you can follow this thread to see how Asi is doing the panels - :<br><a href="http://viperpit.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1359&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15">http://viperpit.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1359&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15
</a><br><br>they are made with clear pelxy, cut in a CNC, sprayed a few coats of white then a few of black, them the letters are engraved in CNC<br><br>Ido<br><br><div><span class="gmail_quote">On 11/17/06, <b class="gmail_sendername">
KD</b> <<a href="mailto:chevello@rcn.com">chevello@rcn.com</a>> wrote:</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">OK, here's the way I imagine certain simulator manufacturers do the
<br>panels (just so you guys know. I'm not saying it's the best, but it is<br>reasonably inexpensive except for the EL lighting. Those are about $120<br>each, and you have to design them then buy them in 5's. Runs out to<br>
about 2 grand a cockpit PLUS inverters) Some sim makers use PhotoEtch or<br>AMI to do the panels. That runs a few thousand per panel.<br><br>Start with white TRANSLUCENT acrylic sheet, and clear acrylic sheet<br>1/16" thick. The laser engravable signing material is too opaque, and
<br>too thin, and too shiny, and the black layer is too thick to look right.<br>Cut out the shape of the panel in both the clear and translucent. Cut a<br>ring, the same size as the outside of the panel, and about 1/16" wide.
<br>Stack the 3 pieces and glue them together (as in laminate them so that<br>the glue is spread evenly throughout the panel.) Sand the edges nice and<br>smooth after the glue has dried, then paint them with a semi-flat black
<br>paint. The ones I have seen specify a Sherwin Williams paint, but they<br>smell like Krylon. It would be worth a piece of plastic and a can of<br>Krylon to see if it works. After the paint is dry, the panel goes into<br>
the laser, which is set to etch just through the paint and into the<br>plastic a little to make sure it's even. The paint should be at least 2<br>coats, and check it in the sun before you engrave, to make sure it is<br>opaque.
<br><br>Light from behind, either with EL sheet cut out from the EL sheet place<br>I liked to a while back, or mount onto a metal panel with windows where<br>the text is, and light it from behind. Using LEDs makes hotspots unless
<br>you do it the way the type IV VII, whatevers have them with little<br>silver cones in the bores, and 15 lights per panel, little light pipes<br>machined into the panels, and probably 3 passes through the<br>silkscreener, one silver, one white and one black.
<br><br>While writing this though, I wondered. I wondered if there is a paint<br>that can be masked and etched chemically like the way circuit boards are<br>done.<br><br>See, now everyone is going to be bugging Gene to try it out :D
<br><br>*obligatory "OOooooooohhhhhhhssss and AAAAAHHhhhhhhhs" for the new shop*<br>VERY nice. The only real answer to the floor problem is Self-Leveling<br>Epoxy Flooring. mmmmmmmm, nice. Too bad about the ceiling. The words
<br>"back charge" comes to mind followed by "small claims court" rapidly<br>followed by "no vacation left" and "Lawyers are HOW much an hour?"<br><br>Ugh that was too long. I should be DOING something. Like making sure the
<br>garage isn't leaking as bad as the house..<br><br>K<br>_______________________________________________<br>Simpits-tech mailing list<br><a href="mailto:Simpits-tech@simpits.org">Simpits-tech@simpits.org</a><br><a href="http://www.simpits.org/mailman/listinfo/simpits-tech">
http://www.simpits.org/mailman/listinfo/simpits-tech</a><br>To unsubscribe, please see the instructions at the bottom of the above page. Thanks!<br></blockquote></div><br>