From fsim at rwaltman.com  Mon Jan 16 12:09:33 2012
From: fsim at rwaltman.com (Roberto Waltman)
Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:09:33 -0500
Subject: [simpits-tech] NASA's openVSP
Message-ID: <3211dd93e542e5d0ea383b363568fef4.squirrel@www.rwaltman.com>


OpenVSP, a parametric aircraft design tool, has been released by NASA as
open-source software.

Details here:  http://www.openvsp.org/

-- 
Roberto Waltman.


From phoenixcomm at gmail.com  Tue Jan 17 07:01:17 2012
From: phoenixcomm at gmail.com (Cris Harrison)
Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2012 09:01:17 -0600
Subject: [simpits-tech] NASA's openVSP
In-Reply-To: <3211dd93e542e5d0ea383b363568fef4.squirrel@www.rwaltman.com>
References: <3211dd93e542e5d0ea383b363568fef4.squirrel@www.rwaltman.com>
Message-ID: <4F158D3D.9010600@gmail.com>

On 1/16/2012 2:09 PM, Roberto Waltman wrote:
> OpenVSP, a parametric aircraft design tool, has been released by NASA as
> open-source software.
>
> Details here:  http://www.openvsp.org/
>
thanks for the heads up! WAY COOL!!
a MUST HAVE!

Cris H.
phoenixcomm.wordpress.com
PhoenixAerospace.us
Flite-Tronics.com


From cyplesma at aol.com  Tue Jan 17 18:48:30 2012
From: cyplesma at aol.com (cyplesma at aol.com)
Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:48:30 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [simpits-tech] NASA's openVSP
In-Reply-To: <4F158D3D.9010600@gmail.com>
References: <3211dd93e542e5d0ea383b363568fef4.squirrel@www.rwaltman.com>
	<4F158D3D.9010600@gmail.com>
Message-ID: <8CEA3A2CB96380E-2A2C-A50F@webmail-m165.sysops.aol.com>

nasa recently released quite few pieces of software to opensource, mostly if not all java stuff
 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Cris Harrison <phoenixcomm at gmail.com>
To: fsim <fsim at rwaltman.com>; Simulator Cockpit Builder's List <simpits-tech at simpits.org>
Sent: Tue, Jan 17, 2012 10:01 am
Subject: Re: [simpits-tech] NASA's openVSP


On 1/16/2012 2:09 PM, Roberto Waltman wrote:
> OpenVSP, a parametric aircraft design tool, has been released by NASA as
> open-source software.
>
> Details here:  http://www.openvsp.org/
>
thanks for the heads up! WAY COOL!!
a MUST HAVE!

Cris H.
phoenixcomm.wordpress.com
PhoenixAerospace.us
Flite-Tronics.com

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Simpits-tech mailing list
Simpits-tech at simpits.org
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Thanks!

 
.
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From brian at sikkema.us  Sat Jan 21 18:41:14 2012
From: brian at sikkema.us (Brian Sikkema)
Date: Sun, 22 Jan 2012 11:41:14 +0900
Subject: [simpits-tech] Impressive Comanche sim
Message-ID: <4F1B774A.9000100@sikkema.us>

http://home.comcast.net/~timothyboldt/simulator.htm

Pretty sweet setup.

Brian

From brian at sikkema.us  Thu Jan 19 21:43:48 2012
From: brian at sikkema.us (Brian Sikkema)
Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:43:48 +0900
Subject: [simpits-tech] F4 & EECH
Message-ID: <4F18FF14.5070504@sikkema.us>

Gents,

Just curious if anyone could give me a quick pointer on where I might go 
to give the latest and greatest iteration of Falcon 4 a try. I know 
there were several competing variations at one point, just curious if I 
could get a "cliffnotes" type recap on what's out there, I figured we've 
got some knowledgeable folks here. :)

Also, a bit late but EECH 1.14.1 is now out. One of the latest additions 
is the ability to pipe comm through your headset while leaving all 
environmental sounds to the speakers - obviously a nice touch for anyone 
looking to do a helo pit.

Brian

From timothyboldt at comcast.net  Mon Jan 23 05:11:23 2012
From: timothyboldt at comcast.net (Timothy James Boldt)
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:11:23 -0500
Subject: [simpits-tech] Impressive Comanche sim
In-Reply-To: <4F1B774A.9000100@sikkema.us>
Message-ID: <7C2FA685048B44FC8BFC35715A71FFDF@office>

Thank you!

Tim

-----Original Message-----
From: simpits-tech-bounces at simpits.org
[mailto:simpits-tech-bounces at simpits.org] On Behalf Of Brian Sikkema
Sent: Saturday, January 21, 2012 9:41 PM
To: Simulator Cockpit Builder's List
Subject: [simpits-tech] Impressive Comanche sim


http://home.comcast.net/~timothyboldt/simulator.htm

Pretty sweet setup.

Brian
_______________________________________________
Simpits-tech mailing list
Simpits-tech at simpits.org
http://www.simpits.org/mailman/listinfo/simpits-tech
To unsubscribe, please see the instructions at the bottom of the above page.
Thanks!


From geneb at deltasoft.com  Mon Jan 23 06:33:25 2012
From: geneb at deltasoft.com (Gene Buckle)
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2012 06:33:25 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [simpits-tech] Simpits Snowpocalypse...
Message-ID: <alpine.LFD.2.00.1201230631400.26266@grumble.deltasoft.com>

Between the snow and the ice storm, the electrons in the great PNW didn't 
stand a chance.  We lost power Thursday morning and didn't get it back 
until somewhere around 8pm on Sunday.  Some poor folks will be without 
electricity until Friday.  Over 1000 Puget Sound Energy crews are out 
fixing the mess.

g.


-- 
Proud owner of F-15C 80-0007
http://www.f15sim.com - The only one of its kind.
http://www.diy-cockpits.org/coll - Go Collimated or Go Home.
Some people collect things for a hobby.  Geeks collect hobbies.

ScarletDME - The red hot Data Management Environment
A Multi-Value database for the masses, not the classes.
http://www.scarletdme.org - Get it _today_!

Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical
minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which
holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd
by the clean end.

From crease-guard at sbcglobal.net  Mon Jan 23 09:33:41 2012
From: crease-guard at sbcglobal.net (Joseph Fagner)
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:33:41 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [simpits-tech] Simpits Snowpocalypse...
In-Reply-To: <alpine.LFD.2.00.1201230631400.26266@grumble.deltasoft.com>
References: <alpine.LFD.2.00.1201230631400.26266@grumble.deltasoft.com>
Message-ID: <1327340021.82290.YahooMailRC@web81606.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

It was 74 yesterday here in Texas.  Ice is something we use to keep our tea cold 
:-).

Jay




________________________________
From: Gene Buckle <geneb at deltasoft.com>
To: simpits-tech at simpits.org
Sent: Mon, January 23, 2012 8:33:25 AM
Subject: [simpits-tech] Simpits Snowpocalypse...

Between the snow and the ice storm, the electrons in the great PNW didn't 
stand a chance.  We lost power Thursday morning and didn't get it back 
until somewhere around 8pm on Sunday.  Some poor folks will be without 
electricity until Friday.  Over 1000 Puget Sound Energy crews are out 
fixing the mess.

g.


-- 
Proud owner of F-15C 80-0007
http://www.f15sim.com - The only one of its kind.
http://www.diy-cockpits.org/coll - Go Collimated or Go Home.
Some people collect things for a hobby.  Geeks collect hobbies.

ScarletDME - The red hot Data Management Environment
A Multi-Value database for the masses, not the classes.
http://www.scarletdme.org - Get it _today_!

Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical
minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which
holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd
by the clean end.
_______________________________________________
Simpits-tech mailing list
Simpits-tech at simpits.org
http://www.simpits.org/mailman/listinfo/simpits-tech
To unsubscribe, please see the instructions at the bottom of the above page.  
Thanks!
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From geneb at deltasoft.com  Mon Jan 23 09:40:56 2012
From: geneb at deltasoft.com (Gene Buckle)
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:40:56 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [simpits-tech] Simpits Snowpocalypse...
In-Reply-To: <1327340021.82290.YahooMailRC@web81606.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
References: <alpine.LFD.2.00.1201230631400.26266@grumble.deltasoft.com>
	<1327340021.82290.YahooMailRC@web81606.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <alpine.LFD.2.00.1201230940170.32129@grumble.deltasoft.com>

On Mon, 23 Jan 2012, Joseph Fagner wrote:

> It was 74 yesterday here in Texas.  Ice is something we use to keep our tea cold
> :-).
>
S'ok, you make up for it with tornados and hurricanes....and patent 
trolls. :)

g.

-- 
Proud owner of F-15C 80-0007
http://www.f15sim.com - The only one of its kind.
http://www.diy-cockpits.org/coll - Go Collimated or Go Home.
Some people collect things for a hobby.  Geeks collect hobbies.

ScarletDME - The red hot Data Management Environment
A Multi-Value database for the masses, not the classes.
http://www.scarletdme.org - Get it _today_!

Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical
minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which
holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd
by the clean end.

From dave_friend at tiscali.co.uk  Tue Jan 24 06:57:12 2012
From: dave_friend at tiscali.co.uk (Dave Friend)
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:57:12 -0000
Subject: [simpits-tech] F4 & EECH
In-Reply-To: <4F18FF14.5070504@sikkema.us>
References: <4F18FF14.5070504@sikkema.us>
Message-ID: <1B49B9959E8841F8B8C21680E31FAA0E@DavePC>

Brian 

Look at www.benchmarksims.org

The latest and some would say the best development of F4

Dave

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Brian Sikkema" <brian at sikkema.us>
To: "Simulator Cockpit Builder's List" <simpits-tech at simpits.org>
Sent: Friday, January 20, 2012 5:43 AM
Subject: [simpits-tech] F4 & EECH


> Gents,
> 
> Just curious if anyone could give me a quick pointer on where I might go 
> to give the latest and greatest iteration of Falcon 4 a try. I know 
> there were several competing variations at one point, just curious if I 
> could get a "cliffnotes" type recap on what's out there, I figured we've 
> got some knowledgeable folks here. :)
> 
> Also, a bit late but EECH 1.14.1 is now out. One of the latest additions 
> is the ability to pipe comm through your headset while leaving all 
> environmental sounds to the speakers - obviously a nice touch for anyone 
> looking to do a helo pit.
> 
> Brian


From dabigboy at cox.net  Tue Jan 24 20:58:11 2012
From: dabigboy at cox.net (dabigboy at cox.net)
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:58:11 -0800
Subject: [simpits-tech] Simpits Snowpocalypse...
In-Reply-To: <alpine.LFD.2.00.1201230631400.26266@grumble.deltasoft.com>
Message-ID: <20120124235811.DV3XN.67828.imail@fed1rmwml208>

Man, you need a major-strength generator to keep the sim running throughout this situation! Why don't you move to sunny AZ? NOTHING bad weather-related ever happens, and you have one of the world's largest collections of old airplanes and airplane parts to cruise through now and then. :)

Btw did you see the F-15 nose on ebay?

Matt

---- Gene Buckle <geneb at deltasoft.com> wrote: 
> Between the snow and the ice storm, the electrons in the great PNW didn't 
> stand a chance.  We lost power Thursday morning and didn't get it back 
> until somewhere around 8pm on Sunday.  Some poor folks will be without 
> electricity until Friday.  Over 1000 Puget Sound Energy crews are out 
> fixing the mess.
> 
> g.
> 
> 
> -- 
> Proud owner of F-15C 80-0007
> http://www.f15sim.com - The only one of its kind.
> http://www.diy-cockpits.org/coll - Go Collimated or Go Home.
> Some people collect things for a hobby.  Geeks collect hobbies.
> 
> ScarletDME - The red hot Data Management Environment
> A Multi-Value database for the masses, not the classes.
> http://www.scarletdme.org - Get it _today_!
> 
> Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical
> minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which
> holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd
> by the clean end.
> _______________________________________________
> Simpits-tech mailing list
> Simpits-tech at simpits.org
> http://www.simpits.org/mailman/listinfo/simpits-tech
> To unsubscribe, please see the instructions at the bottom of the above page.  Thanks!


From dabigboy at cox.net  Tue Jan 24 22:24:25 2012
From: dabigboy at cox.net (dabigboy at cox.net)
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:24:25 -0800
Subject: [simpits-tech] Brainstorming a static & pitot system
Message-ID: <20120125012425.WD6Y4.68505.imail@fed1rmwml208>

Ever have one of those ideas that is trying to bust out of your head so bad that you have to talk abut it? Alright, so I've got this idea which I have decided to follow through with....and I can't wait to figure out/order the parts and start experimenting, so I've decided to post about it.

I had the idea years ago to make a pressurized system that would be controlled from a computer, so that you could connect real pneumatic gauges in your simulator. But the success of servo and stepper motor-driven gauges, plus the complexity of the system, led me to lean towards those methods instead. Now that I have more knowledge under my belt, and have actually started to experiment with more "traditional" methods, I think I'm going to give the real thing a shot.

Specifically, we're talking about the three main instruments that use the pitot/static air supply in an airplane: the altimeter (static pressure), vertical speed indicator (static), and the airspeed indicator (static and pitot). I looked up the formula and a benchmark table for determining air pressure at various altitudes, to give an idea of what sort of pumps I would need (and of course, the formula is what's needed in the control software). It looks like I can get by with a fairly cheap pump, even an AutoZone-variety tire inflator would do the job (tapping into the intake portion of the pump, of course). One experimenter who needed a vacuum pump for other things did just that, and reports that such a pump will give around 25hg max, but more practically 20hg without burning out early. Atmospheric pressure doesn't hit 9.92" hg until close to 30k feet, which is higher than I typically fly (I could always get a better pump and easily hit 25" or so regularly if this idea works out).

My plan is to get one fairly large pressure tank and use the aforementioned pump to drop its pressure as low as possible, say 10" hg or so (as mentioned above, this corresponds to a little under 30k feet). I will tap the tank to mount a cheap pressure switch in it to switch the pump on when pressure goes up to, say, 11", and stop at 9.5" or so (hip-shooting the numbers at this point). This big tank would be connected to a much smaller tank, with a servo-controlled valve in between. The smaller tank would be our "atmosphere" for the altimeter and VSI to tap into. As the simulator aircraft climbs, the valve would open, venting high pressure from my "atmosphere" tank into the big vacuum tank. A second servo-controlled valve would open the smaller tank to the (real) outside atmosphere. When the plane descends, the intermediate valve would close, and this outside valve would open, allowing the pressure in the "atmosphere" tank to rise.

For the pitot system, I will probably just vent the static portion of the airspeed indicator to the real atmosphere to start with, and make a second two-tank system like the first. The difference, of course, is that the larger tank would be held at higher-than-atmospheric pressure, and air from this tank will be piped to the intermediate tank, which is where the pitot line from the airspeed indicator will tap into.

I *think* if things go well, I might try running the static portion of the airspeed indicator to my first "atmosphere" tank, and adjusting the pitot tank's pressure to account for the drop in atmospheric pressure. This would have the handy benefit that, if I'm not mistaken, fancy airspeed indicators with built-in Mach indicators will actually display an accurate Mach number....which would just be way too cool. :)

Why so much trouble? A couple reasons:

1: I have built a servo-operated airspeed indicator, to start with, and while it works well, I find the movement is just a little too notchy and unnatural for the amount of movement (and speed) this gauge typically makes (my turn coordinator is servo-operated and mostly looks great, but that's an instrument that doesn't move so quickly or so far as the ASI). A true pneumatic indicator would be far smoother....assuming a relatively large tank (allowing for more precise pressure adjustment), the ASI, VSI, and altimeter, all of which make fairly rapid and/or large movements, would be incredibly smooth....essentially, exactly the same as real gauges, since they are, in fact, real gauges being driven exactly the same way they would be on a real plane.

2: Cost and complexity: if you think about what it takes to build and drive these three instruments using servos or stepper motors, the pressure system is actually far simpler, and might even end up costing less (unless you manage to do everything with very cheap steppers and an Arduino with a couple of shields, and fabricate your own instruments, of course).

3: You get to use real, unmodified aircraft instruments for three of the most critical instruments on the panel. How cool is that? :) It does also mean, of course, that extra "features" of the instruments (like the Mach indicator, or an analog altitude readout that is common on older turboprops, jets, and airliners) would be available and not require any fancy mechanical trickery inside the gauge.

4: Since we are using real gauges without any modifications whatsoever, it would be possible to quickly swap the airspeed indicator with another one to reflect a different speed range of aircraft you may want to fly.....four screws, two air lines, and possibly an electrical hookup for lighting. Or you can switch from a 2,000ft/min VSI to a 6,000ft/min model, for instance.

It also means I would be down to two of my primary instruments being glass......attitude indicator and HSI. I already see how to hack up a real attitude indicator (or make a new one) going off the example in Mike Powell's book, but since I like my fancy glass software with a flight director and other niceities, and since the HSI is a complex instrument to build, I would probably keep these as glass instruments (no room for a monitor, so a couple of graphic LCDs and an Arduino should do the trick...and lots of software, of course). Plus, the plane I will ultimately simulate, the Learjet 35, usually has a glass HSI and AI anyway.

Unfortunately my sim is still sitting on its side in a corner of my new garage, have not had time to set things back up yet. Plus my main priority at the moment is to remove my ghetto-ized homebuilt yoke system and adapt the fancy-shmancy PFC yoke I just got my hands on. :)

I can't wait to get started. :)

Matt

From bjones at pipecomp.com.au  Wed Jan 25 02:41:32 2012
From: bjones at pipecomp.com.au (bjones at pipecomp.com.au)
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:41:32 +0800 (WST)
Subject: [simpits-tech] Brainstorming a static & pitot system
In-Reply-To: <20120125012425.WD6Y4.68505.imail@fed1rmwml208>
References: <20120125012425.WD6Y4.68505.imail@fed1rmwml208>
Message-ID: <033201ccdb4d$dd2165e0$976431a0$@com.au>

Matt,

Ive been at work all day so my brain is a little fired at the moment but
here is something to think about.

I'm certified to perform maintenance on gliders(sailplanes) in Australia,
when i certify ASI's its simple.

Using (i think a 200ml) syringe to apply pressure to the ASI i'm easily
able to dial up speeds around the 160knots mark, if you drove the syringe
with a stepper motor you would be able to drive the ASI.

Simple as.

Regards

Ben
West Oz


-----Original Message-----
From: simpits-tech-bounces at simpits.org
[mailto:simpits-tech-bounces at simpits.org] On Behalf Of dabigboy at cox.net
Sent: Wednesday, 25 January 2012 2:24 PM
To: Simulator Cockpit Builder's List
Subject: [simpits-tech] Brainstorming a static & pitot system

Ever have one of those ideas that is trying to bust out of your head so
bad that you have to talk abut it? Alright, so I've got this idea which I
have decided to follow through with....and I can't wait to figure
out/order the parts and start experimenting, so I've decided to post about
it.

I had the idea years ago to make a pressurized system that would be
controlled from a computer, so that you could connect real pneumatic
gauges in your simulator. But the success of servo and stepper
motor-driven gauges, plus the complexity of the system, led me to lean
towards those methods instead. Now that I have more knowledge under my
belt, and have actually started to experiment with more "traditional"
methods, I think I'm going to give the real thing a shot.

Specifically, we're talking about the three main instruments that use the
pitot/static air supply in an airplane: the altimeter (static pressure),
vertical speed indicator (static), and the airspeed indicator (static and
pitot). I looked up the formula and a benchmark table for determining air
pressure at various altitudes, to give an idea of what sort of pumps I
would need (and of course, the formula is what's needed in the control
software). It looks like I can get by with a fairly cheap pump, even an
AutoZone-variety tire inflator would do the job (tapping into the intake
portion of the pump, of course). One experimenter who needed a vacuum pump
for other things did just that, and reports that such a pump will give
around 25hg max, but more practically 20hg without burning out early.
Atmospheric pressure doesn't hit 9.92" hg until close to 30k feet, which
is higher than I typically fly (I could always get a better pump and
easily hit 25" or so regularly if this idea works 
 out).

My plan is to get one fairly large pressure tank and use the
aforementioned pump to drop its pressure as low as possible, say 10" hg or
so (as mentioned above, this corresponds to a little under 30k feet). I
will tap the tank to mount a cheap pressure switch in it to switch the
pump on when pressure goes up to, say, 11", and stop at 9.5" or so
(hip-shooting the numbers at this point). This big tank would be connected
to a much smaller tank, with a servo-controlled valve in between. The
smaller tank would be our "atmosphere" for the altimeter and VSI to tap
into. As the simulator aircraft climbs, the valve would open, venting high
pressure from my "atmosphere" tank into the big vacuum tank. A second
servo-controlled valve would open the smaller tank to the (real) outside
atmosphere. When the plane descends, the intermediate valve would close,
and this outside valve would open, allowing the pressure in the
"atmosphere" tank to rise.

For the pitot system, I will probably just vent the static portion of the
airspeed indicator to the real atmosphere to start with, and make a second
two-tank system like the first. The difference, of course, is that the
larger tank would be held at higher-than-atmospheric pressure, and air
from this tank will be piped to the intermediate tank, which is where the
pitot line from the airspeed indicator will tap into.

I *think* if things go well, I might try running the static portion of the
airspeed indicator to my first "atmosphere" tank, and adjusting the pitot
tank's pressure to account for the drop in atmospheric pressure. This
would have the handy benefit that, if I'm not mistaken, fancy airspeed
indicators with built-in Mach indicators will actually display an accurate
Mach number....which would just be way too cool. :)

Why so much trouble? A couple reasons:

1: I have built a servo-operated airspeed indicator, to start with, and
while it works well, I find the movement is just a little too notchy and
unnatural for the amount of movement (and speed) this gauge typically
makes (my turn coordinator is servo-operated and mostly looks great, but
that's an instrument that doesn't move so quickly or so far as the ASI). A
true pneumatic indicator would be far smoother....assuming a relatively
large tank (allowing for more precise pressure adjustment), the ASI, VSI,
and altimeter, all of which make fairly rapid and/or large movements,
would be incredibly smooth....essentially, exactly the same as real
gauges, since they are, in fact, real gauges being driven exactly the same
way they would be on a real plane.

2: Cost and complexity: if you think about what it takes to build and
drive these three instruments using servos or stepper motors, the pressure
system is actually far simpler, and might even end up costing less (unless
you manage to do everything with very cheap steppers and an Arduino with a
couple of shields, and fabricate your own instruments, of course).

3: You get to use real, unmodified aircraft instruments for three of the
most critical instruments on the panel. How cool is that? :) It does also
mean, of course, that extra "features" of the instruments (like the Mach
indicator, or an analog altitude readout that is common on older
turboprops, jets, and airliners) would be available and not require any
fancy mechanical trickery inside the gauge.

4: Since we are using real gauges without any modifications whatsoever, it
would be possible to quickly swap the airspeed indicator with another one
to reflect a different speed range of aircraft you may want to
fly.....four screws, two air lines, and possibly an electrical hookup for
lighting. Or you can switch from a 2,000ft/min VSI to a 6,000ft/min model,
for instance.

It also means I would be down to two of my primary instruments being
glass......attitude indicator and HSI. I already see how to hack up a real
attitude indicator (or make a new one) going off the example in Mike
Powell's book, but since I like my fancy glass software with a flight
director and other niceities, and since the HSI is a complex instrument to
build, I would probably keep these as glass instruments (no room for a
monitor, so a couple of graphic LCDs and an Arduino should do the
trick...and lots of software, of course). Plus, the plane I will
ultimately simulate, the Learjet 35, usually has a glass HSI and AI
anyway.

Unfortunately my sim is still sitting on its side in a corner of my new
garage, have not had time to set things back up yet. Plus my main priority
at the moment is to remove my ghetto-ized homebuilt yoke system and adapt
the fancy-shmancy PFC yoke I just got my hands on. :)

I can't wait to get started. :)

Matt
_______________________________________________
Simpits-tech mailing list
Simpits-tech at simpits.org
http://www.simpits.org/mailman/listinfo/simpits-tech
To unsubscribe, please see the instructions at the bottom of the above
page.  Thanks!

From geneb at deltasoft.com  Wed Jan 25 06:13:16 2012
From: geneb at deltasoft.com (Gene Buckle)
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2012 06:13:16 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [simpits-tech] Simpits Snowpocalypse...
In-Reply-To: <20120124235811.DV3XN.67828.imail@fed1rmwml208>
References: <20120124235811.DV3XN.67828.imail@fed1rmwml208>
Message-ID: <alpine.LFD.2.00.1201250611020.17656@grumble.deltasoft.com>

On Tue, 24 Jan 2012, dabigboy at cox.net wrote:

> Man, you need a major-strength generator to keep the sim running 
> throughout this situation! Why don't you move to sunny AZ? NOTHING bad 
> weather-related ever happens, and you have one of the world's largest 
> collections of old airplanes and airplane parts to cruise through now 
> and then. :)
>
I don't do heat. :)

> Btw did you see the F-15 nose on ebay?
>
Yes I did.  Very surprised to see it!  The instrument panel has some ugly 
damage, but other than that it looked good.  I couldn't tell if the rudder 
pedals were in place though.  The airframe used to be an ABDR trainer at 
Seymour Johnston(Johnson?) AFB and was thought scrapped in 2005.  The 
serial number was painted on the inside ledge of the canopy. :)

g.



--
Proud owner of F-15C 80-0007
http://www.f15sim.com - The only one of its kind.
http://www.diy-cockpits.org/coll - Go Collimated or Go Home.
Some people collect things for a hobby.  Geeks collect hobbies.

ScarletDME - The red hot Data Management Environment
A Multi-Value database for the masses, not the classes.
http://www.scarletdme.org - Get it _today_!

Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical
minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which
holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd
by the clean end.

From dabigboy at cox.net  Wed Jan 25 07:31:30 2012
From: dabigboy at cox.net (dabigboy at cox.net)
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2012 7:31:30 -0800
Subject: [simpits-tech] Brainstorming a static & pitot system
In-Reply-To: <033201ccdb4d$dd2165e0$976431a0$@com.au>
Message-ID: <20120125103130.RVG37.69710.imail@fed1rmwml107>

Thanks for the idea. I actually had thought of something along those lines: making a much smaller reservoir, with a piston poking into it that is connected to a servo. I hadn't thought of a syringe though, that would work even better. My main concern is that the relatively short throw of the servo (and necessarily, the large effect that even small movements of the syringe) would make, would cause erratic or imprecise gauge movements. I'd also need a hefty servo (I think?) to put enough force on the syringe. It's worth a try though.......I may give this a shot for the pitot system, it would basically cut the complexity and parts count in half if it works out. Thanks!

Matt

---- bjones at pipecomp.com.au wrote: 
> Matt,
> 
> Ive been at work all day so my brain is a little fired at the moment but
> here is something to think about.
> 
> I'm certified to perform maintenance on gliders(sailplanes) in Australia,
> when i certify ASI's its simple.
> 
> Using (i think a 200ml) syringe to apply pressure to the ASI i'm easily
> able to dial up speeds around the 160knots mark, if you drove the syringe
> with a stepper motor you would be able to drive the ASI.
> 
> Simple as.
> 
> Regards
> 
> Ben
> West Oz
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: simpits-tech-bounces at simpits.org
> [mailto:simpits-tech-bounces at simpits.org] On Behalf Of dabigboy at cox.net
> Sent: Wednesday, 25 January 2012 2:24 PM
> To: Simulator Cockpit Builder's List
> Subject: [simpits-tech] Brainstorming a static & pitot system
> 
> Ever have one of those ideas that is trying to bust out of your head so
> bad that you have to talk abut it? Alright, so I've got this idea which I
> have decided to follow through with....and I can't wait to figure
> out/order the parts and start experimenting, so I've decided to post about
> it.
> 
> I had the idea years ago to make a pressurized system that would be
> controlled from a computer, so that you could connect real pneumatic
> gauges in your simulator. But the success of servo and stepper
> motor-driven gauges, plus the complexity of the system, led me to lean
> towards those methods instead. Now that I have more knowledge under my
> belt, and have actually started to experiment with more "traditional"
> methods, I think I'm going to give the real thing a shot.
> 
> Specifically, we're talking about the three main instruments that use the
> pitot/static air supply in an airplane: the altimeter (static pressure),
> vertical speed indicator (static), and the airspeed indicator (static and
> pitot). I looked up the formula and a benchmark table for determining air
> pressure at various altitudes, to give an idea of what sort of pumps I
> would need (and of course, the formula is what's needed in the control
> software). It looks like I can get by with a fairly cheap pump, even an
> AutoZone-variety tire inflator would do the job (tapping into the intake
> portion of the pump, of course). One experimenter who needed a vacuum pump
> for other things did just that, and reports that such a pump will give
> around 25hg max, but more practically 20hg without burning out early.
> Atmospheric pressure doesn't hit 9.92" hg until close to 30k feet, which
> is higher than I typically fly (I could always get a better pump and
> easily hit 25" or so regularly if this idea works 
>  out).
> 
> My plan is to get one fairly large pressure tank and use the
> aforementioned pump to drop its pressure as low as possible, say 10" hg or
> so (as mentioned above, this corresponds to a little under 30k feet). I
> will tap the tank to mount a cheap pressure switch in it to switch the
> pump on when pressure goes up to, say, 11", and stop at 9.5" or so
> (hip-shooting the numbers at this point). This big tank would be connected
> to a much smaller tank, with a servo-controlled valve in between. The
> smaller tank would be our "atmosphere" for the altimeter and VSI to tap
> into. As the simulator aircraft climbs, the valve would open, venting high
> pressure from my "atmosphere" tank into the big vacuum tank. A second
> servo-controlled valve would open the smaller tank to the (real) outside
> atmosphere. When the plane descends, the intermediate valve would close,
> and this outside valve would open, allowing the pressure in the
> "atmosphere" tank to rise.
> 
> For the pitot system, I will probably just vent the static portion of the
> airspeed indicator to the real atmosphere to start with, and make a second
> two-tank system like the first. The difference, of course, is that the
> larger tank would be held at higher-than-atmospheric pressure, and air
> from this tank will be piped to the intermediate tank, which is where the
> pitot line from the airspeed indicator will tap into.
> 
> I *think* if things go well, I might try running the static portion of the
> airspeed indicator to my first "atmosphere" tank, and adjusting the pitot
> tank's pressure to account for the drop in atmospheric pressure. This
> would have the handy benefit that, if I'm not mistaken, fancy airspeed
> indicators with built-in Mach indicators will actually display an accurate
> Mach number....which would just be way too cool. :)
> 
> Why so much trouble? A couple reasons:
> 
> 1: I have built a servo-operated airspeed indicator, to start with, and
> while it works well, I find the movement is just a little too notchy and
> unnatural for the amount of movement (and speed) this gauge typically
> makes (my turn coordinator is servo-operated and mostly looks great, but
> that's an instrument that doesn't move so quickly or so far as the ASI). A
> true pneumatic indicator would be far smoother....assuming a relatively
> large tank (allowing for more precise pressure adjustment), the ASI, VSI,
> and altimeter, all of which make fairly rapid and/or large movements,
> would be incredibly smooth....essentially, exactly the same as real
> gauges, since they are, in fact, real gauges being driven exactly the same
> way they would be on a real plane.
> 
> 2: Cost and complexity: if you think about what it takes to build and
> drive these three instruments using servos or stepper motors, the pressure
> system is actually far simpler, and might even end up costing less (unless
> you manage to do everything with very cheap steppers and an Arduino with a
> couple of shields, and fabricate your own instruments, of course).
> 
> 3: You get to use real, unmodified aircraft instruments for three of the
> most critical instruments on the panel. How cool is that? :) It does also
> mean, of course, that extra "features" of the instruments (like the Mach
> indicator, or an analog altitude readout that is common on older
> turboprops, jets, and airliners) would be available and not require any
> fancy mechanical trickery inside the gauge.
> 
> 4: Since we are using real gauges without any modifications whatsoever, it
> would be possible to quickly swap the airspeed indicator with another one
> to reflect a different speed range of aircraft you may want to
> fly.....four screws, two air lines, and possibly an electrical hookup for
> lighting. Or you can switch from a 2,000ft/min VSI to a 6,000ft/min model,
> for instance.
> 
> It also means I would be down to two of my primary instruments being
> glass......attitude indicator and HSI. I already see how to hack up a real
> attitude indicator (or make a new one) going off the example in Mike
> Powell's book, but since I like my fancy glass software with a flight
> director and other niceities, and since the HSI is a complex instrument to
> build, I would probably keep these as glass instruments (no room for a
> monitor, so a couple of graphic LCDs and an Arduino should do the
> trick...and lots of software, of course). Plus, the plane I will
> ultimately simulate, the Learjet 35, usually has a glass HSI and AI
> anyway.
> 
> Unfortunately my sim is still sitting on its side in a corner of my new
> garage, have not had time to set things back up yet. Plus my main priority
> at the moment is to remove my ghetto-ized homebuilt yoke system and adapt
> the fancy-shmancy PFC yoke I just got my hands on. :)
> 
> I can't wait to get started. :)
> 
> Matt
> _______________________________________________
> Simpits-tech mailing list
> Simpits-tech at simpits.org
> http://www.simpits.org/mailman/listinfo/simpits-tech
> To unsubscribe, please see the instructions at the bottom of the above
> page.  Thanks!
> _______________________________________________
> Simpits-tech mailing list
> Simpits-tech at simpits.org
> http://www.simpits.org/mailman/listinfo/simpits-tech
> To unsubscribe, please see the instructions at the bottom of the above page.  Thanks!


From bjones at pipecomp.com.au  Wed Jan 25 08:04:40 2012
From: bjones at pipecomp.com.au (bjones at pipecomp.com.au)
Date: Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:04:40 +0800 (WST)
Subject: [simpits-tech] Brainstorming a static & pitot system
In-Reply-To: <20120125103130.RVG37.69710.imail@fed1rmwml107>
References: <033201ccdb4d$dd2165e0$976431a0$@com.au>
	<20120125103130.RVG37.69710.imail@fed1rmwml107>
Message-ID: <000f01ccdb7b$019a6de0$04cf49a0$@com.au>

Matt,

Ok if your using a servo (rc aircraft type) you will need to extend the
servo arm by a long distance and have it coupled to the syringe by a
extension also to give you the travel needed ie most of the syringe
travel, in saying that the resolution you will get will be very jumpy, due
to the indexing of the servo between movements, my suggestion would be a
stepper motor.

What i missed in my first reply is that you will have to hook the static
of the ASI to your "Synthetic static generator" otherwise you will get
erroneous readings from the ASI with altitude due to the loss of pressure
compensation.

Anyhow throw it all together on a test rig and let us know how she goes :)

Ben


-----Original Message-----
From: simpits-tech-bounces at simpits.org
[mailto:simpits-tech-bounces at simpits.org] On Behalf Of dabigboy at cox.net
Sent: Wednesday, 25 January 2012 11:32 PM
To: Simulator Cockpit Builder's List
Subject: Re: [simpits-tech] Brainstorming a static & pitot system

Thanks for the idea. I actually had thought of something along those
lines: making a much smaller reservoir, with a piston poking into it that
is connected to a servo. I hadn't thought of a syringe though, that would
work even better. My main concern is that the relatively short throw of
the servo (and necessarily, the large effect that even small movements of
the syringe) would make, would cause erratic or imprecise gauge movements.
I'd also need a hefty servo (I think?) to put enough force on the syringe.
It's worth a try though.......I may give this a shot for the pitot system,
it would basically cut the complexity and parts count in half if it works
out. Thanks!

Matt

---- bjones at pipecomp.com.au wrote: 
> Matt,
> 
> Ive been at work all day so my brain is a little fired at the moment but
> here is something to think about.
> 
> I'm certified to perform maintenance on gliders(sailplanes) in
Australia,
> when i certify ASI's its simple.
> 
> Using (i think a 200ml) syringe to apply pressure to the ASI i'm easily
> able to dial up speeds around the 160knots mark, if you drove the
syringe
> with a stepper motor you would be able to drive the ASI.
> 
> Simple as.
> 
> Regards
> 
> Ben
> West Oz
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: simpits-tech-bounces at simpits.org
> [mailto:simpits-tech-bounces at simpits.org] On Behalf Of dabigboy at cox.net
> Sent: Wednesday, 25 January 2012 2:24 PM
> To: Simulator Cockpit Builder's List
> Subject: [simpits-tech] Brainstorming a static & pitot system
> 
> Ever have one of those ideas that is trying to bust out of your head so
> bad that you have to talk abut it? Alright, so I've got this idea which
I
> have decided to follow through with....and I can't wait to figure
> out/order the parts and start experimenting, so I've decided to post
about
> it.
> 
> I had the idea years ago to make a pressurized system that would be
> controlled from a computer, so that you could connect real pneumatic
> gauges in your simulator. But the success of servo and stepper
> motor-driven gauges, plus the complexity of the system, led me to lean
> towards those methods instead. Now that I have more knowledge under my
> belt, and have actually started to experiment with more "traditional"
> methods, I think I'm going to give the real thing a shot.
> 
> Specifically, we're talking about the three main instruments that use
the
> pitot/static air supply in an airplane: the altimeter (static pressure),
> vertical speed indicator (static), and the airspeed indicator (static
and
> pitot). I looked up the formula and a benchmark table for determining
air
> pressure at various altitudes, to give an idea of what sort of pumps I
> would need (and of course, the formula is what's needed in the control
> software). It looks like I can get by with a fairly cheap pump, even an
> AutoZone-variety tire inflator would do the job (tapping into the intake
> portion of the pump, of course). One experimenter who needed a vacuum
pump
> for other things did just that, and reports that such a pump will give
> around 25hg max, but more practically 20hg without burning out early.
> Atmospheric pressure doesn't hit 9.92" hg until close to 30k feet, which
> is higher than I typically fly (I could always get a better pump and
> easily hit 25" or so regularly if this idea works 
>  out).
> 
> My plan is to get one fairly large pressure tank and use the
> aforementioned pump to drop its pressure as low as possible, say 10" hg
or
> so (as mentioned above, this corresponds to a little under 30k feet). I
> will tap the tank to mount a cheap pressure switch in it to switch the
> pump on when pressure goes up to, say, 11", and stop at 9.5" or so
> (hip-shooting the numbers at this point). This big tank would be
connected
> to a much smaller tank, with a servo-controlled valve in between. The
> smaller tank would be our "atmosphere" for the altimeter and VSI to tap
> into. As the simulator aircraft climbs, the valve would open, venting
high
> pressure from my "atmosphere" tank into the big vacuum tank. A second
> servo-controlled valve would open the smaller tank to the (real) outside
> atmosphere. When the plane descends, the intermediate valve would close,
> and this outside valve would open, allowing the pressure in the
> "atmosphere" tank to rise.
> 
> For the pitot system, I will probably just vent the static portion of
the
> airspeed indicator to the real atmosphere to start with, and make a
second
> two-tank system like the first. The difference, of course, is that the
> larger tank would be held at higher-than-atmospheric pressure, and air
> from this tank will be piped to the intermediate tank, which is where
the
> pitot line from the airspeed indicator will tap into.
> 
> I *think* if things go well, I might try running the static portion of
the
> airspeed indicator to my first "atmosphere" tank, and adjusting the
pitot
> tank's pressure to account for the drop in atmospheric pressure. This
> would have the handy benefit that, if I'm not mistaken, fancy airspeed
> indicators with built-in Mach indicators will actually display an
accurate
> Mach number....which would just be way too cool. :)
> 
> Why so much trouble? A couple reasons:
> 
> 1: I have built a servo-operated airspeed indicator, to start with, and
> while it works well, I find the movement is just a little too notchy and
> unnatural for the amount of movement (and speed) this gauge typically
> makes (my turn coordinator is servo-operated and mostly looks great, but
> that's an instrument that doesn't move so quickly or so far as the ASI).
A
> true pneumatic indicator would be far smoother....assuming a relatively
> large tank (allowing for more precise pressure adjustment), the ASI,
VSI,
> and altimeter, all of which make fairly rapid and/or large movements,
> would be incredibly smooth....essentially, exactly the same as real
> gauges, since they are, in fact, real gauges being driven exactly the
same
> way they would be on a real plane.
> 
> 2: Cost and complexity: if you think about what it takes to build and
> drive these three instruments using servos or stepper motors, the
pressure
> system is actually far simpler, and might even end up costing less
(unless
> you manage to do everything with very cheap steppers and an Arduino with
a
> couple of shields, and fabricate your own instruments, of course).
> 
> 3: You get to use real, unmodified aircraft instruments for three of the
> most critical instruments on the panel. How cool is that? :) It does
also
> mean, of course, that extra "features" of the instruments (like the Mach
> indicator, or an analog altitude readout that is common on older
> turboprops, jets, and airliners) would be available and not require any
> fancy mechanical trickery inside the gauge.
> 
> 4: Since we are using real gauges without any modifications whatsoever,
it
> would be possible to quickly swap the airspeed indicator with another
one
> to reflect a different speed range of aircraft you may want to
> fly.....four screws, two air lines, and possibly an electrical hookup
for
> lighting. Or you can switch from a 2,000ft/min VSI to a 6,000ft/min
model,
> for instance.
> 
> It also means I would be down to two of my primary instruments being
> glass......attitude indicator and HSI. I already see how to hack up a
real
> attitude indicator (or make a new one) going off the example in Mike
> Powell's book, but since I like my fancy glass software with a flight
> director and other niceities, and since the HSI is a complex instrument
to
> build, I would probably keep these as glass instruments (no room for a
> monitor, so a couple of graphic LCDs and an Arduino should do the
> trick...and lots of software, of course). Plus, the plane I will
> ultimately simulate, the Learjet 35, usually has a glass HSI and AI
> anyway.
> 
> Unfortunately my sim is still sitting on its side in a corner of my new
> garage, have not had time to set things back up yet. Plus my main
priority
> at the moment is to remove my ghetto-ized homebuilt yoke system and
adapt
> the fancy-shmancy PFC yoke I just got my hands on. :)
> 
> I can't wait to get started. :)
> 
> Matt
> _______________________________________________
> Simpits-tech mailing list
> Simpits-tech at simpits.org
> http://www.simpits.org/mailman/listinfo/simpits-tech
> To unsubscribe, please see the instructions at the bottom of the above
> page.  Thanks!
> _______________________________________________
> Simpits-tech mailing list
> Simpits-tech at simpits.org
> http://www.simpits.org/mailman/listinfo/simpits-tech
> To unsubscribe, please see the instructions at the bottom of the above
page.  Thanks!

_______________________________________________
Simpits-tech mailing list
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To unsubscribe, please see the instructions at the bottom of the above
page.  Thanks!

From geneb at deltasoft.com  Wed Jan 25 08:17:30 2012
From: geneb at deltasoft.com (Gene Buckle)
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2012 08:17:30 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [simpits-tech] Brainstorming a static & pitot system
In-Reply-To: <000f01ccdb7b$019a6de0$04cf49a0$@com.au>
References: <033201ccdb4d$dd2165e0$976431a0$@com.au>
	<20120125103130.RVG37.69710.imail@fed1rmwml107>
	<000f01ccdb7b$019a6de0$04cf49a0$@com.au>
Message-ID: <alpine.LFD.2.00.1201250811350.21516@grumble.deltasoft.com>

On Thu, 26 Jan 2012, bjones at pipecomp.com.au wrote:

> Matt,
>
> Ok if your using a servo (rc aircraft type) you will need to extend the
> servo arm by a long distance and have it coupled to the syringe by a
> extension also to give you the travel needed ie most of the syringe
> travel, in saying that the resolution you will get will be very jumpy, due
> to the indexing of the servo between movements, my suggestion would be a
> stepper motor.
>

I'd suggest using a stepper motor like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Miniature-ODV76-L92121-P2-Linear-Bi-Directional-Stepper-Motor-12VDC-/110810764668?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19ccd6157c

You can firmly mount the motor and attach the threaded shaft to the 
syringe plunger.  You could add a microswitch that the plunger base would 
trigger in order to set the "home" position and you're ready to go.

You might also want to check out Mike Powell's Building Simulated Aircraft 
Instruments - he's got a great gear-driven ASI project that uses a stepper 
motor.

g.


-- 
Proud owner of F-15C 80-0007
http://www.f15sim.com - The only one of its kind.
http://www.diy-cockpits.org/coll - Go Collimated or Go Home.
Some people collect things for a hobby.  Geeks collect hobbies.

ScarletDME - The red hot Data Management Environment
A Multi-Value database for the masses, not the classes.
http://www.scarletdme.org - Get it _today_!

Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical
minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which
holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd
by the clean end.

From wledzian1 at comcast.net  Wed Jan 25 10:11:58 2012
From: wledzian1 at comcast.net (Wayne Ledzian)
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:11:58 -0800
Subject: [simpits-tech] Brainstorming a static & pitot system
In-Reply-To: <alpine.LFD.2.00.1201250811350.21516@grumble.deltasoft.com>
Message-ID: <a31.4f2045eb@www.simpits.org>



In theory, what you propose does not sound technically difficult.  In practice, though, it may be quite a bit more challenging.  I'll address the issues one instrument at a time.

Airspeed indicator:
     This is essentially a delta-P gauge calibrated to read in knots instead of pressure.  You've got your static port taking ambient pressure and your pitot port taking total pressure.  For this gauge, you can either apply vacuum to the static port, or you can apply pressure to the pitot port.  Either will work, but simply moving a syringe to a set position will not be sufficient unless the system is completely leak-free.
     
Altimiter:
     This is a simple pressure gauge calibrated in distance instead of pressure.  For any positive altitude, a vacuum connected to the static port  will provide an altitude reading.
     In addition, while the motion may be 'smoother' than a servo-driven mechanism, it will still have a step size limited by the resolution of whatever device is driving it.  To be accurate to +/- 10 feet over 40,000 feet, you'll need at least 12 bits of precision and very little slop in your hardware.

VSI:
     This is a very sensitive rate-of-change meter.  Fortunately, once the control of the vacuum plenum for the altimeter is worked out, simply connecting the VSI to the same plenum should suffice.


My suggestion:
Three plenums as follows:
 -- One large plenum as a pressure sink, kept pumped down as low as your pump will keep it.
 -- One smaller plenum for the airspeed indicator 'static' port.
    - connect this plenum to the sink tank via a needle valve.
    - Use a second needle valve (servo controlled) to adjust leakage into the airspeed indicator plenum.  Pressure within this plenum is to be monitored and controlled via a PID controller to set desired delta-P.
 -- One smaller plenum for the altimeter and VSI.  Connected and controlled similar to the airspeed indicator plenum, pressure to be actively controlled to match the desired altitude.

With this setup, the high level of precision is required only of your electronic bits, specifically the pressure sensors and the ADC used to read them.

From brian at sikkema.us  Thu Jan 26 02:14:58 2012
From: brian at sikkema.us (Brian Sikkema)
Date: Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:14:58 +0900
Subject: [simpits-tech] Impressive Comanche sim
In-Reply-To: <7C2FA685048B44FC8BFC35715A71FFDF@office>
References: <7C2FA685048B44FC8BFC35715A71FFDF@office>
Message-ID: <4F2127A2.1050306@sikkema.us>

Are the side MFD's functional as well? Couldn't quite tell from the pics 
but it looked like they were. Wondering how you managed that with EECH, 
as best I can tell only 2 MFD exports at the moment. :(

I tell you what I love that sim, it's just so darn fun! I think having a 
pit to fly in for it would be excellent.

Is your helmet functional as well? If so you must like the new 0.14 
addition of splitting the environment and comm audio. :)

Brian


On 1/23/2012 10:11 PM, Timothy James Boldt wrote:
> Thank you!
>
> Tim
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: simpits-tech-bounces at simpits.org
> [mailto:simpits-tech-bounces at simpits.org] On Behalf Of Brian Sikkema
> Sent: Saturday, January 21, 2012 9:41 PM
> To: Simulator Cockpit Builder's List
> Subject: [simpits-tech] Impressive Comanche sim
>
>
> http://home.comcast.net/~timothyboldt/simulator.htm
>
> Pretty sweet setup.
>
> Brian
> _______________________________________________
> Simpits-tech mailing list
> Simpits-tech at simpits.org
> http://www.simpits.org/mailman/listinfo/simpits-tech
> To unsubscribe, please see the instructions at the bottom of the above page.
> Thanks!
>


From timothyboldt at comcast.net  Thu Jan 26 06:06:22 2012
From: timothyboldt at comcast.net (Timothy James Boldt)
Date: Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:06:22 -0500
Subject: [simpits-tech] Impressive Comanche sim
In-Reply-To: <4F2127A2.1050306@sikkema.us>
Message-ID: <52C02855379A4100B589652FD852A8E2@office>

They light up and the faceplate buttons work but the images are static. Just
the center two are monitors. The helmet is functional, too. I modified the
mic and speakers to be PC compatible and mounted the TIR LEDs. 

Although, I don't run the newest version. Or the last version....or the
version before that! 
I actually still run version 1.10.4. (They broke the sim in version
1.11...IMO.)

Yeah, it is a lot of fun. 
And I'm a bit farther along than my site would lead you to believe. 
I'm WAAAY behind on updating it. <insert sheepish eye roll here>
Among other things, I've added a slip gauge, an altimeter, and rudder trim.
I added a 4 point harness to the seat (The wife said it didn't look real
enough without it. :) ). And I've also started working on the outer shell.

Never enough hours...
Tim




-----Original Message-----
From: simpits-tech-bounces at simpits.org
[mailto:simpits-tech-bounces at simpits.org] On Behalf Of Brian Sikkema
Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2012 5:15 AM
To: 'Simulator Cockpit Builder's List'
Subject: Re: [simpits-tech] Impressive Comanche sim


Are the side MFD's functional as well? Couldn't quite tell from the pics 
but it looked like they were. Wondering how you managed that with EECH, 
as best I can tell only 2 MFD exports at the moment. :(

I tell you what I love that sim, it's just so darn fun! I think having a 
pit to fly in for it would be excellent.

Is your helmet functional as well? If so you must like the new 0.14 
addition of splitting the environment and comm audio. :)

Brian


On 1/23/2012 10:11 PM, Timothy James Boldt wrote:
> Thank you!
>
> Tim
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: simpits-tech-bounces at simpits.org 
> [mailto:simpits-tech-bounces at simpits.org] On Behalf Of Brian Sikkema
> Sent: Saturday, January 21, 2012 9:41 PM
> To: Simulator Cockpit Builder's List
> Subject: [simpits-tech] Impressive Comanche sim
>
>
> http://home.comcast.net/~timothyboldt/simulator.htm
>
> Pretty sweet setup.
>
> Brian
> _______________________________________________
> Simpits-tech mailing list
> Simpits-tech at simpits.org 
> http://www.simpits.org/mailman/listinfo/simpits-tech
> To unsubscribe, please see the instructions at the bottom of the above 
> page. Thanks!
>

_______________________________________________
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To unsubscribe, please see the instructions at the bottom of the above page.
Thanks!


From geneb at deltasoft.com  Sun Jan 29 08:11:10 2012
From: geneb at deltasoft.com (Gene Buckle)
Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2012 08:11:10 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [simpits-tech] Display news...
Message-ID: <alpine.LFD.2.00.1201290806020.8348@grumble.deltasoft.com>

A couple of weeks ago I chased down a lead and found a Mylar vendor that 
can supply material up to 124" wide. It's _cheap_. For example, a 100 foot 
roll of .5mil @ 96" wide is roughly $200 shipped.

We've also come up with a way around the patent issue - instead of the 
curved "ears" at the ends of the mirror, it can be more square - something 
shown as "prior-art" in the patent, but a feature we couldn't use because 
we couldn't get Mylar wide enough.

What this means is that we're now open to making plans & short kits 
available to people.

We're looking at two "reference" designs.

The first would be large enough to accommodate standard GA aircraft right 
around Cessna 152-172 size up to something around a Lear or Cessna 
Citation.

The second would be a "big iron" display that could be used with cockpits 
around the size of the Boeing 737.

If there is enough interest, we'll go ahead and get the design work done 
and I'll build Inventor models so you can see what they'll look like.

However, we're not going to build prototypes for either one of them until 
there is enough commercial interest. This doesn't mean a bunch of folks 
going, "Hey! I'd buy that!", it's some number of people (say 5 for this 
example) willing and able (and actually do!) put down a down payment for a 
short kit.
We're doing this because building one of these things takes a ton of time 
and effort when you're writing the manual for it at the same time. The 
materials aren't cheap either - the prototypes and kit parts will be in 
18mm and 12mm Russian Birch - it's a high quality material. It's not the 
kind of endeavor that either one of us can fund ourselves on the hope that 
someone might buy one someday.

A "short kit" is typically parts that most folks can't make themselves - 
all the shaped parts, etc. Any dimensional lumber, fasteners, Mylar, 
projectors, etc. would be supplied by the builder.

We'll also look into providing the vacuum management system - this would 
likely consist of an Arduino Uno style "shield" and the parts to build a 
servo controlled bypass gate similar to what you've seen in our videos. 
Servo not included.

There will definitely be size issues you're going to need to be aware of 
if you're going to build one of these. Our single-seat version is a tight 
fit in a room with a 9' ceiling. You can just about be guaranteed that the 
GA display is going to be bigger than that and I shudder to think how much 
shop space that 7x7 display is going to eat up.

Because of the size & scope of this thing, don't expect any concrete 
results out of us until April-ish.

I'm going to re-post this to various places in order to make sure the 
folks that are interested see it.

Thanks all!

g.

-- 
Proud owner of F-15C 80-0007
http://www.f15sim.com - The only one of its kind.
http://www.diy-cockpits.org/coll - Go Collimated or Go Home.
Some people collect things for a hobby.  Geeks collect hobbies.

ScarletDME - The red hot Data Management Environment
A Multi-Value database for the masses, not the classes.
http://www.scarletdme.org - Get it _today_!

Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical
minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which
holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd
by the clean end.

From brian at sikkema.us  Mon Jan 30 00:37:19 2012
From: brian at sikkema.us (Brian Sikkema)
Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:37:19 +0900
Subject: [simpits-tech] Display news...
In-Reply-To: <alpine.LFD.2.00.1201290806020.8348@grumble.deltasoft.com>
References: <alpine.LFD.2.00.1201290806020.8348@grumble.deltasoft.com>
Message-ID: <4F2656BF.9040703@sikkema.us>

*dances in the street*

:D

Great news, Gene!

I'm very anxious for the Inventor drawings. I imagine I'll be able to 
scale down even your GA version for the Mercury pit. Someday... ;)

Brian

On 1/30/2012 1:11 AM, Gene Buckle wrote:
> A couple of weeks ago I chased down a lead and found a Mylar vendor that
> can supply material up to 124" wide. It's _cheap_. For example, a 100 foot
> roll of .5mil @ 96" wide is roughly $200 shipped.
>
> We've also come up with a way around the patent issue - instead of the
> curved "ears" at the ends of the mirror, it can be more square - something
> shown as "prior-art" in the patent, but a feature we couldn't use because
> we couldn't get Mylar wide enough.
>
> What this means is that we're now open to making plans&  short kits
> available to people.
>
> We're looking at two "reference" designs.
>
> The first would be large enough to accommodate standard GA aircraft right
> around Cessna 152-172 size up to something around a Lear or Cessna
> Citation.
>
> The second would be a "big iron" display that could be used with cockpits
> around the size of the Boeing 737.
>
> If there is enough interest, we'll go ahead and get the design work done
> and I'll build Inventor models so you can see what they'll look like.
>
> However, we're not going to build prototypes for either one of them until
> there is enough commercial interest. This doesn't mean a bunch of folks
> going, "Hey! I'd buy that!", it's some number of people (say 5 for this
> example) willing and able (and actually do!) put down a down payment for a
> short kit.
> We're doing this because building one of these things takes a ton of time
> and effort when you're writing the manual for it at the same time. The
> materials aren't cheap either - the prototypes and kit parts will be in
> 18mm and 12mm Russian Birch - it's a high quality material. It's not the
> kind of endeavor that either one of us can fund ourselves on the hope that
> someone might buy one someday.
>
> A "short kit" is typically parts that most folks can't make themselves -
> all the shaped parts, etc. Any dimensional lumber, fasteners, Mylar,
> projectors, etc. would be supplied by the builder.
>
> We'll also look into providing the vacuum management system - this would
> likely consist of an Arduino Uno style "shield" and the parts to build a
> servo controlled bypass gate similar to what you've seen in our videos.
> Servo not included.
>
> There will definitely be size issues you're going to need to be aware of
> if you're going to build one of these. Our single-seat version is a tight
> fit in a room with a 9' ceiling. You can just about be guaranteed that the
> GA display is going to be bigger than that and I shudder to think how much
> shop space that 7x7 display is going to eat up.
>
> Because of the size&  scope of this thing, don't expect any concrete
> results out of us until April-ish.
>
> I'm going to re-post this to various places in order to make sure the
> folks that are interested see it.
>
> Thanks all!
>
> g.
>


From dabigboy at cox.net  Mon Jan 30 01:41:55 2012
From: dabigboy at cox.net (dabigboy at cox.net)
Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 1:41:55 -0800
Subject: [simpits-tech] Display news...
In-Reply-To: <alpine.LFD.2.00.1201290806020.8348@grumble.deltasoft.com>
Message-ID: <20120130044155.XUFZ6.125664.imail@fed1rmwml205>

Oh my yes.....Gene, you do realize this is pretty much the holy grail of visual systems! How timely......I have been sorta bashing my head in frustration this weekend because I can't figure out a good visual system for my sim....I have almost everything else either built, in progress, or at least a good idea in my head. I was just thinking "man, if only Gene would sell kits of his visual system". :)

Any idea the price range on a short kit for the GA version? Mine would end up in front of a Learjet eventually. My main restriction is I just don't have a way to fabricate the parts.

Semi-related note: tonight my wife casually gave her blessing/acceptance for sticking a Learjet in the garage instead of insisting I save up and build another shop for it....yeeehaw! :)

Matt


---- Gene Buckle <geneb at deltasoft.com> wrote: 
> A couple of weeks ago I chased down a lead and found a Mylar vendor that 
> can supply material up to 124" wide. It's _cheap_. For example, a 100 foot 
> roll of .5mil @ 96" wide is roughly $200 shipped.
> 
> We've also come up with a way around the patent issue - instead of the 
> curved "ears" at the ends of the mirror, it can be more square - something 
> shown as "prior-art" in the patent, but a feature we couldn't use because 
> we couldn't get Mylar wide enough.
> 
> What this means is that we're now open to making plans & short kits 
> available to people.
> 
> We're looking at two "reference" designs.
> 
> The first would be large enough to accommodate standard GA aircraft right 
> around Cessna 152-172 size up to something around a Lear or Cessna 
> Citation.
> 
> The second would be a "big iron" display that could be used with cockpits 
> around the size of the Boeing 737.
> 
> If there is enough interest, we'll go ahead and get the design work done 
> and I'll build Inventor models so you can see what they'll look like.
> 
> However, we're not going to build prototypes for either one of them until 
> there is enough commercial interest. This doesn't mean a bunch of folks 
> going, "Hey! I'd buy that!", it's some number of people (say 5 for this 
> example) willing and able (and actually do!) put down a down payment for a 
> short kit.
> We're doing this because building one of these things takes a ton of time 
> and effort when you're writing the manual for it at the same time. The 
> materials aren't cheap either - the prototypes and kit parts will be in 
> 18mm and 12mm Russian Birch - it's a high quality material. It's not the 
> kind of endeavor that either one of us can fund ourselves on the hope that 
> someone might buy one someday.
> 
> A "short kit" is typically parts that most folks can't make themselves - 
> all the shaped parts, etc. Any dimensional lumber, fasteners, Mylar, 
> projectors, etc. would be supplied by the builder.
> 
> We'll also look into providing the vacuum management system - this would 
> likely consist of an Arduino Uno style "shield" and the parts to build a 
> servo controlled bypass gate similar to what you've seen in our videos. 
> Servo not included.
> 
> There will definitely be size issues you're going to need to be aware of 
> if you're going to build one of these. Our single-seat version is a tight 
> fit in a room with a 9' ceiling. You can just about be guaranteed that the 
> GA display is going to be bigger than that and I shudder to think how much 
> shop space that 7x7 display is going to eat up.
> 
> Because of the size & scope of this thing, don't expect any concrete 
> results out of us until April-ish.
> 
> I'm going to re-post this to various places in order to make sure the 
> folks that are interested see it.
> 
> Thanks all!
> 
> g.
> 
> -- 
> Proud owner of F-15C 80-0007
> http://www.f15sim.com - The only one of its kind.
> http://www.diy-cockpits.org/coll - Go Collimated or Go Home.
> Some people collect things for a hobby.  Geeks collect hobbies.
> 
> ScarletDME - The red hot Data Management Environment
> A Multi-Value database for the masses, not the classes.
> http://www.scarletdme.org - Get it _today_!
> 
> Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical
> minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which
> holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd
> by the clean end.
> _______________________________________________
> Simpits-tech mailing list
> Simpits-tech at simpits.org
> http://www.simpits.org/mailman/listinfo/simpits-tech
> To unsubscribe, please see the instructions at the bottom of the above page.  Thanks!


From geneb at deltasoft.com  Mon Jan 30 04:28:54 2012
From: geneb at deltasoft.com (Gene Buckle)
Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:28:54 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [simpits-tech] Display news...
In-Reply-To: <4F2656BF.9040703@sikkema.us>
References: <alpine.LFD.2.00.1201290806020.8348@grumble.deltasoft.com>
	<4F2656BF.9040703@sikkema.us>
Message-ID: <alpine.LFD.2.00.1201300428200.15781@grumble.deltasoft.com>

On Mon, 30 Jan 2012, Brian Sikkema wrote:

> *dances in the street*
>
> :D
>
> Great news, Gene!
>
> I'm very anxious for the Inventor drawings. I imagine I'll be able to
> scale down even your GA version for the Mercury pit. Someday... ;)
>
Hehehe.  I figured a 15" LCD panel should be big enough to cover the only 
hole you have to look out through. :)

g.

-- 
Proud owner of F-15C 80-0007
http://www.f15sim.com - The only one of its kind.
http://www.diy-cockpits.org/coll - Go Collimated or Go Home.
Some people collect things for a hobby.  Geeks collect hobbies.

ScarletDME - The red hot Data Management Environment
A Multi-Value database for the masses, not the classes.
http://www.scarletdme.org - Get it _today_!

Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical
minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which
holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd
by the clean end.

From geneb at deltasoft.com  Mon Jan 30 04:35:29 2012
From: geneb at deltasoft.com (Gene Buckle)
Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:35:29 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [simpits-tech] Display news...
In-Reply-To: <20120130044155.XUFZ6.125664.imail@fed1rmwml205>
References: <20120130044155.XUFZ6.125664.imail@fed1rmwml205>
Message-ID: <alpine.LFD.2.00.1201300432550.15781@grumble.deltasoft.com>

On Mon, 30 Jan 2012, dabigboy at cox.net wrote:

> Any idea the price range on a short kit for the GA version? Mine would 
> end up in front of a Learjet eventually. My main restriction is I just 
> don't have a way to fabricate the parts.
>
No idea Matt.  The kit will use 18mm and 12mm Russian Birch throughout, so 
the cost of materials will be a bit higher than the one we've already 
built.

> Semi-related note: tonight my wife casually gave her blessing/acceptance 
> for sticking a Learjet in the garage instead of insisting I save up and 
> build another shop for it....yeeehaw! :)

You've got it all wrong.  Change "instead of" to "while the new shop is 
being built". :)

g.

-- 
Proud owner of F-15C 80-0007
http://www.f15sim.com - The only one of its kind.
http://www.diy-cockpits.org/coll - Go Collimated or Go Home.
Some people collect things for a hobby.  Geeks collect hobbies.

ScarletDME - The red hot Data Management Environment
A Multi-Value database for the masses, not the classes.
http://www.scarletdme.org - Get it _today_!

Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical
minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which
holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd
by the clean end.

From roy at flightlab.liv.ac.uk  Mon Jan 30 13:48:03 2012
From: roy at flightlab.liv.ac.uk (Roy Coates)
Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:48:03 +0000
Subject: [simpits-tech] Display news...
In-Reply-To: <alpine.LFD.2.00.1201290806020.8348@grumble.deltasoft.com>
References: <alpine.LFD.2.00.1201290806020.8348@grumble.deltasoft.com>
Message-ID: <CAPe297ZCPo0yGMbqxs2RYhZPwwE9ReZ=homQ6SFg5iwhaWgDcQ@mail.gmail.com>

On 29 January 2012 16:11, Gene Buckle <geneb at deltasoft.com> wrote:

>
> However, we're not going to build prototypes for either one of them until
> there is enough commercial interest. This doesn't mean a bunch of folks
> going, "Hey! I'd buy that!", it's some number of people (say 5 for this
> example) willing and able (and actually do!) put down a down payment for a
> short kit.
>

Once you can give us some idea of the pricing, I might be able to get our
place to stump up for a couple of kits. We could certainly use them.

Roy.
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From geneb at deltasoft.com  Mon Jan 30 12:31:02 2012
From: geneb at deltasoft.com (Gene Buckle)
Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:31:02 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [simpits-tech] Display news...
In-Reply-To: <CAPe297ZCPo0yGMbqxs2RYhZPwwE9ReZ=homQ6SFg5iwhaWgDcQ@mail.gmail.com>
References: <alpine.LFD.2.00.1201290806020.8348@grumble.deltasoft.com>
	<CAPe297ZCPo0yGMbqxs2RYhZPwwE9ReZ=homQ6SFg5iwhaWgDcQ@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <alpine.LFD.2.00.1201301230460.29760@grumble.deltasoft.com>

On Mon, 30 Jan 2012, Roy Coates wrote:

> On 29 January 2012 16:11, Gene Buckle <geneb at deltasoft.com> wrote:
>
>>
>> However, we're not going to build prototypes for either one of them until
>> there is enough commercial interest. This doesn't mean a bunch of folks
>> going, "Hey! I'd buy that!", it's some number of people (say 5 for this
>> example) willing and able (and actually do!) put down a down payment for a
>> short kit.
>>
>
> Once you can give us some idea of the pricing, I might be able to get our
> place to stump up for a couple of kits. We could certainly use them.
>
Sure thing Roy.  You're talking GA size, right?

g.

-- 
Proud owner of F-15C 80-0007
http://www.f15sim.com - The only one of its kind.
http://www.diy-cockpits.org/coll - Go Collimated or Go Home.
Some people collect things for a hobby.  Geeks collect hobbies.

ScarletDME - The red hot Data Management Environment
A Multi-Value database for the masses, not the classes.
http://www.scarletdme.org - Get it _today_!

Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical
minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which
holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd
by the clean end.

From roy at flightlab.liv.ac.uk  Tue Jan 31 00:37:57 2012
From: roy at flightlab.liv.ac.uk (Roy Coates)
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:37:57 +0000
Subject: [simpits-tech] Display news...
In-Reply-To: <alpine.LFD.2.00.1201301230460.29760@grumble.deltasoft.com>
References: <alpine.LFD.2.00.1201290806020.8348@grumble.deltasoft.com>
	<CAPe297ZCPo0yGMbqxs2RYhZPwwE9ReZ=homQ6SFg5iwhaWgDcQ@mail.gmail.com>
	<alpine.LFD.2.00.1201301230460.29760@grumble.deltasoft.com>
Message-ID: <CAPe297YvSatYC3HEhxteQ5omj0iP_OidOb40iu1skRUByuT9rA@mail.gmail.com>

On 30 January 2012 20:31, Gene Buckle <geneb at deltasoft.com> wrote:

> >
> Sure thing Roy.  You're talking GA size, right?
>
>
I can see uses for our PA38 (GA), R22 (GA), Typhoon (GA) and J41 (Bigger
than GA)

Roy.
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From geneb at deltasoft.com  Tue Jan 31 04:11:38 2012
From: geneb at deltasoft.com (Gene Buckle)
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2012 04:11:38 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [simpits-tech] Display news...
In-Reply-To: <CAPe297YvSatYC3HEhxteQ5omj0iP_OidOb40iu1skRUByuT9rA@mail.gmail.com>
References: <alpine.LFD.2.00.1201290806020.8348@grumble.deltasoft.com>
	<CAPe297ZCPo0yGMbqxs2RYhZPwwE9ReZ=homQ6SFg5iwhaWgDcQ@mail.gmail.com>
	<alpine.LFD.2.00.1201301230460.29760@grumble.deltasoft.com>
	<CAPe297YvSatYC3HEhxteQ5omj0iP_OidOb40iu1skRUByuT9rA@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <alpine.LFD.2.00.1201310411100.25870@grumble.deltasoft.com>

On Tue, 31 Jan 2012, Roy Coates wrote:

> On 30 January 2012 20:31, Gene Buckle <geneb at deltasoft.com> wrote:
>
>>>
>> Sure thing Roy.  You're talking GA size, right?
>>
>>
> I can see uses for our PA38 (GA), R22 (GA), Typhoon (GA) and J41 (Bigger
> than GA)
>
How does the J41 cockpit compare in size to a Lear 45?

g.

-- 
Proud owner of F-15C 80-0007
http://www.f15sim.com - The only one of its kind.
http://www.diy-cockpits.org/coll - Go Collimated or Go Home.
Some people collect things for a hobby.  Geeks collect hobbies.

ScarletDME - The red hot Data Management Environment
A Multi-Value database for the masses, not the classes.
http://www.scarletdme.org - Get it _today_!

Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical
minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which
holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd
by the clean end.

From roy at flightlab.liv.ac.uk  Tue Jan 31 06:59:08 2012
From: roy at flightlab.liv.ac.uk (Roy Coates)
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:59:08 +0000
Subject: [simpits-tech] Display news...
In-Reply-To: <alpine.LFD.2.00.1201310411100.25870@grumble.deltasoft.com>
References: <alpine.LFD.2.00.1201290806020.8348@grumble.deltasoft.com>
	<CAPe297ZCPo0yGMbqxs2RYhZPwwE9ReZ=homQ6SFg5iwhaWgDcQ@mail.gmail.com>
	<alpine.LFD.2.00.1201301230460.29760@grumble.deltasoft.com>
	<CAPe297YvSatYC3HEhxteQ5omj0iP_OidOb40iu1skRUByuT9rA@mail.gmail.com>
	<alpine.LFD.2.00.1201310411100.25870@grumble.deltasoft.com>
Message-ID: <CAPe297YY82gt2EEdDMVYqTY9jRmUq2jTnRjiPHYmMxzF=iPXNQ@mail.gmail.com>

On 31 January 2012 12:11, Gene Buckle <geneb at deltasoft.com> wrote:

> >
> How does the J41 cockpit compare in size to a Lear 45?
>
>
I should think they are about the same.

Roy.
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From dabigboy at cox.net  Tue Jan 31 23:35:52 2012
From: dabigboy at cox.net (dabigboy at cox.net)
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:35:52 -0800
Subject: [simpits-tech] Visual system questions (Gene) and an idea
In-Reply-To: <CAPe297YvSatYC3HEhxteQ5omj0iP_OidOb40iu1skRUByuT9rA@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <20120201023552.0ES9T.150878.imail@fed1rmwml208>

Hey Gene, in my research on visual systems, I came across a common issue with curved/spherical screens and projectors. It has been noted that even when you use software to warp and edge-blend the projectors for a curved screen, areas further from the center of the screen go out of focus. From the videos of your system, it doesn't appear this is an issue, although I can't really tell for sure just from vids.....I would guess that the relatively minor curve of your front-projection screen keeps the focus issue to a minimum (another big advantage of your system's use of a spherical mirror as opposed to projecting directly onto a main screen), but I am curious: has this been an issue for you?

For folks projecting directly onto a curved screen, I have always thought that it would be better to use some sort of lens on the projector that would warp the image, as opposed to using software. I even saw one sim builder mention this on the X-Plane.org forums, he had a curved screen and mentioned just using a lens on the front of the projector to warp things properly...I asked him about it but never got a reply.

It appears that the lens I seek is a simple fisheye/wide-angle lens, and that planetariums actually use this concept for their projection systems. It makes a lot more sense to use natural optics for the angle correction, as opposed to taking away pixels from the image and trying to shove it into shape with software. Plus you wouldn't need to spend $500+ on warping software. :)

Similarly, for people with cylindrical screens, a cylindrical mirror could be used (I think?) whose angle is equal to the angle of the main screen.

Obviously such a lens for Gene's system would be a little more exotic, since the little front projection screen above the pilot complicates things a bit. I think you would need something that is like a fisheye lens in reverse.

Brainstorming. Fun.......now I need to find my card reader so I can upload pics of my Jeppesen/PFC yoke that I hackerized into my sim. :)

Matt