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View Full Version : Trying to build a UH-60L Blackhawk homemade simulator



GSS Rain
12-07-2016, 06:53 AM
I'm trying to see if FSX or prepar3d using existing third party software has the ability to support a homemade UH-60L Blackhawk cockpit that is at least 80% to 100% controlled by real hardware and not by the clickable mouse inputs to the on screen cockpit. By hardware control, I mean using Arduinos to build the overhead panels, center console, main instrument panel, circuit breaker panels (http://skimlinks.pgpartner.com/mrdr.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fskimlinks.pgpartner.com%2Fsearch.php%2Fform_keyword%3Dcircuit%2Bbreaker%2Bpanels), throttle quadrant, etc.

My plan is to use Pro Flight Trainer Puma for the cyclic and collective. In conjunction with this I am going to gut the insides of a thrust master warthog throttle and remount the many hat switches and butttons into the collective. That way I could still use its software to program the hat switches. Or I may try and locate the hat switches myself and maybe use FSUIPC to make assignments. I have a lulzbot taz 5 3D printer to remake the collective into the proper shape and mount it.

As far as add ons go, I saw Cerasim and Virtavia both make Blackhawks for FSX but Virtavia's model looks like the most modern cockpit according to the pictures I see of it. They also have a more populated center console.

Now I'm an electrical engineer by profession and not a software engineer. I can use existing applications to write code in the IDE but not the skills to create something out of nothing.

I built an A-10C warthog homemade cockpit using Digital Combat Simulator and a third party software called DCS-BIOS. Digital combat simulator has over 20 flyable aircraft but DCS BIOS only supports 4 planes and it states that. I'm wondering if FSX third party software has similar limitations or do they completely cover every I/O point on every aircraft in the game.

Link to YouTube

https://youtu.be/pfreR_-HonQ

As far as FSX and P3D goes, I see YouTube clips of 737 homemade cockpits but I am not sure if software like link2FS or mobiflight is covering the whole cockpit I/O or are they using software like PMDG for the 737. Could I expect similar results with a Blackhawk sim.

Here is another example of someone's software interface. Not sure if it covers the UH-60 though.

https://youtu.be/HINZiMu80Yc

So my question is can I use FSX or P3D to build a Blackhawk cockpit and expect that there is existing software to drive the entire cockpit using arduinos?

Thanks,

GSS Rain