The Main Instrument Panel!- A10C Warthog Simulator

[@bartacomuskidd775]

This absolutely blows my mind. I could spend all day immersed in DCS with this.

[@67amiga]

Looks awesome. Disappointed to not see a TISL panel. That was my system (Pave Penny) that I maintained many years ago, but understand it's now obsolete in the C model. In case your interested, I also maintained the HUD camera/video system. Originally it was just called the gun camera and it was just a film camera. Around 1989 it was modified to the AVR system, a video camera with the recorder in the tail of the aircraft.

[@CsabaKissColorado]

The attention to details is staggering. Well done!

[@blave549]

This is just stellar work. Holy smokes!

[@ErikScott128]

You may want to consider the Virpil T-50 base over the WarBRD. The T-50 base is intended for use as a center stick. You may find the WarBRD is intended as a desktop stick, and may not have the force you want.

[@x1101126]

Best sim cockpit project I ever seen. Good job!

[@TRS-Tech]

@The Warthog Project ... love your build 👍 just an idea for your rudder pedal brakes, if you got 2 of those basic microswitch foot pedals and mounted them on the back of the rudder peddels, you can then press the top of the pedals with the top of your toe...

[@RainmanHST]

I guess I am late on this video. Great work! I agree about the HUD. It’s more trouble than what it’s worth. That is if you implement the HUD properly having it focused to infinity and matched up with the monitor. I’ve tried some cheap commercial simulators that just project a digital image of the HUD like dogfightboss, Viperwing etc and they are way to distracting having to shift your focus continuously. Just putting the HUD on the screen like we do is the smart way to go.

[@anonymous2513456]

Give this man a budget and get him working for the MOD. The MOD spend billions of simulators, this guy can knock them up for 5 grand.

[@zosdkpmfksdmfkmsdd]

yeah but it takes up to 5 years

[@dmars444]

@@zosdkpmfksdmfkmsdd As a hobbyist solo? Imagine if this was his day job.

[@SgtLedesmaFTSFW]

Military sim technician here. Great video! Such videos will be of great help for our sim innovations. Hope you upload more detailed videos about DCS setup with curve screen and how you were able to connect cockpit switches to DCS. Hope I can dm you lol.

[@Topper_Harley68]

It is best and cheapest to connect the switches to Arduino via DCS-Bios.

[@FlightSim2703]

Good job , and for such a wonderful outdoor scenery you may need to build a fuselage on your instruments , keep up the good job, I liked also the functionality instruments and control knobs 🥰👍

[@LuisMendoza-pp9qi]

I'm making my own.... But I'm going to buy a cheap 4K TV... put a thin plastic layer on top, and glue switches and knobs and levers On Top!! And the gauges will be displayed digitally on the 4KTV.... Saves me the incredible work of making each gauges

[@talbotmcinnis]

Fantastic work. Best one Ive seen. I really enjoyed building mine, still wonder if I enjoyed building it or flying it more!?

[@allenquach]

😁😁😁

[@hansangb]

Wow...just wow. Incredible work. More videos please! :) And thanks for for showing the landing gear switch!

[@sgtfoose8842]

Well done very nice cockpit and video sir!

[@tngtacticalmiata1219]

Yeah.... here's yet another comment saying..... Really great work! At some point I will probably start on one for WW2 era aircraft. Thinking of basing it on something like the P38 once it comes out in IL2 and having interchangeable modules to accommodate the other aircraft in the game. I like DCS but, there aren't enough people playing it to make multiplayer interesting on a daily/random basis. Again.... Awesome job!

[@rpatrick2]

P-38 is my favorite WW2 US plane.

[@Jagdtiger74]

Awesome work! Really well done!

[@GrimJerr]

Amazing

[@CarstenDittrich2014]

Respect... Awesome work. Can I ask what the overall dimensions are? I fly VR, but am going to make a front dash (I fly DCS mix of A10, F16, Ka-50 and F/A18), so I need just a few mfd's and buttons + 1 rotary for the Skhval... Just need an idea of size and relative distances... Would you know where to get such data?

[@quinnyrethus]

Looking awesome mate well done. Have you done much with running a master/slave setup for DCS-BIOS? I'm looking at doing that for they Huey consoles. I have designed some PCB's that will allow for a master Arduino Mega2560 with up to 100 slave Nano's/Uno's linked via max487 chips. The Mega2560/max487 chip and a 12v PSU will run into a custom RJ45 hub with 10ports(for 10 slaves) which distributes 12v, GND, A,B signals for the chips. So you can stack the 10 port hubs for how ever many the console needs and should keep the 12v load down per hub. This way each panel can be designed independent and only requires 1 RJ45 cable connecting it to the hub which in turn only has 1 USB to the PC. Still researching if this will work as intended.

[@thewarthogproject]

I haven't used a slave/master set up. All of mine use there own individual arduinos, connected via a usb hub. I did that only because I've got a whole bunch of different USB cards in there that needed USB hubs anyway. I started this project before DCS-BIOS existed, so I already had the cards. if I started a new one now I'd base it totally on arduino and definately do slave/master.

[@calpilotmike]

Looks incredible! Could you share how you came up with or where you found the plans for building the frame? I've been interested in building a pit at home and it seems to me that would be the best place to start constructing. Yours looks great, and would make a good template.

[@thewarthogproject]

I bought my plans from vrpits.com. I'm actually filming a video about plans right now. Standby for a full explanation!

[@col.strayga1389]

You should take orders for this rig.

[@FanaticNYC]

AWESOME WORK !

[@heed7496]

i wish u could show how helios worked and how it interfaces with your buttons

[@Donatus11]

This guy is a genus !

[@Xurak88]

Hey mate, where did you get that Helios profile from? I'm struggling to find one already made. Cheers :)

[@yingtaurus2559]

The rudder toe breakes in real life is actually really hard to press. Idk unless it doesnt give you enough resistance when braking then change it

[@caseybalfour2023]

Can you send out something like instructions and a part list to build the whole cockpit?

[@timmyfagerlund1029]

😁

[@ALPHARICCO875]

Fantastic work, do you know where I can buy the AoA side the HUD, Thank you and congratulations

[@thewarthogproject]

I built both indexers myself. If you have a look on viperpits.org there is free plans for F-16 ones in the downloads section, I based mine if those.

[@rjminar1980]

“The cat took it…” haha!

[@Josh.Davidson]

Awesome job! That's very cool!

[@karlakaarel4830]

Hey! Been following you for a while know and building my own as well. 1. Please advise what rotarys are you using for ADI and HSI? 2. Please advise, which arcade buttons are you using for Navigation Panel, it seems that the measures in ebay (24x18) doesnt add up in your blueprint for it. Keep going!

[@Masteroftee]

How to get dimensions of cockpit for example like for f-16 if i want to build my own ?

[@TheWarriorSolution]

Not sure if you still have the same rudder pedals or not, but I'm 99.9% sure if you reached out to Thrustmaster, they would be more than happy to send you whatever you'd like just so they could get the free advertising from the amount of work you put into this.

[@CraigSmysimpit]

I'm building my front dash currently so brilliant to watch this. The landing gear has a good sound to it and looks great. I like the power distribution throughout the pit and the connector plates on each key console for this. I think a HUD would be a nice addition. A few questions: How many instances of the socat file do you run for your pit? Do you launch them all individually or have a single command to launch all? Is the servo for the engine hydraulics the same type as that used for the flaps position? What make/model did you use? What type / amount of leds do you use to illuminate the indicator lights? (i.e. Gun Ready, steering engaged, etc) Truly fantastic work, well done

[@thewarthogproject]

Hi Craig. I've been following your build as well mate, looks brilliant! I launch only one socat file that does multiple comm ports. The servos in the hydraulics gauges are just cheap SG90s from ebay, geared up so they have 360 degrees of travel instead of 180. They are very cheap, I got a bag of 12 of them. The indicators have two 3mm leds in each.

[@CraigSmysimpit]

Thanks Ray, I'll likely pick up and use a few of these, cheers

[@calpilotmike]

Would you mind sharing some of your build details for the landing gear panel (which car shock, dimensions)? I'm thinking of starting there. In return, if you need any 3D work or custom vinyl cut, I'd be happy to provide that in exchange for your knowledge. ;)

[@thewarthogproject]

If you have a look at my plans video, there is a link to all my panel files in the description. The landing panel is in there, and all the dimensions are in the pdf file. The shock I used was just the cheapest 100mm one I could find on ebay, I just chose one with an internal spring so it looks a bit cleaner.

[@thewarthogproject]

rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com.au%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F262844159191

[@dotnetdevni]

Curious what width does the left side need to be to house the throttle assembly

[@SAINT-ANTONIO]

HI THERE😄 What do you think about having HYBRID VR instead the room screens? This one merges the DCS 3D view into the real cockpit! Meaning one can see the cockpit, hands, smartphone, legnotes but if looking out through the cockpit window one sees the DCS landscape. One might have to consider an enviroment ambiance LED though, matching the cockpit light with the one in the simulation.

[@SAINT-ANTONIO]

I would add 7 STEEL bars in a rotary super structure, like the GAU has, mounted on a strong drilling machine, with a THICK RUBBER STICK emulating the GUN PUNCHES through the cockpit when triggering....

[@johnwatson4260]

I have a question about the use of helios and pulling the data onto the screen that fuels your forward panel. Do you think that data could be pulled into a VR/AR setup and projected onto a homemade simulator using something like a Zed mini? I don't know how to pull the data out of DCS and use it with a VR setup with a camera like the Zed mini. it's my new project but I think you have half of the problem figured out.

[@rjet43]

do you have a video on how you set up the second monitor with helios? my front dash is like your and i am ready to install helios but i am not sure how.

[@bartacomuskidd775]

How many separate controllers do you run? where does someone go to learn how to build triggers? Is there a site for all necessary resources?

[@stijnwenselaar1268]

Nice looking again. What kind of (push) switches are you using for the NMS panel? Where can I buy these other than Ebay/ amazon? Which chinese site sells them?

[@thewarthogproject]

I got them on ebay for $1 each. Not sure where else you can get them. I used the clear ones and lasered my own labels. rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com.au%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F123255683302

[@allenquach]

It is all onscreen! Why build it? Only for those like to build the hardware! I rather immense myself in the game and fly more... Anyway, master build and look very unique!!! Awesome...

[@rustykaliman9276]

Hello, how you realized the Angle of Attack Indexer, i mean... i can`t find it in DCS BIOS. I found some code but nothing about LED

[@thewarthogproject]

Hit me up in the discord, I'll share the code with you discord.gg/zfpJz2a2mg

[@jbaviation4700]

nice cockpit, but how did you made the seat?

[@thewarthogproject]

Guess what the next video is about!

[@benpeters7573]

What did you use to mount panels to the back of the monitor?

[@G3Panthro]

where did you get the buttons you use for the breaker panel?

[@thewarthogproject]

They are just cheap latching push buttons from ebay, not actual pop out breakers. rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com.au%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F401400294724

[@basvanvliet1970]

Just quick and late but, how did you learn to do all the coding of the arduinos? Love cockpit btw

[@maxbologna2593]

Hi! Sorry for my bad english.... I am very interested in your project and I am starting to do some pieces too. I have configured helios on 27 inches but I have not been able to export MFCDs with it. Did you use another program? Thank you. Eventually we can continue the conversation via email. Greetings . Max "Lento" (Virtual Italian Air Force)

[@RainMakeR_Workshop]

Could you please make a "how to" vid when you make your own MFDs?

[@RainMakeR_Workshop]

Nevermind. Found the vid lol.

[@paraglide01]

Wauw, this is amazing.

[@jorgealvarez6722]

You are my hero. Are you in Sydney?

[@Topper_Harley68]

The Honeywell switch cost 120 usd + shipping and vat.

[@geoffroberts4342]

You’re a genius

[@cod_cape5483]

I’m looking at building my own diy pit and I’m just wondering what the purpose of the Power Supply is for? Can I not just run it off of powered USB ports?

[@matthewb7721]

I would like to know also.... but I’m thinking is the PC USB cant power that many ardunios so you use a power supply to power the cards and all of the lights. Usb then just becomes a signal wire? I hope he chimes in.

[@cod_cape5483]

Matthew B yeah, that could be it.

[@navuek]

where would you get the mfd switches?

[@thewarthogproject]

I laser cut the buttons myself. The switches used are just tactile push buttons like this rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com.au%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F141986870574

[@hammybunghole4275]

Love the setup. The A-10 is my favorite plane. But question what is the name of the game you use?

[@721MrG]

Digital Combat Simulator known as DCS World, it's free on Steam with I think 2 starter planes, Su-25 and TF-51, then you can buy additional planes by your preference, some are relatively cheap like F-15C, A-10A, MiG29, Su-27/33, some are expensive like A-10C, F-16, F-18 etc

[@OKTechCrafter]

What software is the instrument panel screen running on when its actually in use? You say it but its a tad too fast for my ears to catch. Looking amazing btw! :)

[@2Fast4Mellow]

Helios is the instrument background - the main layout. Iris is used to 'move' parts of the DCS rendered components (like the MFD monitors and clock) which is placed behind the helios application and are visible through the cutouts you saw before he fired up DCS..

[@bradhallsr1]

I'm a 60+-year-old disabled U.S. Navy veteran, how much would you charge me to build a full cockpit? Mine would need working oxygen as I'm on oxygen 24-7 due to my lung damage from an accident while I was in the Navy. Thanks.

[@Kylamity1]

Great work! Very inspiring! I am more of the sim racing genre than flight but this project has me wishing cars had more buttons! Though I must criticize your wire management, really makes a great piece of artwork look hacked together... But as a guy who wires multi million dollar wafer plating tools professionally I tend to be picky.

[@butchs.4239]

That's a fair criticism. I really wish I had a picture of the back of the instrument panel in my Dad's boat. He learned how to wire during his Air Force training, prior to becoming a B-47 crew chief. The back side of his instrument panel was honestly more impressive than the front side.

[@Bulldawg62]

A great job I want to build this for my home as I am a pilot, building it I can do just fine, but I have no clue how to wire everything up. Do you have link for the wire diagram or how to wire the pit up to the computer?

[@thewarthogproject]

Building is the hard part- wiring and programming is easy (and cheap) now thanks to Arduino and DCS-BIOS. Start here- dcs-bios.a10c.de/docs/v0.7.0/userguide.html. Once you have one single LED blinking along with the sim using the master caution example- you will nail the rest!

[@schalotten]

Are the grey buttons homemade?

[@sidneygosschalk9674]

cant telll you how bad I want one of these in my house

[@kitcho75]

Build the HUD. you have to build the HUD.

[@richwhilecooper]

I am going to be buying a large format laser for various business ideas. I know you have said free to use on you designs but I would be willing to pay you a royalty on everyone used and sold on a piece by piece basis. I am still 18 months away from production and plan to make parts only for people to self assemble. I will be making other things but sim panels is one thing. I recently sold prototypes based on my own adaptations of freely available pdfs on ED.. You would literally have nothing to do except take a cut as I cannot bear the idea of using someone else's designs to make for others. I am not interested in exclusivity just giving back to soneone who has given to the community. Let me know if interedted ir if you have objections.

[@thewarthogproject]

I have no objections at all. I dont want royalties or a cut of anything- I released them to the community for free use. Not everyone has access to lasers and 3D printers, so anyone manufacturing them so others can simply buy them already done is great!

[@richwhilecooper]

@@thewarthogproject I will make it clear I'm only charging for laser time & materials and give credit to the creator. I think you're a top bloke. When I get started you at least have to let me send you a crate of beer or something!

[@LalaPala-ml2or]

Did you get your cockpit checked by a certified electrician?

[@taichihass]

Wtf................... crazy 😯

[@col.strayga1389]

You should of used a VA monitor instead an IPS for the higher contrast and the very dark blacks.

[@jerrylowenstein1899]

How do I get one Jerry 954.695.5960 US florida