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Four panels, all open designs

Real-feel panels you can 
build for your flight sim

Accessible designs for a Cessna 172 style panel: a flap lever, a COM/NAV radio, 
a transponder and an audio panel. Raspberry Pi Pico inside, X-Plane 12 on the other end.

Start building

Why

As a private pilot who, for many life reasons, doesn’t get to fly much, it matters to me that my home flight sim is both enjoyable and useful for keeping basic proficiency with the panel instruments and controls. I also wanted instruments and controls that operate more like the real thing than the consumer products, at a similar price.

Everything here is something you can build yourself with reasonable soldering skills, no surface-mount parts, a 3D printer and a few off-the-shelf modules. Each guide includes the PCB files, 3D-print files, firmware and the X-Plane plugin.

Flap Controller
Flap Controller
Microswitch flap lever, exactly like the real Cessna 172.
Flight Radio
Flight Radio
Bendix/King KX-155 style COM/NAV radio, plug-and-play USB.
Transponder
Transponder
A real King KT76A with new electronics inside.
Audio Panel
Audio Panel
Dual COM/NAV audio selection with working marker beacon lights.

More to come

More panel projects are on the way, including a Garmin GPSmap 196 connector for real-device integration and an autopilot for those long trips.

Questions or built one? Get in touch.