The idea
Flight sims put a lot of important controls behind a mouse click or a keybind. I wanted those controls to be physical — switches and knobs you reach for without looking, the way an actual cockpit works.
What it does
A custom-built cockpit with 3D-printed and laser-etched panels, wired up with real switches, buttons, and rotary encoders that map into the sim through Arduino microcontrollers and MobiFlight.
How it works
Panels are 3D-printed and laser-etched, then painted and finished, mounted to a custom structural frame. Arduino boards read the physical switches, buttons, and encoders and pass that input to the simulator through MobiFlight, which handles the mapping between physical controls and in-sim actions.
Interesting challenges
This is a genuinely multidisciplinary build — mechanical fabrication (frame, panels, finishing), electrical wiring and controller integration, and the software side of mapping physical input to simulator state. The recurring theme is the relationship between a physical control and the digital system it drives.
Progress and outcomes
The build is ongoing, with panels, wiring, and Arduino/MobiFlight integration progressing panel by panel rather than as one single finished cockpit.
What comes next
Continued panel fabrication and control integration as the cockpit grows.