My DG spaceship

[yagni01]

I notice on your center panel that you have a screen behind for some of the fuel displays. I'm wondering, I know that you can push out MFD's using ext MFD, but how easy is it to push out elements of the 2d panel?

You can't really 'detach' a 2D panel because its rendered inside the Orbiter window. One simple approach is if you had a dual monitor setup, you could run the monitors in a stacked configuration with the lower half of Orbiter (with the panel) on the lower monitor. Then create a plastic/hardboard/MDF panel with cutouts for the MDA and MFDs. Then mount keyswitches to that for your 'hardware'. This might also work with a single large monitor.

 

[lockingtoggle]

Yeah well its no secret that I want to build a sim pit of my own.

Welcome to the club

I notice on your center panel that you have a screen behind for some of the fuel displays. I'm wondering, I know that you can push out MFD's using ext MFD, but how easy is it to push out elements of the 2d panel?

The easiest way in my opinion is the one that yagni01 described.

A second way would be capturing the panel portion with some external program (mirrormon) and sending it to another screen. This is what I plan to do with the MFDs, engine and fuel displays.

But, the best way of doing it is by drawing your own display on some external program or plugin. Yagni has made a great program to facilitate this.

IE. my board would be based on the XR cockpit. It would be cool to havea touchscreen MDA but how easy would it be to detach that from the 2d panel and make it external?

If you are going for a desktop board my advice would be to go for the first solution, a dual monitor setup. If you don't mind geting your hands dirty with some C++ programing you can also change the place of the elements, group them together at the bottom of the screen for example.

Anything is possible, and it is great fun

 

[Danny Ramone]

After looking at the link, a touchbuddy may solve my most immediate problems for now. the dual monitor setup sounds good. I will just have to play round

 

[n72.75]

any chance you could post a video tore in youtube

 

[lockingtoggle]

I have been working on couple of things and thougt it was time for a quick update.

The warning/caution panel.

And this is the progress on the collimated display.
A perfectly shaped 3x1m spherical section.

 

[yagni01]

I'm gobsmacked.

 

[T.Neo]

I'm gobsmacked.

Agreed.

That is...
Awesome :speakcool:

 

[lockingtoggle]

Thanks guys.

Finished the mold of one side.

 

[yagni01]

So how soon before you know if the display works?

I wanna see! I wanna see!

 

[lockingtoggle]

So how soon before you know if the display works?

I wanna see! I wanna see!

It will work for sure. The question is when
The progress is slow. After the mirror will have to make the screen, and than structure to hold them.
The goal is to have a first light at latest end of April.

How are the things going at your end?

 

[yagni01]

How are the things going at your end?

Not great. I've spent most of my time working with hielor on his RemoteMFD project, and that's going well. The flight decks 'flyable', but I ran into a snag when I tried to create an overhead. I can't seem to create a reasonable looking frame for the windows. Tried scaling off photos of the Shuttle, but that didn't work well. Also waiting for bhawthorne to cut some panels for me.

 

[lockingtoggle]

Today I made the other part of the mold.
Next step casting the mirror shell. ..... Ok, ok, after cleaning the mess :lol:

 

[EJ316]

Man this is incredible, I can't wait to see how it turns out.

 

[Messierhunter]

Looks awesome. I had the opportunity about 10 years ago to sit in a silicon graphics-powered sim room with a collimated display. I never would have dreamed that someone could build one for themselves at home, but then again, computer technology was pretty limited at the time and they had a small supercomputer running the thing.

 

[lockingtoggle]

I managed to cast a copy of the mirror shell.
Next step; skinning the mirror.

 

[flaugher]

Dang it! I can't find one of those Smiles that are drooling!

So, whatya gonna do with this thing? I know what I'd do, I'd live in it. Seriously though, are you maybe gonna have some school classes come by and get hooked on space travel? My wife teaches 3rd graders and I know they would LOVE this. They wouldn't understand it but they would love it. They would tear it apart for you but they would love it.

Any thought about say Middle School science students?

Shoot! College grads could get inspired from this thing. I sat in the Shuttle sim at Johnson SF center years ago and I still remember every detail.

 

[lockingtoggle]

I have two homemade 3rd graders here waiting to be trained as pilots. That is the primary goal of the project

 

[flaugher]

I was "at the age" when Mercury and Gemini went up. My mouth was always open. My first spaceship was made with two chairs turned toward me and a ton of Leggo blocks out of which I constructed switches, dials, windows, etc. I can't remember how fast she went, but she was a good ship awright. I think I have never lost that fervor, which is probably why I'm here on this forum to begin with.

We live near a small museum which has one of Gus Grissom's capsules on display. I nearly tremble everytime I put out my hand and touch the thing. To think where it has been.

 

[bpops]

I have two homemade 3rd graders here waiting to be trained as pilots. That is the primary goal of the project

Wow, those are some lucky kids!

 

[Danny Ramone]

Quote:
Originally Posted by lockingtoggle
I have two homemade 3rd graders here waiting to be trained as pilots. That is the primary goal of the project


That is where you are wrong, the point of this project is to, once you have finished, post up a detailed how-to so that people like me who are drooling at home can build one ourselves.

It's awesome that you can get your kids involved though, i was wondering how you got approval from the wife for this project

P.S. I am officially back on this forum now, after giving up on the internet due to a dodgy DSL connection I have moved house and things work sweet.