Saturday, November 7, 2009

Helicopter Simulator Displays - the cockpit view!


Updated 24.11.09

The "cockpit view" from your helicopter simulator, is maybe one of the biggest impacts on you flightsim experience! And with todays technology there is a lot to chose from.

So lets start with the most obvious and cheapest solution - a computer monitor. You can get a 19" lcd monitor for a 100 bucks (be that Euros or $). If you double that amount a 22" is within the reach. Of course all depends what quality and the connections the screen comes with. Needles to say, in most cases you get what you pay pay for...

The time of bulky CRT screens is over. Thought I bet you still find a few of those amazing setups in some homemade simulator even today.

Fascinating, here is a passion for flight simming:

Picture from a Wideview setup with multiple screens and computers running them. "Good old days" :)

If you want to go for a LCD display Apple is delivering some great stuff. There is a price to pay thought if you go Apple style....






Apple's 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Display delivers an amazing 2560 x 1600 pixel resolution! Expensive, but a great screen.



You can also get the Apple's newer 24" led display. It uses the latest LED technology, and you will get a gorgeous, edge-to-edge glass screen. Or the new iMac 27". You will have a external screen at 27" and a mac computer.


With the prizes of todays TV's - a 32" or even a 37" - is within the range. The biggest question with a TV will be the compatibility with showing a computer image on it. And will it be able to follow you frame rates when playing your favorite sim? Though it is possible, I would not recomend this as your permanet sim setup.


The next step will be divided, should you go for a projector? Or for a multiple screen solution?


Lets start with projectors...

Todays projector are smaller, quieter, cheaper and gives a better picture than ever before. You can even go with a HD resolution for your sim. Running a helicopter flight sim setup, on a 2 meter vide and 1,5 tall wall or screen - wow!!! What an experience that is. Off course you should have your instruments on a separate screen closer to you. Am not gonna recommend one projector over the other, but if there is one mark I think stands above - it will be the Optoma. They have projectors that delivers great performance in regards to good quality and low price. Off course for the ultimate projector experience - 3 projectors simultainisly projecting the image to a massive curved screen would give you some of the best experience possible. But now we are talking serious money and space requirements. With a projector you need something to display it on. It is possible to use a white wall, but for the best performance one should get a dedicated screen. What kind of screen will be completely up to your budget. You can go all the way with a high quality electric pro screen or chose a Tupplur 200x195 from IKEA. The latest one is cheap, but the projecting quality is rather unknown;)


If you go high scale, get a Pro Curve Projector screen from SMX cinema solutions:


What you also can do, is to use a projector with a half dome. If you get the right screen for it, you can have a nice big curved surface. Basically the same system that is used in planetariums.. Have a look at the picture, here a dome from TOOB:



For a multiple lcd screen solution...

There are some absolutely fantastic options comming to the market these days. Let's have a look at some of those solutions.


NEC has now officially announced the CRV43. A huge back projected screen. Big in all senses of the word. Including the size of it! Facts: 2880x900 pixels = format 16:9, contrast 10000:1, response time 0,02 millisecond and it covers 99,3% of Adobe's color profile. Conections with USB, DVI-D or HDMI 1.3



It is big....



Samsung is comming with a 6 display combination setup. Thought this is nothing new, there are plenty of these types of set ups. Most of them are home made. From Samsung you'll get a "ready out of the box" setup.


Here a picture of AMD with their Eyefinity Multi-Display Technology in the action:



So what do you use to drive these projectors and displays??

Both Invidia and ATI delivers top notch screen cards to computers world wide. Any of the nevest cards will do. Off course as always it will depend upon the rest of your computer system. No point having the latest graphic card if your CPU, memory, hd drive etc can't keep up. I'll get back to more about that in a later post. But back to the screen cards. A 3rd competitor, thas was considered top clas many years ago Matrox, came back with their DualHead2Go and TrippleHead2Go external Graphic eXpansion Modules. And for years it has been one of the better ways for flight simulatro entusiats to run several screens at once.


A huge success for the flight sim comunity - could be topped? I belive the time has come. And the replacement is the updated Radeon HD 5870 2GB card packet with 6 Mini DisplayPorts connectors. Supporting DirectX 11.


This card has potentional for some awsome flight simulation setups. Off course the prize is so far unknown and it probaly wont be cheap. One thing is sure: The vararity of displays for helicopter flight simming, has never been better. Why not go all the way, connect four of these Radeon HD 5870 cards together with 4x6 displays! What will you get? A massive 11,5200 x 4,800 - 55,3 megapixel setup. Now THAT would be something to brag about to your neighbor!! See picture below:


Keeping your hardware updated for you flight sim, is a never ending story. So stay tuned, HSH will be back with more!

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Saitek and Flight Simulation Hardware!


When Microsoft released their Flight Simulator 98 including a Bell 206BIII JetRanger a new direction within Helicopter Simulators started. There has always been simulators for helicopters. But not in the same degree as when Microsoft made it a part of their widely spread flight simulator software. Something also changed with in the hardware and flight control industry for sims. A new area was born. Making joysticks and throttles, multi display hardware and software available for everyone. Not to forget flight sim forums. Bringing people of like minded interests together. Sharing ideas, drawings, photos - helping each other building their own helicopter cockpits.

Flight simulation hardware has expanded and changed a lot the last 10 years. Since Microsoft Fligth Simulator 98 and until today, the world of flight simulation industry has almost been turned upside down. Today you have more choices than ever.

Saitek and their legendary X52 (follow up from the X50) flight controls has long been a favorite among helicopter "simmers". They have even made it a dedicated "sport" to modify these to fit better for controlling flying the helicopter. Making the saitek x52 throttle to a proper helicopter collective lever.

Today Saitek has a whole line of hardware for us! The Saitek Pro Flight System! Adding radio-, switch-, instrument-, multi-panels to their Pro Flight line. Flight headsets, yokes, throttles and rudder pedals. All at a price that 10 years ago would have been unheard off.

One of Saiteks newest addition is the X65F Pro Flight Systems.



By the X65 they are bringing forward a new type of simulation hardware. Force sensing technology! Instead of moving the stick itself it reacts to pressure. Resulting in realistick, fast and accurate response. According to the manufacture that is! The new control has a metal casing and construction. Force sensing twist rudder control. Dual throttle controls. Stcik and throttle way hats, switches, triggers, buttons, scroll selector, mode switch... It has a potentional of 608 commands without taking away your hands from the controls. If it will work for those of us who will use it controlling helicopters - that remains to see.

Update 13.01.2010
After some info around diverse helicopter and other simulator flight forums, it seems like the Saitek's X65 would be an ideal flight stick for helicopter flying. If am gonna be flying my heli-sim - I want to see and feel movement! Until this X65 system will be the standard in real helicopters I stick the moveable cyclic! Here is a Saitek X65 review from the latest CES2010 - link! I still will try it out when I can get my hands on one, just for the scientific helicopter simulator curiosity, or something like that...:)


I look forward to see what Saitek will ad in the future, some more stuff for us helicopter simulator fanatics would be great!

Stay tuned for another update on Helicopter Simulator Hardware and Controls!