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Falcon BMS4 Panel

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This project was from November 2011. I wanted to create a flight sim panel specifically for Falcon 4 BMS.

BMS prompted the panel as it allowed output of the MFDs.

Panel in use

The panel consists of three parts:

  • a panel of physical buttons and switches
  • a screen of gauges (a 15inch LCD screen with an MDF overlay) with Thrustmaster Cougar MFDs
  • a pocket to hold an IPad2 for touch screen input
Pine panel frame

I made a basic wooden frame that holds the parts together and to mount the 15 inch screen. I removed the screen from the plastic enclosure to make the screen as small as possible.

The button panel is connected to two Desktop Aviator Single Pulse Boards. These boards convert the held down button press of a toggle switch into a single momentary pulse.

I had originally intended using MAME boards and using SVMapper software to turn the held down togger switches into momentary switches. But what I found was that SVMapper had a limitation on the number of USB devices it could display and you couldn't tell it to ignore devices. So my HOTAS + pedals + USB controllers was a problem. The Desktop Aviator boards do not require any special software to convert the toggle switches to momentary.

I believe that XPadder software can also generate momentary presses from toggle switches and does not have the device limits of SVMapper if you are looking for a software toggle to momentary solution.

My learnings (things I should have done) from the panel were:

  • plan out the panel in CAD to most effectively use the monitor space for gauges.
  • make the round gauges sizes match standard poly pipe sizes to make bezel creation easier.

The panel was great because it gave me working MFDs.

Desktop Aviator board
Switch wiring
Completed Gauges Panel


Gear lever


Making the panel and bezels


Completed Panel