Gauges
1114. December 2014 by Peter
Once you get the basics of making those gauges they are being produces at a rate as if it was a assembly line. Well at least when making one it takes very little extra effort to make two extra.
So now all (normal) gauges are produced for the overhead. The only one missing now is the small cabin flow valve.
The gauges are all the same behind the foil. They are build using the same principe as I described in this video.
The point with this posting is just to tell you that when you plan to make one gauge you might as well make more of the same.
All gauges have backlight. To prevent the light from the LED-strips spread to other parts of the overhead all gauges are wrapped in black tape to keep the light in.
Now I just need to take each panel out of the overhead and install the gauges – and perhaps make a revision of the panel. My wiring behind is a mess.
Build a Boeing 
Hi Peter, have you done the double needle gauges, if so could you show them and the construction…your single needle gauges work good and I will put the video into practice with my gauges……Thanks again for sharing.. Regards Paul
Hi Paul
Actually pretty simple. 🙂 But a bit hard to explain.
You need a 6mm tube for the second shaft. The tube goes outside the inner shaft.
Then you put an extra servo on the back. The 6mm closest to the gauge and the inner shaft to the back. You might be able to see how I have done in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JqjsgHd4YQ
Regards Peter
Hi Peter.
Thanks for getting back to me and for the link to your 2 needle gauge, I will use your system to enhance my overhead, I`m doing the 737 classic so I have to make afew more gauges than those on the NG. Once again thanks for sharing.
Regards Paul
Glad to help, Paul!
Hej Peter, I’m fairly new to servo’s and all that, so this might seem like a stupid question, but why are the gears necessary?
Thanks, James
Hi James.
A servo is only able to turn 180 degrees.
Most gauges goes somewhere around 270 degrees from MIN to MAX. That is why you need the gears.
/Peter
Hi
I loved the video and i am thinking of installing gauges on my overheadpanel to…. But i dont know how you program them so that they turn after a surtain time after a button is switched. Like when you switch on the APU,the needle inn the gauge dosnt turn before some seconds after… How do i do that? Do you have a video og how to do that??? If you have or find anything whould you pleas send me it 😉 Thanks mann. Thumbs upp and you just got a new subscriber on youtube 🙂
Hi Benjamin.
The value that shall be shown on the gauge is a value that comes from the Prosim737 avionics suite.
In case you use something else like PMDG it is the same. The value is send from the software (Prosim/PMDG etc) to your interface board.
So you mean that when i make the gauge an get a servocard and connect it, it will automaticly work like in my pmdg plane?
No unfortunately not that easy. 🙂
When you get a servo card then you have a piece of hardware that can translate the signal from your computer into the language the servo needs.
Your big task will be getting your sim to send the right signal / a signal it understands to the servo card.
I do not know how this is done with PMDG and which interface cards that support output from PMDG. But OpenCockpits is a qualified guess. Try googling around.
Regards Peter
Ok thanks. All try