C172 Built on a Bed Frame

Are you building a cockpit, planning to build one or just dreaming, this is your cockpit builder meeting point

Moderators: russ, Ralph

Message
Author
P51Eagle
Posts: 22
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 9:32 pm

C172 Built on a Bed Frame

#1 Post by P51Eagle »

Hi all,

I've spent the last eleven months building my c172 sim which has a fully functioning yoke control system, gauge panel using Sim Innovations software and a true rudder brake system found on a real c172 all built on an old bed frame and from scratch. If you're interested check out the link below.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/wrbDdynToTcisGAGA

Enjoy,

Kevin
Sincerely,

Kevin
First time build C172

User avatar
Sling
Posts: 5237
Joined: Mon Sep 11, 2017 2:37 pm
Contact:

Re: C172 Built on a Bed Frame

#2 Post by Sling »

Kevin,

I love it. Very impressive work. The sim building community always amazes me with what they achieve.

Time to enjoy the flying now. :D

Tony

SimPassion
Posts: 5336
Joined: Thu Jul 27, 2017 12:22 am

Re: C172 Built on a Bed Frame

#3 Post by SimPassion »

Hello @P51Eagle

Kevin, you guy are a genius
very big ideas
I like the way you integrated all the components so they don't disturb the monitor placement
also high level engineering for the rudder interface mechanism to the sim
not only, at each stage, it's a great and nice discovering

Very beautiful work and cockpit !!!

Gilles

jasong
Posts: 101
Joined: Sun Oct 20, 2019 8:18 am

Re: C172 Built on a Bed Frame

#4 Post by jasong »

Hi @P51Eagle,

Wow... :shock: Ask a Pilot what they want in a Simulator and you'll build an aircraft :lol:

That's fantastic work you've done I hope you can check in for questions every now and then. There are so many...
What's the length an with of the projector sceen you've constructed?

Good luck with getting your pilots license, get all the theory done first! Every hour you study put $20 in a jar. But don't let the wife find the jar :twisted: or it's all over.

Also you might be lucky to find on ebay some real Cessna yokes they come up every now and then, I think it would give a real sense of feeling truly authentic. Even consider the vintage O shapes. :mrgreen:

I found an example, this one is over priced for what it is, I've seen cheaper https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Cessna-182- ... 2151929035
(You could add the valcro attached PPT for ATC)

This one has a nice Skyhawk emblem https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Cessna-172- ... SwpJRd4W55

Perhaps a c150 https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Cessna-150- ... Swbm9d5aEw

This is the search page scroll down a bit to see the yokes hope it works https://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_fro ... e&_sacat=0

P51Eagle
Posts: 22
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 9:32 pm

Re: C172 Built on a Bed Frame

#5 Post by P51Eagle »

Thanks guys for the positive support!

From a time standpoint I'd say I put most of my time into researching three areas before I pulled the trigger. I needed a projection system that would be immersive and the yoke and rudder control systems needed to be as real as I could make it. If I couldn't successfully achieve those three things, I wouldn't pull the trigger. I've had PC sim's since the very first MS flight sim that I ran on a DOS PC with an amber colored monitor. Over the years I advanced through others including DCS software. So this had to be way beyond any of those experiences.

I hope you were able to view some of the videos. One that I explained the projector setup. It was truly a discovery process and I was very excited when it all came together. I do also need to give credit to my father who was a large influence not only to my flying interests, but how to imagine something and then to engineer it and make it happen. This build is in his honor and I only wish he was alive to fly it.

Jasong - Thanks for the yoke suggestions. Yes I plan to add real yokes later; that's why I chose to use 3/4" rod for the yoke rods. It seems all that I have found online were not in a condition that interested me plus the cost. So I decided to invest in the parts that I couldn't make such as the rudder peddles, computer hardware and software. Beside not looking real, I don't really notice the PCV when flying. I learned early that a light touch on the yoke was key, so I don't think about it much. But yes from a realism standpoint, I'd like to add them.

Here's some of the spec's of the pit I thought you'd be interested in:

Projection system:
3 Projectors - Optima GT1080 Darbee Short Throw
Video Card – EVGA GeForce RTX 2070 XC Ultra Gaming Graphics Card
I’m considering adding a second card for better frame rates by offloading left and right views to the second card. While adding a 55” LED screen as a rear view.
Fly Elise-NG Immersion Designer Pro
Used to calculate screen size and projection throw distances
Also helped to confirm what projector to use
Cost may out way use if you can do the calculation yourself
Fly Elise-NG Immersion Calibration Pro
After researching reviews decided to get the appropriate license for this, no regrets
Fly Elise-NG Immersion Display Pro
It took a few tries to get a good calibration. My setup is more complex because of the fabric screen. Would be easier with a flat surface.

Screen frame was made from 2x4’s for easy and sturdy construction. At the time of design, I didn’t know yet what my screen material would be MDF or fabric.
Keep in mind these are not exact measurements.
I used 8 yards of polyester fabric which stretched to a concave shape which was unexpended. So, it’s difficult to measure the actual circumference.
I chose fabric over MDF mainly because of ease of installation and cost. Being an x-video projectionist, it surprisingly performs very well.
I bought one yard white samples from a local fabric store which I was able to test which performed the best and then returned for a refund as long as they were not damaged or washed.
Frame Size:
300cm circumference with 127cm legs to form the horseshoe shape
212cm height
Projected image size (concave stretched screen material)
114cm height
292cm circumference with 73.5cm legs (horseshoe)
Bottom of image from ground 80cm
Left and right projectors from screen to front of lens 132cm
Center projector from screen to front of lens 182cm (50mm setback because of mounting)
Seated eye position from screen
164 cm from front center of arc
125 cm from left side
165 cm from right side
137cm eye level from ground
Overall footprint 10’x11’

Computer System:
CORSAIR OBSIDIAN 750D Full-Tower Case - Airflow Edition
MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Plus LGA1151 (Intel 8th and 9th Gen) M.2 USB 3.1 Gen 2 DDR4 HDMI DVI CFX ATX Z390 Gaming Motherboard
Intel Core i5-9600K 3.7 GHz Six-Core LGA 1151 Processor
I chose this processor from reviews and after testing, it was a good choice X-Plane. XP doesn’t really utilize it as it does the video processing.
EVGA GeForce RTX 2070 XC Ultra Gaming Graphics Card
Will probably add a second card to offload the processing and get better fps performance.
EVGA 750 GQ, 80+ GOLD 750W, Semi Modular, EVGA ECO Mode
Should have bought the 850 GQ for adding a second video card
Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 DRAM 3200MHz C16 Desktop Memory Kit – Black
Samsung SSD 970 PRO 512GB - NVMe PCIe M.2 2280 SSD
Noctua NH-D15, Premium CPU Cooler with 2x NF-A15 PWM 140mm Fans
Mammoth sized tall fans but do a great job of keeping things cool. Needs a large case to fit them in.
iPazzPort Bluetooth Mini Wireless Keyboard

Cockpit Displays:
15.6”, 13.3, 10.8 and 7” LCD Monitors
2 – Arduino 2560 Rev3 units
For connecting LED’s and extra switch and indexer points
4 – Raspberry Pi 3’s which each are connected to the LCD monitors
4 – Air Manager Pi licenses
I also purchased the C172 package of gauges – without this software, I wouldn’t have considered this project.
Custom programming for switch panels
Sincerely,

Kevin
First time build C172

P51Eagle
Posts: 22
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 9:32 pm

Re: C172 Built on a Bed Frame

#6 Post by P51Eagle »

It's been awhile since building the C172 and posting to this site, but I've spent tons of hours enjoying the sim.

About a year ago I was reintroduced to DCS World simming by my son who is also is a simmer. After playing with a hodgepodge of stuff to fly with I decided to add an F18 sim pit to the back end of the C172 and rotate it when I had the urge to fly either.

You can check out the project here. https://photos.app.goo.gl/zDQ7De4ECZKJ3frdA

Good thing I built the C172 on a bed frame.
Sincerely,

Kevin
First time build C172

The Wannabe Pilot
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Feb 22, 2022 8:10 am

Re: C172 Built on a Bed Frame

#7 Post by The Wannabe Pilot »

This is amazing! Well done!

P51Eagle
Posts: 22
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 9:32 pm

Re: C172 Built on a Bed Frame

#8 Post by P51Eagle »

Thanks!

Both were a lot of fun to build and fly!
Sincerely,

Kevin
First time build C172

P51Eagle
Posts: 22
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 9:32 pm

Re: C172 Built on a Bed Frame

#9 Post by P51Eagle »

Hi All, As with anything, this project needs an upgrade. Specifically, upgrading from X-Plane to FS2020 and hardware to boot. I've been putting this upgrade project off because 1, I'm dreading the conversion of the PI's as well as the monitor morphing software. 2, I've been too busy flying my other DCS sim with my son and having a blast. However, I do need to commit to upgrading the C172 sim.

So I have a few questions concerning parts of the upgrading process and possible pitfalls.

Hardware:
From the the AM Wiki site shows that AM 4 will run on a ARM Cortex A. I have four Raspberry Pi's all are 3 Model B+ with Cortex-A53. Am I correct that AM 4 will play on the 3B+'s? If true than any concerns I should be aware of when upgrading to AM 4?

I do plan on upgrading to Pi 4's in the future. Anything I should be concerned with in general and with pin configurations?

I also have Arduino boards connected to the Pi's, will I need to re-flash them to a new version to be compatible with AM 4?

Software:
I tried FS2020 just after it's initial release and really wanted to migrate to it from X-Plane then but couldn't due to incompatibility of AM 3 with it. So now that AM 4 and FS2020 have been established, I think it's time to work on the upgrade.

Something unique to my setup is that I'm using three projectors and morphing software. MSFS2020 monitor settings work differently than X-plane and as such I use two different hard drives each with it's own Windows 10 OS. This allows for me to load different windows monitor configurations while using the same computer hardware. So drive 1 is for X-Plane running three projectors as individual monitors and morphed as one screen. Drive 2 (used as my DCS World setup) contains MSFS2020 running three projectors as one single monitor and morphed as one monitor.

If I didn't do this it would be insane to reconfigured each time I'd want to run each sim. This way I just boot to which drive that contains the sim I want to fly. Eventually my plan is to let go of X-Plane once I have FS2020 all configured, but I want to be able to compare for the time being.

Having said that, can I install AM 4 on both OS drives and be able to run the Pi's and would this work with AM 4 licensing? Will AM 4 see both X-Plane and FS2020 from the same panels or will I need to configure two sets of panels one for each sim?

Will I need to create new panels to run with AM 4 or will my current AM 3.7 panels be upgraded with the install of AM 4?

Will my initial Cessna 172SP panel software license that I purchased with AM 3 still work or do I need to repurchase?

So My upgrade process is as follows assuming I can run AM 4 on my current Pi's. Let me know what you think.

1. First back up all current AM software and custom scripts.
2. Document all pin confirmations of all Pi's and Arduino's. (Already done)
3. Upgrade AM 3 to 4.
4. Check panels and controls to verify they migrated, or recreate panels, oh boy.
5. Select one Pi for testing and deploy a panel.
6. Check Pi and panel for proper operation i.e. fire up X-Plain and test.
7. Make any adjustments if needed to build a plan for remaining Pi's.
8. Once all Pi's and panels are running for X-Pane, install AM on drive 2 for FS2020.
9. Copy AM files from X-Plane drive to drive 2 for FS2020.
10. Check AM on FS2020 for panels and connection to Pi's
11. Fire up FS2020 and check for AM connection and test panels.

Thanks in advance for any comments or advice.
Sincerely,

Kevin
First time build C172

bob@bobleonard.com
Posts: 24
Joined: Sat May 27, 2023 3:35 pm

Re: C172 Built on a Bed Frame

#10 Post by bob@bobleonard.com »

This is nothing short of amazing. Time and money well spent, but this would not have been done without extreme knowledge and talent. You, Sir, have both. What initially blew me away was how customized this was, right down to the homemade yokes. Congratulations. The only thing wrong about this is that I can't fly it. My own home sim is going to be pretty much plug and fly.

Post Reply