My Flight Simulator cockpit was designed to float my Dell Latitude laptop in front of the pilot sitting in a reclining video chair. The cockpit is designed to provide the most "suspension of disbelief" at the least cost, time, and effort. From the drawing board to first test flight it took just $110 and two days.
This did not complete the project - they say simulator cockpits are never done. I try to divide the work up into small projects that I can do in one or two days, and then I get in some more flying time. Here is a drawing of the initial idea:
I fly a DC-3, and have tried to do what I could to make the cockpit reminiscent of the DC-3, but there is not much I could do - what with that big old laptop keyboard and screen at the center position . So forsaking the hope of an accurate duplication of the DC-3 flight deck, I tried to get as many of the virtual components as I could into the physical realm. Here is my final drawing:
I have one of those desk-mount monitor arms gathering dust in my garage, so I thought it would be good to make some use of it. I wanted to be able move the entire panel and display foreword and backward, left and right, and tilt. This monitor arm provides for all of those requirements, except for the tilt.
I needed a sturdy mount for the monitor arm base, so I constructed a framework of 1x4 pine, with portions built with1x2. The framework supports the video chair at the appropriate angle for relaxing in front of the simulator.
On the monitor mounting surface of the monitor arm, I mounted a bracket at an angle to cradle the laptop. To the left of the laptop, I have a clipboard mounted to hold the flight plan. Behind the laptop, I constructed a platform to support two PC speakers. The sub-woofer is mounted in front of the monitor arm mount, lashed to the frame with a strap. This gets it out of the way, and helps transfer vibrations to the frame. Two rear-channel speakers are mounted on pedestals at ear height behind the pilot seat.
To the right of the laptop, and mounted to the framework, I have a control panel. It features a mount for my Palm Pilot, used to time flights and holding patterns using BigClock. I bought a cool desk clock that looks like an altimeter indicator at The Discovery Channel Store, and mounted it in the panel. The panel has several switches used to control most of the functions of the simulator.
I bought a used IBM keyboard, and removed the electronic board, and mounted it behind the panel. I wired all the contact points to four barrier strips, for easy patching to the switches. Using the Molar keyboard tracings as the key, I was able to map out the switching rules.
The main panel has momentary toggle switches used to control the radios. Throwing a switch sends a keyboard keystroke to Flight Simulator. The COM1 switch sends a tilde, displaying or hiding the ATC window. The NAV1 switch sends an "N" keystroke, activating the NAV1 radio. The ADF switch sends an "A" keystroke, activating the ADF radio. I have INC and DEC switches (dash and equals keys) used to adjust the frequencies.
This radio panel is made of Plexiglas, and the art was produced by PowerPoint and printed on my ink jet printer. The area behind the panel was cut out to allow back lighting.
I also have prop and mixture adjustment switches mounted on the panel using a couple momentary double pole center off switches. I would like to mount these to a throttle quadrant along with a physical link to the throttle on my joystick. That will add a cool dimension to the cockpit, but that project will have to wait a while. I have auto pilot and gear switches, and will be adding switches for GPS, map display, pause, flaps, and other things.
There is a pedestal mounted between the pilots legs, and bolted to the framework. The pedestal supports a Logitech force-feedback joystick, and a small panel. The force-feedback joystick does a lot to add realism. It is the coolest thing to feel the machine bucking back at you during take-off and when you hit some turbulence!
A tactile transducer is an audio device that does not make sound, but vibrations.
I have a tactile transducer mounted in the pedestal. The DC-3's low frequency sound files really make that thing shake and rumble! Tactile transducers are THE thing that can help to suspend the disbelief of the simulator at a low cost.
The pedestal tactile transducer was made from a 6x9 car speaker. I cut out the speaker cone, and epoxyed a rock on top of the voice coil. The tactile transducer must be mounted upward or downward. Mounting it sideways would cause the voice coil to wear and short out. I had one week of shaking-airplane bliss before I blew that speaker (coil open), so I am looking for a replacement. It should be a heavy duty woofer with a large magnet and a large voice coil throw.
I intend to mount a very large tactile transducer behind the seat. That will really get the thing going!
I wired an audio patch cable that splits the signal out of my computer audio card into both the surround sound and sub woofer and also a 50 watt amplifier, that drives the tactile transducers.
I listen to a scanner through mono headphones monitoring the local tower. The tower chatter adds to realism.
An overhead panel is mounted to the monitor arm, and extends past the display upwards toward the pilot. It has mounts for a small windshield that can pivot to allow the laptop to be easily removed.
The instrument panel below the display is a press board panel with fake gauges mounted on the front. I used "report cover" plastic as the gauge "glass". The gauges themselves were captured from the RD4 panel, and printed on an ink jet printer. The panel mounts on and covers the laptop's keyboard. There is a cut-out that exposes the laptop's touch pad and mouse buttons. I have most of the keyboard's functionality handled by hard-wired switches on the right and overhead panels, so I rarely have to remove the panel to poke at keys.
Cockpit Version 2.0
A new cockpit is being built. Check out Version 2.0 here...