Early Christmas toys from Opencockpits

[xtreme3d]

Hi all,

I just ordered some toys, had to do it. Yes, Opencockpits is about to release (Dec 05 2008) their new p&p COM/NAV radio modules and the price, waooo.
I ordered one COM and one NAV module, I can't wait to get them running. Also they are competible with most platforms out there, just check the description. They also have them with yellow or white digits. Here is the link if you want to take a look at them:

http://www.opencockpits.com/catalog/products_new.php

I think they are going to be a hot item this Christmas.

Regards,

Pedro.

Keep 'em Flying and Enjoy the Ride

ODYSSEY NG
737 Simulator

[ENKB]

Thats great news. Also the price, almost the half compared to some other supplyers... Let us know the result when you get them:-)

[xtreme3d]

Hi,
Definitively. I will post some pics as well.

[Kennair]

That is an excellent price. I wish I had have held off on my kit purchase now. No, building it is half the fun.

These guys are really giving the competition a run for thier money.

Ken.

[Michael Carter]

Wow that's cheap. I can buy almost two from OC for what the others are charging for one.

Let us know how long it takes to get and what the shipping charges were.

Please let us know how they perform too. I'm due for a few radio heads in the near future.

[xtreme3d]

The shipping charges for the 2 modules was 42.24 EU. But one thing is for sure, currency conversions are to be kept in mind and don't forget if you use paypal you might have to pay a small fee for the conversion. I converted the currency to USD in the paypal website of the total (including shipping) prior of placing the order and for my surprise after the order was placed and proceeded to pay with paypal the total went up about 20 US dollars more (fee or currency value?). Anyway still worth it and cheaper than others, also this experience will help me with future orders. Hope this info help and if you have any tips on ordering with different currencies I will be very appreciated. Thanks!!!

Respectfully,

Pedro.

[ian@737ng.co.uk]

hello captain......
this is cheap. i guess they use the same idea as the 'general radio' which in all fairness was very good for the money.
just one thing i was wondering (and you cant find out on the website) is this.
i would be interested to know whether they can be assigned as for example Nav 1 or Nav 2 and Comm 1 or Comm 2 either by a jumper or by software configuration.
i would assume that this is possible because they 'suggest' that several units can be connected, but it would be good to clarify this. let us know when you get yours.
then all we need is the ADF and a Tx .....
have a great day and best regards from wales...... ian

[Kennair]

Mike, if their MCP is anything to go by you can rest assured they are quality units.

Ian, I would imagine like any of their products the assigning of COMM 1 or 2 is done in SIOC. Each would have a unique ID number and it's simply a matter of altering the config file accordingly.

It should be noted that, like their MCP, it's not just a matter of plug & play. You need to run their software program SIOC with an appropriate configuration file in order for it to talk to FS. While this is an added step, and can be confusing for some due to the learning curve, it does offer an enormous amount of power to the overall integration with FS.

Ken.

[xtreme3d]

Hi Ian,

I e-mailed Opencockpits about assigning the modules (COM / NAV 1 or 2) before ordering but I still waiting for the reply. I thought about it this way, if I can't assigned them (I am pretty sure there's got to be a way) as COM 1 or 2, I can go and order CpFlight modules and use the jumper to set them as COM/NAV 2 and still have saved, compared to buying all Cp. I was going to go all CpFlight but why not trying OPenC. My pedestal is probably going to be a combination of both, besides CpFlight rudder/aileron trim panel looks awesome. Take care I will keep in touch.

Pedro.

[xtreme3d]

Here is an update,

There is an installer that will detect if you have two radios or navs and will configure them as 1 and 2. If you want to change them all you have to do is switch the connectors; 1 becomes 2 and 2 becomes 1. Seems easy enough.


Pedro.

[Kennair]

Here is an update,

There is an installer that will detect if you have two radios or navs and will configure them as 1 and 2. If you want to change them all you have to do is switch the connectors; 1 becomes 2 and 2 becomes 1. Seems easy enough.


Pedro.

Thanks Pedro,

I've just started using this as I wasn't quite sure what it does, but it takes all the guesswork out of configuring any of the pre-built modules such as the Radios, MCP, EFIS & FMC. Just plug in your units, start FS, start the Autoconfigurator, select what FS version and whether FSUIPC or IOC and it does the rest for you. Only works with the latest version of SIOC v3.50 but that's free anyway. I wonder whether it will also work with my custom built radios?

Good work,

Ken.

[Padraig]

Thats the way, I have programmed my radios too, The software I designed lets you choose weather you want the module to use COM1 or become COM2 etc etc.. There is also an advanced tab that lets you program the buttons to anything you wish, inside FSUIPC. I am currently waiting for PCB`s now so I can start making the modules.

Ken, you are right about the term, Plug and Play, OC state this, but really this is not the case. SIOC can be a nightmare to people that don't know how to use it, plus the manual and other stuff in a different language can be hard.

After I have the Garmin1000 designed and tested I will going on to making the transponder and maybe an MCP (B737) Also you can put the modules into Bootloader mode and if firmware updates are released you can just update them via your computer in about 3 seconds.