Starting out, and planning my first GA build. need some help... Please?

[wisdom]

I'm new here. I'm amazed at some of the craftsmanship that I see on these forums and on You Tube. I'm looking at building panel of a Cessna 172, or a similar GA aircraft. I like the Coronado planes.

My current video card is a Nvidia GTS 450 with 1 Gig of RAM. It has two DVI outputs and a VGA. All though I do have a lap top that I could mount under the cowling to run the gauges.

Either way, I want to connect another monitor for gauges, and put it behind a scale cut piece of MDF, as some others have. If the price is right I'll use two monitors one for gauges and one for radios and the GPS. I plan to wire a USB game input controller card for switches and eventually pots if I can figure all that out. Though I'll probably buy the radios and GPS. I'd be happy for now with gauges. At the moment I'm flying with a flight stick. So, I'll need to buy a yoke. I like the Saitek, but I want the Cessna throttles too, and they come at an extra cost.

So it starts another cockpit... I mean money pit. LOL!
Why do I always pick expensive hobbies?

I guess my first question is... I know that scale is hard to accomplish due to the placement of the yoke in relationship to several gauges. If I were to get it as close as possible. what size monitor or monitors would I need for the gauges and what would the spacing be. I'm considering the two monitor thing and just lowering the yoke a little. I just don't know where to start. Any Help?

[surveyor780]

169 views and no replies, that's frustrating hey?

Perhaps your question is too vague. I'm currently designing and compiling parts for my second GA sim, and my advice is to figure out a way to mock up different monitors, panels, radio stacks, etc. I use ACAD for everything, but I've seen posts where builders start with cardboard, or full scale drawings.

I'm using a 24" monitor for my gauges, placed behind a watercut panel. I'm running gauges, controls, and avionics on one computer and visuals on a second computer.

There are tons of build logs on this and other sim forums, read what others have done for GA panels. There's usually no need to reinvent the wheel, with a little research you'll find tons of clever designs. Take what others have done as inspiration and figure out what works for your scenario. We're all standing on each others shoulders in some way!

And don't get discouraged when nobody responds to your posts. Lots of people in the sim community don't pay much attention to the GA crowd, unfortunately. When you start building take lots of pics, and start a build thread. I find people tend to be more responsive when they see pics, and it's easier to ask specific questions.

Good luck!

[chelseaboy]

try and get a matrox triple head to go off ebay. I'm running three 17 inch monitors showing the virtual cockpit and then the gauges on a 15 inch monitor using the secind output on.my graphic card.

[wisdom]

Thanks for the reply I almost gave up on posting and just stay a troll.

I've sorted out most of lay out and such. I'm planning to basically construct a small cowling with a cockpit dash out of whood. I'm thinking of using one 21in wide screen LCD for gauges, and really only concern myself with the pilot side of things at the moment. Instead of using a second monitor for the radios and GPS I would like to make those as well I've been snooping desktopaviator.com and see some promising options for integration of switches and dials. So I'll probably construct them from scratch to save cost. with help from you guys I hope!

[chelseaboy]

I've got a leo Bodnar card which are the same as desktop aviator. I was researching the Garmin 1000 screen. But think I'll stick with just building a GA sim and base it around my Maam DC3. Also just got hold of a 19" lcd tv for my gauges.