Ideas

Ideas to Ponder

LCD Display Guages

Concept

The idea is to use a 17", 19", or better LCD monitor mounted to the back of the instrument panel to provide support for display guages. With the proper layout of guages on the monitor and the appropriate masking on the instrument panel it would appear that the guages are mounted there.

Could use Viewsonic 16:10 aspect ratio LCD display for entire cockpit - possibliy even communications stack.

Questions

Q: How would we handle mounting for the yoke? Some guages are at the same level as the yoke mount (Cessna 172)

Q: How would we handle switches for ignition, alt/battery, lights, master avionics, etc.?

Q: How would we handle bugs for adjusting guages? Mount rotory encoders and use phigets boards to read?

Q: Could we use the same trick for comm/nav/adf/transponder stack? Would we want to use a seperate monitor to allow for standardizing on a common comm stack and only use primary monitor for swappable cockpits? How do we handle controls? Phidgets?

Q: Can FSUIPC be used to monitor in sim guages?

Links

• FSxPand - Custom guages on mounted LCD monitor
  http://cockpitsolutions.com/flyware/
• Lluis Pere Molina's sim - nice LCD layout
  http://www.simkits.com/builderlluismolina.php
• VFR Pilot - Mono Pilot Kit
  http://www.dmartias.fr/vfr-gb/mono.htm

Pics

Simulating Garmin GS-430/550

Concept

It would be nice to provide a in panel or externally mounted GPS Garmin simulator. It would also be nice to be able to interact with the simulated GPS unit as if it was real - the buttons and knobs are there and work.

• Some have used PSOne displays and wired up buttons to drive the RealityXP Garmin clones.

Better Yoke?

Concept

The CH Products Yoke is fine as a first yoke, but something better will eventually be desirable. It would be nice to handle a full 360 degree rotation.

Questions

• Q: How do we handle the additional controls that we have grown accustom to on the CHP Yoke? I would like to continue to have the ability to select views from the yoke (POV hat, next/prev view button)
• Q: Can we provide a PPT for the comm? Of course we can it's a question of how to mimic a real aircraft - some have a button on the yoke, there are buttons you can mount on the arm.
• Q: How much travel does a real yoke have?
• Q: Can we support dual yokes, or is that asking for too much?
• Q: Can we gut the CHP yoke and remount and wire the grip? (reuse the control etc)

Annunciator Lights

Sites

• Mike's Flightdeck
  http://www.mikesflightdeck.com/annunciator_lights_1.htm

LVDT - Linear Variable Differential Transformers

LVDTs could be used in place of pots for sensors. Uses include yokes, push/pull throttles and mixture controls.

Sites

• Mike's Flightdeck
  http://www.mikesflightdeck.com/lvdts.htm
  http://www.mikesflightdeck.com/lvdt_circuitry.htm