Greetings from Tasmania

[rs3tier]

Hi All

Just wanted to say a quick "Hi" and comment on what a great forum this is.

During the last 6 months I have been messing around with FSX and spending a lot of time of VATSIM trying to learn all I can about aviation/737's etc (absolutely zero knowledge prior to this!)

I am far from a purist in terms of cockpit building (lacking time, talent and money for this) but am working toward creating a moderately immersive environment in my garage.

I am currently running 4 pcs (3 for displays with wideview and a primary for FSX/iFly CBE).  I have a Jetmax arriving in the next day or two and after reading all the info here on TV's versus projectors I have tonight ordered 3 x 55" tv's which I am almost as excited about as the Jetmax.

If all this works out, I am then hoping to look at a shell early next year to help complete my immersion (for now).  I like the look of what FDS have on offer for a shell but will need to have a chat to Peter about whether the Jetmax will be an "easy fit" or not.

here at the monitors just purchased.. really hoping they will be ok.  Certainly a good price point I think. http://www.kogan.com/au/buy/55-led-tv-full-hd-120hz-pvr/

Again, hi and thanks for all the great info.

Rob

[XOrionFE]

You are going about it right Rob.  Congratulations on the Jetmax from FDS.  It will be fantastic with those TVs!

Welcome,

Scott

[rs3tier]

Thanks Scott

Interesting you should reply.  You probably wont be surprised to hear it was watching your video yesterday with the 3x60" that firmed up my decision to order the 55"s.

Should be a fun Christmas (said everyone but my wife)

Rob

[Aerosim Solutions]

Welcome Rob, I'm here in West Oz if you need any bits and pieces. I will be opening the doors again when my sim is finished!
Cheers Gwyn

[Kennair]

Hi Rob, good to see another Aussie active in the forum and building his own kit.  Love the Jetmax, not sure how it would build into the FDS shell however, but there's always a way depending on your skill and ingenuity. 3 x 55" tele's, noice! Love those borderless frames too.  I picked up a bargain of 3 x 42" tele's from Kogan a year or so ago, couldn't fit the larger ones in my space.  You won't be dissapointed.  Even though you say your a novice, you certainly will have a full blown system by the looks.  Let us know how the iFly CBE works for you.  Many here seem to be using Prosim or Sim-Avionics so would be interesting to see how the iFly compares.

Cheers and keep the pix flowing,

Ken.

[rs3tier]

Thanks Ken

I will definitely get a few pics up once we have the initial build out of the way.  It is very handy I am about to take some leave from work!!

The Ifly recommendation came direct from FDS and given my limited experience I was more than happy to accept it.  I have had it installed in my current setup for the last few weeks so I can get up to speed with it before the Jetmax arrives (I was previously using the default 737 in FSX so you can imagine I found a decent add-on somewhat more challenging!)

As for the shell, that is just a "what I might do next" and really depends on a range of factors... not least of which is the logistics of making it all fit together- I did see some footage on youtube the other day where someone did have a Jetmax inside a shell, but no idea if it was an FDS one. 

If the shell goes on the back burner,  I also have a inkling of an idea I might go for an additional 2x55 screens to increase the FOV out  to 225 degrees but more than happy to see how the 3 of them work out first!  There is never a shortage of "what to do next" ideas it seems.

And I really am a total novice!! .. promise... but if everything goes to plan, I have to say this is a good time to be starting out in the hobby.. it seems $20-$25k can get you a lot more than it used to.

Thanks for the welcome

Cheers,
Rob

[Caflyt]

Hi Rob,
Just to let you know, I am using IFLY CBE in my setup and it is quite capable.
Using IFLY2FSUIPC and the IOCP module it is very easy to assign all of the offsets through FSUIPC and have everything running in just a couple hours. I believe FDS also has pre-configured files to get you off the ground quickly.
CBE may not have some of the bells and whistles that the other suites have (I.e. Seperate sound module etc....) but it is certainly user friendly and easy to configure.
I have my instruments running off of two different computers and it was a breeze to get them all working once I read the docs. The Forum is also quite active and lots of info is shared there. Contact me if you'd like via pm if you have any questions about my IFLY setup.

Craig in Florida

[Kennair]

I'm interested as the iFly 737 is the first heavy made compatible with P3D v2.0 (albeit with some niggles).

Ken.

[Caflyt]

Another good thing about the Ifly package is you get several models, i.e. 300 through 900 series (although I only use the 800) as well as be BBJ. It also comes with its own flight model and very nice visual model. Several aspects of the cockpit are customizable i.e. MCP type, FMC functions etc. and they offer great support. The list of offset variables is quite extensive also and most functions are usable. If you download the IFLY2FSUIPC.......                                                                      ( http://library.flight1.net/?p=4311 )and read the PDF docs included you'll see a long list of offsets.
I do not use Prepar3d so cannot speak to that aspect.
As I said in my earlier post, it may not have as many bells and whistles but for the price of admission it is quite acceptable! And it's easy peasy to set up in a networked situation as most of our cockpits are these days.
Craig

[glooker]

Good day Robert.
I saw your post and thought I should say hello, I am in Victoria.
I am considering whether to go the three OHP route or the three LCD screens.  As you have gone with the LCD option and you have used Kogan Tv.
When you get it up and running I would love to see the pictures and your thoughts on the use of LCDs.
While I do not have a Jetmax I have used FDS in my 737 cockpit and would be happy to provide ant technical advice I can.  If you want to PM and I will send you my email address.
Greg

[rs3tier]

Thanks Craig, Greg and Ken

As I said earlier, I will definitely put up some pics and also add my observations of how I think the LCD's work out for me in terms of immersion.  Obviously I cant compare to what a curved screen setup would be like, but I am currently running 22" and 19" LCD's for front and side views (3 x 22's out the front and 2x19's for both left and right side) and although I like the concept, I am really not happy with the final outcome at all - this is where I am hoping for MAJOR steps forward with the big TV"s.

Craig, I most likely will PM you (will do a bit more research first) - I am finding myself a bit confused now about how to setup Ifly CBE in my environment.  I will have 3 PC's running displays only, which leaves my4th PC for FSX/IflY - my dilemma is I am not sure whether I should use the Client software to run the gauges (i.e main PC acting as both server and client) or just use the gauges directly from the main FSX instance.

Cheers,
Rob

[Kennair]

Guys I can give you some observations on the comparision between projectors and LCD TV's.  Firstly Rob you'll notice a big difference between your 3 x 22" LCD's and the new 55".  I went from a similar 3 x 22" to 3 x 42" and the difference in immersion factor is huge.  My bezels are wider then yours (approx 20mm) but these fade into obscurity quite quickly.  By way of comparison I also part own a commercial B777 with a 3 x projector 9.5m wraparound view, and while this is totally immersive I'm quite happy to go back to my personal 3 x 42" Tele's without suffering any withdrawal symptoms.  My home TV's are full HD while the projector sim is SD so this makes a big difference.  I haven't experienced HD projectors and I'm sure this would alter my perceptions due to the greater detail.  Having said that, seeing Scott's setup with 5 x 60" LCD's certainly makes up for the wrapped view of projectors and takes the alternative to a whole new level so if you end up going this route I think you've hit the jackpot.  Consider also the space needed for a 3 projector view against a 5 x TV view, your tele's will fit into a much tighter space.

Ultimately you make your own decision based on personal preference but that's why its so good have all manner of alternatives displayed and experienced in forums like this one, you get to have others test bed your choices first. 

Ken.

[glooker]

Ken
Thanks for your input and advice.  I would love to see some pictures of your LCD set up.
Greg

[Kennair]

Ken
Thanks for your input and advice.  I would love to see some pictures of your LCD set up.
Greg

Pleasure Greg, take a look HERE.

Ken.

[rs3tier]

Hi Guys

Ok, it has been a bit of time since my last post, but we have been busy down here.  Both the 3xTVs and the Jetmax arrived 2 days after christmas (merry xmas to me).

Prior to that I had purchased the 3rd PC I needed for the visuals and was busy over the few days prior to xmas running that up and also rebuilding the other 2 "visuals PC's".  They had initially been setup under Windows 8 and that was a mistake I think - I was getting regular CTD's etc. so back to Windows 7.

See attached a few pics through the build process.

The quick summary is I love it!!  Either the screens or Jetmax individually would have been terrific, but to do them both at the same time has just pushed the immersion through the roof.

In terms of performance, I am getting 40+ fps for the visuals on the ground at a heavy ORBX airport such as melbourne.  So in theory this is great but I am getting a bit more "stuttering" than I would like when taxiing around so I think I am going to have start looking at some of the tweaking sites as I do remember reading a while back that FPS alone doesnt tell the whole story.

For a first flight last night, the night time visuals were just great.. some moonlight, clouds, starts etc...

I plan to purchase 2 more of the TV's asap (in the next week I hope) so I have an exact match for the current 3 - but then I expect they will stay in the box for a while until I can absorb the time and money cost to buy/run up to more PC's for them.

We are planning to build five mounting systems (plates and poles similar to what I have seen on Scott's setup) for the TVs in the next week or two.

The main feeling about all this was the minute I sat down in front of the new rig, I immediately felt my next step for increasing the immersion will be to look into options for a shell.  The TVs do such a good job of the scenery concept that I really feel like I want to be looking out the windows!!...

So, one happy camper here!

Cheers,
Rob

[rs3tier]

And here a few pics that should have been with the last post.

[Kennair]

Wow full steam ahead hey Rob.  Nice work at this time of year.  I can certainly vouch for Scott's method of monitor stands.  Very cheap compared to factory solutions and very sturdy.

Ken.

[XOrionFE]

Looking great Rob!  You are headed toward a fantastic experience.

Scott

[rs3tier]

Hi again

Just a very quick update on this.  I have had the 4th and 5th tv's arrive, but am waiting on PC's to run them.  Got held up due to video cards being out of stock apparently.

Anyway, we have built 5 stands for the tv's and think it is going to work out pretty well.

We have used 40mm RHS and welded them up, and then used a simple bolt with captive nut mechanism in each leg to allow for adjustments - basically just stick a socket on them and wind each corner up or down as needed.

I have attached a couple of photos, and will upload another one once they are all in place around the Jetmax.

Cheers,
Rob

[rs3tier]

Hi again

I have got the 5 tv's running with the Jetmax and thought it would be good to show a little video of where I am up to.

Sorry I had to split it into 2 files -- iPhone causing trouble.

Hope you like it.

Cheers,
Rob

[rs3tier]

Hi

This should be the last update for a few months I think (until the Jetmax overhead arrives)

We were advised the FDS Shell and the Jetmax would not go together nicely - no real surprise there given what the Jetmax is designed to do.

So we had a go at cobbling up a timber shell.  Nothing to fancy, but the enclosed space really does work well, and for just a few hundred dollars in timber cost, how can one go wrong!

A couple of pics attached.

Cheers,
Rob