What have you done for your simulator today?

[navymustang]

This last month has been spent on the custom turbine engine model for my military helicopter sim. I always knew how terrible P3D and other sims modeled turbine engines, but this in depth dig into the inner workings of P3D really showed how rudimentary the models are.
Unlike the airlines with Boeing and Airbus aircraft, my helicopter needed to exist down in the weeds with things like engine motoring, hot starts, N1 and N2 turbine speeds, manual versus automatic starts, etc. None of which are modeled by P3D.
It was a complex set of logic but the hardest part was the sound files. P3D does do a nice job with sound files if all you are doing is starting and stopping the turbine. But on a helicopter turbine with a governor, P3D doesn't know what to do when you turn off the governor. So that meant logic that faked the RPM values when the governor was off (not 100% RPM). It also meant I could not use the P3D sound system. So I created all custom sounds for the two turbines that included unique sounds for motoring only, engine start with ignition, engine start with ignition and combustion, engine running at ground idle and engine running at flight idle. I also needed to model engine cooling effects when motoring so that a restart could occur once the ITT dropped below 150 degrees C.
I am sure that if a turbine helicopter pilot was to stop by and watch my sim in action I would learn even more. For example, I have no idea if the N2 turbine spins when motoring the N1. I'm guessing not.
But, it's real enough for me know and was lots of fun getting up and running.
All engine gauges are modeled using Air Manager and I found a fantastic piece of software called "Turbine" which creates engine sounds for you based on the engine design. But it would be a several hundred dollar investment that I am not sure would show significant benefit for now.
There are lots of other sounds including rotor sounds independent of turbine sounds, blade flap and tone changes due to torque load which are part of my sim. I can't wait to get it actually flying with visuals soon.

[RayS]

Started the New Year off by installing a newly-acquired B1900 Co-Pilot yoke. It has the requisite 'Cobra Head' switch stack so now I have a full complement of B190 yoke controls.

THEN I think it's finished..............................

[masmaz]

Hi,
I am building a motorized TQ but I would like some advice on which servomotor I can use
regards
max

[Jason L]

I've spent spare time the past few weeks converting 2 OEM audio panels for use with prosim.  Gutted them, installed and arduino with mobiflight, and have a nice finished product.
Backlight isn't dimmable since the lights for the activated buttons are dual purpose.  They provide the backlighting AND the lights for the active buttons.  Had to replace the OEM ones as a few were burned out.  Unfortunately only had COOL white LEDs and not warm ones, but still happy with results.
Did not incorporate the volume control (pots) as there was just not enough room for another arduino in there and I wanted these self contained.

[FSAddon_boss]

Looking great Jason !!

Also, thanks for all your contributions here, many posts help me stay on the ball.....

Am preparing a post to show my progress over the past 2 months...... since I was diagnosed with an intestine tumor and running from one hospital to another, I just got even more determined to DO this project that has been 40 years in the planning....   

[bernard S]

hunted down these

[Jason L]

To the untrained eye, that looks like a steel bushel basket...I'm sure it isn't but help me out 

[FredK]

That's for the beer....when is the party?

Fred K

[bernard S]

okay  so you all give up... they are afterburner cans

[FSAddon_boss]

okay  so you all give up... they are afterburner cans

       

[sagrada737]

Looks like you are making incremental progress Bernard.  I like your methodical approach to this project.  Nice work!

Mike

[FredK]

My major project this winter will be to do some maintenance and upgrades on my converted 737 throttle quadrant. Looking back through my paperwork records I was surprised that it has been nine years now since I tackled that. I thought the timeframe was much shorter than that.

I want to engineer a better setup for my trim wheel motion, and one of my string pots has been acting up as late. It is going to be a major project since I need to remove the seats and pedestal unit to get at it.  There is a hell of a lot of spaghetti wiring that runs through all of that. As such I will be replacing all the pots and motors while I am at it. I will also be replacing the Open Cockpits DC MotorPlus interface for good measure.  Supposedly there have been some upgrades made.

The good news is that I had a pleasant surprise when I ordered the string pot replacements from UniMeasure. The cost for each is $160 which is exactly what I paid for them 9 years ago!

All told my TQ is 30 years old....21 years in a United Airlines 737 and 9 years in my sim!

Fred K

[bernard S]

vanity items because I can :-)

[bernard S]

opps forgot the pic

[RayS]

Bernard, looks like you're starting your own private air force over there!

[bernard S]

he he i have more than 1 airframe so you could be on to something ....lol.

[bernard S]

doing stuff

[fsaviator]

Wow, isn't anyone working on their sim lately? Or, you're just not posting about it...LOL!


John

I wish I had the time.  I've been traveling and working almost non-stop - haven't fired the sim up in months.
However, the traveling has included several trips to Greece where I am in the process of mapping out my exit strategy from work - and planning the final sim hanger for my sim.

[MistyBlue]

Things have been quiet on my end with the holidays and time constraints.  I did fix my RevSim TQ trim motor (for now) but decided to take a break and work on a different kind of sim project.

[RayS]

I've been putting in a LOT of work on a sim... just not mine at the moment. A good friend of mine recently moved and he had to tear down his sim to relocate.

It took a day to tear it all down. that was late last year.

We're still working to get it all back together. He's gone whole-hog though.. We build a 8' x 16' elevated platform for a forward galley/Instructor station and room for a  First Class section.

After MONTHS of building, engineering, choking on sawdust, tonight we (sorta) had a flight, but we are making tremendous progress.

I'll ask him if it's ok to post some pics....

[Jason L]

Pedestal work.  That about sums it up.  Waiting on some parts from OpenCockpits to show up so I can finish this unit.  Using some transformers and upconverters so I only need to provide either 5v or 12v to my systems.  Transformer for 3v for OC backlights, Transformer for 9v for my 2 arduino units, and an upconverter to go from 3v to 12v to support one panel that has 12v backlighting.
I DO NOT like working with IDC cables.  I am not a fan of SIOC right now either.  Self inflicted wounds with both and a 'aha' moment when I figured out what I was doing wrong.

[blueskydriver]

AWESOME! Look at these things going on with everyone!

First, Warren it's good to see you posting. Just do it more often my friend, was starting too worry about you 

Bernard, you and Ray are definitely hitting the building aspects pretty hard. Which is great! Albeit, I'm totally jealous of you guys!

OMG Tony, what's up with the old school meeting the 21st century pinball machine?! I thought I've seen it all, but this takes the cake!!!

-Mike and Fred, you guys gotta make some YT videos, we all wanna see the changes you're making. With both of you having very in-depth sims, the changes you do make are way ahead most of us, so the videos help all of us catch up 

For all the other folks posting in this thread, thank you as I do read every single one of them....

John 

[RayS]

doing stuff

Since I was a young boy I always admired the T-38 & F-5 Talon. A simple, elegant looking aircraft with great lines.

[bernard S]

indeed until you start on hydraulic lines and learn what a talon bite feels like

[bernard S]

added some green for putt putt