Scott (and Rob's...) Chicago 737-300 Build

[matta757]

Sh...was such a good reason to fly-in!
But I can understand the facts

My sim is now  inop as I prepare for a major overhaul too
Leaving dear old PM /fs9/XP on 5 PCs for a more up to date setup with the latest MCP/CDU hardware
With a bit of apprehension as I feel I could "repair" any glitch with my old setup and having to adapt to new softs and realities...
Anyway all the way with you whatever you build

Jack

Thank you Jack.  You are the quintessiantial fs9 holdout.  You really got mre mileage out of a platform than anyone in its history.  Bravo.  Nice to see you are still at it and going to upgrade.  When done I wish to visit.  Long overdue!

Best regards,
Scott

I'm still running my 767 on FS9... when I feel I am ready to turn my life upside down I will be switching to P3D... 

I did just add an FDS 747 CDU to my setup and am in love with it.

Shame to see your 732 go by the wayside Scott, it was a beautiful pit, but I understand the reasons. You wouldn't have a power supply you won't need any longer that you want to get rid of, would you? I need one for my gauges...

Best,
Matt

[XOrionFE]

Hello Matt,

Yes, I do have a 400hz AC power supply I am selling.    It is an APC AFC-500W.    It is on ebay right now.   Start bid at $750 with a buy it now of $1000.   It weighs about 110 lbs so buyer pays shipping.

Not sure if that is the type you need but many gauges require this tyoe of power.   I am keeping my other power supplys for the NG rebuild.

Best regards,
scott

[XOrionFE]

And so I lied......
The -200 is still alive.

I won't elaborate right now because if I change my mind again I don't want everyone thinking  am a nutball but a few of my most important peers (personal sounding boards...) know the score.    Suffice it to say the Chicago -200 is still alive.

Scott

[Nat Crea]

 

[kurt-olsson]

Your my idol Scott! Hehe
Every night before i go to bed i am thinking of building a -300 or a -800 so i completely understand the switching!

My plan if i would go the -300 is to replace the motors in the analog gauges. The amazing caravelle project was done this way. I would also never have the guts to use more than 28v, my skills in electronic sucks and it is thanks to rob i understand the little i do.

Been looking for the 737-300 mip panel on ebay all day long...
Right now i am short of cash though, but i need new parts soon as my panel interface is moving along well.

Keep posting, always fun to follow your build!

/Peter

[fsaviator]

Scott, you keep me motivated.
I was back in the US for about ten days taking care of some things (including a chance to get out to SC and watch my daughter graduate Basic) and I sat in the garage for a while staring at the pile of boxes against the wall that hold my sim.  Still crated up.  I have no idea when I'm going to be able to realistically put it back together.  It was kind of disheartening.

After reading your post though, I am renergized.  Thanks!  I still need get out to Chicago to see you. 
Warren

[XOrionFE]

Scott, you keep me motivated.
I was back in the US for about ten days taking care of some things (including a chance to get out to SC and watch my daughter graduate Basic) and I sat in the garage for a while staring at the pile of boxes against the wall that hold my sim.  Still crated up.  I have no idea when I'm going to be able to realistically put it back together.  It was kind of disheartening.

After reading your post though, I am renergized.  Thanks!  I still need get out to Chicago to see you. 
Warren

Thank you Warren and also thank you for everything else you do.

Would love to have you by some day.   If ever passing through Chicago you have to let me get you out here and do some flying and grab some beer and grub. 

Best regards,
Scott

[sagrada737]

Hey Warren...  I second your praise of Scott's efforts.   If you ever find yourself in Chicago land, definitely take advantage of Scott's invite to see and fly his Sim - you will be inspired by what he has done with his Sim project.  Scott is one of those unique people that has the ability to focus on a project and make it happen.  He is a pretty remarkable guy, with a diverse range of skills - an ongoing inspiration for most of us.

Not to be too philosophical....   I think I speak for most full-scale Sim'rs, that it is sometimes difficult to see your way to a finished Sim project.  This is mainly due to the nature of what seems like a never ending application of our own ideas on what a Sim should look like, how it should be constructed, and how it should perform.  Not to mention the continued desire to tweak and improve on what we have completed.  And just when we think we get it figured out, in come new issues and opportunities in life to complicate matters.  Getting from A to B is always a challenge...  In essence, for most folks, a Sim project is never truly completed - it is in reality more of work-in-progress that yields some measure of joy and satisfaction that hopefully is in balance with other aspects and dynamics that fill our life.

Indeed, in the reality of life, we may find our Sims broken down and packed away, awaiting a time when we can "get back to the project".  Or the Sim project that worked great yesterday, and now nothing seems to function correctly.  This can lead to a sense of frustration as we look around and ponder our passions against our responsibilities and consider exactly what is important in life, and deeply consider what we are doing in life.  This tends to strike us on occasion and bring us to our knees, where we consider chasing one quest after another, and the dilemmas that typically follow - only for us to latch onto another quest.   

As related to our Sim projects, this is especially true when we look around at a project that is scattered around the house in various stages of operation, or boxed up due to circumstances.  Working on these full-scale Sims is a major effort, and it can consume one's life if not careful.  There is a time and season for everything, and the challenge of building a Sim project, or getting back into our Sim projects is no different.  How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time - all in balance with a healthy diet for the things in our life.

As a gesture of affirmation to you...  Take great joy and satisfaction is what has been given to you - for it is the little moments that are the most meaningful - like being there for your daughter's graduation.  These are truly the big things in life.  Don't be disheartened, the Sim will happen when it happens...

Likewise...  If you and/or your family ever find yourself in Las Cruces, NM, you are always welcome to stop by for a visit and fly my Sim.  It would be great to visit with you.

All the Best,
Mike

[jmcmanna]

That's great to hear (about sticking with the -200).  I am about to tackle a DC-9 cockpit I just obtained.  I'll be following as I try to integrate as much of the original cockpit as possible into a flyable machine.

[jackpilot]

Did you get the collimated display with it ?

Jack

[bernard S]

Jim  looks like an old delta sim to me ..If this is the case then you lucked out ? and I won't tell the source lol ..like i said if this the case.. then do not tear into it and start ripping out wires etc to make funxtion with fsx etc..  .. there is no need..the control loading is already in place the work is already done for you why reinvent the wheel , i assume you nabbed one with motion ? if so its a 1k solution to get operational yeap that not a,typo the cards although old can still be repaired  .. just get some guru to do a interface to whatever out the window view you want ..to read your up down left right faster slower and stop and your done ..fastest build in history also the cheapest lol

[jmcmanna]

Bernard,

Yep, it is a Delta sim, got it for a steal.  No motion, though.  I don't intend to do a lot of ripping stuff out of the dash, but this will be my first time attempting to work with avionics/instruments like this (my previous sim was a 737ng).  If anyone can point to resources to help will be most appreciated.  I expect a lot of trial-and-error.

[pcpilotmd80]

Jim,

Hope this helps for your DC-9 sim,, I contacted them. It they told me "just to figure it out" but hopefully they will be helpful to you .  Guess because I didn't have a real cockpit like them. Haha.  http://www.dc-9.eu/en/ And yes I totally have DC-9 sim envy right now.  Nice to see another MD/DC guy on this site. Have a home made DC-9 cockpit, but it's my slice of heaven.  Coolsky DC-9 is the best program out there for realism and homebuild integration.

Best of luck!
Mike

Ps I have lots of family in Wisconsin I would love to see that some day, I'm in southern Illinois.

[bernard S]

Jim    I think perhaps and this is my take. so don't get vexed at me  they and the whole sim are already 100 percent operational .. you got the racks right ?..by racks you got the FMC etc  if this the case just add power ..via a 240 volt frequency converter ... if you start taking out wires,and stuff you are heading for huge huge  did I say huge monumental  problems.. your little project now exceeds most on here... its,really simple bud .. stop thinking fsx xplane etc ..you now how to change your entire thought process to how does aircraft work,buses etc ..you are now in big leagues lol...my suggestion as first job.... figure out the power and light her up ! in closing remove wires and you are doomed ..in short what you have is,stand alone sim only thing you need figure out is how to get out the window view to function with your flight controls

[XOrionFE]

 Nice discussion guys....now can I have my build thread back? 


Here are some updates on my build.    Last weekend I finished wiring up thr "T" of the overhead with two Teency LCs and Rob's custum breakout cards.   I also began running wiring harnesses down each side for each module to supply 28vdc, 5vdc (dim-able backlighting), and ground on 3 pin molex connectors.  Each module will have its own Teensy with a couple of the smaller modules sharing one.   Fun stuff.   I am running local fuse protection for each run and they go back to busses in the rear wall of the sim.  Those busses are wired back to my rack with 12 gauge runs and all color coded and on real aircraft circuit breakers.   Here are a bunch of pics.

Scott

[bernard S]

very cool build..here's your thread back lol..my bad

[sagrada737]

Hi Scott,

Very impressive work thus far.   You really have done a nice job of wiring up the instrumentation!   Those "red" circuit boards...   Did you custom make them?  Keep up the good work.

Mike

[jmcmanna]

I apologize for the thread hijack.  Once I get the sim moved to my garage and have questions (of which there will be many) and other stuff to add, I'll start a new thread.

The auction people are very much "figure it out", and I do not doubt people will give up on getting their sim out of there because of the ridiculous logistics involved and tight timeline.  The building in question is being demolished in a week and a half, yet they won't let us do the required work on the exterior of the building to actually remove the sim until next week...none of this was disclosed up-front, either.

The racks, computers, power equipment, etc... did not come with the sim.  The auction company doesn't know anything about this stuff and sold it all separately because it was in a different room.  With that, the internal wiring in the cockpit will remain in place, but the wiring from the sim to the building has already been severed.  There are people who have already responded who are way more advanced than I am.  I thought I was going to go flight control by flight control switch by switch, and gauge by gauge and interface into FSX/P3D.  (That's why I commented in this thread).  It sounds like that might not be the best option, though, and I am all ears if anyone who knows better has tips or suggestions.  Although the power has been cut, I'm certainly not 'gutting' anything and can easily tie into a 240v power source.  I am getting the impression that this may be more "plug and play" to some degree than I realize.  Boy, am I an amateur!

[Nat Crea]

Beautiful work Scott 

Nat

[kurt-olsson]

Wow! I will steele lot of stuff from this setup, looks really nice and clean!

[kurt-olsson]

By the way, do you or Rob have any of those BOB to sell?

[XOrionFE]

By the way, do you or Rob have any of those BOB to sell?

The ones I have I will likely use and I know Rob is out of them.   That said I am sure he can place another order.   I think he may be planning some enhancements to it though before he orders another batch.     You may want to message him directly.   

Thank you for the comments,
Scott

[kurt-olsson]

Cool, i will send him a pm, thanks.

[XOrionFE]

Overhead Busses complete and overhead reinstalled in Cockpit.   T (center and lower portions) is all working now.   Time to start the individual modules one by one.  These should go quick now.

Scott

[kurt-olsson]

Hooooly *bad word*

This can be the finest home cockpit i have ever seen!
Very nice groundwork with the busses, cant belive you got it up this quick.
It took two nights for me just to identify the pins for the engine anti-ice.

Keep posting, and i would love a video of just filming around and showing the cockpit from all angles.