Community Event / Creation ED-Panel Inserts for Thrustmaster Cougar Pack MFDs

Robert Maynard

Volunteer Moderator
Robert Maynard
Blairvoyach said:
Superb Robert :)
That's one half of my Christmas present sorted! I was thinking of just making up several full screen PNG's with different backgrounds to fit the MFD's with all the button functions marked (as per the TM cards) and just rotate as a slideshow. It'd be wornderful if FD would let us export displays like DCS but let's get the game finished first :D
Click to expand...

I also bought an A4 sheet of clear acrylic to mount the MFDs on then fix that to the front of the monitor.

I hope to be able to parse the commander log data to allow additional information to be displayed in the centre of the MFDs and also on the top bar.
 

Robert Maynard

Volunteer Moderator
Robert Maynard
Current mock-up (awaiting screws to fix MFDs to A4 acrylic sheet that will go between them and the monitor) with static image:

4U1pifj.jpg


The monitor is almost exactly the same width as the acrylic sheet is long - so I'll only have to make one cut to trim the height of the sheet - and round off the corners as well because they're nicely cut - and rather jaggy. The screws I ordered to mount the MFDs to the acrylic are M3 x 12mm hex socket flat head screw bolts - the heads are countersunk so the back side of the acrylic should be flush.
 
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NC Sarge

NC Sarge
Nice job, Robert! Instead of screws you can use double sided duct tape on all borders (the really sticky type). That's what I have done. I even taped the black acrylic border to the monitor the same way.
 

Robert Maynard

Volunteer Moderator
Robert Maynard
NC Sarge said:
Nice job, Robert! Instead of screws you can use double sided duct tape on all borders (the really sticky type). That's what I have done. I even taped the black acrylic border to the monitor the same way.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Sarge! :D

Tried tape - but the tape I used it wasn't up to it - and while waiting for more tape to arrive, I've ordered a custom cut / drilled / countersunk acrylic sheet that will allow the MFDs to be fixed to the front (using M5 screw head bolts - I tapped the holes in the corner of each MFD using an M5 tap) and the sheet to be fixed to the front of the monitor using M3 screw head bolts (there's space around the edge of the frame to allow me to drill/tap through. Should arrive next week. Pics will follow.
 

Robert Maynard

Volunteer Moderator
Robert Maynard
The acrylic sheet arrived today - mounted the MFDs on it and used shear resistant double sided tape to stick it to the front of the monitor (interim, I think - there are holes for me to mount the acrylic to the monitor with screws into tapped holes in "safe" places):

IMG_20161212_201100.jpg


Now to start work on the code to interface the display output to the pilots' log....

For reference, the acrylic sheet is 295mm x 188mm with 5mm corner radii and is 4mm thick.
 
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germany

G
I'm looking at these again and wondering if I could use 2x 7" screens to have the panels with an illuminated background.
 

regdc

R
Hi All,

Thanks for such an informative thread.

This looks great.

I was just looking at the TM16000 FCS and noticed the MFDs; I have never seen them before.

How usable are they with the Rift?

I find using a keyboard very difficult with the Rift as I cannot see the keys.

Are the MFD keys easier to find by touch alone?

Thanks in advance.
 

Brigetiol1

Brigetiol1
Hi,

I'm very happy, that I found this Thread[smile] You made some fantastic installations for the button frames!

I played a lot with the Cougars too. This is a previous version.

dash1.jpg

Two Android 8" tablets are the displays. The G19 Arx app by MagicMau is running on the left panel, on the right one Spacedesk is transforming the tablet to a PC display, and I inserted with OnTopReplica the G19 PC app window, so it is basically a multimedia headunit. The green labelled buttons are attached to control the G19 app, the rest is for Elite.

dash2.jpg

It works, looks very fancy and scifi, but unfortunately needs lots of GPU power. I'm trying to find a solution for that, meanwhile I'm experimenting with some simple wallpapers for the Androids. There are also lots of widgets for Android, like Music VU Visualizer Widgets, they look cool, can give some animation to the screen.

Wallpapers like this:

forumwp1.jpg

forumwp.jpg

I also wrote a few macros for the Cougars, for example Launch is pushed at a station, the launch procedure begins (lift down, turn ship 180 degrees, lift up) and the button backlighst simulate a lightbridge, its hard to describe, better trying and seeing. Than it retracts the landing gear, and goodbye! When my ship is interdicted, it is enough to push Enter Fight button, it chooses proper fire group, targets highest threat, redirects power, opens hardpoints... same for exit fight, and so on...

If you are intrerested, I can happily share them.

Best regards!
 

CMDR Evolution

CMDR Evolution
Brigetiol1 said:
Hi,

I'm very happy, that I found this Thread[smile] You made some fantastic installations for the button frames!

I played a lot with the Cougars too. This is a previous version.

View attachment 115928

Two Android 8" tablets are the displays. The G19 Arx app by MagicMau is running on the left panel, on the right one Spacedesk is transforming the tablet to a PC display, and I inserted with OnTopReplica the G19 PC app window, so it is basically a multimedia headunit. The green labelled buttons are attached to control the G19 app, the rest is for Elite.

View attachment 115929

It works, looks very fancy and scifi, but unfortunately needs lots of GPU power. I'm trying to find a solution for that, meanwhile I'm experimenting with some simple wallpapers for the Androids. There are also lots of widgets for Android, like Music VU Visualizer Widgets, they look cool, can give some animation to the screen.

Wallpapers like this:

View attachment 115932

View attachment 115933

I also wrote a few macros for the Cougars, for example Launch is pushed at a station, the launch procedure begins (lift down, turn ship 180 degrees, lift up) and the button backlighst simulate a lightbridge, its hard to describe, better trying and seeing. Than it retracts the landing gear, and goodbye! When my ship is interdicted, it is enough to push Enter Fight button, it chooses proper fire group, targets highest threat, redirects power, opens hardpoints... same for exit fight, and so on...

If you are intrerested, I can happily share them.

Best regards!
Click to expand...

Great work CMDR Brigetiol1! +rep
 

BigBANGtheory [VR]

BigBANGtheory [VR]
germany said:
I'm looking at these again and wondering if I could use 2x 7" screens to have the panels with an illuminated background.
Click to expand...

you want 8" 4:3 panels apparently, I believe 7" is just a little too small unless you plan to insert them instead of mounting. I'll have some more updates on this shortly as I am moving from a printed insert to a display
 

BigBANGtheory [VR]

BigBANGtheory [VR]
So one of the cheapest/best ways to achieve the display mounted MFD is (as I had a brain wave the other week) to buy cheap 2nd hand digital photo frames. For as little as £10-12 you can get an 8 inch 4:3 800x600 photo frame which are perfect. What you do is mount a black card or plastic cover over the frame then the MFD to the cover and it looks great. Just make your jpg image as you want it and you're good to go for as little as £25. In my case I opted for 1024x768 8" frames (which cost a little more) but tbh I would go for the cheaper 800x600 they will be fine.
 

Brigetiol1

Brigetiol1
BigBANGtheory said:
So one of the cheapest/best ways to achieve the display mounted MFD is (as I had a brain wave the other week) to buy cheap 2nd hand digital photo frames. For as little as £10-12 you can get an 8 inch 4:3 800x600 photo frame which are perfect. What you do is mount a black card or plastic cover over the frame then the MFD to the cover and it looks great. Just make your jpg image as you want it and you're good to go for as little as £25. In my case I opted for 1024x768 8" frames (which cost a little more) but tbh I would go for the cheaper 800x600 they will be fine.
Click to expand...

And we have a winner! You are absolutely right! I can talk only for myself, but after many different versions I ended up at static pictures as background. And I had a photo frame, which could be used as secondary PC monitor with USB. And there are animgifs, if you want to see some fake instrument animations...

Great idea!
 
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