wraggster
February 6th, 2014, 13:33
http://hackadaycom.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/plane.jpg?w=580&h=371
As anyone who has downloaded Microsoft Flight Simulator X or X-Plane knows, piloting an aircraft using a keyboard and mouse just doesn’t work. If you’re going to get in to the world of flight simulators, it’s best to go all-in. [Stevenarango] knows this and built a great Cessna 172 cockpit (http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Flight-Simulator-Cockpit/) for his personal use.
All the gauges, instrument panels, and controls are from Saitek (http://www.saitek.com/), one of the best manufacturers of home/hobbyist flight controls. The instruments were mounted on a 5mm piece of PVC, which is mounted on a C172 cockpit-sized wooden frame. All the instruments, from the throttle, pedals, yoke, trim wheel, individual LCD steam gauges, and multi panel are driven by USB.
As for the actual simulation, [Steven] is using a fairly powerful computer running Flight Simulator X with dual monitors – one for the glass cockpit and another for the windscreen. It’s not quite the same scale as building a 737 in your garage (http://hackaday.com/2012/01/06/737-cockpit-will-satisfy-even-the-most-discriminating-simulator-afficiandos/), but it’s more than sufficient for an awesome flight simulator experience at home.
http://hackaday.com/2014/02/06/building-a-cessna-172-simulator/
As anyone who has downloaded Microsoft Flight Simulator X or X-Plane knows, piloting an aircraft using a keyboard and mouse just doesn’t work. If you’re going to get in to the world of flight simulators, it’s best to go all-in. [Stevenarango] knows this and built a great Cessna 172 cockpit (http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Flight-Simulator-Cockpit/) for his personal use.
All the gauges, instrument panels, and controls are from Saitek (http://www.saitek.com/), one of the best manufacturers of home/hobbyist flight controls. The instruments were mounted on a 5mm piece of PVC, which is mounted on a C172 cockpit-sized wooden frame. All the instruments, from the throttle, pedals, yoke, trim wheel, individual LCD steam gauges, and multi panel are driven by USB.
As for the actual simulation, [Steven] is using a fairly powerful computer running Flight Simulator X with dual monitors – one for the glass cockpit and another for the windscreen. It’s not quite the same scale as building a 737 in your garage (http://hackaday.com/2012/01/06/737-cockpit-will-satisfy-even-the-most-discriminating-simulator-afficiandos/), but it’s more than sufficient for an awesome flight simulator experience at home.
http://hackaday.com/2014/02/06/building-a-cessna-172-simulator/