D.I.Y. Cheap Curved Projector Screen- for the Flight Sim!

Welcome to The Warthog Project!
This video shows the basic construction and use of my curved projector screen.
The cost is shown- although I since realized i forgot to add the cost of the paint. Normal cheap white paint will do the job if you are on a tight budget, but for the Black Widow mix i described you will need add about $100.
I've been working on this A10C Warthog Cockpit for around five years now. About 95% was made by me at home in my garage!
All my plans, panel files, and 3D printing .stls are free for download at thewarthogproject.com/
I sometimes livestream on twitch- / thewarthogproject
Or check out my Instagram at- / thewarthogproject
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
How much did this cost?
Answer is explained fully right here! - • What it Cost! - A10C W...
What Game/Sim is this?
Digital Combat Simulator World (A-10C Tank Killer II) - www.digitalcombatsimulator.co...
Can I have a free copy of all your panel design files?
Yes you can! - thewarthogproject.com/downloads
What software do you use to warp the projector image? Fly Elise-ng Immersive Diplay Pro - fly.elise-ng.net/products/
What software do you use to export the gauges on the main panel?
Helios - github.com/HeliosVirtualCockp...
What are your PC Spec?
Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Master, Intel i7-9700k OC to 5ghz, 32GB Corsair RAM, Gigabyte Aorus GTX1080ti Waterforce Extreme Edition, Samsung 920 EVO M.2 1TB SSD (OS and DCS), Samsung 860 QVO 2TB 2.5" SATA SSD (Storage), Two XSPC 360mm Radiators, EKWB Velocity CPU Waterblock, EK-RES X3 250mm with D5 water pump, Custom Hard Tubing, Lian Li PC-011 Dynamic Black Case. All RGB turned off!

[@andystafford1653]

Mate, I'm a simulator engineer by profession, 41 years in the job. My specialty is visual generation and display systems. I have to say, this looks pretty fine to me. Crackin' job! Keep up the great work!

[@walkaway6353]

I have Been around a few to many years too. YOU would be blessed to have this guy working for you. I know your "profession". NOT impressed! And just like Boeing is learning... The Good Old Boy club will be the death nail in your coffin. Its best you keep silent and stay in the shadow's.

[@CesarZumarraga]

@@walkaway6353 what the fuck are you saying

[@walkaway6353]

​@@CesarZumarraga Just what is wrong with your comprehension. Just stick to flipping hamburger's. Grown ups are talking.

[@CesarZumarraga]

@@walkaway6353 Fuck off. That's exactly why you haven't found love yet and you never will.

[@Lectrosoul]

@@walkaway6353 You are a Tosser, when you grow up a bit and rediscover this video on KZbin in 5 years time, you will read back your comments and realise what an absolute fool you were back then.. You will be glad the delete button is still available to you.. or will it be?

[@fishsquishguy1833]

Don’t know how I ended up here, but this is freaking awesome!!

[@randyporter3491]

Jim EC LOL! Me either ! , but this is one of the coolest things I’ve seen and I’m a pilot !

[@fredkapp498]

Damn you built all that whats the cost ? How did you learn to fly thats a complicated cockpit..you got skills so freaking cool

[@kurogiza]

This. This is what the 12 year old in me wanted when I first played Falcon in the late eighties. Well done!

[@casedistorted]

A-10 Cuba baby, I loved that game back in the day

[@vancewhitfield7709]

You have made my childhood come to life. I'm so glad I found you. Money is tight but hopefully one day I can build something like this. So friggin awesome!

[@FB0102]

truly amazing, astounding job, thanks for sharing

[@Jimbo-in-Thailand]

2 THUMBS WAAAAAY UP!!! Seems not enough to call it outstanding! Being a real pilot in my younger days, the full peripheral 180° curved screen is not only awesome, but mandatory for a realistic immersion factor. At one time I had actually collected all of the front and rear cockpit components from scrapped F-4 Phantoms, including instrument panels, joystick, throttles, canopies, Martin-Baker ejection seats, rudder pedals and mounting structure, as well as all the left and right hand console panels. I sold most of my collection when I decided to become an expat back in 2004. I wish I had taken the time to 3D model all of the components as well as scan/photograph the components and panel faces to later make authentic reproductions for a flight sim like this one. Oh well.

[@hangar4851]

So beautiful! Great Job and thanks for sharing.

[@MrPeediff]

Wow! What a truly amazing set up. Really well done!

[@petergibbs]

That was amazing. How quickly the eye is tricked into accepting you are at an angle in a turn, even just viewing it on a laptop screen.

[@shawnlund]

Simply brilliant build. Love it.

[@roddraym]

Very inspiring! Thanks for taking the time to record and share this information. Cheers :)

[@DeltaV3]

This is top notch stuff mate. Very impressive. A legend is born. 👍

[@marknovak9310]

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!! Saw this video after viewing Russ Barlow's youtube site where you left a comment. Every time I think I have a great flight sim setup figured out along comes an effort like yours. One hell of a set up-----PERIOD. Glad you are sharing this accomplishment with others like me.

[@MrAnimal1971]

Superb job. I am going to do this for my racing sim rig.

[@CraigSmysimpit]

That's an amazing setup. Thanks for sharing the detail behind its construction. Brilliant.

[@Impisak]

yes

[@edgarkeck3010]

Absolutely awesome! You've got mad skills!

[@jay6817]

Oh my god I can't keep watching this I'm so jelly I really really want something like this. Amazing job fella

[@stuartdewell5472]

This is honestly incredible , and it all works too 😍😍

[@anidiotinaracingcar4874]

Looks very very nice

[@r.a.monigold9789]

What you have done is impressive. How you've done it is amazing. Clever chap, you! Thanks for sharing...

[@thewarthogproject]

Thanks!

[@uliseslopez3330]

@@thewarthogproject Friend, is there anything else that does the same?

[@richard8181]

Fantastic job, love it.

[@stijn512]

this man is a genius. great job

[@JeffsTravels]

Ingenious cost effective engineering!!

[@jackdaniels64]

I’m new to all of this and my mind has been blown!! Wow

[@MichaelPerryFloridaRealEstate]

Dude, that is sick! Nice work!

[@mgcservices7524]

Absolutely brilliant - thank you so much for sharing 👍

[@StevenNovak]

Absolutely amazing!

[@gordonyork6638]

Dude. You have made skills. Hats off.

[@Tommy_Boy.]

Really, really cool! Nicely done! 👍👍🛫

[@Bat4Real]

You are an inspiration.

[@MVHStudios]

Ok, I'm genuinely impressed. Well done mate.

[@mdsf01]

"It's pretty cool." Huge understatement...... NO! It's AMAZING! Well done sir!

[@benjiminus04]

Awesome job!!

[@stuartsherman5975]

Wow! Well done.

[@sharpx777]

great job man, pretty amazing.

[@christianbest6465]

Amazing!!!

[@THE320CREW]

Awesome job mate.

[@THIRSTYGUMS]

That's amazing! I want one

[@spy2778]

Dude that’s awesome!

[@benjiminus04]

Awesome job!

[@djdrthq]

Great stuff, more inspiration for my current project :)

[@Dug_Out]

Epic build mate. Simmin like a boss

[@FernandoOliveira1979]

This is dope!

[@sUASNews]

Huge talent, well done

[@bradecrain]

Great job on the visuals. I'm going to take your design and build my own for general aviation.

[@laburnibyboone3435]

This is amazing

[@Thebertybee]

Great work, thanks for sharing.

[@samyosef]

That’s insane good job 😎

[@Crazy--Clown]

Nicely done 👍 👍

[@ovalwingnut]

Barf Bag REQUIRED! Fantastic... Living the Dream 😎😎😎 ❤It !!!!!!!!

[@ThomasGrillo]

Ok, my turn. ;) That is one fantastic flight sim. Reminds me of the one in the movie, Project X. Nicely done! thanks for sharing. :)

[@joesim9577]

Very cool. I bet you are in for some fun times with that setup.

[@thewarthogproject]

Thanks Joe. Your videos have given me lots of ideas and helped me along the way!

[@madcow3k]

Cool vid. Amazing setup. Wish I could like it twice.

[@tomsbasement4884]

I can remember back in the early 80s playing Microprose F15 Strike Eagle on my 12" portable TV with my Commodore 64 using an Atari style single stick single button controller. I consider myself privileged to have lived and witnessed the amazing advances in computer gaming/sims. These are wonderful times that we live in.

[@hansangb]

RomeoKilo, that is an incredible accomplishment. Wow. the dedication.

[@mauritzploeg1087]

This is so cool mate...!!!

[@cranegantry868]

"Anyway, that's all I've got today"... WOW!!! That's ALL!!

[@davew1234]

Nice work!

[@F1SimulatorManiac]

Great stuff!

[@dgretlein]

Awesome .... love it👍

[@Simon_Rafferty]

"Pretty Cool" - that's an understatement! F^2 Cool!

[@edwinkania5286]

Impressive

[@nickbrown4762]

another level!

[@DanRasmussen72]

I like this! I might do this for my 737-800 sim

[@Squog]

what you have done is fantastic! I want to build my own 'pit one day - if the missus allows me!

[@Impisak]

yes

[@davidflorey]

AMAZING!!!!!

[@spike8002]

Who hasn’t dreamed of flying one of these beasts!

[@axlgutidenia]

Great job, this is amazing, i´m very cool an happy, thanks man and this structure is fabolus for my 737 visual.

[@scoobylew24]

Wow, you did a great job on the cheap. Looks like a million bucks! o7

[@wavydave]

I was happy with my dual 27" Samsung Curved setup, but yours is orders of magnitude beyond my simple rig. I would love to play Eve Online on your monster screen, kudos to your awesome build.

[@SUP_Bigans]

Without cockpit sight seems to fly a F 16! Awesome!

[@j_holtslander]

I want this in my life.

[@naijapilotxmax6006]

You call this cheap?! This is one of the best I have seen dude.

[@nielsdegroot9138]

Cheap doesn't automatically mean rubbish.

[@paulaglet4255]

Mikey likes it, he really likes it!

[@tsangarisjohn]

Invest in some blackout curtains. It will improve your amazing room immensely. Awesome work dude 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@cardboardboxification]

Paint the room flat black

[@Anita95_original]

To avoid the calibration time, reduce the registration error by mounting BOTH projectors on one piece of solid material that in turn is mounted to the roof. This ensures that any movement of the roof affects BOTH projectors the same, which may lead to the whole image moving on the curved screen but not any registration error between the two projectors. Use something that doesn't warp or change dimensions too much due to heat or moisture, just make sure it is more solid than the roof and that both projectors move together, then the mount onto the roof itself is of less concern.

[@nathanb3142]

This, but you could honestly just use 3/4"(20mm) plywood. Plywood is very stable, and the projectors would move the same amount regardless. MDF is fairly stable too, but not as strong as plywood.

[@Anita95_original]

@@nathanb3142 Plywood and MDF are both reasonable materials to use since you don't have fibers all aligned in one direction, and will expand/contract less than metals due to temperature. The whole point is just to make sure both projectors move together by mounting them first together and then secondary to the ceiling that obviously moves.

[@thewarthogproject]

Good suggestion. I'll give it a go. It's also likely the bulk of my problem is coming from the cheap projector mounts as well, there is a lot of play in them no matter how hard I tighten them. I'm planning some custom made aluminium ones out now.

[@fredkapp498]

I'd bet someone who flew real one would be really impressed. The quality and your skills. Tell us more about your bio. I find talented peeps like you very interesting. I don't fly recently checking out these home built Sims very interesting and cool.

[@Impisak]

This is awesome! Great job! Maybe you could show a little bit of the details of the cockpit and how its made in another video? :)

[@thewarthogproject]

Check my channel!

[@danieljohnson5849]

My skin is literally turning green with envy over your sic A-10 Sim.

[@damianramey5601]

Bro! That is fucking amazing!!!

[@leinadreign3510]

I'm not into simulator stuff. So why do I get this video recommended? Really amazing what you can build nowdays : )

[@hm6769]

I love the looks of your screen. It's AWESOME and so is your cockpit.. Want to build one someday. My cockpit is/ and will be somewhat simplified compared to yours. To many buttons and switches. I have no electrical knowledge. I want to hop in and fly. I DON'T plan to fly the real jet ever. I just want to have fun.

[@AutoSonic495]

Thanks i was looking how to do this because I have a sim wheel and wanted more immersion for cheap to nothing

[@DFX2KX]

One thing you could do if you wanted to go really crazy (and if ED ever makes DCS not drop so much FPS exporting the instruments) is make a reflector setup and project the HUD onto an actual reproduction HUD, there was a forum post where someone did that ages back, but I don't remember the ins and outs of doing it because I've never had room for a simpit, so never bothered to try

[@thewarthogproject]

I did actually research that, the hardest part would be getting the exported HUD to actually line up with the outside world viewport on the screen. It would need to be absolutly perfectly aligned for BRRRTTTT. Too much work for too little gain in the end- the on screen HUD works well.

[@sirt8684]

I like the Aussie work boots at 01:55 ;)

[@user-oj4xh8cg2l]

awsome...

[@TheTyphoon365]

Woah nice car

[@JasonWelchMusic]

This would be fun for iracing..... better than triples for certain. Even considering the loss in picture quality, the immersion experience would make up for the difference. Easy trade.

[@Alberto2011Mr]

Take care with the birds!.

[@TheGuidermichael]

Holy crap!

[@MajSolo]

you have to build the over head view it is important when you roll in on a target :)

[@SuppositionalBox]

With the way the prices went for NVidia in the latter half of 2018, you might have been better off with a 1080 Ti just because of how cheap they were for a Ti card, but the 1080 is still a great card. As for the frame rate drops, try reducing the ground clutter option. I noticed it was popping in late and saw your frames suffer soon after. Use late "Pop-In" (when ground clutter or objects suddenly appear in close proximity to the player) as an indicator that the GPU is somewhat struggling to keep up. If you have it setup so stuff rarely pops-in late like that, you should see far less frame rate drops than if it were.

[@adampierson3080]

You should put the monitors on a single mount so you don’t have to deal with the temperature changes

[@mustangbob51]

have you considered building a frame from your screens to hold your projectors? i've seen your 270 degree video. stinkin' fantastic. keep up the stellar work!

[@Autoxdriver]

Simply awesome, quality work. The glaring issue though is that in a dogfight the pilot spends a lot of time looking upwards along his lift vector, this really only works for looking side to side. Need to make one out of a semi-sphere. ;)

[@thewarthogproject]

I use TrackIR for that! I'd love a dome style setup, but the cost would be much higher and I just don't have the room for it!

[@WilliamDeanPlumbing]

It would be rather interesting to see an upgrade in the projectors to 4 K, I'm guessing that would get rid of the screen door effect. but of course you're gonna need an upgrade to that computer map.

[@1dgram]

Now you need a second one with a door built in so that you can get a full 360°. After all, you need to be able to look behind you to see if the rudder and elevator control is free and correct

[@LemurKrazy]

And to check six - what VR gives you.

[@michaelgallimore3707]

Wow! 👍🤘👊

[@SuperSpreeGaming]

You should figure out a way to project 360° in all directions. Not sure how you’d get the sky but it would look pretty good once you’re done.

[@NotPofkp]

Spree Gaming I have two words for you. Virtual Reality

[@russjohnson3011]

Nice- Have you thought about building a canopy frame for he cockpit?