aeromax 10 Posted November 3, 2011 Report Share Posted November 3, 2011 What´s about the "buttkicker" ? Link to post Share on other sites
M31 0 Posted November 8, 2011 Report Share Posted November 8, 2011 I think I'll keep that, there is a newer digital amp version but the differences are minimal. Link to post Share on other sites
needles 1,013 Posted December 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2011 UPDATE!! I know it's been a while since I last added anything tangible to my panel, but I have had a great summer, building our granddaughter a dolls house for Christmas, so that had to take precedence. OK! I have now added the six Saitek Pro Flight Instruments to the panel. I managed to get them for £94.00UK each from Pixmania, although I believe they have gone up in price since I purchased them. http://www.pixmania....rument-pan.html Here are the instruments in place. In the future I would like to have some sort of GPS system installed into my panel and hopefully for Christmas I would like the Saitek Cessna Trim Wheel, which I have just enough room for next to the multi switch panel. I have been talking to Jack aka 'Aircraft Aviation' about adding some night lighting, using LEDs. To install them I am going to use 2 x 24 led flexi strips, which will be inserted in the underside of the glare shield. To get them powered I have bought a 400w PC PSU. This will be fitted inside my panel and will power the led strips using the +5V connectors from the PSU. I am hoping that the PSU will also power the Master Card and Expansion Card from Opencockpits. I'm going to use the Opencockpits Cards to switch the night lighting on and various other switches. Here are the cards in question. http://www.opencockp...tp-c-21_27.html http://www.opencockp...tml?cPath=21_30 Those of you that already use these cards, will know from the picture that I have also bought the corresponding Input/Output connector cards. This is to facilitate easy connection to my night lighting LEDs and other switches rather than have to solder everything. (I'm a carpenter not an electronics engineer ) As you can also see from this picture, I have had my aircraft ID badge made. I chose this because I am going to make a small airfield in the village where I live and in will be on the shores of Loch Ness. Hence, G- Loch Ness Air Field. Apologies for the blurr. (No excuses ) Here is a shot showing the method of cable management I'm using inside. Once I have the electronics installed, I will be able to determine where the bulk of the grey cable holders can be clipped up. It will, eventually be a lot neater and tidier than this. I have also labelled everything to make life easier when plugging everything in. I have yet to receive the powered USB hubs that will take care of powering all the instruments, yoke etc. Another Christmas box hopefully. OK!, That's all for now, suffice to say that now the Dolls House is finished I will be paying more attention to my panel build. I am starting straight away in the new year. For now, I wish you All, a very happy Christmas and a Healthy, Peaceful New Year. Cheers Link to post Share on other sites
hurricanemk1c 195 Posted December 18, 2011 Report Share Posted December 18, 2011 Great progress Brian - nice to look at too! Link to post Share on other sites
needles 1,013 Posted December 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2011 Thanks Kieran, hopefully after Santa has been I will be installing the powered usb hubs and I will take a shot with all the instruments working. Link to post Share on other sites
mutley 4,498 Posted December 19, 2011 Report Share Posted December 19, 2011 Thanks for the update Brian, looks good with the instruments you have at the moment and icing on the cake will be the GPS, it looks great. Cheer... Joe Link to post Share on other sites
needles 1,013 Posted December 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2011 Cheers Joe. Not sure how or when I will do the gps but it's definately at the head of my wishlist. Have a good day. Link to post Share on other sites
ddavid 149 Posted December 19, 2011 Report Share Posted December 19, 2011 ... and the doll's house?!? My, those cable-tidies are useful, eh? Cheers -Dai. Link to post Share on other sites
needles 1,013 Posted December 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2011 Hi Dai, Check out Mods' chat. Oh and yes! The cable tidies are really handy. I am still waiting to see if Joe has used them under his desk. The last picture we saw of his set-up, showed several miles of spaghetti cabling under the desk. Cheers Link to post Share on other sites
M31 0 Posted December 27, 2011 Report Share Posted December 27, 2011 Cant see the images Needles? Link to post Share on other sites
aeromax 10 Posted December 27, 2011 Report Share Posted December 27, 2011 What´s about the "buttkicker" ? I think I'll keep that, there is a newer digital amp version but the differences are minimal. Thanks for letting m e know ! Link to post Share on other sites
needles 1,013 Posted December 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2011 Cant see the images Needles? I have resubmitted the photo's now so you should be able to view them. Thanks. Link to post Share on other sites
M31 0 Posted December 31, 2011 Report Share Posted December 31, 2011 Cant see the images Needles? I have resubmitted the photo's now so you should be able to view them. Thanks. Thanks, this is looking very very impressive and exactly the kind of panel I'd like to build my gear into. In the new year I'll be purchasing one of the Saitek trim wheels too, as for a GPS ... I do recommend the VR Insight GPS 5 and despite what the company say it can work with FSX in full screen, its a bit expensive new and I got mine by being patient and having it in my saved searches on Ebay for a while and eventually scored it for about half price, there is new software now for it too that is much better ... its effectively a second LCD monitor but with the right dimensions and working buttons and push button rotary switches ... can be used at the switch of a button for ATC text now as well. The Saitek switch panel definitely needs illumination for night flights ... I took mine to bits and tried to light it from the back, that never worked, so for my set up I bought one of those USB flexible light stalks meant for laptops and painted the lens clear red, this works but if I do build a panel like yours I'd do something more real looking. Link to post Share on other sites
needles 1,013 Posted December 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2011 Glad you like what I've done so far. I considered doing what you have done for the night lighting (which looks pretty good and simple to do) but I wanted something hidden into the underside of the glare shield. Cheers But the new year will bring in a workload on the panel that hopefully, will get the night lighting, GPS and various other alterations to it. Watch this space, as they say. All will become clear. Happy simming for 2012. Link to post Share on other sites
M31 0 Posted January 1, 2012 Report Share Posted January 1, 2012 Needles, if you need any help in testing or tweaking your Saitek gear, en masse or future proofing a GPS to your panel, let me know ... looks like I live not too far from you. I've hesitated to post this next thought, but I've spent nearly as much on Saitek hardware as Needles, all is guaranteed to work in FSX and most in FS9, but the ludicrous secrecy over the forthcoming MS Flight means we don't even know if this sim will be traditional MS or just a Hawaii Flight game at this stage? i'll just leave MS FS division to their top secret Flight announcement expected first week in January ... but even then I don't expect them to answer much more than if it will be a Hawaii sim or not?, will our substantial investment of third party hardware ... as myself and Needles have splashed out on even work in the new sim? I've talked with Saitek, they don't know, Aerosoft offered a glimmer of hope of inside knowledge, but they don't know either. At this point we can only build for FSX and at this stage of my life I'm more than happy with that, FSX or even FS9 with goodies is a very nice world. Link to post Share on other sites
needles 1,013 Posted January 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2012 Hi M31, Firstly, Happy New Year to you. Secondly, thanks for your offer of help regarding tweaking hardware. Much appreciated. Have you stuck your flag on the members map yet? It gives us all an idea of where we all are in the world. You have intimated before that you are in the same region as me but I'm not sure whereabouts you are in relation to me. You and I have indeed spent a small fortune on hard/software but it's a drop in the ocean when you consider what money has disappeared from the coffers of members such as Jack aka Aircraft Aviation or Max aka Aeromax and also many others here on Mutley's Hangar. It's our love of our, all engrossing hobby, that persuades us to part with such great lumps of cash to keep us in the virtual air. I personally would not be without it now. Or for that matter, without Mutley's Hangar. It's a great, friendly forum with an overwhelming amount of knowledgeable guys, ready to lend their hand or expertise to us unconditionally. So, hope you have a good year of simming and watch this space for future upgrades to my panel. (Also Jack's and Max's) Cheers Link to post Share on other sites
stu7708 244 Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 Looks like you're making good progress Brian! Those cable holders look like the same brand I have at home, they are great but if I remember correctly they left my fingers full of small cuts after getting the cables in there. Hope you we're more sensible than me and got the small tool avalilable to feed the cables in to it..... Link to post Share on other sites
needles 1,013 Posted January 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 HI Micke, A Happy New Year to you and the family. I had no cuts I'm pleased to report. The cable tidies came with the small tool so I used it. Major changes to the panel this year though. Stayed tuned. Cheers Link to post Share on other sites
mutley 4,498 Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 Next job Brian, by a Cessna to house it in! Looking forward to 2012 updates! Cheers..2012 Link to post Share on other sites
needles 1,013 Posted January 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 Next job Brian, by a Cessna to house it in! Looking forward to 2012 updates! Cheers..2012 Mmmmm! Methinks!!! Dost thee knowest where one may findest such a contraption? I await thy reposte with much eagerness. Pip pip. Link to post Share on other sites
M31 0 Posted January 3, 2012 Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 Hi M31, Firstly, Happy New Year to you. Secondly, thanks for your offer of help regarding tweaking hardware. Much appreciated. Have you stuck your flag on the members map yet? It gives us all an idea of where we all are in the world. You have intimated before that you are in the same region as me but I'm not sure whereabouts you are in relation to me. Hi Needles, Happy New Year to you too. I've not planted my flag yet but will do soon, I live in Elgin close to RAF Lossiemouth, reading back on this thread again I see you are on Loch Ness side ... nice one, Inverness was my (and my late Dad's) birthplace ... I used to love Bike runs from Inverness down Loch Ness to Fort William to see an old girlfriend. I don't suppose you know some one called Gavin Findlay who the last I knew early to mid 90's (at least) also lived on the shore of Loch Ness? He was a very clever engineer who worked at the old Ardersier fab yard and he thought me a lot there. I'm so looking forward to seeing the release of Playsims Photo scenery for our area, have the Western Isles and Orkney Shetland already and the forthcoming Southern Scotland looks stunning, very high resolution (the highest yet) once we get all of Scotland in Photo scenery with Scotflight updates of course ... I'll be a very happy person ... looks like you prefer the same light aircraft type of flying I do too. Check it out ... http://www.flightstore.co.uk/vfr-photographic-scenery-generationx-vol.asp/simulation/PHOTO12 Best of luck with your panel build, its certainly given me much food for thought ... I see you can get a sort of pre fabricated one for Saitek gear ... its possible I could save up and buy this, my wood work skills are not up to yours But I also don't think it would be near as professional as yours either ... I cant find the link for it anymore, but it was made from stainless steel and had the capacity for about the same amount of Saitek instruments yours has, built in PSU with lighting ETC, was about £670 as I recall. Link to post Share on other sites
needles 1,013 Posted January 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 Hi Again, Like you I can't wait for Playsims to get their act together regarding the Scottish scenery. It's been a long wait. I don't recall seeing a panel with it's own PSU built in. Having said that mine is about to have a PSU fitted. I already have it, it's just a matter of time to get it done as I am also fitting various LEDs and electronic wizardry as I mentioned earlier. Can't wait to start it but wifey has a few jobs around the house lined up for me this month. Cheers for now Link to post Share on other sites
needles 1,013 Posted January 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 Hi Guys, A duet of pics to show what's been going on since Santa came. I received a 10 port powered USB Hub for xmas and here is what it is being used for. As you can see my 6 flight instruments are now working like a dream. I also got a mini keyboard to use whilst flying so that I don't have to make room for my full size keyboard. It's extremely handy and even has a touch pad for certain functions. I would recommend one of these if you are short on space. The dimensions are 125mm x 86mm x 18mm. and it's Wireless. I got it from Maplin for £29.99. Check it out here:http://www.maplin.co.uk/mini-keyboard-with-touchpad-for-media-centre-517250 I am going to use velcro to stick it somewhere on my panel but I am still playing with the best place for it. More pics when I have it in place. Thanks for looking. Link to post Share on other sites
aeromax 10 Posted January 4, 2012 Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 Nice addition, cool, cheers Link to post Share on other sites
mutley 4,498 Posted January 4, 2012 Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 Ah Maplins, one of my favourite shops Love the idea of the remote keypad, does it do function keys or will you just re-program it? Cheers for noo Link to post Share on other sites
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