So were waiting for Martin Baker to get back to us with the pin-out for the bucket actuator. The bucket is too high and therefore it’s hard to tell about the positioning and ergonomics.
I need measurements for the platform on the left side and locations to tie into studs. We need the location of the two overhead studs done for the overhead monitor. I guess I need some more dimensions in the plans that I drop for the door in the back.
To get this application working I had to add the following to my .htaccess file:
<Files xmlrpc.php>
SecFilterInheritance Off
</Files>
I also had to make sure under…
Settings -> Writing -> Remote Publishing
Check that XML-RPC was enabled. Otherwise I was getting HTTP error 412 “Precondition Failed” which led me to this thread (thanks guys).
I also had trouble posting and seeing pages until I installed this plugin.
Finally, I couldn’t access the “Stats” until I installed the Jetpack cloud integration with wordpress.com.
Currently still waiting on the bolts for the monitors to be delivered. They finally shipped and FedEx says they are on the truck for tomorrow. I will be mounting the 55″ front-center only as that is the only one that I have acquired so far. Once it is installed we can create a removable frame, work on the stenciling and ansiotropy.
The door actuator made it all the way here and then USPS decided that the address was insufficient. I am guessing the label got damaged beyond legibility somehow which I guess can happen from time to time. Now we have to wait for it to be returned (should have been received yesterday) and then shipped out again. Now it looks like it went to Des Moines and is now back in town somewhere… it is getting quite the tour! Needless to say I need the actuator in order to design out the back wall and sliding mechanisms.
I got the 4-pin connectors for the ejection seat motors but have no idea what the pin-out is supposed to be. I also received the coupler for the ejection seat release plunger but have decided not to mess with dissasembling the catapult.
I am planning to buy some of the 2″ foam insulation that I will ultimately need anyway and cut out the rest of the monitors from it so I can complete the mock-up. This will be done with the December budget.
Here is scan of a printout from the drafting project. I have since finished the other wall and the outside frame for the back pending the design for the door and actuator.
Cold weather has forced me to start working indoors. I have everything set up in the basement now (miter saw, etc).
I finished framing the right wall (outer) this evening! Pretty cool considering the whole thing was measured using CAD (quite an improvement over the Audrey). Very little wasted lumber and very rigid. The two small pieces held in place by elbows are temporary until the crossbeams can be installed (pending the other wall).
I struck a deal with an otoneurologist in San Diego who had two Martin Baker Mk. 7 seats from the F-4 Phantom. He used them in pioneering diagnosis BPPV.
He replaced this home-built contraption with Epley machines (FDA approved) and no longer had use for these seats. They are in transit and should arrive on Friday. One can only imagine he will have an easier time billing insurance!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch/videoseries?list=PL3BC7A6884F36E513]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch/?v=A4CeMiI81ak]
So the last piece of the puzzle was acquired this week – a two-axis USB inclinometer. The USB port runs in serial so with a little help from CodeProject I was able to create a method that reads and converts the 8-bit outputs for X and Y and stores them in the equivalent of a DirectX Vector2 struct.
Serial Inclinometer Source Code (C++)
I also have a functional demo app for the joystick using DirectInput (in the SDK) so now I have to make the main set of algorithms that take an X and Y angle from the joystick and adjust the platform as quickly as possible to match what is set in the joystick. We don’t want to hit the cushions on the actuators so there will be some playing around with the ramps and algorithms which will be further modulated in the future based on increased weight/decreased reaction time.
The inclinometer is more intuitive feedback (IMHO) than 4 position sensors on the actuators which, in the end, actually costs more than this little inclinometer because you need another A/D converter and calibrations anyway.
