit building, you'd discover that it's as fun than playing the sim. It's challenging and rewarding to build something than looks like the real thing to some degree and is actually functional. When I built my Cessna panel, my wife who doesn't care a thing about flight sim asked why I went through so much trouble to make dummy switches and levers. I said they were functional and demonstrated them. She was so impressed that she thought of trying out the flight sim! Suddenly when things were functional it seem a lot more fun to her.

 

So if I were just doing a desktop pit, I'd focus on the MFD, HOTAS and CDU, and maybe the comms and nav panels, if I have more space, as I think these are the ones that I'd need to use the most often, thereby cutting down on using the mouse for these.

 

You have to be a bit mentally unstable to join the madhouse. If you are, welcome to the dark side. It is your DESTINY, so says Darth Vader.

My A10C cockpit thread
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RipKirby

RipKirby

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For those without the space for a full pit, and plans to have a desktop pit, I'd say the key things to have for the A-10C are the HOTAS, the MFD (both can be bought from Thrustmaster when available) and the CDU as I think these would be the most commonly used controls. No point building panels that you'd seldom use.

 

Making inputs (toggles, push buttons, rotaries, encoders) are easier than outputs (LED, LCD, 7 segment displays). For the CDU, you can buy square and round push buttons, and rocker switches, and wire them to the BU0836 which is USB plug and play. The print, cut and paste the CDU numbers and alphabets on sticky label sheets onto the push buttons. It would not be backlight enabled but at least it'd be a functional CDU once configured using some key mapping software. The CDU screen will be a different challenge.

 

The comms and nav panels can be also done using encoders and rotary switches with the BU0836 card. Of course if you plan to build many panels then it makes more sense to use interface solutions that can handle a lot more inputs per card like Open Cockpits, Hagstrom, PHCC, Flightdeck Solutions etc. than say using ten BU0836 cards.

 

Personally I don't like to use the mouse to flick switches or set radio frequencies. I know we have touch screen solutions which is much easier and cheaper than building a pit but I just want it to be more immersive. And once you start pit building, you'd discover that it's as fun than playing the sim. It's challenging and rewarding to build something than looks like the real thing to some degree and is actually functional. When I built my Cessna panel, my wife who doesn't care a thing about flight sim asked why I went through so much trouble to make dummy switches and levers. I said they were functional and demonstrated them. She was so impressed that she thought of trying out the flight sim! Suddenly when things were functional it seem a lot more fun to her.

 

So if I were just doing a desktop pit, I'd focus on the MFD, HOTAS and CDU, and maybe the comms and nav panels, if I have more space, as I think these are the ones that I'd need to use the most often, thereby cutting down on using the mouse for these.

 

You have to be a bit mentally unstable to join the madhouse. If you are, welcome to the dark side. It is your DESTINY, so says Darth Vader.

 

Thanks, great with a little perspective.

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