GENERAL: PC System setup and high-level architecture

PC: FSXMain

• Radeon HD 6850 1GB GDDR5(256bit) HDMI/dualDVI, DP, PCI-E
• GIGABYTE GA-P55-USB3, P55, Dual DDR3-2000 MHz, RAID, GLAN, ATX
• Intel Core i7-870, 2.93 GHz, 2.5 GT/s Transfer, 8MB, LGA1156, 45nm
• Patriot GAMING EP 2x2GB 1600MHz DDR3 CL 9.9.9.24
• WD Caviar Blue, 3.5'', 1TB, SATA/300, 7200RPM, 32MB cache
• HEDY 600W ATX 2.2 14cm FAN Activ PFC
• LG SuperMulti SATA DVD+/-R22x,DVD+RW8x,DVD+R DL 16x,SecurDisc

PC 1: FSXPilot

• Intel Pentium 4 CPU 2.8 GHz (dual core)
• Kingston 2x512Mb RAM
• On-board Intel 82865G Graphic Card  
• Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 40 GB, 7200 RPM,3.5"

PC 2: FSXEicas

• Intel Pentium 4 CPU 2.8 GHz (dual core)
• Kingston 2x512Mb RAM
• On-board Intel 82865G Graphic Card  
• Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 40 GB, 7200 RPM,3.5"

PC 3: FSXCoPilot

• none

Displays

• Scenery: 2 x 32" Samsung LCD monitors (1366x768)
• Glasscockpit: 3 x 19" 4:3 LCD no-name flat panels (1024x768)
• CDU: 1 x 5,6" LCD VGA display (800x600)

Audio

• none

Other

• TP-Link TL-WR841N Wireless Router 300Mbps N
• TP-Link TL-WR543G Wireless Router 54Mbps (in AP clinet mode)
• ATX power supply (300W) 5V and 12V for electronics and back-lighting

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GENERAL: Seats

I tried to repeat a few times here that my project is not necessarily real copy of Boeing 737NG cockpit. This is a hobby and having fun from constructing or virtual flying is much more important than sticking to measurements in millimeters.

So, my seats were taken from regular passenger car. It was Chevrolet PT Cruiser and I find them excellent even if platform had to be created. Note that the best choice are those from a car with driving wheel on right-side. Otherwise, you will  be having challenges in operating radios because seats are equipped with armrests. They have a few more advantages e.g. leather upholstery, built-in two on-off-on momentary switches originally used for heating, electric height regulation or you can change the distance from MIP as in your car. But, the biggest surprise was the price itself, 55 EUR for two!

 

By the way, two heating push buttons are connected to my FSBUS card and I use them to change outside  camera view. The electric height regulation may be a nice feature, but requires dedicated +12V power supply capable to deliver min. 6A per seat.

DON'T BE AN IDIOT! and be very careful when connecting anything to the sockets if your seats are having side airbag. Airbags can easily explode, so it is suggested to remove them before doing any work. See below a few Russian-speaking chuckle-heads and how dangerous it may be for your health.

Here you have a photo showing the distance from the floor, click on it to zoom. It was taken probably in 747, but seems to be also relevant for Boeing 737.

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GENERAL: Materials \ Painting

...for metal or wood

Majority of the cockpit in Boeing 737 is painted on iron gray, RAL 7011. You can easily order it somewhere on Internet, however "Colours: Dark Gray Mat" from Castorama is also good. It's cheap and perfectly matches the other elements painted on RAL 7011. I suggest to take a can of 2.5 liter.

...for metal\plexi surface

You may also need spray for painting small plexi elements or metal parts e.g. screws. Leroy Merlin or Castorama offers great choice of RAL 7011 paints.

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MIP: Layout and dimensions

Measurements 

You can't continue building your cockpit without having Markus' measurements. Visit his site to get it downloaded, click here.


Layouts by Juan Cordon
(click on the picture to enlarge)

Real interior of 737NG, photo by Agnor B
(click on the picture to enlarge)

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GENERAL: Two seat platform

I believe that the below pictures are worth more than 1000 words. Let me apologize for missing translation, so feel free to contact me via email if you need an explanation. The only two comment are that I suggest 15-18mm MDF board on the top (approximatley 3m2) and you will also need around 27 meters of metal profile 20x20.  

Don't forget to adjust bar positions accordingly to the mounting place of your yoke and seats. My platform has been covered with gray carpet which is well corresponding to RAL 7011 cockpit base.



       

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