Building A GA Transponder

[No Longer Active]

Has anyone ever attempted to make a transponder for GA use, I would like to know what would be the easiest way to make it, as I have seen lots of different types of transponders and different ways of making them.

I am thinking of just using push buttons and a simple encoder.

Would this be wise?

Thanks.

Alex

[Kerbo]

I haven't started yet, but plan to make one similar to this. It will use the same led displays I am using for my Nav/Com unit. I plan to use an acrylic faceplate with graphics printed on full sheet sticker paper.

[No Longer Active]

Basically your making it the way that I am making my whole entire radio stack! lol

I have had my radio stack professionally printed on to adhesive matt vinyl which is then applied to red transparent acrylic with the displays cut out to revela the red acrylic, it looks awsom! Funny thing is that they had to print 4 of them on one piece of vinyl because the vinyl sheet was so big that they could print 4 on one sheet!

[No Longer Active]

By the way....if you are going to print on sticker paper, make sure that you print on decal paper with a layer of varnish and make sure that you have an exceptional quality printer and print at highest resolution. I went down this avenue, I thought that my black and white laser was exceptional, but once I printed it; it looked like I literally did print it, hence going down the professional printers route! Just google sticker printers and I am sure that they will be able to run a few of your designs off as samples to save you money!

[Kerbo]

Alex,
I thought your radio stack looked great. How thick is the red plastic? Is that the main panel or is there more to it? I printed the faceplate for my ASI on sticky paper using a color inkjet and it looks fantastic. The black is "blacker" then using my laser so it looks better.

[No Longer Active]

The picture that was on my radio stack diagram in one of your postings was not my radio, I just displayed how to get similar results by using a radio stack that is similar! The radio stack as actually photographed is an elite radio stack that costs $$$$'s of dollars, I just showed you how you can achieve this; you can create a replica of this radio by:

1) You will need to do a screen dump of an actual FS Radio stack, by this I mean you will need to copy a photographic image of the complete radio stack.

2) Next, remove the buttons /encoders and knobs etc by using a paint program like photoshop or gimp.

3) You should just have the bare panel of the full stack now!

4) Go to the printers and get them to print your image onto matt vinyl!

5) Get some 3mm (or 2mm) red transparent acrylic cut at 160mm wide by however long your stack is and cut out all the holes for the buttons, switches and encoders, then apply the vinyl image to the acrylic.

6) Get a brand new and ultra sharp scalple knife and cut out the areas that you need to display the digits, remove these areas to have just the red acrylic showing, so that when you place the digits behind the red acrylic they will show like the real thing!

7) Insert all your electonics and wire upto your I/O Cards, then mount radio stack to MIP!

Just take a screen dump from the radio stack of FS and just edit it, render the res up a bit to atleast 300dpi and that should be good enough to use unless you want to use your panels!

BTW.......I am using 3mm red transparent acrylic to do the job....

Alex

[venenoso]

Alex,
look at this web :

http://www.baron58.com/KT70.htm


regards.

[Kerbo]

Alex,
look at this web :

http://www.baron58.com/KT70.htm

regards.

That site is full of good stuff, I've had it bookmarked for quite a while.

[Jylhami]

Hello,

I have selected a very simple design, NARCO AT 155 TSO

I have 4 pcs of CT288 encoders connected to Opencockpits master card and 4 pcs of 7-segment displays connected to Opencocpits Displays II card. Also a small ELMA rotary switch to set the mode.

On the picture i am still missing the plastic frontpanel and the knobs are just some scrap ones i found to testfly it...

[No Longer Active]

Hi Wriley here is the acrylic that I am using for my entire radio stack:

3mm thick red (transparent) acrylic 160mm x 296mm



Cheers,

Alex