Ok now

I decided to build a CRJ-900 cockpit... lucky for me i have a friend working on that plane at Bombardier... called him and he will ask engineering everything he is allowed to send me...

:p:p:p

That will be part 1... after that i am launching myself onto a motion platform... but i need to immerse myself first...

I need to know where to start.. i see many options... i am handy, i can create stuff, but i need pointers...

what software?

What card type?

etc... and tips you can give me so i start gathering parts...

Thanks in advance

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Spatate

That will be part 1... after that i am launching myself onto a motion platform... but i need to immerse myself first...

I need to know where to start.. i see many options... i am handy, i can create stuff, but i need pointers...

what software?

What card type?

etc... and tips you can give me so i start gathering parts...

Thanks in advance

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That would be like an engineer working for General Motors for instance asking NASA engineers for a shopping list to build a lunar module :D

Seriously now, this is such a wide open question that I doubt you will receive much info. You need to do some searching yourself and show that you are serious about this. Most of us would like a quick & easy guide to building our dream project, but the hard facts are that this is still an emerging hobby and that all available info & help is scattered here & there, especially when it comes to moving platforms that only the few & the daring (& sometime fools :-) have attempted.

So, my best advice for you and any newcomers to this business would be to use the search function on your browser & on the various forums and start gathering information that way. There is a lot of help available, but usually it is in response to very specific questions or problems.

However, if anybody here is willing to give you all you ask, I'll be happy to make use of that information myself :D. This message is not meant as a put-down but just as friendly advice from someone who's been there. Do with it as you please :) and good luck on your project.. pioneers are always welcomed ;).

Maurice

Ok.. i beleive i need to rephrase... i don't need a key-in-hand solution...

i need pointers...read this as suggestions...

best board.. most flexible to work with...

i completely understand that it is complicated...

thanks again

Spatate,

The best advice I can give you is to SLOW DOWN :) ........ my pit was in the planning stage for OVER a year before saw hit wood, screwdriver hit screw, or soldering iron hit wire.

There are SO many options to every single question you directly asked up there, that you have TONS of preliminary research yet to do.

There is a plethora of info available here and elsewhere on this subject. Get yourself a cup of coffee each day and sit down and surf the threads everywhere and read them. Take notes. Look at a LOT of stuff... and you'll start to get a grasp on where you should be starting.

Once you have that kind of perspective, then you can start narrowing down some design ideas....... and then asking specific questions about specific items for specific functions.

There is no such thing as a single answer to, "Which card should I use". Other than the answer, "It depends."

Good luck with the project, but don't be in too much of a rush. The money and frustration you save will be your own. ;)

best,

.................john

I see that both can do MANY things...

Can experiences users share their experience?

Pros and cons...

Thanks

Spatate.

These are the questions you should be asking. I am going to start you off, but you will need to expand on this yourself.

#1. How much room do I have to build my cockpit.

My cockpit has been built for a capt and a FO I have a room that is 12 feet wide, and I still can barely walk past my sim. (and it is not motion) I have 12 feet in front of the sim for projection screen. Are you going to use a projector for outside views, or monitors? You need to take that into consideration too.

#2. Do I own or Rent my house?

How your going to build your platform. Is the floor going to be stron enough to hold the entire thing. My sim weighs about 1500 lbs with people in it. Quite heavy.
If I have to move, can it be disassembled.

#3. Do I pay the Hydro Bill.

If your going to use Motion, Hydraulics may suck a lot of power, huge increase of electrical bills. Be careful.

This is just the tip of the ice burg. There are so many ways you can do things, you just have to start researching.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Trevor Hale

Spatate.
#1. How much room do I have to build my cockpit.

I have all the room i want... logicaly speaking

#2. Do I own or Rent my house?

i own... all by myself... (reason for the above answer...) My girlsfriend has her own house... she can build her own sim :-p

#3. Do I pay the Hydro Bill.

Yes motion will eventually be included, and it will NOT be hydraulic...
gear motors and mecanical-actuators

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I have been researching a lot.. but the more i research, more options i see... i am of the "action" type of guy... that is why i need to look into one solution... at least to get me started...

its a big step for me that i already choosen the type of plane (CRJ-900) so i am in the processing of gathering info on that cockpit.

Knowing the type of hardware/software required might get me started on the design... and some parts gathering...

anyway.. i ALWAYS ask hundreds of questions... :-p

It's very difficult to make a firm decision with so many choices. As a salesman, I offer a max of three to start with after some basic questioning. More if that is not enough variety or doesn't suit their needs.

If the customer becomes confused or indecisive at this point you may very well have lost the sale or at least postponed it indefinitely.

In the builder's market there are so many choices it can take awhile to narrow it down to only two or three of anything. And if you can't find what you are looking for, build it yourself.

I started out with the idea of a RJ, went and got the RJGC form Project Magenta Then I found a Cessna 182 fuselage for sale picked it up and purchased the GAGC from Poject Magenta. Now i am building an RJ. My point is that as much money as i have spent on the GAGC and RJGC software i could have purchased the Boeing or Airbus Software and could be building a 737NG. I built 4 different Panels for the Cessna i have built and rebuilt my center pedastal 3 times for my RJ. I wish I would have spent more time researching the various sims and the differnet parts available to the homebuilder before I just JUMPED HEAD FIRST into building. I too am a take action guy. I have wasted money and time but I have also learned alot of valuable lessons. I would suggest that if you must get your hands dirty right away build a small center pedastal the you could use at your desktop until you have chosen the airframe you want to build. Keep it simple and try to purchase things for it that would go with any sim you decide to build. This will give you an idea of what lays ahead and what type of material you will be using. I am a Welder by trade so most of my stuff is made from Aluminium (NOT CHEAP) but I have seen excellent examples using wood. Good Luck