What have you done for your simulator today?

[RayS]

Completed the upgrade to XP 11.10.

The road to 11.10 was convoluted to say the least. Flythissim.com software refused to work in 11.10, so... time to gut it and replace it with Ellie Avionics Avidyne PFD.

1. 4 months of code work on the Ellie PFD
2. Connect the Ellie PFD to a MySQL backend (For things like V-Speeds, etc.... This will grow exponentially this year)
3. Reprogram the Avidyne PFD buttons and knobs to work with Ellie
4. Reprogram the Avidyne autopilot to work with Ellie PFD
5. Upgrade to XP11.10

All in all, it was a painful but rewarding process. All of this work was to get to 11.10 so I could benefit from the bug-fix of corrected ground-effect modeling. (Something the developers inexplicably left out of 11.05, causing the aircraft to nosedive right before touchdown, among a few other aerobatic surprises...)

There's still some work in the Avidyne, since I'm now taking advantage of the autothrottle system... I have to add various bits to display the Autothrottle status in the PFD.

Incredibly, the only nuisance in the sim after all this work is that my "Landing Gear" light refuses to extinguish.

I'll take that, and enjoy the fact of no longer paying a $300 annual maintenance fee for FlyThisSim! 

[Trevor Hale]

Its Fixed...  But Craig will have to repost his post.

This time don't break it LOL

Too funny.

Be careful when you keep adding and adding and adding, your better off making a new reply!

Trev

[Caflyt]

Ok,
So as I was saying........
I have mostly  finished my projector screen. I used 1" square aluminum tubing and had a friend of mine who has a machine shop bend it in a 10 1/2 foot radius ( all the room I have).  I used vertical support made from aluminum screen enclosure parts found at Home Depot.  Then I covered it with 3 mm expanded PVC  sheets.
I still have to paint it with a projection screen paint for best results but that can wait. So far the results are pretty awesome.

Ok, here goes!!

[jackpilot]

Superb...
Where did you get those PVC expanded sheets, what brand, because here (north) they stare at you blank when you ask for PVC sheets (in my neck of the woods anyway    )

[Caflyt]

Jack,
I get it locally at Piedmont Plastics.
https://www.piedmontplastics.com/products/pvc-foam-sheet
As far as "brand" I really don't know but it may be Sintra or Celtec.
A 4'x8' sheet is $27 US.

Craig

[jackpilot]

Thanks...

[FredK]

One eighth inch Masonite sheets are bendable and work well for a smooth screen surface.

Fred K

[Caflyt]

Jack,
Are you near here?

[jackpilot]

Thank you I will call them tomorrow.
Hope they are not wholesale only...

[Caflyt]

Mine here isn't.
I just walk in and buy it.
I have purchased about a dozen times from them.
Craig

[Bob Reed]

I have been working on a lot of stuff you can not see. Like the air file and other "hidden" things. I have made a few cosmetic changes in the old girl. Lights under the MCP have been swapped out for some "soft" white lights. Some minor adjustments to the the way PM is adjusted inside the bezels... But here are a few pics just to let you see....

[jackpilot]

Your TQ looks great !

[Bob Reed]

Your TQ looks great !

Thank You Jack! Its been good to me for many years.

[iwik]

Bob, its look great. Come a long way in a short time since i watched you and Ray building
the shell. Keep them coming.

[Bob Reed]

Bob, its look great. Come a long way in a short time since i watched you and Ray building
the shell. Keep them coming.

Thank you iwik! It has come a long way and it is so much fun to fly. At the moment I am doing more flying then working, but that is not a bad thing. Much more to do. Keep watching...

[Caflyt]

That is looking really cool Bob!
Great work.

Craig

[Caflyt]

It's starting to look like an airplane...finally.
Excitement level is going up!
Still a lot of work to do...Rewire the entire overhead and add all gauges, finish throttle rebuild, and all interior finishes.

Craig

[Bob Reed]

Looks like a flyer to me!! Nice job Craig!! 

[jackpilot]

nice shot and cockpit Craig!

[Ed]

Short little Youtube video of where I'm currently at with the FDS shell and liners. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acelySDKbqk

[zillmer]

So progress on the maintenance continues. All the power supplies have been re-sited and connected up to fuse boxes and the supplies for anything PWM dimming related has been separated from 'clean' supplies to minimise interference on the audio.

The Flight Control Panel and Anti-Ice panel have returned from Sismo with solenoid held switches for the Yaw Damper and Wing Anti-Ice, and have been reinstalled. At the same time the pedestal flood light from Sismo was installed into the overhead and connected up with the FDS dimmer in their pedestal.

Recent progress has been delayed by a bout of flu, but I am now on the mend.

Delivered today and therefore the weekend project are 2 buttkickers and a BFF simulations shaker card.

Also arrived today was some sheepskin fabric, which, when dyed grey and then with the magical touch of Mrs Zillmer will replace the fabric seat covers on my OEM Weber seats. Also awaiting replacement foam for the cushions.

FDS Oxygen Mask panels are clearing customs and hopefully will be collected on Saturday as well, so all being well, on Sunday the simulator will be upgraded and back in full operation.

Will endeavour to post some photos over the weekend.

Cheers

Simon.

Still a fair way to go,

[Atomic_Sheep]

Today, I opened the door... again:

P.S. Craig, that looks superb!

[Bob Reed]

Today, I opened the door... again:

P.S. Craig, that looks superb!

It starts as such a little thing.... 

[Atomic_Sheep]

It starts as such a little thing.... 

The bottom right one is actually pretty beefy! Again, CAD doesn't do it justice.

[Marco ERJ]

Found a few 5-minute blocks here and there, and ended up with the thrust levers wired to a PoKeys 56U card. Yes! We got power! Or thrust, whatever... 
Some progress at last!

Marco