Though is almost impossible to use such a panel in a simulator I bought it anyway because I need a lot of electronic components in it to assemble a my own semi-functional audio panel. This Gables uses the very same pull and turn pots and interlocked buttons that the Learjet 45’s M-Audio panel has. It has been nice to open it, find a test point for the front panel backlighting and check out that it is perfectly working

I also learnt from it some interesting way to backlight front knobs from diffused light in the front panel. Something that I surely use later in some of my panels.

written by l45 captain \\ tags: audio, cockpit, gables, learjet, panel, simulator

WEBSITE:

A timeline image gallery has been added. This gallery will host all the images updated by date, making a sort of movie of the cockpit build. You can access it here and bookmark.

KNOBS AND DETAILS:

I completed all the 23 knobs present in the glareshield and the Center MIP, but for the Master Caution and analog gauges ones. All of this had to be multiplied by 6 because I had many requests for them. The final result is astonishing even to myself and I hope the “fellow” builders will be happy as well with them. I also made some of the Switch guards present in the pressurization panel and made from scratch the caps for the DU keys and the RMU keypads with a new engraving and painting technic learned lately. Thanks to Ron Rollo of project45.us I also received a full set of smoke laser engraved lens that will fit my Korry replica switches.

FURNITURE:

I rebuilt the whole MIP and pedestals part and I made a base for the simulator as well. The size of the base is 170×100cm and I decided after a real battle with myself to cut the MIP at 3/4 to allow it to fit easier in my small home. I just hope that the final look of the whole simulator will be nice anyway, and I’m betting on it, but I’ll envy a bit for sure all those that will have a full two seated simulator.

Earlier in August I got my MIP, glareshield and brackets cut and bent from aluminium sheets, and in the following days I made the base of my simulator out of wood and planned the more to come, like the center back column and pedestals based on Ron Rollo’s wonderful engineering ideas. As my MIP is slightly smaller and my shell will deviate from the full sized simulators, a different approach had to be taken from all the other learjet builders I saw images of. This deviation means more fun too!

I planned the monitors’ stand to use just two monitors instead of the standard three. A 15.6″ wide for the pilot side and a 19″ wide for the center gauges and the right MFD. It has been a nice finding that I can save on a third monitor and then save the TH2GO needed for it or an additional videocard to drive the extra display. Even better that I had an Asus 19″ W193S 16:10 laying around so I won’t have to buy one.

and as I had already made many of the center MIP panels here’s the MIP populating with them…

Next step is the throttle quadrant pedestal and center pedestal. Those will sustain the whole MIP, glareshield and monitors’ weight so it is important they are very sturdy and steady. Many small details have been considered while planning it. Some had been needed to adapt the original TQ plate support, many others because I thought about where the interfacing hardware and eventually a computer should have been placed. A BU0836X is already in place and a Pokey55T will follow (I will talk more deeply about it later in a it’s own post. That is a wonderful all around interfacing board!)

Now I just miss to fix the glareshield over the MIP, but it will be only done after been painted.

To be continued….

written by l45 captain