Red Dog's pit - I finally started

[Red Dog]

Mike,

It's the TWP    and they are pushbuttons - you push them to get the RWR on the mode you want. The only one in the TWP not being a pushbutton is the missile launch light.
There's another one which though it is a pushbutton, we don't really need it. It's the SYS TEST button. Only the light is needed there, no pushbutton because it's apparently not implemented in F4 anyway. I placed mine though in case someday the code change.

[Anonymous]

Olivier,

Great work as usual, those buttons look great!   For stiffness on the button face, are you using thick clear plastic behind the graphic so you don't push in the middle?  Just curious how the guts look.


Cheers,
Jason

[Ka-Bar03]

Jep, TWP

Thanks for clarifying the buttons, I know in F4 you click them with the mouse, but I didn't know if this was realistic or not.

Mike,

It's the TWP    and they are pushbuttons - you push them to get the RWR on the mode you want. The only one in the TWP not being a pushbutton is the missile launch light.
There's another one which though it is a pushbutton, we don't really need it. It's the SYS TEST button. Only the light is needed there, no pushbutton because it's apparently not implemented in F4 anyway. I placed mine though in case someday the code change.

[Red Dog]

Jason,
With my stencils I use three other sheet of plastic and/or PVC. One is red coloured (or green coloured) another one is grey brown and the last one is transparent that I paint sometimes when needed. These three layers plus my stencil layer seem enough to harden the button faceplate. Beside, the plastic button behind the layers just prevent then from being pressed inside the button casing.

Mike,
oh no,  cliking anything with the mouse is highly unrealistic and should be avoided    

[Red Dog]

Well, the eyebrow project is done! I got all my glareshield lights ready...
I completed the left part yesterday and the hardest of all was to modify a real master caution assembly for my project.


the eyebrow lights are done according to the MLU F-16. On the left part I only wired the TF Fail which is implemented in F4 and the ECM light that I will probably use as an indicator of the jammer emission. Normally, it's on the MISC panel - but not on the MLU...



Some close-ups in the dark with the indicator lighted.

The master caution is probably not from a F-16 (comes from Italy) and that stuff was really a pain to dismantle and adapt the leds and microswitch. I had to cut though it and invent a complete new system with plastic, pen springs and screws.




The graphic faces comes from my stencil as well, the original was damaged beyond repair... Two white leds are inside and when the pushbutton is pressed it activates the microswitch that will be wired to the Xkey.
That should give me a perfect master caution assembly for my pit.

As for the korry indicator reproduction, all I have left to do is the 4 for the TWA and the one for the MISC.    geez, that's 18 in total!

[Ka-Bar03]

WOW!!

Again, awsome work, your gonna have a christmas tree lit up very soon!!
Maybe the boss will let you move it to the front room around Christmas and thow a little tinsel on it

I'll be referencing your thread a lot in the comming months, keep up the great pics and posts Olivier.

[Red Dog]

Well, it's christmas already in the bedroom 

[Rayman]

WOW Oliver,

that's incredible great work !!
when are you going to assemble the complete pit?
It must come out great!!

Raymond

[liongreek]

Excellent work Olivier...now, I've been looking at my posts all over the forum and all i do is to congratulate all of you people for your work...I don't know a thing about electronics, moldering, soldering and stuff, and yet I want to build my own pit....damn, it's frustrating!!!!!!

[smangs]

What an awesome electronics testbed.  I just got started with the CP today, it will probably take me another year before I will even get started with the electronics side of the pit.

Sascha

[idekkers]

Hey liongreek

i didn't know these things either when i started the pit.

now i do soldering and etching of boards for the PHCC, i do a bit of electronics, i know a bit about cutting plexy, wood, metal, and when i get the time ( hopfullysoon) i will start using the lath to make some of the parts for the stick base.

its a steep learning curve, but all you need to do is try, hey i didn't know most of the above 2 years ago. worst case you loose some materials or some skin ( only a bit if your carfull).

Ido

[Ka-Bar03]

Nice!!!

 I'm enviouse!!

[HOLLYWOOD]

thats looks too cool.....im curious as to how you made the stencils for the buttons and what not..... did you print the graphic on white paper, or transparency paper?? they look soo good and i was planin on making my annucators the same way you made yours! can anyone or red dog explain?<------IM A FRIGGIN IDIOT I JUST READ WHAT HE POSTED A WHILE BACK ABOUT THEM BEING LASER PRINTED ONTO A TRANSPARENT SHEET!

p.s. red dog check your PM lol, i need some new pots for my cougar

                                                               -thanks again

[Red Dog]

Yep, Hollywood, they were printed on transparent sheets with a laser printer. I don't mind giving away the graphic files for you guys to use. I might put it in the download section later this week...

with these damn holidays, I couldn't work as much as I wanted on the pit but I managed to work a little on the LEFT AUX console. I have to confess the gear panel received from Mike was a nice argument to work on that part of the pit



It's still not attached to the aux panel because I miss the DZUS, but you get the idea.
The switches are coming from various sources such as AGT, real ones and some non F16 aircraft switches (landing light). The gear indicators are homemade. some resin caps where used on regular switches as well.


I'm pretty happy to have such a nice gear panel thanks to kabar    it's 100 times better than the AGT I had before...
But backlight will be for later.

Now here's something pretty usual...

That's a simple throttle arm assembly would you say... Sure. Only problem is that I got the throttle handle and arm from different sources and I missed all the small connecting stuff and cutoff release lever and springs. Once again, the viperpit community came to the rescue by sourcing some difficult parts to make for me (read springs and lever) and I was able to machine the rest of the parts myself to complete the mecanism.

The 2 small rods are actually nails cut to size and I drilled the hole in it for the retaining pin.
ever tried to bore a tiny hole in a tiny nail ? 


The biggest work was to machine the small part on the end of the cutoff lever that prevent the handle to be lifted without depressing the lever. It's not very close to the real one but does its job.

The hardest work was to put these springs back in their place ...  and I must say we don't need that level of forces in our pit... But Michi, I slept with that baby for the past two nights, playing with the lever to wait for sleep to come ... :oops:   :wink:

Nexy step is to have the Cougar handle replace that real handle or the other way around, I don't know yet...

[J.A.K.]

Nice job RD  Quality as usual :wink:
Greets,
Jaap