Monday June 5th 2006   Well finally the pit has been re-assembled in the workshop after a couple of weeks.   The intention is to get the shell frame built so that when it actually gets put into place, the shell can be assembled around it easily.
All systems are functioning normally.  I have had Peter Selmeci from the VACCHUN team here for a week or so and his experience with BOEING 737NG simulators has been invaluable.   Several issues and inaccuracies have now been addressed and corrected.

I have started to experiment with the Projector as well so that i can work out the exact placement for it in relation to the screens i will use.
Wednesday 7th June 2006   Forgive me ladies, but sometimes female logic defeats me completely.   My wife has only gone and bought me the Engravity CDU !  Can you believe that.    It has arrived today and i am now awaiting the key from PMDG so that i can check it out.

Sunday 11th June 2006   The Key arrived from PMDG the following day and I have spent the last couple of days just playing with the CDU. Installation was really simple and it replicates the operation and performance of the internal CDU/FMC exactly. So that's another job for the Mouse made redundant.   I have to say how pleased i am with the quality of this unit.  The operation is awesome and the quality of the finish is just amazing.        However a word of warning. When you install the PMDG interface, it installs a completely new set of Keyboard Commands. So if you have your own setup or list of commands, back up your 737kbd.ini file. It took me 2 days to get all mine set up again.  What makes it worse is PMDG don't tell you.  You can have the FMS/CDU autoconnect at startup, but it does not auto disconnect.   This results in a FS 'Not Responding' message.   You have to disconnect it manually.   It's no big deal as long as you remember.
Friday 16th June 2006   Well i have been a busy boy this week.    I have had a French Builder, Milou Hachadi, visit for a couple of days.  Milou is just starting out and is very interested in the way i have done things.  He actually flew from Paris CDG to Liverpool with Easyjet.   So i entered the flight plan into the CDU and Milou flew the route as a demonstration flight.  Very succesful, with all systems performing perfectly.
I have also started to think about the shell because things inside the 'PIT' are just about finished.

What I have done is make a temporary frame and the windshield centre post so that I can support the overhead panel in place.  From here i can get the angle right (I know it's too steep) and work on the overhead switches and systems.
The overhead panel is so complex that it is taking up so much time and resources.  However, it is a great challenge to get it all working and controlling the PMDG.

Saturday 17th June 2006   Work continues, I have now painted all the knobs on the Overhead, Pedestal and the MIP Grey which looks much better and realistic. I am also using this time to improve some things and do maintenance.
Wednesday 21st  June 2006   Having got the Overhead in Place and all the switches operating the PMDG Overhead Panel, it is time to look at the power distribution and getting all the right Annunciators working at the right time in concert with the control switching.    I have done some PROVISIONAL work and this is documented on the OVERHEAD page

Tuesday 4th July  2006   Sort of got sidetracked a little this week. Gert at Flyware has sent me a Beta of the New FSXpand v5.2.   Some nice improvements.   He wants to show it off at the French Flight Simulator Exhibition at Le Bourget this coming weekend, so my attention has been somewhere else i'm afraid.
Wednesday 5th July  2006   OK we now have the overhead in place. All the Switches are now controlling the PMDG 737 100%.  I have got the annunciators working in concert also. But I still do have a problem with the APU and Eng.Generator Lights. Because of the way I have wired up the switches, with the APU, I have to turn both Gen Switches On-Bus for the Annunciator to Extinguish.   And with the Eng.Generator Switches, with the Engines stopped, it is still possible to turn off the Gen.Off Bus Light and direct Power to the Main Bus.    I know how to solve the problem, but as the Overhead is in place temporarily while I build the Shell around it, I can live with it until I do the final assembly.
 Thursday 6th July  2006   And talking of the shell, work has started on the main windshield and windows. 
Turning a pile of wood and a drawing into this

is not quite as easy as it sounds.  It is a very complex frame which has taken me the best part of two days to build ( and then i've taken it apart for modification because it does not look quite right). 

Still there's always tomorrow :o).   More on Shell page.
Sunday 9th July  2006   Been busy this weekend. First the How I Did It Document on wiring the the Overhead Panel is uploaded. See the OVERHEAD page. This is a provisional document.  The final version will replace it when i get to do it :o)
Forgot to mention that i changed the 17" monitors for 19" which gives a much better effect

Actually got the Projector mounted up today as well, again a major step forward. Finished the Glareshield and work on the shell continues too. All in all a very successful weekend.

Thursday 13th July  2006   The Yoke Checkboards arrived from LUCHVAART HOBBY SHOP today. First job was to fit them. Very Nice but a little on then small side.

Work on the Shell continues. I'm really pleased with the way the windshield and side windows have turned out, but i'm struggling getting the roof frame right.

Sunday 13th August 2006   Well been a busy time the last month.  Our daughter got married and Madame sort of got me doing things which she thought was more important than Cockpit Building.  Hope to get the website upto date this week.
Also i have had so much interest in using the Opencockpits USBKeys card, I decided to throw together a little number to help out other builders using this amazing piece of kit. Click the image for a better look.
Thursday 24th August 2006   What I thought was going to be a simple job, attaching two CH Yokes and Rudders turned out to be one of my worst nightmares. They conflict with each other.  The rudder pedals are not the culprits, it is the yokes. So I have spent the best part of  2 days trying to sort it out.  Mailed CH to see if there was a solution and they sort of admitted they had had the same problem.  In fact they sort of said dont talk to us talk to Microsoft.  That's support !     Problem sorted !
17th September 2006   The Chronographs are looking real good.  They are actually working clocks. Here's how to do it