[simpits-tech] RE: Simpits-tech Digest, Vol 5, Issue 2
nissim hadar
nissimh at eun.co.il
Thu Jan 1 22:59:20 PST 2004
I can help you with some photos and dimensions ...
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Today's Topics:
1. Re: Simpits-tech Digest, Vol 4, Issue 66 (Steverdiamond at aol.com)
2. making our own PANELS (Jim K.)
3. F16 Panel Dimensions??? (Jim K.)
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Message: 1
Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2004 11:19:03 EST
From: Steverdiamond at aol.com
Subject: [simpits-tech] Re: Simpits-tech Digest, Vol 4, Issue 66
To: simpits-tech at simpits.org
Message-ID: <123.2965ae0a.2d25a277 at aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
hi guys,happy new year to you all,
would anyone have any photos ect of how to connect real 737 controls to
pots
to usb in to the main sim pc??,also kevin foisy,i havent forgotten your
737
eicas panels,will sort out soon,
have a great 2004 simmers
steve diamond
steverdiamond at aol.com
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Message: 2
Date: Thu, 01 Jan 2004 12:07:59 -0700
From: "Jim K." <JimK at sisna.com>
Subject: [simpits-tech] making our own PANELS
To: Simpits <simpits-tech at simpits.org>
Message-ID: <6.0.1.1.2.20040101120453.01c25418 at mail.sisna.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
Hi All,
As we all know the odds of all of us locating real light panels for all
the
instruments in the pit is about 0%.
So I've tried to find some panel makers out there on the web and there
are
a few but I thought I'd check to see how difficult it would be to make
our
own panels.
Let me start this off and say if we can't make super high quality
looking
panels then its not worth the effort and would be easier to just buy the
panels online from one of the panel makers.
So I've taken apart a real NVIS Illuminated light plate panel. Its
actually a rather simple design. We could actually make them just like
real panels but this might be an easier method. Now I don't have a
drawing for this so you'll just have to picture this all in your
head. :-) I have pictures there all the time. hehehehe.
Goooodddddddd
beeerrrrrrrrr.
You get a 1/4" thick piece of translucent milky white plastic. You mill
it
down to the correct size with the corner cutouts. You also drill out
the
holes where the switches would pass through.
Now you paint the top surface with a translucent white paint. After
that
you paint the whole thing a nice flat black.
Now here is the tricky part. You need to etch the black paint on the
top
to put in your lettering. The tough part is that etching needs to only
remove the black paint. So I imagine it needs to be done by laser
etching. The other option is to use a more white colored plastic
material
for the panel so you don't need to use that whilte paint. But whatever
plastic you use it needs to allow light to easily pass thru it. Anyway
I
think that sign makers would probably be able to etch in the lettering.
Once the lettering is put in, then we need to work on the lighting.
LEDs
are the best for this. Now in the real NVIS panels white LEDs are used
that have little green filter caps placed over them. This makes the
light
green and does not interfere with a pilots night vision equipment.
>From
the back of the panels you drill in small holes, that do not go all the
way
thru the material. These will be where the LEDs are placed. You need
enough of the LEDs to illuminate all the lettering and any switches that
need lighting. You can sand off the black paint in the switch holes
where
you want the light to shine thru and light up the underside of the
switch/knob.
Now in the real panel the LEDs are located on a PC board that has a
circuit
traced on it. On the bottom of that is a back plate that completes the
real panel. So in the real panel you have the top 1/4" panel. That
panel
is hollowed out a little to allow room for the slightly smaller PC board
and back plate to fit on the back and screw together.
We could do away with the PC board and just place the LEDs into those
small
holes we drilled and then hard wire them all together.
Then we make a rectangular back plate out of 1/16" aluminum just like on
the real instrument. We then make a small hole for the 2 LED wires to
stick thru. Now if we want to be fancy we could drill a few more holes
into the back of the top plastic panel. Then we can put in thos small
nut
gizmos (which I forget the name of right now...nutserts???). We then
make
small holes in the bottom metal plate to correspond with those
"nutserts"
so we can actually srew the top plastic panel onto the bottom plate.
We attach all the switches and knobs to that bottom aluminum plate just
like the real instruments.
Now i know I'm missing something here that would make this all
impossible,
so please tell me where I've gone astray.
But it seems to me there are three four problems or obstacles to
overcome.
1. Can we find a local person to do the engraving?
2. Will that engraving be to expensive?
3. We need the dimensions of all the panels.
4. Some panels like the landing gear panel which has some color to it
might
be to tough for us to do. But we can always buy 1 panel if we have to.
Now I'm going to post this exact same message on simpits and see what
those
guys say, but give me some input here guys.
If we did this as a team we might be able to reduce some costs. The
biggest cost is going to the lettering engraving. On the real panel
they
are photo etched or laser etched since you can't even feel the lettering
when you slide your finger over them.
What do you guys think?? Where is my thinking wrong????
Jim
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Message: 3
Date: Thu, 01 Jan 2004 12:10:57 -0700
From: "Jim K." <JimK at sisna.com>
Subject: [simpits-tech] F16 Panel Dimensions???
To: Simpits <simpits-tech at simpits.org>
Message-ID: <6.0.1.1.2.20040101120953.01c27dd8 at mail.sisna.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
Hi all,
Does anyone here have or know where to find either drawings for or the
dimensions of all the panels in the F-16C ??
Jim
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