Aircraft Six Pack Gauges Running on 4-inch LCD Screen for Flight Simulation with 3D Printed Case and Stand

Introduction

I started this project to build my own six-pack gauges for flight simulation, but I used a 4-inch LCD screen instead of 3D-printed physical parts and stepper motors because I don’t like the noise they generate.

The display is a 4-inch LCD display with an integrated ESP32 S3 microcontroller. It runs as a Mobiflight (https://www.mobiflight.com/en/index.html) custom (aka community) device to be integrated with flight simulators such as X Plane and MSFS.

Features

• Each gauge runs on its own display
• Relatively low cost, about 30-40 USD per gauge

Pre-requisites

• Knowledge/experience with Mobiflight (https://www.mobiflight.com/en/index.html) is required, as this runs as a Mobiflight community device
• You should be able to configure additional Mobiflight boards and add encoders to control things such as the True Airspeed (TAS) knob in the Airspeed Indicator, Heading Knob in the Heading Indicator, Baro Knob in the Altimeter. Encoder configuration in Mobiflight is beyond the scope of this document. Please see here for detailed instructions on Mobiflight configuration: https://docs.mobiflight.com/

Bill of Materials

• 3D printer and filaments. I printed mine with PLA, 0.4 mm nozzle, 0.2 mm layer height
• Guition Esp32-s3-4848s040 4-inch LCD screen

- https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3256808028364930.html

- Hint!: Search around AliExpress for deals! The price can range from about 18 USD to 30 USD, and sometimes lower if there are sales events

• EC11 encoders to be used for knobs to control the TAS knob, Heading Knob, etc.
• Additional Mobiflight-supported boards (Arduino Nano/Uno, RP2040, etc.) to connect the encoders. For details, see here: https://docs.mobiflight.com/boards/.
• USB Type C cables (90 degree type for easier fit)
• USB Hub to connect the devices to your gaming PC
• 3D printer and filaments if you want to print the case
• Wires, soldering materials, etc., to solder the encoders to your Mobiflight board

Please see the detailed Build Guide that is uploaded together with the 3D models.