Passion for IT and electronics

Even as a child, I preferred playing with soldering irons to Matchbox cars.

Back then, I built light barriers, audio amplifiers and things like that using simple electronic kits. Computers became available in the early 90s. While my friends were playing on Amiga, Nintendo and the like, I was messing around with Autoexec.bat and Config.sys to get Indiana Jones to run on my 386 PC. Because of this passion, I now work as a computer scientist and have become an electronics nerd.

The simulator project also has a big link to this world. Without skills in the field of electronics and IT, the project cannot be implemented.

All functional elements such as switches, rotary controls, analog and digital displays in the simulator cockpit interact with the simulation software via Arduino microcontrollers and an RS485 bus. To do this, you need to have an understanding of microelectronics/electronics, be able to solder fairly cleanly and program the microcontrollers.

Tools

Why I needed a 100W CO2 laser and an SLA 3D printer as tools for a project for the first time in my life.

I bought the plans for the A10C Simulator project as a license on the Internet. The license allows me to recreate a cockpit.

Based on these plans, I was able to estimate the project effort for the first time. This involved deciding whether the project was feasible with my skills and what skills and know-how I needed to acquire and at what cost in order to reduce the project costs. This suddenly made it worthwhile to purchase tools that I had NEVER thought I would need in my life...but read on.

I then calculated how much it would cost to buy all the wooden parts, the acrylic switch panels and all the buttons and controls as 3D prints from various online purchasing channels. I quickly realized that it was three times cheaper to buy a 100W CO2 laser with a processing area of 900mmx1000mm+ and an SLA 3D printer.

Skills & Complexity

Building a simulator is very complex and reminds me of my computer science projects. A lot of different components have to interact with each other and you need some technical skills that you have to acquire or buy.

If you build your own flight simulator, you have to learn to fly or be able to fly. If you fly an A10, you also have to learn how to operate the weapon systems. You have to be able to remember procedures well and ideally be able to recall them from memory in the appropriate situation.

If a SAM missile is flying towards you, you can press the pause button and read the instructions on how to fend it off, but as soon as you are flying in a multiplayer scenario, you can no longer do that. If you are shot down, you are out of the mission. You also get on the nerves of the other pilots in the multiplayer scenarios if you constantly fire at their own troops. There are multiplayer servers that will then permanently block you.

A simulator simulates a real situation, it's not a game with flight aids. When I wanted to fly in VR for the first time and started the mission, I was sitting in an A10 that was completely switched off and had to be switched on first. There are many websites, videos and even virtual flight schools where you can learn this.

In my opinion, autodidactic skills are particularly necessary in order to be able to make things that you need for the project yourself. There are components in the aircraft cockpit, such as the switch panels or displays, that you can't buy. Some SimPit builders make do with alternatives, such as replacing the two multifunction displays in the center console with those from the F16 (Thrustmaster Cougar). These are not true to scale and also look different. I have my own standards here, I'm too perfectionist.

Furthermore, a good technical understanding of the relationships between electrics and microcontrollers is required. Although some switch panels can be purchased semi-finished (without switches etc.), the builder must add the switches and controls and connect them electrically to the simulation software via microcontrollers.

To program the microcontroller, you have to familiarize yourself with the software code of the DCS BIOS and with the operation of the Arduino IDE.

There are many instructions on the Internet, some of which are correct or some of which are not (anymore). Good research skills and a basic understanding of the technical goal are also required in order to avoid falling for outdated or incorrect instructions.

I have been researching the A10 Simulator project for about a year and a half now and have noticed that the technical possibilities are also improving. For example, you can now buy round displays on Chinese sales platforms that are used in digital alarm clocks. These can be used in the cockpit as a pointer instrument, for example. Here, limitless creativity is the ideal skill for finding suitable solutions.

The entire project is divided into sub-projects. If you look at the menu structure of this website, it largely corresponds to the structure of the sub-projects and each sub-project has different requirements for the builder's skills.

I usually work in an agile manner to complete tasks in order to achieve a production goal. I have also spent the last 12 months teaching myself the necessary skills that were missing.

I am a computer scientist and fairly handy, so all tasks related to the projection environment, the necessary PCs (yes, you need several), the microcontrollers and other electronics were no problem.

I also had to build up skills with the CO2 laser and the SLA 3D printer and the applications for them. The CO2 laser in particular poses some challenges. Once you have found a suitable laser, you cannot switch the thing on and get started. But I will write a separate article about that under the Tools section.

It's also great that there is a large community around SimPit (aka SimulatorCockpit). A large part of the fighter community builds F/A18 and F16 cockpits, and this is where you can find most of the information, some of which can be adapted to other aircraft. You can also ask other questions in the community if you need support.