Printable View
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/AE3D1FAA.jpg
A few placards temp. mounted.for effect and inspiration.http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/5E6E6410.jpghttp://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/837CFFE8.jpg
Nothing lines up yet, but it will.http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/7A347380.jpghttp://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/0426B4AD.jpg
Paint went on well this time. Ignore the mdf dust. All the placards need trimming to size.
Do the floodlights have trims around them?Quote:
Originally Posted by gokhotit
check your mail..
Can this thread get any better? AmazingQuote:
Originally Posted by gokhotit
thank you.
Back to it.
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/A264F045.jpg
Setting the autopilot frame with square.
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/74D0DA9E.jpg
Filling. Hate this bit. And it's seems to take me about 3 coats of high build primer, sanding with 400 and 2500 grit between coats. Feels like treading water!
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/CC303C1C.jpg
Made a pigs ear of this. Cut the glareshield edge too low and side of cockpit needs some tlc. Ah well. Sorted that tonight.
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/86D56D13.jpg
Primed and sanded
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/3E9679FA.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/EBABBBAB.jpg
These need to be removed to allow for the depth of the panels. Should be a laugh.
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/53375AB9.jpg
Close up of the 48 led 12v warm yellow floodlights:
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/410F1D1F.jpg
Replica screws for mounting to wood.http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/16E1B2AC.jpg
I am getting to the point where I am thinking about how to control all this lot. I have broken this in to parts.
Lighting:
12v variable lighting for backlit panels. Crazed pilot led strips with potentiometer.
12v variable floodlights. 48 led panels on potentiometer.
Lighting other.
PFD/ efis etc. - iPad driven
Autopilot panel: This is my focus for now. Teensy board controlled. I need to start looking at how to code this for any custom data refs in the CRJ. Hence I need to order the components to construct this panel from hispapanels. It consists mainly of push buttons and encoders and LEDs. Now I need to study. I have little idea about this but hey, how hard can it be...some interesting threads on xplane.org seem to be a great starting point. It is certainly looking like choosing X plane 10, whilst slightly controversial, could be the bet choice I made. It looks very straightforward to add custom hardware to the simulation.
Also starting to make enquiries as to custom throttle, flaps and spoilers quadrants. Can't face building this at the moment. I'm more interested in the mip, pedestal and overhead. If I can learn the teensy, I have a chance of making this lot very simply and with value for money.
Anyone who has experience of coding teensy boards would be useful in the near future.
On the subject of study, I got some great CRJ manuals and cockpit materials from eBay, which are helping me to learn the procedures. Can't beat the real deal in this instance.
Whilst custom throttles can be made, I am more concerned about the yoke. I know I want a column Yoke, but the only one I know of, without building one, is the pfc Saab column yoke. Does anyone know of any CRJ specific models?
Do you have any info about the throttle quadrant... Photos, accurate dimensions etc. if you ever have time i would appreciate anything on this.Quote:
Originally Posted by gokhotit
Thankyou in anticipation of any help.
Andy
Progress has been slower this week as work got in the way. Still has given me chance to suss out some wiring and compatibility issues software wise.
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/A545030D.jpg
Cut out half of the pedestal top panels to make way for wiring and mounting brackets.
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/8A5C78CE.jpg
More to take out here, and sanding and spraying to do. This week i'm trying to make good the work so far, so physical work is less. Have designed the metal support which will form the centre of the windscreen and ultimately support the overhead panel. Need to fabricate and weld this at the weekend, to be be glad in mdf. This will then be bolted to the back of the main panel and protrude above the glareshield. Also researching the hispapanels and looking at how to wire these. The lighting panels are simple, others less so.
check your mail
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/CA34A239.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/15FF62AC.jpg
Cutting out panels and filing
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/AF111AF8.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/5B0FA342.jpg
Work on the undercarriage lever has started. Initial cutting and trial fitting.
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/B2F7252B.jpg
Cockpit voice recorder is now wired and powered. VU meter goes to green band when test button is pressed. Just need to add a resistor to ensure exact deflection of the needle.
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/CFEA7EA0.jpg
initial assembly before loctite and cutting of threads and 10mm stainless steel lever. glb knob ready to be fit.
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/844543F6.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/80640D71.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/2385E017.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/D2C10CC0.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/B74DCA28.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/59509CF8.jpg
Lots of trimming of bolts. Switches to fit. Nylon washers in a few places and nylocs. This is a dry assembly.
Traffic Grey coats using ral paint. Polymorph panel looks better than I had hoped.
Fixing the undercarriage knob to the 10mm stainless steel extrusion
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/0C3FA866.jpg
Step by step:
1. File down the four faces of a 3/4" length at the end of an 1/4" square mild steel bar, to approx 8mm square so that it is a snug fit to the inside profile of the 10mm square tube.
2. Cut off the 3/4" length piece. Mark the diagonals at one end to obtain the centre, and centre punch.
3. Hold the bar vertically in a drill vice and progressively drill a hole through the centre up to 3.3mm. (The tapping size for M4 x 0.7 thread.)
4. The cap screw used was part straight shank and part threaded, therefore it was necessary to drill a 4mm clearance hole for the portion of straight shank and the remainder threaded with M4 tap.
5. A shakeproof washer was placed on the bolt and the bolt pushed through the clearance hole; pushed/ screwed in to the full extent so that approx 10mm of thread protruded and the bolt was now locked in the square section.
6. The end of the cast resin knob was squared up and chamfered and the centre determined and punched. The knob was protected with card and held in the drill vice facing upwards. A 3.3mm hole was drilled to a depth of 20mm
7. The hole was tapped out to M4.
8. Small fibre washer was placed over the thread and the knob tightened up until it was inline with the sides of the square.
The whole assembly can be now epoxied into the operating tube, and for future dismantling, the knob can be first unscrewed. The knob as supplied from GLB is in clear finish and can now be removed and sprayed before fixing finally in position. This is just one of several possible ways of fixing the knob, however it was chosen to extremely robust and easy to remove the knob and replace should respraying, or maintainance be needed.
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/4E329E0C.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/22CF1888.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/C80D55BB.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/C6CA434A.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/77053AEA.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/8F9A8A3C.jpg
NICE! Are that design stable enough? Do you get any "play" in the panel when you're pulling the lever?
I have that problem on my MIP, but mainly because the gear lever isn't secured to the vertical supports at the back (on the to-do-soon -list though).
Hi.Quote:
Originally Posted by vidarf
No play at all. The whole thing is rock solid. The gear panel fixes to a very rigid mdf angular structure. There is no flex whatsoever; all supports are reinforced, and it is as solid as can be. The gear lever uses springs which allow a smooth but firm pull, but without excessive force. I think the system is efficient and fit for purpose, as much as I can make it. Of course I have no idea what force is required to actuate the lever in the real CRJ though I would love to know so I can recreate it by adjusting spring tension. Thanks for the positive comment. I really appreciate it. Good luck with yours. It looks magnificent. :) I am but a humble student. I've learned a lot during this recent phase.
Regards Andy
Andy, your CRJ is looking great. What are you using to make your brackets, panels, and other flat pieces? Or are you designing/ordering all of them with that FrontPanel app you linked a while back?
I wouldn't bother much with any sort of "dataref editor" or other user-written tools intended to "supplement" the SDK. It stands quite well on its own, and is not difficult to learn, just a little different from more conventional coding projects. The Python interface to the SDK is even simpler (and more fun to program, IMO): http://www.xpluginsdk.org/python_interface.htm
Edit: I should clarify that the Python interface is nearly an identical "copy" of the SDK in Python, with functions and data types represented in the closest Python equivalents, to the point that you can almost exclusively use the original SDK docs once you get the hang of the Python SDK's idiosyncrasies. The relative ease and simplicity of Python is what makes it simpler and so much fun. And the fact that Sandy did such an amazing job with it. :)
Matt
Dude, PLEASE do not "find out" what the exact pull force needs to be by visiting a CRJ cockpit and then flip the lever!
"Hi'ya guys, I'll just check how hard this is to use! -WHAT THE... *click*-*THUMMMMPPPPFFFF*" :o
Ha ha. Nice one. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by vidarf
All you will do is make a lot of noise (both screaming crew and alarms), but the gear SHOULDN'T raise.
Hi mattQuote:
Originally Posted by xplanematt
All of the panels are from Hispapanels in Spain. They come as only panels. No instructions etc. You design the mechanics/ electronics as you see fit. Each panel consists of 3 x 3mm plates which are held together by M2 bolts therefore are extremely rigid when affixed to the 6mm and 12mm mdf supports of the mip. All other flat panels are mdf. The curved glareshield was built using mdf and filled with expanding foam, trimmed to profile. I use p38 car filler for minor imperfections because it is epoxy based, dries within minutes and can be sanded perfectly with little effort. Hispapanels are held by GLB screws or equivalent bolts. The front bottom right of the mip which supports the gear panel and cdu is 5mm acrylic, though invisible in any photos so far.
The CRJ using standard data refs for the main flying surfaces, but custom data refs are provided for home cockpit builders to enable full functionality. I've never heard of the python stuff. Im intriqued and I'll check it out. But I will use teensy boards for interface purposes.
The iPads all run Airtrack app. this is perfect because although not 100% realistic, it gives an excellent simulation of a glass cockpit. It only cost £17.00.
The AirTrack features include:
A Primary Flight Display (PFD) with:
Speed
Altitude
Vertical Speed
Barometric pressure
Outside Temperature
Compass
Attitude Indicator with roll and pitch
Auto-Pilot status and settings
Instant GS, IAS, MACH, and VS when available
Flaps deployment and landing gear state
Movement sensing remote control of the aircraft
Support for iphone/ipod 4 built-in gyros to control the rudder / yaw
A Multi Function Navigation Display (MFD/ND) with:
APP, VOR, MAP and PLN modes
Centered and expanded views
Display of APT, WPT, VOR, NDB, CWP and LOC
Wind speed and direction indicators
True Air Speed and Ground Speed
Next waypoint reporting
Flight plan display
Course control from NAV1, NAV2 or FMC
ILS / VOR approach course helpers
Runway and localizer orientation drawing
VOR/ADF selector
VOR/NDB guidance bugs according to NAV/ADF
Next waypoint mode selector (NAV1/2, FMC)
Tracking in MAP mode
Display of the world border and coast lines as a background map
Rate of Turn display with the snake and 30, 60 and 90 secs predictions
A Mode Control Panel (MCP) that interacts with the simulator's auto-pilot with :
HDG, IAS/MACH, OBS1, OBS2, ALT, VS and BARO dialers
AT/ARM, SPD HOLD, HDG HOLD, N/1, C/O, LNAV, LOC, APP, LCH, ALT, VS, VNAV and AP CMD hold switches
A Flight Management Computer (FMC) with:
Multi-Mode, Multi-Leg flight planner
Reported distances per waypoint
Time remaining / elapsed per leg
Position Reports for Oceanic
Flight Statistics with progress and ETA
Runways and localizers
Basic SID and STAR decoding for airports
Enroute airways decoding
Cloud based syncing of flight plans across devices
Plus:
Full radio stack with NAV1/2, COM1/2, ADF1/2
Transponder dial and auto-transponder mode
Customizable waypoints
My waypoints and Nearby waypoints
Real-Time weather information for airports
Detailed airport information including runways
VOR ad NDB class, range, frequencies
A database of over 100,000 localities worlwide
Built-in database of FIX, VORs and NDBs
Cloud based syncing of waypoints across devices
Support for NAVIGRAPH FMS AIRAC cycles
Tracking of VATSIM/IVAO surrounding traffic
Display of online VATSIM/IVAO controllers
Electronic Flight Bag style interface for iPad
Enhanced graphics with high-res Retina Display
Approach charts viewer (*** EXPERIMENTAL ***)
Support for the external AHRS from Levil Aviation
And much more ...
These are just a few of the things that you can do with AirTrack; and if they aren't enough, be assured that this is just the beginning. We have a lot more in stock to introduce in future versions.
This can be displayed over several iPads, and allows me to concentrate on building the comms and nav panels without interfering with my flying. This was a major concern to me. I love to fly and then build. Also with the remote cdu, I have an instant cockpit, ready to expand as I see fit but perfectly functional in the short term.
For fun, I can display air nav pro map data, and x plane efis app.
Cheers
Andy
Check it out:
http://www.ipobjects.com/products/airtrack
http://hispapanels.com/tienda22/
http://www.pjrc.com/teensy/
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/8415EE03.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/18D6C85C.jpg
Not happy with finish. Here we go again...
I don't want to annoy anyone with my posts, so unless anyone is too bothered I will update at
xplanecrj.wordpress.com
I will still provide updates here if there is interest.
Andy
If somebody are bothered, it's just because they're jealous! :D
Keep'em coming! I read all your updates, but I don't reply with just ooh's and aah's. I could, but I find those posts a bit annoying. :)
Great work! And it is good to see that I'm not the only one obsessing over minute details...
BTW: I see we're going with the Caterpillar look here... :D
Yes. I always liked it. Black CAT vinyls await. Never mind Traffic Grey. I finally settled on a finish I am happy with; it is called road works yellow. Looks like a target tug from the 50's RAF.Quote:
Originally Posted by vidarf
Well its grey again now. And what a difference a flat lacquer makes. I was ordering my paints from Germany, when I discovered a paint mixing company 1/2 mile from my house who did everything I wanted at a much cheaper cost. And the aerosols have better nozzles with a more even flow. Anyway, progress has been slow but I'm finally happy with the finish. Quality aerosols are great. Happiness is an aerosol from Yorkshire.
Anyway. Switches and buttons and knobs and teensy boards this month. Lots of finding stuff. Been busy on the blog for a few days. Had 1340 hits the other day and the guys at XP10blog have been kind enough to put my link on their site. (They are good) Amazing really.
So here are a few images of whats been going on...
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/83658721.jpghttp://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/924A4B70.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/7D0FE7A4.jpghttp://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/49BADB62.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/43A37AAA.jpghttp://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/6BC5F051.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/407E4265.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/8D4BA4FD.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/671314B9.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/E275685E.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/C54843B2.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/2D0B6830.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/20B634CA.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/9B31A555.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...4D979-orig.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/16C7B532.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/72602D75.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/2C99DE8A.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/302E117D.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/B1012ACE.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/22CF1888.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/4E329E0C.jpghttp://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/0C3FA866.jpg
Thats it. Not too much really. Slow steps.
How's the build doing? Or has the summer / honey do list taken their toll? :D
very very good project.
CRJ is one of my preferred aircrafts.
Somebody know where to find out a good flight tutorial for it?
I'm currently flying the wilco crj 900.
tnks a lot
ciao
Andrew
I have found that the WILCO CRJ is not even close to accurate. But to each there own.
Thanks for the reply. So I will keep flying with the Wilco FS9 versione or default crj900.
Regasrds
RazorbackQuote:
Originally Posted by AviatorPRO
I have viewed you posts several times and am very impressed with your progress on the CRJ. I am most interested in building a CRJ-700 simulator. Instead of re-inventing the wheel, would you be willing to sale a copy of the plans for the cockpit (interior/exterior)?
Fantastic job, my warmest congratulations, I personally love the CRJ, I'm summoning material and documentation, I have almost completed all the overhead panels.
Hi, aircraft mechanic and avionics, but B737, in the my documentation of the CRJ200 - "smart cockpits", it is not clear the mechanism of the throttle levers, you could get me the information needed to build a replica of the them as close as possible to reality.Quote:
Originally Posted by gokhotit
Thanks for your help
The throttles are all electrical, no mechanical connections to the engines. I can get you info for the aircraft side, but not the CMM for the throttles themselves.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gokhotit
Thanks for your offer, I just need, know visually as levers inside, - (as possible) - in order to make a replica as close to the real one, I have the information airbus levers, which are similar running to the CRJ, the B737 are bulkier and there is a large mechanical drive system, before converting it into an electrical signal. I've seen some pictures of the levers on the Internet, but not sufficiently explanatory.
Attachment 7037Been some time since I posted, so will update my CRJ project on here this weekend. Hope everyone is well.
Fantastic work Andy. Well done.
Rhydian
Thanks mate. I had a while off for summer, but now things are moving quickly. Welding up a subframe at the moment to support overhead and form window pillars. iPads are functioning great and allow me to fly even in an unfinished state. The first projector is active on an 80" screen. MIP lighting is working and Teensyboards are waiting for fitting. Still trying to locate a CRJ throttle quadrant. Anyone have one let me know. X Plane 10 is proving to be a great sim to interface and work with.
Andy