This is a good pic i found on my journey.
http://www.gregloskorn.com/airplanesfldr/fightersfldr/f-18cockpit2lg.html
http://www.gregloskorn.com/airplanesfldr/fightersfldr/f-18cockpit1lg.html

I am going to start a preliminary drawing of your F18 simulator bezel. I can alter the angles and linear dimensions easily when I get them. I wont have to redraw them from scratch.

I do not post in forums much as you can see. How do you quote what someone says with the box around it?

NATOPS on the way by e-mail.

I figured the set up costs would be high - that's why you need to make a big run. Just keep crunching the numbers. We'll get there.

Ripcord

Ah, looks like we are online about the same time.

This is a legacy hornet cockpit there in your post. That means it's a C/D version, or something prior to the E/F versions, which are Superhornets. You can tell by the UFC, where the radios are. In the Superhornet, you would see the touchscreen UFC there. And the fuel panel in the Superhornet is different (right below the Left MDI). Otherwise, it's hard to tell the difference (for me anyway).

Ripcord

RIP

Ok i need the basic dimensions.

What are the Screen Dimensions? X_____ Y______

What is the length Of bezel _______ not the screen

What is the width Of bezel _______ not the screen

What is the distance ________ from the bottom of the bezel to the break point for the angle that moves towards the top of the bezel.

What is the Length of the middle flat that goes across the top of the bezel ________________ This flat intersects the 2 angles that go down toward the sides of the bezel.

I can figure out the rest .

But if you know..... what are the sizes of the square push buttons?


Going to fly Some Falcon

Ill check back with ya later.

Static,

I'm working on the drawing now. I'll get you all of those dimensions.

Please pay attnetion to the differences bewtween the Hornet (F-18A/B/C/D) and the Superhornet (F-18E/F), as Ripcord mentions.

Consider constructing panels so that they can be backlit. This generally is a type of sandwich construction, where the top panel part has holes cut all of the way through for lettering, and the bottom panel part has no cuts for lettering at all. In between, a translucent white sheet of plastic or other material is placed. This makes lettering white during daylight and allows far backligting when it is dark. I don't know how much this might add to the cost, but it would be nice to at least explore it.

What about something like this.



Not 100% as the original one but quite close.

Regards,
Alex

Alexander,

I did the drawing and sent it to Static already. That's nice, though; where did you get it? Is it CAD or PDF?

No problem Joe.

It is a drawing from the model Im making currently. It is mainly based on NATOPS manual and photos from books and from the net.
You can take a look at http://www.insidethecockpit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41 for some more screenshots.
Im in contact with a guy here to mill the parts for me from plexiglass, dont know how it is called exactly. Already showed him the models. Should be no problem for him. But by the time he is busy with another project and will be aviable only around april, may so I have to wait a bit.

Anyway is great to see the Hornet pit builders are finally starting to show up.

Regards,
Alex

Hey Joe. Drawing is incompatible with my version of AutoCAD. And it wont read into my MasterCAM Design or MasterCAM mill programs. Do you have a translator for your AutoCAD?

Type igesout and see if it will dump an iges file from your program.

The Initial Graphics Exchange Specification (IGES) (pronounced eye-jess) defines a neutral data format that allows the digital exchange of information among Computer-aided design (CAD) systems. From WIKI

If not I think you can save your file for as an old version. I have Mechanical Desktop which is a high end version of AutoCAD. But is older. I never have problems reading in files though.

Load up drawing.
Go to FILE
SAVE AS pick AutoCAD 2000 DXF
I can not read the very old AutoCAD 13 or AutoCAD 14 files.
Or try Mechanical Desktop 4 if that is available.

Or try filling in the blanks I previously posted.

Your exact drawing would be best of course.

Looks nice Alexander....
I have seen your drawings that looks like a nice project you have going.

Static,

New email on the way with AutoCAD 2000 DXF file.

ok that worked.
That files does not look like it is in scale to the real part.
Is that what you need fitted in your pit?
Static

It doesn't look like it's to scale? It's 6.5 inches across and 5 inches tall before the angle, is it not? That's what the NATOPS says...

Ripcord, can you confirm I have the dimensions correct?

I did not print out the NATOPS at kinkos yet.

I have been told from a pretty reliable source that the button opening on the panels is 9.5 centimeter diameter. I will try to verify the drawing dimensions from that info. I was talking with a guy on MultiviperServer last night that knows Ripcord. He gave me some info on it. Sounded very convincing.

I am going to check the drawing to see if the squares are 9.5 cm

According to the NATOPS the buttons themselves (not the openings) are 3/8", or .9525cm. I assume you mean 0.95 centimeters, not 9.5cm, as that would be gigantic.

Sounds like my drawing is correct...

woops sorry i meant .95... heheh... that would be a big button

ok i will get back with ya...
making a file for machining

Any updates, Static?

There's some good info here and here on various ways to create backlit panels.

Static, bumpety bump.

If you were over at Multiviper, you must have been talking to Mike. Nobody else over there knows me (except Joe). He was talking to me about doing a set of F/A-18 panels if we can get enough folks together. It is good that you guys are talking -- he seems to have a lot of experience doing this kind of thing, based on the things he has built for the F-16 pit.

As NATOPS is really the only accurate blueprints we have, then those foldouts are good enough for me. That is the standard, as far as I am concerned - as accurate as we are going to get. If it differs in some way from a real Superhornet, then I doubt there are more than a handful of us that are qualified to tell the difference anyway.

So Static, how goes it? Did you get to the point where you can try to machine something yet? Or still in the design stages?

Ripcord

im getting it going... you will be happy ;0

Static,

Great. As I discussed in my email to you, I guessed on a few of the dimensions for knbos and such to much photographs. I now realize that the NATOPS does provide these dimensions, so if/when we do a second round of this, I will modify the MFDs.

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with. Would it be worthwhile for me to spend some time drawing the rest of the panels in AutoCAD?