Plans

Initially, I need to decide which aircraft to model? I already know it is going to be a Boeing aircraft. Why not AirBus? you might wonder. Well.. because i own Boeing shares :-)

I am not sure yet abot the exact type of the aircraft. I still need to do more research. Main criteria would be the simplicity of the control panel and ease of duplication. Also, more importantly availability of the software and hardware supporting the choice aircraft. Currently, i am assuming it coule be 747-400. Once again, i am prepared for a change from the begining.

So with my initial excitement and my nervousness about my construction skills(structures, housing etc,), i thought i need to start with building a platform and seriously started thinking about AutoCAD, materials like epoxy coatings etc., reference plans etc.,

Then i took a deep breath, stepped back and thought over about my general approach and these are the steps i feel comfortable with:

1) Master the critical software pieces and work on inter-connecting them
2) Experiment with the control hardware(both analog, digital and mechanical ones)
3) Interface control hardware and the software
4) Build each system and interface with the simulator software
5) Plan and build the minimum necessary computers and related hardware (no emphasis on the visual part yet. Just a simple monitor would do)

Ones all electronics, software and control hardware is connected and available in modular fashion, then start housing them and put them into the final structure and add big bang visual elements.

So, once again taking cues from my professional life, i am going to prototype first at each phase and only then move towards a final version even that means some throw-away work (nothing is throw away, you learn a great deal from your failures).

Software:

I think i already know what my critical software components are:

1) MSFS'04
2) Project Magenta (critical for the glass-cockpit look)/FSUIPC
3) EPIC board (for interfacing all the hardware with the sim software) programming (also some tool like EpicMapper (http://www.epicmapper.com) might help.

One issue in selecting MSFS'04 is - it seems not all other SW/HW seem to support it yet. Many of them are still on 02 version. But i am counting by the time i am ready, they all will support 04.

So, for the initial phase of my project, my goal is to learn these pieces as thoroughly as possible. Which calls for some prototyping. So during this phase i am not going to bother about hardware and systems, instead i am going to run MSFS and Project Magenta at the most on two seperate systems and learn as much i can.

Also, i might go ahead and get an EPIC board and do small experiments with it such as:
a) connect my old sidewinder joystick through epic board and control MSFS and later switch to connecting CH Pro Yoke.
b) connect a switch through the board and be able to perform an action in MSFS such as turning aircraft engines on/off or switch on the cabin lights.

for some of my friends walking into my home office, this might look like a small step, but hey i know and you know that it's a giant step for the "Project Sri 777"

Oh btw, yoke that i ordered from buy.com has already arrived yesterday and i missed the delivery. They delivered it today and i am going to open the box tonight. Yeah!