[simpits-tech] Lurk over

[KD]

OK so I just caught up on a couple of weeks' worth of the list, and have 
a few tidbits to throw in.

Gene, on your RC remote video aircraft, you have me wondering if you 
have found a real F-15 to fly from the pit in the shed. I'm thinking FAA 
clearance might be tough to get for that... :)

I like the idea of a simple pit kit. I couldn't spend the cash for one, 
but then I am handy, have 3 kids, and drive an hour and a half o get 
home from work. My money is being used by the clothing store, grocery 
store, and Exxon. You might do as said before, offering plans for 
different types (I see you already have that) and offering kits in 
steps. You know, get the Fuselage kit first, then the IP kit, then the 
side console kit, Canopy kit and so forth. Or the kits in stages. Buy 
the fuselage and add your own IP, side consoles, whatever. I would 
design so that the seat can be anything from a real NACES or ACES to an 
extra orange crate that someone might have hanging around, or those 
cheap blow-molded dunebuggy seats they sell at Summit for 89 bucks. I 
prefer a car seat though for mine I have a sim seat I pulled out of the 
scrap at work. Possibly think about one fuselage section with different 
IPs for various acft that all fit in the same one. Then, as someone's 
sim life progresses (as from Target drone, manned, non-maneuvering to 
fast jet) he can buy other IPs to add to his already purchased pit. Not 
really a money maker, but something people sometimes consider when 
buying "Is it upgradeable?" Consider selling the kit of only the tough 
to make parts. Things that you would need to use the shop-bot for unless 
truly a jigsaw sadist. Long skinny parts or square-ish parts would 
arrive as templates along with the ribs. Maybe even make the templates 
out of 1/4" masonite or something easier (cheaper) to ship. What about 
entire template kits? All 1/4" masonite or MDF. Trace and cut! It's easy 
to build your own sim pit! Just a few suggestions that I thought of 
while reading.

LCDs vs. mechanical gauges: Mechanical gauges have "the LOOK" It's what 
we all really want. It increases the depth of the simming experience. 
The simkits and others have their limitations, and sometimes it doesn't 
make sense to build a whole nother computer or two just to run gauges. 
LCDs have their limiotations too. SOmeone mentioned viewing angles, and 
another mentioned yoke clearance. These are things that we deal with at 
work every time we build a new pit at work. Most aircraft don't have the 
IP arranged so that you can use a single LCD, or even a pair of them if 
you are trying to make your sim really look like what it is supposed to 
be. I am constantly arranging and rearranging instruments so that I can 
fit things on a screen. Thank the good Lord for the internet. It makes 
communicating with the software guys in Poland easiER than it would be 
otherwise. There is a patented process called Tannas-Sizing where they 
actually cut the LCD screen to make it the correct shape and size for 
what is needed. From what I have been told, they first cut one glass, 
then flip the screen and cut the other. When they break it, they have to 
be REALLY careful, and they have to pay a licensing fee to the owner of 
the patent. Then, they seal up the cut edge and put the whole thing back 
together. The shop-bot has me wondering if this would be possible to do 
without hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment. Would it be 
possible to put a glass cutter on the shop bot and cut the glass in a 
perfectly straight line, then do it again on the back glass? That 
reminds me. You guys should see the 20"x8" F-35 display we just bought. 
It is a thing of beauty made from 2 monitors. Sometimes a combo of steam 
gauges and LCDs is what we do. If there are just one or two instruments 
that I absolutely need, and NO way to get them on a screen behind the 
IP, then we put mechanicals in.

One of the most difficult things to do is to get buttons in front of the 
screen. I have a half dozen different things that I do to get the screen 
close to the back of the IP bezel, and still fit switches like for the 
MFD or knobs for the baro alt or horizon adjust. I could tell you them, 
but then..well, you know... ;)

So there are my comments, and I hope you enjoyed them. I need to go 
think about how to get my servos and drives working for my pit controls. 
It's just a little Akers-Barnes, but I want a floor stick not a side stick.

Anyone else going to the Andrews AFB air show next weekend? I'll be 
there on Friday. I have to go take measurements and pictures of the F-35 
Full scale mockup. I have to do that now that I am done designing our 
F-35 module. Go figure. NOW I get information.

Please ignore extra commas in the above. I am tired and need to breathe 
more often when I am tired.

K