Well, after lurking here for the last 6 months, I think it's time to say Hello.
My name is Dave Clements and I am from Calgary, Canada. I am 44, licensed pilot (IFR rating + approx 1000 hrs), business owner, and have been working on a B-737 sim for the last 6 months. Planning on using Sim-A with FSX and have spent hundreds of hours here every night reading all the threads I can.
I would like to say thanks to guys like Nat, Ivar, Maurice, Jack, Scott, John, Matt, and many other regulars on this site. You guys are unbelievable in your problem solving abilities and knowledge of all things simulation. I have read so many posts by you guys I feel I know each of you as close friends. All the good ideas you guys created have been going into my sim. A special thanks goes to Chris (ChrisKLAS), who's YouTube videos I stumbled across a year ago convinced me to blow my life savings on a new toy which my wife has come to (lovingly?) despise. After I am broke and divorced, I will hold you responsible for starting my downfall (LOL).
I am fortunate to have a spare room measuring 25' x 25' with 10' ceilings in my shop, which has now become my simulator room. The downside of this is my sim is at work and not at home, which limits the time I can spend building. I built a 14'-6" diameter screen wrapping 240 degrees. I won't use it all but I have the room in case things change in the future. I have my FDS cockpit nose mounted on a wheel base that allows the MIP and interior to easily slide out (thanks Maurice).
Today was a glorious day because I went about building my sim backwards. Being incapable of installing the wiring for a car radio and never having owned a copy of FSanything, I blindly invested (spent) unspeakable thousands on FDS gear, built a special room, learned how and wired every function for every switch in the MIP, including PWM's for dimmable lighting, all before anything got turned on. Today, I finally got everything plugged in and got Sim-A connected to FSX for a short time and managed a few short test flights.
I CAN'T BELIEVE IT ALL WORKED. Good times!
Dave C.
LOL Nice to have you out of the closet Dave. How about a few pics? There is no feeling like seeing what YOU have built!! Good times for sure!!
Congratulations and Welcome Dave!
Good to see you started off on the right foot :D
Nat
Hey Dave, welcome among the finest Crew!
All this knowledge you talk about is collective, would not exist without that worldwide daily chatting which is 80% of the fun! Glad you joined.
That 240° potential is an uncharted idea, and a good one, as I'm convinced that Sim visuals will benefit from the present media technology rat race!
Jack
[quote author=DaveC link=topic=1848.msg14179#msg14179 date=1308539197
I have my FDS cockpit nose mounted on a wheel base that allows the MIP and interior to easily slide out (thanks Maurice).
Dave C.
[/quote]
A Canadian Westerner thanking a Canadian Easterner??? There is hope for world peace after all ;D
Welcome to our mad world. You made amazing progress in such a short time. Of course, using already assembled FDS parts was a very wise move if you can swing it. I f you spend years building & not flying at all, it can get very discouraging but in your case, it looks like the flame will burn bright for a long time :)
As for your wife, mine was quite cool to the idea at first until she realized this was a perfect way to get me out of her hair. Now, when her relatives come to visit and I'm not thrilled with that, she just tells me to get lost in the basement with my simulator and that suits me just fine. I made sure there was a bedroom and washroom in the basement so I really only have to come up for meals. That's the key to marital bliss ;D
Maurice
Great to finally have a fellow Calgarian onboard. Sounds like you have come along way in your build in a short time which is great. If you need any help or a second pair of hands just let me know. We definately have to arrange a test flight as well as your wrap around visuals sound excellent. Look fwd to chatting to you soon.
Gary
Thanks for the welcome everyone. Hopefully I have learned enough to be able to contribute instead of just pilfering.
Here are some photos of the room I built for the sim. The guy in the photos is my friend John who helped build the room.
The last photo shows the cockpit shell finally at home in the room. If you look closely, you can see the outline of the floor section that slides out the MIP from the shell. It is narrower at the front and wider at the back so it self guides into place. Super Slick!
The projector mounted on the ceiling is just a temporary projector I am using for testing.
Lots of work has been done on the sim since these photos were taken. The lower DU is installed and three computers are mounted at the front end and wired up in place and working.
Gary, I would love to meet in person another sim builder. You seem incredibly knowledgeable about heavy iron. I probably need to pick your brain. I will PM you some contact info. Let me know if you want to stop by. If anyone else is ever in Calgary sometime and wants to stop by, just let me know.
Dave C.
Excellent Dave. Your sim room looks superb. Looking fwd to your PM.
Gary
Dave,
What is your screen made with? Drywall, wood, panels or etc? What paint did you use? Also did u include vents for cooling in that screen room? If not, you will need too. We have a window and portable unit for AC...no kidding, the sim and projectors put out a lot of heat.
BSD
The screen is drywall and the white projection area is currently just painted with primer. After I get the projectors that will be used and get the visuals set up I will mask the area down and paint it black to the image boarder. Currently the image area that is available is much larger than I plan on using, but I will have room to expand the image when projector resolution allows in the future.
I am still researching what to paint the screen projection surface. Experience from the projectors I have had in my company boardroom along with some internet research leads me to believe that the color of the screen should in part be based on how much ambient light is in the room. The more ambient light is in the room, the more off-white a color you want like silver or grey. The darker the room is the closer you want to white. I have the entire inside of the room including the roof, floor, and sim base now painted black and doors close in the large opening so I am able to entirely eliminate any external light. The white primer surface currently looks amazing to me right now, but I have no real basis of comparison. Experimenting will tell.
If you look at the very top of the first image above Johns head, you will see a large HVAC vent pumping in cold air conditioned air. Hopefully it is enough.
Thanks for providing the information about your setup. It sounds as good as it looks... About your HVAC, you will need circulation to remove the hot air that will be at the ceiling of the screen room and at the top of your FDS shell. The screen will have the heat from the projectors for sure and the shell, but the shell will have more inside, so the shell should have vent holes on top and behind the MIP backside.
You can count on the room temps going up by 15-20 degrees easy. Our setup room was really insulated well. So, without two AC units it would be 25 degrees hotter! Of the two, the portable is the best because it can cool a 25x25ft room by itself with all the sim stuff. The window unit is backup and for those really hot days outside. Noticed your floor is concrete, so with AC you will get mositure or condensation, so you need to keep control of the humidity of the room. Our portable has built-in humidity control... why is this important?
Because your screen will expand and contract based on temps and moisture content, so if you don't want your drywall joints to start cracking, you must control it. Curves will cause this a lot more and we know because it happened to us.
Edit: you could apply garage floor paint/sealer that is Epoxy brand/type. Our is that way then we had plastic sheeting put on top with a sub-floor wood base over top that, and then padded carpet (low shag) was put on too that. Being in Wisconsin, which is like Canada, presents a lot of weather changes that affect things like this.
Thanks again,
BSD team
Hi,
Just a tip.
We found that a "cheapo" oscillating table fan mounted behind our three beamers will help a lot with transporting away the accumulated heat. (A/C still needed though as we have 7-8 computers + 3 beamers generating heat)
Best,
Bjorn
www.boeing737sim.se
Quote from: DaveC on June 22, 2011, 04:24:38 PM
The last photo shows the cockpit shell finally at home in the room. If you look closely, you can see the outline of the floor section that slides out the MIP from the shell. It is narrower at the front and wider at the back so it self guides into place. Super Slick!
Very smart design/improvement. Wish I had thought of that. :)
Maurice
Have to agree with Bjorn and Maurice. Fans to remove the built-up heat is a requirement and like Maurice says, that back build is really nice...
Wanted to add that you have the HVAC directly above the area where your projectors will be, so what is the psi of the airflow from that vent? Will it be enough to cause small vibrations on the projectors?
If is enough to cause vibration, you will not see it till the projectors are mounted and turned on, with FSX running. Then, you'll see those "ever-so-slightly" vibrations in the projected images as it will affect the focus on your eyes. It's not easy to notice, but you'll know when you start getting eye strain or tired eyes after looking at the images for a while. That's because that slight movement is hard for your eyes to stay focused on...sort of like auto-focus of a camera when it's very small in distance for it to focus and you hear the auto-focus motor of the camera working it's butt off trying to stay focused; well, that is what you eyes go through when working the same way on focusing because of vibrations.
We had oh so many small issues like this to occur and no one can really tell you about them, and only till you see them for yourself do you really know. Especially, in this sim hobby, there are so many trials and tribulations to go through for all. Although, the problems are much eaiser to bare because of forums like this one and all the great friends that are within who have either "been there & done that" or know someone else who has "been done & done that"
Regardless, keep the postings and pictures coming, you sharing will help all of us here at Cockpit Builders sooner or later.
BSD
BSD,
Thanks for all the input. Some of these issues I had not really taken into consideration so the input is really appreciated. I usually have to build everything twice before I get it right anyway.
I have not had any issues so far but I am less than half way there. The room does increase in temperature slightly when everything is running but it has not been a problem so far. I can easily build in some suction vents to draw out warm air if required. The humidity issue I did not think of. I need to ponder that.
Thanks for the input. Really appreciated.
Dave C.
Congrats Dave! Very nice progress on your sim!
I thought I would post some pics of my slow progress. Currently getting all the functions on the MIP worked out and trying to interface the TQ. The MCP is from FDS and was completely plug and play. Super nice (excellent job Pete!). Managed to pick up some really nice IPECO seats from a Continental 737. Fully working and nice sheepskins. Waiting on Yokes from ACE. Hoping they will be here in a few weeks.
I would like to publicly thank fellow member and 747 builder Gary for helping me out on this project. His help has been unbelievable for me. He is an AME for Westjet and is super knowledgeable on the 737. He has made countless trips to my place and spent many late nights helping out. I would have been lost without his help.
Welcome and congrats for your sim, Dave ! Thanks for share those pics and keep coming ;)
Fantastic.. I just really enjoy seing pictures of other builders projects. Keep up the great work.
Trev
Very impressive Dave! Looking great! Look forward to seeing this one come along.
Mike L
Its been a pleasure helping Dave. Your doing a fantastic job and its great to see you add more pics.
Gary
Here are some new photos of my project. Lots has been accomplished over the past 6 months. Dual linked Yokes are installed and working, Seats are mounted to J-rails and bolted in place (working better than Boeing I think), and just today, fellow cockpit builder "Garys" and I managed to get the visual system finished (in its intial form).
We installed and got the Warpalizer software working and took about 5 - 6 hours to figure it out and get the image warping and image blending working. I can highly recommend this software. It is intuitive and easy to use. Fantastic support from Ivar and Olav also.
I built my own projector mounts after trying and then scrapping high priced ones I had purchased. My mounts are fully adjustable in 6 degrees of freedom and are very solid. I mounted a couple of fans at the back to blow air over them to help keep them cool. It really makes a difference.
Everything you seen on the flightdeck is now pretty much 100% integrated and functional. Next step are Rudder pedals and the Overhead. I'll be talking to Peter at the Open House (as soon as he gets me my EFIS units! LOL).
Way cool! The finished product will be awesome.
This is becoming an epic build... Can't wait till you have the liners, overhead and rudders fitted...
Dave,
How far away from Calgary CYYC airport are you?? You prob know but i fly for Continental/United and i have long full day layovers up there all the time. I would love to come check out your sim and do a little flying if your around sometime.
Actually ill be up there all day on the 2nd of next month, your around???
Mike L
Thats what you call projector mounts!!!
People under estimate the importance of "solid" mounting...even I learnt the hard way :o
Well done mate...
Nat
Thanks for the kind words everyone.
Mike, I'll send you a PM.
Dave C.
Quote from: MLeavy737 on May 28, 2012, 07:31:12 AM
You prob know but i fly for Continental/United and i have long full day layovers up there all the time. I would love to come check out your sim and do a little flying if your around sometime.
Mike L
Mike, do you fly to Halifax too?
Nick
Quote from: Flying_Fox on June 05, 2012, 08:39:05 PM
Mike, do you fly to Halifax too?
Nick
Nick,
Unfortunately no, i haven't been to Halifax since i flew Learjets about 11 years ago! Do you know if United flys 737's into there? If they do ill look for a trip to trade for to get up there!
I remember having to divert into Halifax for WX after trying to get to some other airport just East of there.. Dont remember the name. I remember because supposedely i had the last remaining descendant of Alexander Graham Bell on board lol..
Ill look and see what i can find.
Mike L
Hi Mike,
I checked and so far I can see only different CRJs, ERJs or Bombardier coming to Halifax by United. :-X
Nick