OpenCockpits military style com/nav radio

[navymustang]

For those who are building military sims I wanted to let you see a new radio I just received. The radio is a complete multi-channel Com/Nav/ADF unit that has a fit/form for use in standard Dzus rails. It is flat black.
It is currently running on Beta level software which has a few bugs in it, but when complete will be a great option for your sim.
In my sim it is mounted below the pilot CDU on the center console.

[ame]

Nice to see Dzus rails getting a mention. A lot of panels I have seen are designed to look about right, but if they are not accurate then they won't sit alongside other panels from other sources, especially if you have Dzus rails with accurate hole spacing.

And it's not hard to do it properly. Here's a great article which explains everything in detail, but in summary, many panels are supported by a plate 5-3/4" (146.05 mm) wide, and multiples of 3/8" (9.525 mm) tall. The plate is generally 1/16" (1.6 or 1.5 mm) thick. The fascia of the panel is made from 1/4" (6.35 or 6 mm) material.

https://mycockpit.org/tutorials/Panelbuildingfocussedondimensions.pdf

I have built a few panels with 1.5mm thick aluminium sheet, and either 6 mm thick MDF, or a 6mm deep 3D-printed fascia.

[Joe Lavery]

I have built a few panels with 1.5mm thick aluminium sheet, and either 6 mm thick MDF, or a 6mm deep 3D-printed fascia.
[/quote]

Aluminium may be the optimal material to use but is much harder to work with, particularly on panels that have a lot of switches and buttons. My little CNC would do the job but my laser is by far the better option using acrylic. After all its a backing panel and never seen. Incidentally how do you backlight MDF?

[ame]

I have built a few panels with 1.5mm thick aluminium sheet, and either 6 mm thick MDF, or a 6mm deep 3D-printed fascia.

Aluminium may be the optimal material to use but is much harder to work with, particularly on panels that have a lot of switches and buttons. My little CNC would do the job but my laser is by far the better option using acrylic. After all its a backing panel and never seen. Incidentally how do you backlight MDF?
[/quote]

Ah, it was for a Bombardier Challenger 300. Panels are not backlit.

In general the aluminium panel can be cut and drilled by hand, using the CAD drawing as a template glued on to the front, or just measuring carefully and scribing or centre-punching. Even the fascia can be done by hand, but it's a lot easier with CNC routing or 3D printing.

[bernard S]

i am doing mul.sim .what caught my eyr was mfds and buttons where did you get them

[navymustang]

The three 15" MFDs are supplied by Ruscool

https://ruscool.co.nz/

The 12 buttons are managed by an Arduino Nano or larger, depending on model. They can be programmed by the owner, or are supplied with a sketch that emulates a joystick keyboard input.

[Joe Lavery]

I have built a few panels with 1.5mm thick aluminium sheet, and either 6 mm thick MDF, or a 6mm deep 3D-printed fascia.

Aluminium may be the optimal material to use but is much harder to work with, particularly on panels that have a lot of switches and buttons. My little CNC would do the job but my laser is by far the better option using acrylic. After all its a backing panel and never seen. Incidentally how do you backlight MDF?

Ah, it was for a Bombardier Challenger 300. Panels are not backlit.

In general the aluminium panel can be cut and drilled by hand, using the CAD drawing as a template glued on to the front, or just measuring carefully and scribing or centre-punching. Even the fascia can be done by hand, but it's a lot easier with CNC routing or 3D printing.
[/quote]

Ah that now makes more sense, although isn't it difficult to add the text legends to MDF. Or do you perhaps use transfers or something similar?

I've seen some superb Youtube work done by hand, but I'm too old to be make stuff by hand. 

[ame]

Ah that now makes more sense, although isn't it difficult to add the text legends to MDF. Or do you perhaps use transfers or something similar?

I've seen some superb Youtube work done by hand, but I'm too old to be make stuff by hand. 

Well...

I've always said that I am not building a flight simulator, just parts for a flight simulator. I enjoy designing and building physical parts from photos and sketches.

Long term I'd like to design an I/O library which uses common parts to interface buttons, switches, and LEDs. I've made some progress in that area, but it's very much on the back burner.

Decals (i.e text and graphics) on panels are *hard*. I haven't really seen a cheap, easy, and effective way to get nice artwork onto the panel. Even in the case of the Challenger, which, because it is *not* backlit, should be easier.

I could start a new topic, but I don't have enough research done to write much in detail. The biggest problem (as I see it) is getting white artwork. Black is dead easy. My current experiments include:

White paint pen on a CNC plotter. The finest I have found is 0.5mm, which is ok, but not for very small text.

White toner. Yes, you can buy it, clean out an old cartridge, and refill it. I have some, but I've seen the mess that black toner makes so I am reluctant to open the bag. However, white toner transfer would be cool.

White T-shirt transfer. This *looks* easiest: print in black toner, cover with white transfer paper and heat, remove transfer paper, leaving white pigment adhered to black artwork, transfer adhered pigment to surface. I have some of this and I *think* I can see how it works.

There was one more that I thought of, but I can't remember what it was. It was one of those non-linear leaps of imagination where I saw something and thought "wait a minute..."

Once I've figured it out I'll post about it, but it's also not very high on my priority list.