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Flight Simulator Parts - Flight Simulator Hardware - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the functionality of the new Altimeter Auto Zero Version? The Auto Zero Version has an improved reset function. While the previous version had 4 Piher position sensors - to sense the position of the pointers - the Auto Zero Version has 3 Piher sensors and additionally a Photo Interruptor to set the Altimeter to an exact zero position at start up. (The previous version needed sometimes manual adjustment for a difference of 1000 feet at start up time).
The PC Board is completeley changed and a small PC Board is added which stands up 90 degrees from the main PC Board. On this little board a photo interruptor is mounted, which "looks" for a tiny hole in one of the gearwheels. This tiny hole is - combined with a read out of the single Piher sensor - the exact zero position of the Altimeter.
Additionally, some plastics have been changed to support the little stand-up PC Board. The Altimeter calibrates fine, but when flying jumps instead of moving smoothly. A jerky altimeter is caused by a low update rate on the PC running Flight Simulator. The effect is that the altimeter pointer "jumps" to the altitude instead of slowly moving. This is visible when changing altitude, not when flying at a steady level. The solution is to set the realisme settings lower (density of the scenery, clouds, visibility, etc.).
You can check if this happens by displaying the altimeter on the screen and compare it with the SimKits altimeter. But beware: putting the full panel onto the screen increases the update rate and mostly the problem disappears. Best is to use the settings "Cockpit View" and then pressing on the keyboard the "W" until only the 6 most important gauges are displayed at the bottom of the screen (Airspeed, Turn/Bank. Attitude, Heading, Altimeter, Vertical Speed). Try to play around with the realisme settings of the flightsim software untill the problem disappears.
How difficult is it to build SimKits instruments? SimKits instruments are easy to build. Each kit comes with an illustrated construction manual, showing step by step how to construct the instrument. Our kits can be considered as "easy" to "medium difficult" to build. Do TRC SimKits products conflict with other hardware? In principle, all TRC SimKits hardware works fine together with hardware from other manufacturers. There is only one exception. In case the TRC hardware writes values back to Flight Simulator and other hardware does the same, there will be a conflict. Examples are: adjustment of the heading bug, adjustment of the compass rings of the VOR's and ADF and eventually the pressure scale of the Altimeter. In future, when the software of the TRC Controller board supports hardware like TRC Yoke and TRC Rudder pedals, there could be more conflicts. However, at the time of installation of the TRC hardware, one can choose which hardware to calibrate (thereby activating the hardware as to be interpreted by the TRC controller board). When a certain device is not "added" during calibration, the device values will not be written to Flight Simulator and will not conflict with hardware from other manufacturers which writes these values to Flight Simulator. Jerky Servos Some people experience jerky servos.
This is mainly due to a bad 5v. power supplied by the USB output to the CCU or SIC.
The CCU and SIC take their 5v. power from two different sources. One is the 5v. to drive the electronics on the board (coming via the USB cable), the other power source to the board is from a PC Power Supply, through a standard 5 1/4 inch diskdrive power supply.
In case you experience jerky servo behaviour, it is caused by either bad or not enough power supplied via the USB.
This is many times the case when using a laptop or when more hardware is connected to the USB port(s) of your PC.
The best solution is to use a USB HUB with a separate Power Supply (mostly included in the HUB package). I have only one USB port on my computer, how can I connect multiple USB's.
USB is a real standard. The standard dictates that up to 255 USB devices can be connected to a single USB port on your computer. However, just as connecting multiple computers to a network, you will need additional hardware to connect multiple USB devices to your PC. A so-called USB HUB can be used to connect more than one USB device to a single USB port on your computer. The device itself carries a unique USB identification. At start-up, the USB device makes itself known to the host computer. This is an automatic.
All SimKits instruments produced by TRC Development connect to a Central Control Unit via a small ribbon cable. This Central Control unit connects to the PC (which runs FS2002/4) on its turn via a single USB connection. Therefore your PC must be equipped with USB. If your PC is not equipped with such a port, you can buy locally a USB interface board to be inserted in your computer. I have a Microsoft Sidewinder Stick. Can I use this product in combination with SimKits products? You can use the Microsoft Sidewinder Stick in combination with all the SimKits instruments. I have a CH Products Yoke. Can I use this product in combination with SimKits products?
You can use the CH Products Yoke in combination with all the SimKits instruments. I have CH Products Rudder Pedals. Can I use this product in combination with SimKits products?
You can use the CH Products Yoke in combination with all the SimKits instruments. Do you ship to any country in the world?
Yes we do, however there are some restricted countries in the world, due to US Government restrictions on certain electronic parts. A list of countries where we are not allowed to ship to will be published shortly
In some cases we can not ship to certain countries, due to the acceptance of credit card payment. Please notify us if you experience this kind of problems when using our shop. We are using Bibit – a well known credit card clearing house – for our payment handling. If an order is refused, due to this system, we accept such orders by prepayment on our bank account. A pro-forma Invoice will be sent to you with our banking details in order to fulfill your request for products. We also welcome this way of payment if you are hesitating to use your credit card for internet based payments. Can I get support when I have a question?
Absolutely. We welcome any questions, even if you are not a client yet. Please send your questions prior to ordering to sales@simkits.com and for support on received products to support@simkits.com.
Do SimKits instruments interface with the EPIC board or other products?
No they do not. SimKits instruments are driven from a special microcontroller board which is connected to your PC with a single USB connector.
How do you ship?
We ship our products using UPS international courier service or TPG Post. You can choose between 2 different shipping methods: overnight courier service, the quickest but expensive way to receive your order within a few days by UPS or standard service by TPG Post which normally takes between 8 and 14 days but due to extra security measures it might take much longer. (See also extra information on shipping.) UPS shipments can be tracked using the tracking service option on the UPS site: www.ups.com
What kind of payment do you accept?
We accept most creditcards, direct payment to our bank, bankwire, T/T etc. We do not accept personal checks. Please look for payment possibilites at the shopping area on our website.
Can I pick-up ordered products from your warehouse?
Unfortunately not. Since our shipping process is fully automated, we are only able to ship via the standard method. Can the SimKits instruments be used with other flight simulator software than FS2004/FSX? At present we produce drivers for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 (to be used with FSUIPC3.xx) and Microsoft Flight Simulator FSX (direct interface). Since the release of the SDK (Software Development Kit) 3rd parties are writing interfaces to other flight simulator software. An X-Plane driver is is available from here. Please see also the Forum Plug-in section.
How much time can your instruments be switched on per day? There is no limit. They are produced from high qiality ABS plastics and will last almost forever. You can use them 24 hours a day if you wish. What happens with the attitude indicator when I make a complete roll of 360 degrees or a loop?
The physiscal limitation of the attitude indicator is 92 degrees to the left and the right. When you would make a 360 degrees roll, the attitude indicator would stop at that point. When the aircraft rolls through and its position is within the other limit, the attitude indicator turns back very quickly (in approx. 1 second or less) and starts functioning normally again.
What happens if the airplane exceeds the air speed indicator maximum speed, will the instrument be damaged.
The instrument physical movement is limited by software (and finally by hardware when the physical limit would be reached by an accident). It will not be damaged by such action. What is gauge reaction if a choose a different aircraft in FS2002/4, for example instead of the Cessna 172 Skyhawk a Boeing 737.
- The instrument's movements are limited by the software in the controller. For example the maximum airspeed of the airspeed indicator will be reached quiet quickly and will stay there as long as the airspeed is higher than the instrument can show. This is not damaging the instrument. In the near future we will produce additional instruments, especially for jets, based on the same hardware, using other face plates and using different software routines.
When an FS2002/4 airplane crashes, what is the reaction of the instruments/panel, does this condition damages the instruments. The instruments are controlled by a microprocessor. The physical limitations settings for all instruments are saved in a file in your PC. When the values from Flight Simulator would exceed the physical limits, the microprocessor simply does not feed them through to the instruments.
When I set the option of the simulation rate to 128x for example, what is the reaction of the instruments, and when paused, do the instruments freeze too. The instruments behave exactly (or sometimes better) as the instruments of FS2002/4 would do on your computer screen. They follow the screen movements precisely. So if the instruments on the screen pause, our instruments will do so as well. What kind of Power Supply is needed? Can I use an ATX Power SUpply? The Central Control Unit is powered by a standard 200 Watt PC AT Power Supply through a diskdrive connector. These power supplies are available around the corner. The Central Control Unit on its turn powers the servos through the flatcable.
The newer ATX Power Supplies do not switch on automatically when used stand-alone. These Power Supplies are switched on by the PC Mother board normally. In order to switch on such a power supply when used stand-alone, the green wire in the middle of the mother board connector has to be connected to ground (closest black wire). What are the panel cut out dimensions for the large and small gauges? The panel cut out dimensions for the large and small instruments can be found at the product details of the Large and SMall Front Rings. (See also: what are the depth dimensions for the gauges) What are the depth dimensions for the gauges The depth dimensions for the small and large gauges are measured as if they were built onto a panel measured from the back side of the panel and are as follows:
Altimeter: 115 mm. (4.5"), ADF: 87 mm. (3.4"), Attitude Indicator: 115 mm. (4.5"), General Instrument: 56 mm. (2.2"), Heading Indicator: 56 mm. (2.2"), Small Gauge: 56 mm. (2.2"), Turn Coordinator: 56 mm (2.2"), VOR1: 87 mm. (3.5"), VOR2: 87 mm. (3.5")
The lighting does not work You need to connect a potentiometer and a resistor to a connector on the Central Control Unit. The instructions can be found on the Construction Manual download page. Look for "How to regulate the lighting". The lighting can only be regulated via this potentiometer, not via software. Why are the prices mentioned without VAT?
Depending on where you live (inside or outside Europe) you will have to pay the applicable VAT. When you live inside Europe, VAT is charged by the selling party (in this case SimKits) according to the Tax tariff of the country where the selling party is established and you don't have to pay any VAT when the products arrive in your country. So any private buyers living within Europe will have to pay the Dutch VAT Tariff, which is 19%. No matter if your local VAT Tariff is higher or lower. This is due to international (European) tax laws. When you live outside Europe, the local Value Added Tax (when applicable) is applied upon arrival of the products. |
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