EQUIPMENT | SPECIFICATIONS | LINKS (places to buy) |
COMPUTER: | ||
Model | Dell XPS 630 (ATX motherboard) | dell.com ![]() ![]() |
Power supply | 750
W Always check your available power supply in your computer, before adding new cards etc. Some graphics cards for example are very power hungry, and may cause crashes if your PC's supply is insufficient. |
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Processor | Intel Core 2 Duo E8500, 3.13 GHz / 6MB Cache / 1333 FSB | |
Memory | 4 GB dual DDR2 800MHz | |
Hard Drive | 500
GB ATA 3Gb/s (7200rpm) (can't imagine ever running out of room on this one) |
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Primary graphics card | 512 MB nVidia Geforce 8800GT (2dvi) (for 3 upper monitors) |
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Secondary graphics card | 512 MB nVidia Geforce 8800GT (2dvi) (for 2 lower monitors) |
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Optical Drive | 16X
Cd/DVD R/W Really not important, all you ever have to do is install software, and leave your FS-disk in it. |
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USB |
2 front / 4 back Remember to connect your main controls (mouse and keyboard) directly to the PC here, not via a hub, or you'd loose them during a power failure. |
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Sound Card | Integrated 7.1 Intel High Def. Audio So far I've found no reason to spend money on a sound card, this works just fine. You're not listening to music here, just the rumble from the plane and radio conversation. Everything comes through loud and clear. |
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Operating System | Windows XP Pro | |
Comments | This
PC is for simulation only, it is NOT connected to the internet. It has been stripped of all unnecessary software, running only Windows and whatever programs needed for flight simulation. I've had several Dell's over the years, for work and flight sim, as well as train sim, and they have always worked well for me. We still have FS2004 on it, but never use it. Since starting on FSX, that is the only way to fly, the graphics are just stunning. On regular settings we get good fps. Flying FSX is much more like real flying, even in the way the plane handles. |
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MONITORS: | ||
Left view monitor | 19" Widescreen flatpanel, DELL 1908WFP digital (1440x900) | dell.com![]() |
Center view monitor | 19" Widescreen flatpanel, DELL 1908WFP digital (1440x900) | |
Right view monitor | 19" Widescreen flatpanel, DELL 1908WFP digital (1440x900) | |
These 3 view-monitors are connected via Matrox TripleHead2Go for a wide outside view - seen by the PC as one huge screen with a total resolution of 3840 x 800 (3 x 1280x800). This one is digital, but analog works just as well. | ||
Instrument panel monitor | 19"
Widescreen flatpanel, DELL 1908WFP digital (1440x900) These particular monitors from Dell are hight ajustable, which make them easier to work with in the SimPit, when they're on the stand. But as with most monitors, you can also take the stand off and use a wall mount directly onto the simpit build. |
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PGS monitor | 14" Widescreen
flatpanel, Hyvision MV142 (1280x768) This monitor is not available anymore. It is actually hard to find the small monitors (15" or less) anymore, making it hard to squeeze more monitors into a SimPit. But some people use smaller TVs, which also works depending on your VGAcard output. |
tigerdirect.com |
Comments | I've had a couple of 17"
monitors of the same type from Dell for a few years now, and they have worked well, still do. These sim monitors are all brand new, but they all work well and look great. The lower monitors for panel/GPS could be other sizes, but unless they are flat panel, you'd be hard pressed to make room for them. The upper 3 monitors could be different sizes as well, but the 19" wide offer a great view at a reasonable prize. It's important though, that these 3 monitors be identical. |
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OTHER PC EQUIPMENT: | ||
Keyboard | Deck
backlit 82key This keyboard is great. It saves a lot of space not having the numeric keys (that you don't need). I love the backlit feature, it's easy to see and find whatever key you might need during flight. I chose it in red (that's the color you'd see in an airplane), but they have other colors available. It's not cheap though. |
deckkeyboards.com![]() |
Mouse | Dell optical | dell.com |
Speakers | Maxell
2.1 w. subwoofer and remote control It is not easy to find speakers that will render themselves to being built in, and at the same time offer access to volume control, but I was lucky to find these. They aren't big, but they work great. You're not listening to music here, just rumble from the plane and radio conversation. Everything comes through loud and clear. |
amazon.com![]() |
USB hubs (2) | D-LinkŪ
7-Port Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Hub Always use powered USB Hubs! |
amazon.com![]() |
Power Supply / Battery | CyberPower
550VA 8-outlet (4 battery / 4 non) I suppose you could make do without a battery backup. But I wouldn't advice it. I keep only the PC and the center view monitor on this backup, giving me plenty of time to save my flight and make a proper shutdown if we have a power failure, which in this area is pretty darn often. At the very least you need a heavy duty surge protector. |
amazon.com![]() |
External graphics card | Matrox
T2G-D3D-IF Triplehead2Go Dual-Link Digital This card extends your regular DVI or VGA output from your primary graphics card to 3 monitors for a wide view. This is awesome, easy to set up (and should you have a problem, their support over the phone is free, friendly and excellent). The max resolution you can get on a TH2G at the moment is 3840 x 800, which is less than the monitors' native res. But it looks well enough, and hopefully there are upgrades on this from Matrox in the future. Check out this card at matrox.com |
amazon.com![]() ![]() |
Headset and microphone | n/a I am not using either at the moment. I like getting the sound through the speakers, and the sim pit is in a remote area of the house where it doesn't bother anybody. Later I plan to add Voice Buddy to the system, and then I'll need a mike. |
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FLIGHT CONTROLS: | ||
Yoke | CH Flight Sim Yoke
USb I chose this yoke because it was the only one available (at the time at least) with a 8-way hat switch (needed for view changes). It's been working great for a couple of years now. We used a Saitek X45 Stick and Throttle before, but I find it a lot easier to control the plane with a yoke, and a much more comfortable setup. It's also more realistic, at least for me (I fly the Cessna mostly). I should say though, that since having the videview of 3 monitors, I rarely if ever use the hat switch, so this may not be a consideration should I ever need to get another Yoke. |
Available
in many places Prices vary greatly, so shop around. ![]() |
Rudder Pedals | Saitek Pro flight
Rudder Pedals A must obviously, you cannot fly without rudder pedals. (well, I guess you can fly with "auto rudder", but that should be a temperary situation.) And these are really sturdy and nice. Been working great for a couple of years now, and I love them. |
amazon.com![]() |
Throttle | GoFlight
Throttle Quadrant GF-TQ6 (4-engine) The GoFlight modules are really awesome. As close as you can get to the real thing, in a plug-and-play USB device. They look cool and work well. They are not cheap though. For this particular module you will need their "NOTVAM" (Notice to Virtual Airmen) if you are installing for FS9, or you will have all manner of problems with your throttle. Get it here. It is very easy to follow instruction on how to install your throttle correctly. Why this important information is not shipped with the product is beyond me? The software that you need is not shipped along either, but can be downloaded from their website here. It is the same software for all their modules, so you only need to install it once. It will automatically detect other new GF-modules you might install. I ran into some problems when installing for FSX, but they do have excellent phone support, so I got that taken care of quickly. See a nice review of the throttle here. |
goflightinc.com![]() GFconfig (click for larger image) |
Trim and Landing Gear | GoFlight
Landing Gear and Trim module GF-LGT Another great module from GoFlight, and this is a must have. I used to have a heck of a time trimming my plane with either the mouse or keyboard, but with this trim module, it's easy as pie. Having the knob and lights for the landing gear is real cool. It also has the flaps control, but with the flaps handle on the throttle quadrant, we don't need it anymore. And this one installs effortlessly without problems. |
goflightinc.com![]() |
Autopilot | coming
up...... A "GoFlight Advanced Autopilot module GF-MCP" is on the top of my wish list for this sim pit. That will really add to the experience. |
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Coming up.... | There are a number of other
modules from Goflight on my wish list. I've made room for 4 radio modules and 3
pushbutton or toggle switch modules in the sim pit. That will enable us to
operate the radio, control engines and so on, without using the mouse on the instrument panel. |
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OTHER EQUIPMENT: | ||
Pilot seat | Several years ago I saw for
the first time a mention on the internet about: Intellivibe force-feedback seat In plain english: a seat cushion, that vibrates according to the movements of your airplane, thus giving you the sense of sitting in a real moving plane. I knew I had to have one of those eventually, and the time came when I started this project. Read a review on this seat here. Let me tell you: this is the coolest thing since sliced bread! Here too you have to find and download the software from the website yourself. I had a snafu with my internet in the middle of installation, so that might have been part of it, but this thing is not the easiest thing in the world to install (the software that is). The fact that my sim PC isn't on the internet complicates matters further. But wait, here comes the good news: The support you get here is out of this world! There is a forum there, where you can get answers to all sorts of question, but that's not all. Craig, the guy who invented the blessed thing and sells it, will stand on his head to help you out. He actually answers your emails (try that most other places) and then calls you (on his dime) and spends hours on the phone with you to help you get set up. And if you don't like it, you can return it at any time and in any condition for a full refund. Actually, I think that's a pretty easy guarantee for him to make. Once you have that seat in your hot little hands, you're not gonna let it go again for anything! Now, the seat itself. When you spend hours and hours flying, you need something comfortable to sit on. You also need a seat that enables you to work your rudders effortlessly, which means it has to be bolted to the floor (or base in this case), but at the same time it has to move back to get into it, or for people with longer legs. Like many before me, I considered getting a car seat from a junk yard, slides and all. But then there's the problem with using the ivibe cushion, I didn't fancy ripping the motors out (like some do) and try to incorporate them into the car seat. Also, you'd be hard pressed to find a car seat with armrests, and I really wanted that too. So, only solution really was to build a seat myself. It may seem like a daunting task at first, but once you set your mind to it, it's not that bad. For this I needed sliders, and found these: Summit universal sliding seat brackets G1152 They are cheap, easy to build in, and they work like a charm. |
ivibe.com ![]() ![]() ![]() summitracing.com |
Intercom | Radioshack 3-way wireless intercom That's a real cool thing to have, saves you a lot of running back and forth, and leaving your airplane in mid flight. Radioshack's 3-way set is nice, works well, although we have a little "ghost" problem with it: Everytime someone uses the intercom, the "touch"lamps (you know, the lamps that you just touch to turn on) we have in other rooms of the house turn on by themselves. That's really weird, but not a major problem. |
Radioshack![]() |
Telephone | Wall Phone with caller ID That's a real cool thing to have, saves you a lot of running back and forth, and leaving your airplane in mid flight. Found this one in WalMart for $9.95, you can't beat that! |
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Cabin lights | With regular daytime-flying
(in the sim that is), there's enough light shining from the monitors to see your other controls in the cockpit, even if the room is dark. But with night flights, it get's pretty dark in there, just as it would in an airplane. You could of course turn on a lamp or two, but that just doesn't "feel right". So to be able to see my instruments at night, and achieve the reddish glow you'd find in a real airplane, I just made some cabin lights. A few little boxes, positioned to let light on the important instruments, with a little bit of orange plastic from a hobby store glued in the opening and a regular "nite lite" inside, and voila: you have instrument lighting with the right ambience. Those "nite lites" come with a 7Watt bulb, which is just perfect for this purpose. (Note: to make these nite-lites always work, you just have to put a little electric tape over the light sensor on them.) I do have a couple of regular little lamps, in case I need a little more light to read maps etc. They are little "Accent spot lights" from Lowe's and use only 10Watt bulbs, which is plenty. |
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SOFTWARE: | ||
Flight Simulator | We are
using Microsoft Flight Simulator 9 (2004), as well as FSX. But this kind of sim pit would work just as well for other sims. (when installing FSX, do not forget to install SP1 & 2 as well). |
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Matrox Software | CD comes with the hardware. | |
GoFlight Software | Downloaded from their
website, needed for the modules. |
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Ivibe Software | Downloaded from the website,
needed for the seat. |
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Ultimate Defrag | A great tool to keep your PC defragged, uncluttered and up to speed. Easy to use as well. A must have. |
disktrix.com |
MISCELLANEOUS: | ||
Checklist, pitot tube cover etc. | I wanted a real life
checklist for the Cessna 172 Skyhawk, and found a nice one at AvShop. They also have an abundance of other cool stuff for the sim pit, like the pitot tube cover I used for decor. |
avshop.com![]() |
More Checklists | Checklists for all the other
airplanes were not in the same format, plus that's a lot of checklists to buy, but I found this site --> where you can download (free) checklists for any and all aircrafts that you may find in the simulator. |
freechecklists.net![]() |
Approach Plates (for USA) | A great place to get (free)
approach plates --> |
EchoPlate![]() |
Tailnumber | I had my tailnumber made via
the internet --> It only took a few minutes to make online, and I received it in the mail in a few days. Cheaper than buying stencils. |
custom-vinyl-lettering.net |
Wire loom | I needed a lot of split loom
tubing to organize all that wiring , and found a nice 1" loom by American Terminal. When you buy 100' of it, it's a real good deal. And by the way, if you get more than you can use in the SimPit, it works just as well in other areas of the house. Really a nice way to "declutter" your office etc. Depending on where you buy, it also comes in many other colors (and diameters). |
amazon.com![]() |
A word on power consumption: |
In my little cockpit-room there are 2 electrical outlets, running on a 20 amp circuit breaker (which also supplies 2 other rooms with only a few lamps). With the 20 Amp circuit breaker, I have available in that area approximately 1900 watts. I checked on the power consumption of each individual piece of electrical equipment in my sim, as well as any other lamps etc. in the area, and I'm using no more than 1400 Watts total. This issue is important to keep an eye on when setting up a sim pit, some equipment is more power-hungry than other, and it does you no good to have a fancy setup, if it flips the breakers everytime you turn it on. NOTE: these numbers may vary depending on the country you live in, so do your homework before installing electrical equipment. More on this subject on the "Plans" page. |
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COMPUTER: | (Power consumption total for the simpit with this PC was 1000 Watts) |
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Model | Dell E520 (Oct. 2006) | dell.com ![]() |
Power supply | 305
W (probably a minimum, but it works) Always check your available power supply in your computer, before adding new cards etc. Some graphics cards for example are very power hungry, and may cause crashes if your PC's supply is insufficient. |
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Processor | Intel Core 2 Duo E6400, 2.13 GHz / 2MB Cache / 1066 FSB | |
Memory | 2 GB dual DDR2 533MHz | |
Hard Drive | 160
GB ATA 3Gb/s (7200rpm) (80 GB would've been plenty) |
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Primary graphics card | 256
MB nVidia Geforce 7300LE (for 3 upper monitors) |
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Secondary graphics card | BFG
Geforce 6200OC 256MB Dvi S-video (PCI) (for 2 lower monitors) |
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Optical Drive | 16X
Cd/DVD R/W Really not important, all you ever have to do is install software, and leave your FS-disk in it. |
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USB |
2 front / 6 back (using only the 6 in the back) Remember to connect your main controls (mouse and keyboard) directly to the PC here, not via a hub, or you'd loose them during a power failure. |
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Sound Card | Integrated
sound blaster Audigy So far I've found no reason to spend money on a sound card, this works just fine. You're not listening to music here, just the rumble from the plane and radio conversation. Everything comes through loud and clear. |
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Operating System | Windows XP Media Center | |
Comments | This
PC is for simulation only, it is NOT connected to the internet. It has been stripped of all unnecessary software, running only Windows and whatever programs needed for flight simulation. I've had several Dell's over the years, for work and flight sim as well as train sim, and they have always worked well for me, price considered. (And that's a good thing, cause when you buy a Dell, you're basically on your own, dude.) This particular PC has been running MSFS 2004 since October of 2006, in a steadily growing setup, with no complaints. My frame rate in FS2004 is now down to an average of 20-25 (not all settings are maxed), which is fine for the present, it runs smoothly enough, but with no power left over for add-ons. |
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