HUD project

[Daddy O]

This is one of the few places I can talk about a project like this without people's eyes glazing over, but here is a shot of the treated glass I am planning on using for my HUD system. I had resolved some of the technical hurdles to building a heads-up display when I ran into an odd problem: With a conventional HUD image (green lines against a black background) operating on a reflective system, I got dual images where it reflected off of the front and back of the glass. Even clear glass did this.

Then I was thumbing through Flying magazine and there on page 2 was a pic of the newest Rockwell Collins system: 20" touchscreens with a synthetic vision HUD.

Oh wow. That is just the coolest thing ever. It makes the HUDs I have used seem quaint and antiquated, and the one I am building seem downright stoneaged.

But oddly enough, it may have given me a solution. Although the image is poor, you can likely see that using a full color image I do not have the double image problem anymore. I won't have time to wring out the theory for a week or two since the simulator is down for reimaging (I gotta move the main to Windows 7 if I want XP10 to run properly--WXP just doesn't handle multi-core processors well <at all>. Add to that the fun and joy of learning SimAvio's wonky setup, 80 hour work-weeks, and 450 pages of manuscript, and I may not be on PE for a while (other than the forums.)

[Daddy O]

I have a prototype HUD in place on my simulator's dashboard. Using treated glass and a reflective system, I have a very rough but working HUD. I will build the permanent bracket after I have pulled solid measurements off of the dummy system currently in place. Works in the dark or hardball IFR conditions, or with the night vision on. Still working on daytime..

[Daddy O]

Here is another shot. Next experiment is to try and add synthetic vision. Then it'd be on par with the latest rockwell collins pro-line fusion system. Synthetic vision HUD. That'd be fun to try.

This thing takes a whole PC, with at least a marginal video card, a flat panel monitor, and some form of treated glass. This one was of the type used in produce scanners. I am willing to bet the best results would be attained with a mini-projector (1024x768 is the lowest you can go in XP10) projected onto a bright white (or even Neon green) screen. The glass HUD would reflect the projection below.But a simple monitor will work as well.

[Peter B]

Hi Daddy O,

My eyes aren't glazed, quite the contrary, I am looking at your HUD project with great interest and amazement.
I would like to learn more about the technology involved in your display and the software that connects it to the Sim.

I see that spare time in your day are short .... Would you be willing to share any hints with respect to self-study material or other sources of information that could help me get started on something like your project?

Best regards,
Peter B

[Daddy O]

Here is what I have learned so far on bulding a HUD.

The first idea to shine a projector directly onto the glass doesn't work well at all. Real HUDs have a special double paned glass that has a lazer reflectant sandwiched between the layers (in just the right spectrum for maximum reflectivity) Direct lighting is a bust unless you own McDonnell Douglas.

But a real HUD has to be able to work out doors with the sun shining. A sim HUD does not need to be that good so you can use reflective imagry. You can get a good reflection on plain old glass, but it gets a double image as light reflects off the front and back of the glass (the back image slightly weaker). I solved this by using a piece of treated glasslike you would find in a grocery scanner. The treatment allows the glass to work well if properly faced. You can prolly find bigger pieces of this glass on Ebay.

Current model works only marginally in daylight simulations, but great when switched to night vision (so I gotta figure out how to get Xplanes to let the 4th PC run in NV mode fulltime on its own.) The pic shows how I am currently set up. The second drawing is a method that I think would give better daylight visibility: projected reflective optics. I just don't have the money for a mini-projector (or even a full sized projector for that matter).

[Daddy O]

Here is a grocery scanner on Ebay that uses a piece of glass similar to the one I salvaged from a dumpster. Searching a parts breakdown for the glass shouldn't be hard. But there are bigger pieces out there (bigger HUD) If I had the cash I would have bought a bigger piece of glass. But the stuff is out therem just a cklick away.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NCR-7875-2000-S ... 41707bb3c2

[Peter B]

Thanks for your insight, I will explore for further information and try to source some glass.
Is x-Plane generating the HUD graphic image that you are projecting?

I am currently using FSX as I can't seem to get x-Plane working well on my laptop (with I-7 processor).

[Daddy O]

Xplane allows you to add extra screens by adding extra PCs. I have a single PC dedicated to just the HUD. The screen image is a black background with a HUD image on top. The next set of tests I will try is a synthetic vision display.

http://www.iowadot.gov/aviation/news/pd ... ymay16.pdf

Coolness, eh?

[Daddy O]

Here is another alternative I have wanted to try, if I had a spare projector. Rear projection would prolly result in a brighter HUD display, suitable for daytime flight (simulated) but you would lose a lot of your true black since you are reflecting off of a white screen.

One alternative is to project directly onto a dark green screen, even black screen. My ASUS will adjust to different colored backgrounds. Find a very dark color that contrasts the HUD ladder being projected and you should have very sharp HUD features without an illuminated background.

[Daddy O]

Here is an article that is extremely interesting on the matter of HUDs for your home simulator.

http://www.mikesflightdeck.com/hud/head ... plays.html