Flim Posted April 4, 2011 Posted April 4, 2011 Pretty cool yourself! My design is almost identical!lol
Razi Posted April 4, 2011 Posted April 4, 2011 Wow that is great! I love the idea over all and am glad you showed those pictures in that state, because that gives me some great ideas for my pit.
pitbldr Posted April 4, 2011 Author Posted April 4, 2011 Flim - that's what I thought when I saw yours! Part of the reason I decided to post it... did not want to appear to have stolen your design. :) Razi - thanks! glad I posted it then!!
Flim Posted April 4, 2011 Posted April 4, 2011 (edited) LOL, two great minds think alike! I might redo the acrylic on mine using white and then paint black /engrave. The letters will not show as well, but I want mine backlit... I always fly at night anyway. Rockers... best way is to cut them out in halves and then glue together! Edited April 4, 2011 by Flim
pitbldr Posted April 4, 2011 Author Posted April 4, 2011 For mine, I've been putting two coats of gloss white on first and then a coat of flat black. Works pretty well as long as I keep the black coat even. After a lot of trial and error, I found settings on my laser that will go through the black in one pass and leave the white. This is how I've been doing all my panels and it gives good contrast and backlights well too. It does add more build time though. Great idea on the rockers! Are the halves on the long or short axis? Mind if I borrow your technique?
Flim Posted April 4, 2011 Posted April 4, 2011 Only way to do it ! just use the side profile of a drawn rocker and cut two of them, glue, sand... then done. I'm using .25 which makes the rocker 1/2 inch wide. The painting white and black is such a pain, and if you have to make a bunch, then it just takes to much time! I like realistic, but I'm all about making things easy as long as it looks good. 1
pitbldr Posted April 4, 2011 Author Posted April 4, 2011 The painting white and black is such a pain, and if you have to make a bunch, then it just takes to much time! True, but I just wasn't happy with the contrast of the black over the white acrylic. I am trying to do the painting in bulk though to cut down on how much I have to do it! :) It's really not that bad... I can put on both coats of white within 20 minutes of each coat, then let it dry as little as two hours before putting on the black coat. I like realistic, but I'm all about making things easy as long as it looks good. We're definitely of like minds on that! (except maybe on the painting! :D)
Flim Posted April 4, 2011 Posted April 4, 2011 Like I said, I did the paint process and in the long term it just takes to much time. I can crank out a panel now in about 20 min.
BHawthorne Posted April 4, 2011 Posted April 4, 2011 (edited) 20 minutes a panel isn't bad at all. The labor involved in all these specialized parts kills a lot of profit. Anything you can do to get labor times down on them the better for you. I just wish I had a 3 axis VMC, a router table and a laser etiching machine in my shop. I'm limited to pipe bender, tubing roller, mig welding machine and a band saw to fabricate screens. :) Edited April 4, 2011 by BHawthorne
PanelBuilder Posted April 5, 2011 Posted April 5, 2011 Thanks! :) It's actually only 12" high at it's highest point. Since I don't know yet what type of seat I'll be using, I opted to make it lower since I can always add a base for it to raise it up if needed. Maybe you need one of these :-)
pitbldr Posted April 5, 2011 Author Posted April 5, 2011 Maybe you need one of these :-) Now that would be a cool addition to the pit! :D
pitbldr Posted April 22, 2011 Author Posted April 22, 2011 Here's a rendering and 3D-PDF of my UFC. I know several others are offering a UFC kit and while I'm not trying to compete, I will offer a limited number of these to the community. I would need at least 5 orders to make it cost effective and to keep the price down. For five or more orders, I can sell these for $110 a piece or $120 if you want the "case" too. Here's the pic of the UFC and the PDF is attached where you can see more details. I'll have some actual photos up soon. So, for $110 you get the panel and buttons, painted and engraved. It will be made from clear acrylic, so backlighting is possible. For $120, you'll get the panel and buttons, painted and engraved and also the pieces to make the case. Everything is made from clear acrylic and the "case" is just glued together. You'll need to assemble and paint the case yourself. The case is already pre-cut to allow Leo Bodnar's BU0836X board to be installed. Neither option includes any electronics - that would just add too much cost. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.UFC.pdf
pitbldr Posted April 22, 2011 Author Posted April 22, 2011 Oh, before anyone points it out :D , I know the real rockers have a 'V' shape to them. I choose to go with flat rockers to keep the cost down and making them easier to create.
Flim Posted April 22, 2011 Posted April 22, 2011 (edited) I have to give it to you , a lot of work for $100 bucks... Don't under price yourself though. If you went to a local laser shop, the price would be X3! Rockers are easy, give me a ring and I can give you my method... one piece now. Edited April 22, 2011 by Flim
pitbldr Posted April 22, 2011 Author Posted April 22, 2011 I have to give it to you , a lot of work for $100 bucks... Don't under price yourself though. If you went to a local laser shop, the price would be X3! Rockers are easy, give me a ring and I can give you my method... one piece now. That's true and if I were doing it more "full time" the price would be higher, but I'm just hoping to help out a few builders who don't have access to the equipment to make their own. I don't expect I'll do more than 10 of these. Plus I still have my CDU and MFCD's to finish! :) I'm determining my price by calculating the time the laser is running to cut and engrave all the parts. Then I am adding in the cost of materials (acrylic, paint, etc.) plus $10 per panel for my time. Also, being able to do them in batches of 5, cuts down on the time needed to complete them, so that helps cut cost. Thanks Flim! I'll be in touch.
pitbldr Posted April 22, 2011 Author Posted April 22, 2011 Couples pics of the actual UFC, minus the Master Caution button (waiting on an illuminated pushbutton for that one).
Dachs Posted April 22, 2011 Posted April 22, 2011 That is one sweet looking UFC :thumbup: PM sent System: Asus z270 A Prime, Intel i7-7700K 4.8GHz, 32GB DDR4, RTX2080, Samsung 500GB 850 EVO SSD. Valve Index VR, TM Warthog Throttle & Grip, Virpil MongoosT-50CM2 base, TM TPDR Rudders. OS: Win10 Home
Froglips Posted May 7, 2011 Posted May 7, 2011 Are u still taking orders? Price for full kit (less electronics)? Second, I am building a Black Shark pit. Could you help me understand what I need to do to get some pieces designed for that pit? I saw Flim's reference to a 'local laser shop'. Nothing listed like that in the phone book:) Thanks Kurt "Froglips" Giesselman wishing someone would do a two seat sim like LB2...I ain't much of a pilot but I am a helava good shot. System specs: Asus Sabertooth 990FX, AMD FX 4170, 16GB DDR3 RAM, 2 x Palit 560Ti 2GB video cards SLI, TIR 4, 26" main display, 21.5" Helios display, 10" Shkval display, 9" ABRIS display, XKeys Pro panel, Copy Cat Controls cyclic/collective w/custom KA-50 head/rudder
pitbldr Posted May 7, 2011 Author Posted May 7, 2011 Are u still taking orders? Price for full kit (less electronics)? Yes, I will be starting on a batch soon and can add you to the list if you want. Price for the full kit is $120 + shipping. That includes the panel, buttons, and the parts to make the "case". I can also provide an 1/8" acrylic "switch plate" that would be cut to size, but you'd need to drill holes for pushbuttons or you could use it as a template to cut out a perf board if you wanted to use PCB board components. PM me if you're still interested.
Duckling Posted May 7, 2011 Posted May 7, 2011 Please count me in for a full kit also if still avialible. PM inbound cheers Gus - - - -
polarbear Posted May 7, 2011 Posted May 7, 2011 (edited) Yes, I will be starting on a batch soon and can add you to the list if you want. Price for the full kit is $120 + shipping. That includes the panel, buttons, and the parts to make the "case". I can also provide an 1/8" acrylic "switch plate" that would be cut to size, but you'd need to drill holes for pushbuttons or you could use it as a template to cut out a perf board if you wanted to use PCB board components. PM me if you're still interested. Hello I'm also interested with a CDU and UFC module and also an AAP panel, can you confirm the price of each part and the content of each module thanks you :thumbup: Edited May 7, 2011 by polarbear forget [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] http://www.3rd-wing.net
pitbldr Posted May 7, 2011 Author Posted May 7, 2011 Hello I'm also interested with a CDU and UFC module and also an AAP panel, can you confirm the price of each part and the content of each module thanks you :thumbup: Hi! The only price I can quote at this time is the UFC. I am still finalizing the CDU design. I've not worked up an AAP panel yet, but will post back as soon as I have. PM me if you want to get in on the current UFC batch.
-Ice Posted May 8, 2011 Posted May 8, 2011 Hello pitbldr! Glad to see the UFC is finished. ETA on the CDU? I'm guessing I'm better off waiting for both of them to be ready before ordering as shipping to UK may be a pain... - Ice
pitbldr Posted May 8, 2011 Author Posted May 8, 2011 Hey Ice! I honestly can't say right now. My real job is taking up all my time at the moment. I do expect things to return to normal after the middle of May, so hopefully I'll have the CDU done by the end of the month. Sorry for the delays on that.
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