The hardware target: a cockpit you can operate under workload
A Space Shuttle flight deck is dense by design. The commander/pilot arrangement exists because one person can fly while the other runs procedures and verifies states. If your sim hardware forces you to search for controls, you lose the whole point. You’re building two things at once: (1) physical inputs and indicators, and (2) a repeatable operating method that matches mission phases (launch, orbit, entry, landing). The goal is not “all panels.” The goal is “critical controls you can hit instantly.”
Controller board: the core of a usable simpit
The archived ShuttleSim project planned to use a dedicated controller board developed by “Manuell” (cockpit hardware developer). The site notes the board was completed, while software was being programmed and tested, and later mentions PCB delivery and photos being shared. In other words: the hardware layer was treated as a real electronics project, not a quick hack. That’s the mindset you want if you plan to scale past a handful of buttons.
Why a controller board matters: it gives you structured inputs (switches, buttons, encoders) and structured outputs (LEDs, 7-segment, indicators). It also forces discipline: wiring harnesses, connectors, labeling, and test routines. The archived controller board page even lists multiple computer connection options (including USB, serial via MAX-232, and parallel), which is exactly the kind of flexibility cockpit builders look for when integrating older sims and custom electronics.
Panel building: don’t guess-design, then manufacture
The original project log is blunt: once it was time to move into hardware, it needed CNC access to produce panels properly. That’s a real-world constraint. Panels that look “ok” on a printer become painful when you need alignment, cutouts, consistent labeling, and repeatable mounting. The progress notes also mention that panel layouts were prepared as PDF vector artwork ready for a printing shop-this is exactly how you avoid drifting dimensions and mismatched fonts across the cockpit.
If you don’t have CNC: you can still build, but you must simplify. Start with one “module panel” (a small rectangle) using a standard enclosure, drill templates, and durable labels. Prove your wiring and mapping first. CNC and full-size panels come later, when you already know what controls you truly use every run.
Flight controls: why RHC/THC concepts matter even in a home build
NASA’s own Shuttle overview describes the flight deck as having manual flight controls, including rotation and translation hand controllers, plus rudder pedals and speed-brake controllers. That matters for your hardware priorities. In a practical simpit, you get more realism per euro by building good hand controls than by building ten random overhead toggles you rarely touch.
The Rotational Hand Controller (RHC) is the “attitude stick” of the Shuttle: roll, pitch, and yaw. Shuttle reference material describes multiple RHC units in the crew compartment and ties the control to core vehicle rotation tasks. If you want S3 to feel like “piloting,” invest in input quality: smooth axes, consistent centering, and repeatable mapping. A cheap, noisy joystick will sabotage entry/landing training no matter how pretty your panels look.
Wiring and reliability: build like you will have to debug it
Most cockpit builds die from wiring chaos. If you can’t isolate a panel, you can’t fix a fault. Use these rules:
- Modular harnesses: every panel gets a connector. No “direct-to-board forever” wiring.
- Label everything: both ends of every wire. If you skip this, you are choosing future pain.
- One standard: choose one connector family, one wire gauge range, one color logic.
- Test points: make it easy to verify power rails, input states, and LED outputs.
Then test like an engineer: one input at a time, one output at a time, with a written checklist. A cockpit that “mostly works” is worse than no cockpit, because you’ll never trust it during a run.
Portability: the hidden tax of a transportable simulator
The ShuttleSim home page explicitly frames portability as a requirement (“probably inside a trailer”). The progress log even mentions research into maximum width for the Shuttle build (3.11 m) versus a typical road maximum (2.5 m), implying real transport constraints. If you’re serious about portability, you must design for it from day one: quick-disconnect connectors, strain relief, rigid mounting, and “pack/unpack” procedures. Otherwise your sim will work once, then slowly shake itself apart.