HABI-SIM
Building an Airbus A320 Home Cockpit
Building an Airbus A320 Home Cockpit
Welcome aboard! The photo above captures a special moment where my son and I are piloting a real Airbus A320 simulator – not in my personal Home Cockpit, but just as thrilling.
Embarking on the journey of building your own Home Cockpit? You’ve navigated to the right destination. My adventure in this project began in 2020, and since then, I’ve been eager to share every aspect of my experience – from constructing Hardware, Software, and Electronics to choosing the essential Tools.
Curious about crafting your own Korry switches? Intrigued by the process of creating Push/Pull rotary encoders? Wondering how to seamlessly integrate modules with Microsoft Flight Simulator, select the right microcontroller, or achieve perfect backlighting on your panels? Stay tuned and join me on this exciting journey of building and discovery.
About me
Since I was a child, I was interested in technology. I studied Electronics, because I was already familiar with Software. I thought that knowing both of them would be a good combination. I owned my first computer, a ZX-Spectrum, back in the 80’s. And then I discovered Flight Simulator.
During my professional career, I started as Software Engineer in the CATV business, developing firmware based on the 8031 microcontroller. I was also one of the first engineers in my company that used C++ with Microsoft Foundation Classes, to build a front-end application that could connect with our hardware through modems.
During my career, I took several other positions such as Service Engineer/Manager, Project Manager, Program Manager and now I’m a Business Process Expert, still at the same company.
In 2020, the Covid pandemy caused my company to shut down several months. That was also the time that Microsoft announced Flight Simulator 2020 , which re-ignited my passion for it. It was also at that time that I started thinking seriously about making my own Home Cockpit for my favorite airplane, the Airbus A320.
Since then I started with studying the what and how. I purchased a Snapmaker A320, a desktop CNC/3D and laser that kicked off my project. And after a few years I finally built my first module, the FCU of the Airbus A320. Followed a half year later by the MCDU, the EFIS panels, etc…
During the years, I received a lot of questions by like-minded people. That was why I decided to make this website. It’s probably not the most fancy website out there, but it will contain a ton of information. And if you have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me.
Latest posts
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Flight to Innsbruck
Read more: Flight to InnsbruckWhat is the best way to get details of the interior of a A320 Cockpit? Exactly, hire a real simulator for a couple of hours, and fly it yourself. Next to the flying, you can take pictures and measurements. This video is about a flight I did together with my son in the summer of…
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Arduino Example
Read more: Arduino ExampleThis post is about a mini project in which I will implement some hardware that will connect with MSFS 2020 using an Arduino Mega 2560 and CockpitHardwareHUB_v2. Arduino is probably one of the most accessible microcontroller families that exist. And it is certainly a good start to learn to work with CockpitHardwareHUB_v2. It is also…
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CockpitHardwareHUB_v2
Read more: CockpitHardwareHUB_v2CockpitHardwareHUB_v2 is a free of charge tool designed for cockpit builders to connect hardware to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020. Unlike other tools that require specific configurations or are limited to certain microcontroller brands, CockpitHardwareHUB_v2 offers flexibility and broad compatibility. The tool also includes several features that help finding and testing the variables and parameters that…