We are flattered that you would like us to recommend you a surround sound system for your pit! There is a vast range of configurations and prices for surround sound solutions available on the market. Therefore, OpenHornet recommends builders choose whatever is available locally to them that suits their budget and individual requirements.
OH is still in active development. Whilst OH is still in development you can find the build files in the Github repository by going to OpenHornet > Release. There you can find each sections release files. These files should be treated as early pre-beta files, and are most likely outdated. They will not be updated until immediately prior to the v1.0.0-beta1 release.

The build mainly consists of painting, structure, electronics, and software.
Fabrication:
You will have to fabricate the MDF, Acrylic, 3D printed parts. These include:
- Upper Instrument Panel (UIP)
- Lower Instrument Panel (LIP)
- Left Console
- Right Console
- Center Tub
- Seat
- Flight Stick
- Throttle
After fabrication, you will need to paint the parts and assemble the parts.
Electronics:
- Wiring
- Backlighting
- Panels
- Screens
- PCBs
- Arduinos
- Gauges
Software:
- Arduino Code/Sketches
- DCS Bios Setup
To fully self fabricate the Open Hornet Cockpit you will need the following:
CNC Router – This is for the MDF structure, you can cut the structure by hand, but it will be a challenge. We recommend an X Carve CNC router
3D Printer – We recommend a Prusa i3 MK3S+, all parts were designed to fit on the Prusas’ bed
Laser Engraver/Cutter – This is for the acrylic panels
Basic Tools – For example, drill, clamp etc
Whilst you can make all of the parts in house it is often a more cost-effective idea to outsource for example the CNC cutting and Laser Engraving. The PCBs should be sent to a manufacturer to have made or can be purchased from OH authorized vendors.
Use the OH spec buydisplay.com 10 inch screens. For backup instruments, same deal, get the OH spec one from Alibaba.
- 10 Inch Display: https://www.buydisplay.com/10-1-inch-raspberry-pi-screen-w-hdmi-video-vga-driver-board-1024×600
- 4.3 Inch Display: https://www.buydisplay.com/4-3-inch-800×480-tft-lcd-display-with-hdmi-vga-video-av-driver-board
FAQ Answer Courtesy of L.Walker
The displays simply slide in using the 3D-printed mounts.
FAQ Answer Courtesy of L.Walker
Only one recommended option, known working config.
FAQ Answer Courtesy of L.Walker
How do I make buttons work? (As far as I currently know, a button needs two wires, which go to an IO board, which in turn is connected to a processing board (Arduino or similar).This board is connected to the PC via USB (?) and talks to software, which in turn talks to DCS.)
A single button is 2 wires, yes, but instead of having 128 wires for 64 buttons, you arrange them with one-way gates (diodes) in them so only need 16 wires, this is called matrixing. If you connect the buttons to an Arduino you need a software called DCS bios to allow the Arduino to talk to DCS. If you use Leo Bodnar cards then you plug buttons into them and they connect via USB and appear as a generic game controller, so you just assign each button in DCS its self as you do for normal keyboard binds.
FAQ Answer Courtesy of L.Walker
No. Once you understand how it works, you will just get how the data flows and know instinctively what to do and how to wire stuff. Screens, HDMI, everything else, lots and lots of thin wire and basic slip on connectors.
FAQ Answer Courtesy of L.Walker
Get 4x 5m HDMI cables, 500m of roughly 26awg hookup wire and about 5 packs of various size Dupont connector sets from eBay.
FAQ Answer Courtesy of L.Walker
Yes. DuPont connectors are primarily being used and can be found on eBay. A variety of sizes are used so it is recommended to get a variety pack.
There are pre-crimped Dupont wires, just search for them on eBay.
Official OH boards don’t have any code yet so either use regular Arduino boards with DCS bios or Leo Bodnars, the latter is the best bet for those not confident with code or wanting to use the sim with different aircraft. Get 3 BBI64 cards and 4 BUO836X cards to start.
BBI-64: http://www.leobodnar.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=94&products_id=300&zenid=0fb5dd45a1948a1d0e59393509555947
BUO-836X: http://www.leobodnar.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=94&products_id=180&zenid=0fb5dd45a1948a1d0e59393509555947
FAQ Answer Courtesy of L.Walker
YouTube is your best friend for the first half of that question, You just connect buttons with wires to an Arduino and it can talk to your pc via DCS bios.
FAQ Answer Courtesy of L.Walker
In order for a switch to interface with DCS either an Arduino or Leo Bodnar Board/ABSIS 2.0.
Using an Arduino would mean needing to run code through DCS Bios.
With a Bodnar Board/ABSIS the switch is recognized to Windows as a generic joystick input and so no code is needed. This is the better option for those less confident with code or those who want to fly multiple aircraft with no downtime in between.
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