New Forum Survey: Homebrew Cockpits (see below)

[flyboy 28]

What the heck is a Homebrew Cockpit?

[Vchat20]

its basically an imitation of a real life plane cockpit with controls, gauges, the works. but designed to run flight sim software such as fs2k4. atleast thats whats in my mind. someone else can explain it a bit better.

[JBaymore]

Flyboy28,

If you go back a couple of messages in this thread... I posted a hot link to a pretty sophisticated one of a generic fighter jet.  That is a good indication of the types of things that some folks are doing.  Some are far less realistic... and some ar far MORE realistic.

The idea is to deal with the "suspension of disbelief".... just like what a director and an actor does in a good movie.  With the environment far more realistic...... and visual cue distractions from the outside world less...... you "fool" yourself more to think that the sim is "real".

There are even full 747 flightdecks.... sometimes invloving converting real aircraft parts and panels to sim use.  Soome people have a LOT of money to spend on this stuff  ;).  (I don't.)

So I am approaching this idea for as cheap as I can do it reasonably well..... over probably about a year's time ...plus or minus.

best,

...............john

[OTTOL]

What the heck is a Homebrew Cockpit?

Your'e not alone, I thought it had something to do with an airborne micro-brewery!  :-[

[Vchat20]

[quote]
Your'e hot alone, I thought it had something to do with an airborne micro-brewery!

[JBaymore]

Will + all,

More on the general "software hunt" for the simulated homebrew cockpit:

I found a freeware program on the Project Magenta (payware) site that is called PMsound.  Like the other PM stuff, it is set up to run as a stand alone program running minimized on one of the networked computers on the system using FSUIPC and WideFS.  It adds various sounds relating to what is happening in the simulator....based on the data stream that fsuipc is accessing.  I found that it could be run at the same time as the other freeware flight instrumentation gauges are running.

The thing that will make this setup kinda' unique is that the sound is now being generated on a different machine from the "stock" stereo FS2004 sounds.  So you can "locate" the source of that new sound differently in the cockpit environment.

One of the sound sets is "callouts" by the copilot.  So if you output the soundcard playing that sound to a speaker in the cockpit located over toward the right seat side...... the sound will come from over there.  It will sound more like the copilot talking.

Then you can run a different version of the PMsound program on one of the other computers driving the "glass cockpit" gauges (since you'll likely use at least two additional machines).  Because you can select which sound files get played in the PMsound setup...... you can then have another speaker coming from another location in the cockpit...... like say from the panel somewhere for the alert horn sounds.

If you are running a third machine for another flight instrument gauge you could then add a third directional sound location for something like the gound avoidance sounds that PMsound does.

This simple audio stuff will certainly increase the realism effects another notch.

This gets more interesting to me all the time  ;).  And so far not a lot of expense........ "junk" computers running this extra stuff.


best,

................john

[Professor Brensec]

I just popped into this thread, out of curiosity.

It's something I've actually thought about.

I was at a 'reposession' auction about 6 months ago and saw a few of the old "Star Wars" type video game "Cockpit" type consoles. The one where you can sit inside it and there's a screen and a couple of buttons and speakers.

I thought to myself, some wizz at electronics or something could close it off, so there was a door that sealed you in on the open side with say, five computer screeens.
Positions of the screens (according to your usual FS format of views) from your left at 90 degrees on the number pad, 4, 7, 8, 9, 6,.
This would give an illusion of 'total simulator'.

If someone had the knowhow they could interface all the "bells and whistles" as you put it, in the form of a 'true' contol panel where you would operate manually, all the controls.

I couldn't do it. And five screens would be expensive. More if you wanted to add rear and rear-quarter views also.

A month later I saw that you can actually buy such a thing (with 3 screens, but it can be built on). I saw it on the Net. I'm not sure where, it was in a Sim site somewhere, in the form of a pop-up.

I'd love one. Especially a 'self contained' virtual and physical cockpit as I've explained.

From what I gather this is the sort of thing your'e talking about. Maybe not as eleborate or 'all sealed inside' like a large Simulator, but something similar.

If I was an electronics man I would be doing it now.
The old 'Star Wars' console, complete with padded seat and door on one side, went for $80-00.  ;D

[JBaymore]

Professor,

Yes... that kind of stuff is what I am talking about.

That might have been an $80 well spent on the StarWars leftover.  Could have formed the basis for a reasonable home flightsim cockpit setup.

If you go to Google and do a search on simulated cockpits and such....... you will likely be AMAZED at what you find that people have done or are doing.

If you go back a few messages in this thread I posted a link thjat shows a fighter cockpit.  It is pretty sophisticated... but by no means the most sophisticated stuff that is being done.

I am having a lot of luck in getting the basics in line for this idea.  The small network thing and using a couiple of junker type PC's to power flight gauges seems pretty easy.

best,

.................john

[Smoke2much]

John,

This program that you have that outputs FS data to 3rd party programs.  Would it be capable of out putting Artificial horizon data to four heavy duty electric motors.  I have a cunning plan.....

Will

[Professor Brensec]

Is it possible to run just one simulation (eg CFS2) onto 5 different monitor, giving the five different views I mentioned?
I imagine you'd have to use one of the 'addon' programs you've been talking about here. I don't know anything about Pc's or electronics etc. I have the ArrCabb carrier addon and run FSUIP, so I know that it allows two 'otherwise incompatible' programs to run with each other. Is that a reasonable assessment?

Anyway, I know they have Government auctions here evrey few months and you can pick up a package of say......6 monitors (probably older style, but working) for about $100-00.
I'd say getting all the manual contols and switches to 'control' the Sim features would be the most difficult thing.  ;D

I dunno, but I reckon if I had one of those old video game 'compartments with the seat' etc and I completely shut the outside world out, it would make for a better sim experience even with just the one monitor like I have now.

(Listen to me, I'm going on like a little kid with a toy........................hang on........that's what the Mrs ays all the time....................My God, I'm turning into my mrs............................ahhhhhhhhhhhh)  

[Scottler]

Forget Star Wars.  lol

I was looking at things for this type of project last week or earlier this week (it's sorta a blur...one of those weeks), and I found a Japanese video game called "Airline Pilot" that is  basically flight sim.  You sit in the game, obviously, and you've got three or four 29 inch monitors forming almost a full 180 degrees.

It was $6,000, which is why I don't already have it in my den, but the thought was VERY tempting.

If I could have justified a way to spend $6K on a game that works, only to tear it apart....lol

[JBaymore]

[quote]Is it possible to run just one simulation (eg CFS2) onto 5 different monitor, giving the five different views I mentioned?
I imagine you'd have to use one of the 'addon' programs you've been talking about here. I don't know anything about Pc's or electronics etc. I have the ArrCabb carrier addon and run FSUIP, so I know that it allows two 'otherwise incompatible' programs to run with each other. Is that a reasonable assessment?

Anyway, I know they have Government auctions here evrey few months and you can pick up a package of say......6 monitors (probably older style, but working) for about $100-00.
I'd say getting all the manual contols and switches to 'control' the Sim features would be the most difficult thing.

[Smoke2much]

Excuse my ignorance, but what is a fresnel lens?

Will

[BFMF]

What happened to that Time's article on that one bloke who's building a B737 cockpit??? I could have sworn it was here in the General or Cafe boards, but for the life of me I can't find it.

Also, even though it would be really cool to have one of those, If I had an extra $30,000 dollars to spend, I would finish flight school

[JBaymore]

[quote]

This program that you have that outputs FS data to 3rd party programs.