What size of room do I build - 737NG Pit?

[stephenbalmer]

Dear All,

I've been somewhat stagnant in my build thus far as I have decided (been told) that I need to build an additional room to host my sim pit. Aside from the delay, the plus side is that I can spec the room to purpose - within reason.

Could you please advise, what dimensions of room would be the minimum required to host a 1:1 scale 737NG pit with projected 180-220 degree wraparound visuals?

I've had an extensive look around this and many other online resources and I'm thinking that a 3m x 4m room would suffice. Not gather a clear consensus on room height though?

Many thanks for your help,

Steve

[Ridgenj]

Steve, it all depends on what you want, eg circular 225 FOV screen, FDS Shell etc. I am finishing my pit room. And the maximum I could built is 13x16 feet with 9 feet ceiling.
This is already too small for a workable radius. I think the average recommended radius is 2.5 meters.
Again, all depends of what you want.
Cheers
Luis

[jackpilot]

 

Plan at least for a two cars garage with a ceiling as high as you can afford . (9-10 feet)
Shell:
Width at the Aft End is 8 Feet (2.44 metres)
·  Length Front to Back is 7 Feet (2.13 metres)
·  Height at Aft End is 6 Feet (1.83 metres) + platform approx 40-50 cm.

Mau or Nat may have the right numbers for projectors/screen clearances.
(Scott went on the dark side and cant help lol)

[HarryZ]

With a full size 737 shell and curved 225 deg screen, I'd listen to Luis and go at least 13' x 16'.  You want a bit of room around the sim to service it.  A 9 foot ceiling would be nice but you can get away with a 8' height.

[stephenbalmer]

Thanks very much Harry, Ridgen and Jackpilot, very useful replies.

It appears that I should be aiming for 4.9m x 3.9m and a height of 2.4m.

Would you regard these as minimum sizes, as it may be a struggle to go quite as large as that. I need to keep the footprint below 15 square metres in order to satisfy planning regulations. The height is not really an issue so long as its single storey.

Can you think of anywhere that I could get a room layout schematic, or do I need to do my own from scratch?

Thanks again,

Steve

[XOrionFE]

I agree with Luis.  My space is 12x16 and at one point I had a 210 degree 12 ft wrap around screen with projection and it just made it but 13 ft wide would be a little nicer.  My ceiling height was 7.5 ft and barely got away with that.  Much better at 8ft.  Now I am running 5 60" TVs which I prefer but still barely squeeze into that same 12 ft wide space.

I think that is about as minimum as it gets.   Any smaller and your probably better off building a Learjet or going with a Jetmax from FDS. (And no, I am not affiliated with FDS but don't mind plugging their excellent quality stuff).

Hope that helps.

Scott

[HarryZ]

Can you think of anywhere that I could get a room layout schematic, or do I need to do my own from scratch?

Thanks again,

Steve

Steve,

I don't know of a standard type schematic that is available for someone who wants to build a sim in their home.  What you will get are minimum measurements based on what kind of sim you choose.

Remember, with a 225 degree viewing area, you have to determine what radius (distance from pilot's eyes) you are going to place the screen. The radius is constant, from the centre of the cockpit so map it out on the floor.  You'll then see how far beyond the side of the cockpit platform your screen is going sit and remember you need room to build and service everything.

[stephenbalmer]

Thanks Harry, that is very useful and completely clear. What should I assume to be the radius to use? I have seen many mentions of 2m as a radius distance, is this correct?

Assuming this, then the room must be 4m wide to allow a 2m radius from centre to left and centre to right, plus some small working margin at each side?

Are these assumptions about right?

Thanks again,

Steve

[jackpilot]

You will need more than a small margin. You need access to all components and as you build from scratch allow yourself what you think will be enough X 2.
did you check that one?
http://www.cockpitbuilders.com/community/index.php?topic=1821.msg17641#msg17641

[HarryZ]

Thanks Harry, that is very useful and completely clear. What should I assume to be the radius to use? I have seen many mentions of 2m as a radius distance, is this correct?

Assuming this, then the room must be 4m wide to allow a 2m radius from centre to left and centre to right, plus some small working margin at each side?

Are these assumptions about right?

Thanks again,

Steve

Steve,

2M is a good start for a radius but a lot depends on the projectors you plan to use and the throw distance that they have.  The new short throw units are really the way to go because you don't have to hang them too far back from the screen  to get a 2.5M wide display.  Each projector has a chart for throw distances that give you the width and height of the image you will get depending on the radius.

Remember, depending on what blending software you use, there is an overlap factor of the images.  It kind of gets complicated but once you do the math, it all works out.

[stephenbalmer]

That's a terrific help guys, thank you very much indeed!

One last quick question for now, what projector make and model would you suggest?

Cheers!

Steve

[HarryZ]

That's a terrific help guys, thank you very much indeed!

One last quick question for now, what projector make and model would you suggest?

Cheers!

Steve

I use BenQ MW 814 ST projectors which are native 1280x800.  And remember, you always want to use the native resolution of a projector even though it is capable of higher numbers. The resulting image of a higher than native res is not the best.  These are over a year old so I'm sure they have newer models in the same line.

Then, if you have any extra cash hanging around, you can get the BenQ 1080p units which are full HD. Have to be careful when using these in smaller spaces since their throw distances aren't as good as the 1280x800.

[andthiel]

Hi Steve:

The following tutorial might be helpful for you (Author: Ivar Hestnes).

FYI: My room dimensions are 4.5 x 3.2 meters with a 210 degrees screen, radius: 2 m.

http://www.flightdeck737.be/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Visual-system-tutorial.pdf

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[stephenbalmer]

Thanks also to Andy and Andreas.

This is a terrific response and I am massively grateful to all for the information and pointers.

Building commences in 2 weeks!

Steve

[andthiel]

How's your progress, Steve?

Cheers,

Andreas

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