# A Mini Cockpit Desk



## Lord Nibbo (17 Dec 2013)

Yes a* Mini Cockpit Desk!!!* what is that you ask?  well one of my other hobbies is Flight Simming here is a pic of my present set up.

*You can click on the pics for a better image.*






Here is what I've started building





I might continue adding the progress here but just in case here is a link to my blog where you can follow the build http://lordnibbo.wordpress.com/category ... kpit-desk/

Oh! nearly forgot to say "Hello" It's just over a year since I last posted


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## Waka (17 Dec 2013)

Welcome back LN. Looks like you have a nice challenge on your hands, keep us posted.


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## adidat (17 Dec 2013)

your blog is fantastic!

all that tool porn!

adidat


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## Lons (17 Dec 2013)

That's just MAD - but I love it =D> =D> =D> 

Bob


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## Chronosoft (17 Dec 2013)

Are you simulating airbus with that setup, by the layout you prefer the right seat as opposed to captains. Be cheaper to get your ppl by the time your done with all that kit


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## bellringer (17 Dec 2013)

i have noticed some thing the screens on your current setup are dell and the ones on the drawing are acer are you changing them 

and yes i have to much time on my hands


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## MMUK (17 Dec 2013)

Nice 

Quick PC question for you. How is your 4 monitor system set up? Do you have a dual output graphics card with splitters? Or is it a fancy 4 output card?


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## Lord Nibbo (17 Dec 2013)

MMUK":2k4o1m5s said:


> Nice
> 
> Quick PC question for you. How is your 4 monitor system set up? Do you have a dual output graphics card with splitters? Or is it a fancy 4 output card?


 
The video card running the four monitors is nvidia GeForce GTX 680. It has 2x DVI ports 1x HDMI port and 1x DisplayPort the three lower monitors use the DVI and the HDMI port the upper monitor uses the DisplayPort. The three monitors are 1920x1080 resolution each giving a resolution in total 5720x1080 and by the time you see it in the flight sim it's 6020 x 1080 that's what you might say is a rather wide wide screen.  here is a pic in that resolution
but it's only 1/4 size  toooo wide for the forum so here's a link http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5492/9167 ... 7069_k.jpg iit's what nvidia call screen surround spanning.  
Sent from my iPad


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## Lord Nibbo (17 Dec 2013)

Chronosoft":2d81imbr said:


> Are you simulating airbus with that setup, by the layout you prefer the right seat as opposed to captains. Be cheaper to get your ppl by the time your done with all that kit


No! The joystick I use only comes right handed, I don't like yokes so it's a joystick or nothing. The throttles shown in the first pic on the left is only there to represent a saitek Cessna flight wheel. I am left handed but I have mastered the use of using a right handed joystick. 

To answer the other question about the monitors I am using four Dell monitors, the Acers in the pic were downloaded from the Sketchup Warehouse libraries.


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## Oryxdesign (17 Dec 2013)

I've made a smilar desk with 6 monitors, I used mounts to hold the screens as I found they needed to overlap a bit. The mounts took a bit of setting up but they were inexpensive and solid enough.

http://youtu.be/V-bExxVuEgQ


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## Lord Nibbo (17 Dec 2013)

Oryxdesign":u5ip2xqh said:


> I've made a smilar desk with 6 monitors, I used mounts to hold the screens as I found they needed to overlap a bit. The mounts took a bit of setting up but they were inexpensive and solid enough.
> 
> http://youtu.be/V-bExxVuEgQ



Nice design and build


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## Paul Chapman (18 Dec 2013)

Good to see you back, Your Lordship  

Cheers :ho2 

Paul


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## Lord Nibbo (18 Dec 2013)

Hi Paul  Hi Waka  Yes it's been a while since I saw you both  I've been just too busy this summer for doing any woodwork because of my boating. Now winter is here I have a couple of projects to do, so I'll pop in and have a look to see what people are doing.


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## markturner (18 Dec 2013)

Aaaah....a fellow virtual pilot! here is some shots of my setup: 









What sims do you fly? I do Falcon 4 BMS, & FSX mostly. Some DCS as well, but not much time lately....

Cheers, Mark


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## Lord Nibbo (18 Dec 2013)

.


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## Lord Nibbo (18 Dec 2013)

markturner":jdg0s93f said:


> Aaaah....a fellow virtual pilot! here is some shots of my setup:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 All FSX, I did try XPlane10 but never got on with it, was toying with the idea of trying Prepar3D: Lockheed Martin but the chap who runs the web site FSXTimes has just bought the professional version (£200) and dosen't like it that much. So until something else appears I'll be sticking with FSX.


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## Lord Nibbo (18 Dec 2013)

Biscuits cut and left hand plinth glue into place.
*Adding the Left Plinth*






Seven Biscuits cut in the rear rail, and not as easy as it looks because the centre three are not on the same level as the rest so extra care was needed to make sure they were correctly cut.
*Adding the Rear Rail*




Having to wait now a couple of hours before adding the front rail.


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## Gerry (18 Dec 2013)

If your going to be spanning across the monitors and they are all the same model it might be worth removing them from their casing, making a custom housing and installing them edge to edge. That way you could end up with a join of only a couple of millimeters between them.

Gerry


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## Lord Nibbo (20 Dec 2013)

No work done yesterday but today I started fitting the end panels, in this first pic you can see that I've marked out where to cut and clamped both end panels together to be sure they are exactly the same.





Cutting the biscuit slots for the left hand panel.





Left hand panel fixed and glued into position. Braced at the rear to support it until I have fitted the other end and added rails.


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## Lord Nibbo (26 Dec 2013)

A few more parts add.

The central divider and rear rail is fitted, here the right hand panel is fitted.






The desktop is fitted, sorry for the out of focus pic.






I've already started marking out the angled front panel to take all the instruments, tomorrow I'll cut it out.


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## Lord Nibbo (27 Dec 2013)

Marked out where the Saitek Instrument will be fitted.






Cutting out


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## Lord Nibbo (29 Dec 2013)

Two coats of danish oil and one coat of yacht varnish, done not for looks but to seal the wood as I'm covering this panel with Carbon Fibre Vinyl.






The desk top and front rail are fitted. The desk top has a routed housing joint cut into it where the central divider is.






Dryfit of the front panel and monitor stand, the monitor stand has a little more work to do on it as I have to fit the small wings each end to accommodate the angles left and right monitors.


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## Paul Chapman (29 Dec 2013)

Looking good, Your Lordship.

Cheers :ho2 

Paul


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## Lord Nibbo (30 Dec 2013)

The front panel is covered with Carbon Fibre Vinyl and fixed into place with biscuits at the ends and screwed along the length from underneath.





OK a Heath Robinson set up of clamps to help fix the panel and gussets were added at the end to beef up the biscuit joints.





Don't forget you can click on the pic for a better larger pic


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## MMUK (30 Dec 2013)

Nice  What C/F wrap did you use?


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## Lord Nibbo (30 Dec 2013)

MMUK":3jh844v8 said:


> Nice  What C/F wrap did you use?


This stuff http://www.signmakingandsupplies.co.uk/ ... 1435-p.asp


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## Lord Nibbo (31 Dec 2013)

The lugs for the monitor shelf are positioned around the top of the unit and care was taken not to position them where fixing bolts need to go for the instruments. The Vinyl was removed where the lugs are glued and screwed into position.





The rear shelf in the second pic will hold ten power points plus 27+ powered USB sockets. All the wiring will be out of sight


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## sammo (1 Jan 2014)

The rear shelf in the second pic will hold ten power points plus 27+ powered USB sockets. All the wiring will be out of sight 


What sort of PC are you using to run all of this?

Sammo


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## MMUK (1 Jan 2014)

Lord Nibbo":3pd66gmk said:


> MMUK":3pd66gmk said:
> 
> 
> > Nice  What C/F wrap did you use?
> ...




Nice one, cheers. Is this stuff flexible enough to use on gentle curves do you know?


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## Lord Nibbo (1 Jan 2014)

MMUK":iamzo7kk said:


> Lord Nibbo":iamzo7kk said:
> 
> 
> > MMUK":iamzo7kk said:
> ...



Yes my grandson used a piece to cover his smart phone


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## Lord Nibbo (2 Jan 2014)

*Starting The Finish*

All the woodwork is done, now the finish is started, the first coat of Danish oil is applied, another three or four coats to go then it will be adding the electrics.

The Monitor Shelf






The Flight Simulator Desk


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## Lord Nibbo (6 Jan 2014)

sammo":3lo4x4jg said:


> The rear shelf in the second pic will hold ten power points plus 27+ powered USB sockets. All the wiring will be out of sight
> 
> 
> What sort of PC are you using to run all of this?
> ...



It's a gaming machine I had made up to suit Flight Simming *Operating System* Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit SP1
CPU* Intel Core i7 3770 @ 3.40GHz* Ivy Bridge 22nm Technology (Not Over Clocked) can be overclocked to 4.9 Ghz Cores 4, Threads 8
RAM* 16.0 GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 668MHz* (9-9-9-24)
Motherboard* ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. P8Z77-V LX (LGA1155)* 
Graphics* NV Surround 3x Dell monitors *([email protected])
*1 x DELL P2314H *([email protected])
Video Card* NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680*
Hard Drives* 932GB Western Digital WDC WD10EALX-759BA1 (SATA) + 3TbyteWestern Digital + 2Tbyte Western Digital*
Optical Drives* TSSTcorp CDDVDW SH-222BB*
Audio Realtek High Definition Audio


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## MMUK (6 Jan 2014)

Nice setup. May I suggest you consider ditching the WD HDD's though. I've had eleven fail in the last six years, all a week or two out of warranty. I'd recommend replacing them with Samsung Spinpoint drives


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## Lord Nibbo (7 Jan 2014)

Extra hardwoods pads added to mount the wheels on as the MDF does not have enough strength to take the screws. So the wheels are fitted 






First time on the floor  the monitor shelf is not fixed it's just there to take this pic. 






The red aircraft style light switch is fitted to the facia of the panel for the diode lights that will be hidden behind the small bead of wood that you can see below the monitor shelf.


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## MMUK (7 Jan 2014)

This might interest you Nibbo

http://www.flightradar24.com/52.46,-1.61/7


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## Lord Nibbo (7 Jan 2014)

MMUK":33jlknn0 said:


> This might interest you Nibbo
> 
> http://www.flightradar24.com/52.46,-1.61/7



Thanks I've not seen that one before


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## sammo (8 Jan 2014)

MMUK":1l9r8vnf said:


> Nice setup. May I suggest you consider ditching the WD HDD's though. I've had eleven fail in the last six years, all a week or two out of warranty. I'd recommend replacing them with Samsung Spinpoint drives





Having spent a number of years working in IT - I know there are only two types of hard drive - failed & failing (hammer) (hammer) (hammer) 

Sammo


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## MMUK (8 Jan 2014)

sammo":24tvzi2y said:


> MMUK":24tvzi2y said:
> 
> 
> > Nice setup. May I suggest you consider ditching the WD HDD's though. I've had eleven fail in the last six years, all a week or two out of warranty. I'd recommend replacing them with Samsung Spinpoint drives
> ...




=D> :lol:


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## Lord Nibbo (9 Jan 2014)

*Instruments fitted*

I say fitted but mounted would be a better description. I also had to remove the monitor shelf for easier access to fit the instruments.






From Left to Right, Pressure setting pad for Saitek Pro Flight X-65-F Joystick. then at the bottom is a Saitek Pro Flight Switch Panel with two Saitek Backlit Information Panels above it (one with protective cover still on it). Next is Six Saitek Pro Flight Instrument Panels. Finally two Saitek Radio Panels and above those is a Saitek Pro Flight Multi Panel.


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## Lord Nibbo (10 Jan 2014)

*It's in the house*

Just a bit of tidying up needed and a three holes cut in the desktop to insert the three teak finger holes that can be seen to the right of the joystick. Just got to empty the room where it will be installed as I have to decorate the room as part of the deal with SWMBO. 





All wires installed except one, One of the DVI-D cables wouldn't reach the monitor so I have one on order, it should be here on Monday 





So for a week or two while the decorating gets done that's about it. When Installed into place I will take some final pics for appraisal


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## John. B (13 Jan 2014)

You'll need some mods to fly an Airbus A380 unless you :-" :-" :-" use the co-pilots seat :roll: :roll: :roll:


John. B


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## Lord Nibbo (16 Jan 2014)

*Almost Finished*

Almost finished, holes in the desktop to route cables through done. Everything plugged in and running 






Lighting effects working.





The trim wheel on the left hand side is going under the desktop, it just needs the bracket reversing, a job for tomorrow. 




Beam me up Scotty!


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## Paul Chapman (16 Jan 2014)

Looks really smart, your Lordship 8) 

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## MMUK (16 Jan 2014)

Looks excellent. Dare I ask how much the simulation instruments cost?


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## bodge (17 Jan 2014)

Lord Nibbo":10ds5cm5 said:


> It's a gaming machine I had made up to suit Flight Simming *Operating System* Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit SP1
> CPU* Intel Core i7 3770 @ 3.40GHz* Ivy Bridge 22nm Technology (Not Over Clocked) can be overclocked to 4.9 Ghz Cores 4, Threads 8
> RAM* 16.0 GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 668MHz* (9-9-9-24)
> Motherboard* ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. P8Z77-V LX (LGA1155)*
> ...



That is an impressive setup. I suspect it may have cost more than my car! :lol: 
Nice job with the console desk Nibbo. Most impressive.


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## Lord Nibbo (18 Jan 2014)

First a closer view of the Saitek Pro Flight Trim Wheel attached below the desk top.





Next a better view of the Pedal Well, this stops any sliding movement of the pedals when in use, it's a common complaint by pedal users.





USB desktop socket for the sole use of an iPad. The iPad has most of RemoteFlight Software loaded on it the HSI can be seen running in this pic. This close up also shows a clearer view of the teak finger hole I used for routing the cables. Also in this pic you can see the pressure setting panel (top centre) this unit is normally fitted to the throttle control but I moved it on to the panel.





The Final Pic  Everything except the night light is on and running, if you look really hard at the bottom of the top screen you can just make out the sensor for the TrackIR 5 head movement.
That's it then project finished  Hope you enjoyed the trip.

*The Final Pic*




Last Pic


(Edit) *Addendum*
One last thing that I have not mentioned before is I removed the monitor stands and fixed them into place using brackets I made out of stainless steel sheet, It gives me a lower viewing angle more in keeping with a real cockpit.


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## Paul Chapman (19 Jan 2014)

Lord Nibbo":2uo8jnn1 said:


> Hope you enjoyed the trip.



Very much  

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## Chronosoft (20 Jan 2014)

Nice rig lord N but don't you get frustrated that you can't go anywhere? I have a ppl and once I could fly the real stuff simulation was never a patch on aviation,

If you find yourself in yorkshire then come for a fly with me, I have a pa28 180.


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## Lord Nibbo (21 Jan 2014)

Chronosoft":31fon2gh said:


> Nice rig lord N but don't you get frustrated that you can't go anywhere? I have a ppl and once I could fly the real stuff simulation was never a patch on aviation,
> 
> If you find yourself in yorkshire then come for a fly with me, I have a pa28 180.



No thanks but thank you for the offer. I'd rather keep me feet on the ground. At least on my boat I can jump off and swim away, If I jump out of a plane I could flap my arms but I won't fly  The advantages of a sim is I can fly for several hours,anywhere in the world in any aircraft I choose, I can even change planes mid flight, don't have to refuel, don't have to post a flight plan if I don't want to, I can crash and I can be up again in seconds, and I can choose what the weather is doing. After all that I can pause at any time and go and make a cup of tea. 
Was flying this last night 
Over Bristol




Over Gloucester




Over the Grand Canyon




Over Cornwall



.


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## Lord Nibbo (31 Jan 2014)

A few mods since it was finished.... pics are here http://www.flickr.com/photos/lord_nibbo/sets/72157640355112195/


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