B16Enk

Welcome back Roberts! X56 - I have an X55 and found the axes were terrible, it was sticking slightly and made DCS unflyable. The throttle has a habit of breaking wires, easily fixed (I loomed in new more beefy wires). Now they are Logitech the quality may be improved though... And they do provide a lot of buttons etc. So I grafted the X55 handle onto a MSFFB2, got 4 extra buttons and an extra axis plus force feedback. Same could be done for an X56

Decided to revisit my MSFFB2 X55 Franken stick. First image shows the new part I printed on the right, and the original part on the left. This enabled mounting the X55 handle much lower, closer to where the original MSFFB2 handle sat. Second image is the part mounted in the gimbal, third image is the X55 circuit board mounted inside the MSFFB2 case, and the wires connected to it (10 enemy teensy wires to be soldered!). Final image is it all lit up, and you can just make out the X55 USB cable exiting the MSFFB2 base Now back to the collective project, now I have found the ideal material (nylon as it is very strong, self lubricating, and very light).

After tolerating a Phenom (I bought off Snacko ages ago) for way too long I stumbled into a bit of luck My eldest (who works at same company as me and lives at home) took pity on his mum playing Sims on a non-gaming laptop, and dropped $800 on a new one for me. This liberated the same amount for me from my bonus, and I now have a Ryzen 1800X in an Asus ROG (yeah really lol) Crosshair V1 board with 16GB DDR4. Oh and my first SSD, a Samsung 960 Evo 256Gb. Yet to get the RAM running as well as it could, who new RAM timings could run to 100s of settings! (I got GSkill F4-3200C16D-16GVKB which is not on the QVL for the board). DCS is smooth, with my 4 year old 770GTX (perhaps I may get a 1070+ for my birthday) as is Assetto Corsa powered by my G920 Wheel setup (I was 'permitted to buy that out of my bonus last month to replace the one I sold to FruitBat LOL). IL2 in all its flavours is silky smooth too, now to get practiced again so I can get online.

Fixed. Download manager had been configured to post a new topic when new files were submitted, however no forum had been configured to post in, so system was posting into the Announcements forum that does not exist. Posts will now go into appropriate forums with {catname} as a prefix. Files always were available though! It was just the announcement of their availability.

Thanks Perf! I checked that linkout, quite an eye opener

Wow. July I posted this! I guess I should post an update: Base bit is being printed right now, will take over 20 hours to print The grey is a test fit for throttle grip, it works fine, will print final piece with textured (knurled) grip. Most of the black pieces are 15% carbon fibre, gives a nice matt yet metallic finish. Base is pure PLA and is high gloss black, the top of the base (with switches) will probably be the same matt finish carbon fire, Axis are hall sender for throttle and pitch, buttons are momentary 2 way toggles (like the X55) and this is all powered by a Bodnar board. Tension adjustment on the pitch axis, works very smoothly. Need to wire it all up when the base is printed, am creating bespoke PCBs for the Bodnar to switch interface, with diodes to do the matrix thing and give me 32 switches total. Only one pot so far, with a red knob.. steady Painless!

.. have now subscribed @$5 per month to remove adverts. Should all be working again now!

1.57 and 2.1 Alpha Dodging commitments - now that may take some doing!

Very nice, professional looking job there! Price compares favorably with the CH Pro throttle too. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Really? My Google foo is really off LOL, at least I do know they are not potentiometers [emoji4][emoji23] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

One of the really nice things about our forum software, and having a dedicated server, is we don't need third party image hosting. In fact images hosted on our own server are likely to be served more quickly too! With the gallery feature you can also link to images when posting elsewhere, and even in emails. Tapatalk posted images however are hosted on Tapatalk, I may look at a mod that fixes that - parses the urls, copies images locally, and replaces them. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I should add that this is a non-destructive mod, both sticks can be returned to their original state. The adapter on the MSFFB2 has resulted in a modest extension, unavoidable without permanently modifying the MSFFB2 itself. Test flight in IL2 was really good, nice having feedback, and the extra length does add to precision. Had not realized the MSFFB2 has optical sensors, I thought they were pots and started researching replacements! Will post some photos of the components I manufactured to do this, all printed on my 3D printer, apart from the electrical connections themselves (I did try printing conductive plastic connectors but the plastic was way too brittle and at 2mm diameter very difficult to print at acceptable quality). Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

As some of you may recall I set about modifying my MSFFB2 and Saitek X55 to see if I could combine them. Frankenstein time for sure! Today I finally got the missing pieces I needed, contact pads for the spring loaded contacts in the handle, that finally enabled me to complete connectivity. It works! Showing illuminated joystick. Red wine, the ultimate creative fuel! The other thing is the X55 stick paired with the MSFFB2 base, to the left (below the vino) you can see the Dsub 25 connector that pairs the handle back to its now divorced base. Said divorced base, currently not using the X or Y axis, but all buttons on the stick fully functional, FFB is pretty good, handle holds center no problem as the weight distribution is spot on. Next up is implementing trim using the X and Y axis on the X 55 base, and integrating the MSFFB2 buttons and hat (the interconnect cable has 15 spare connections so no issue doing this at all). Once the above is done I will then work on the collective mod I dreamt of, should make DCS rotary flying more intuitive with natural controls and FFB. Have 17 days vacation commencing next Friday, so hoping for more accelerated progress. [emoji4][emoji4][emoji41] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've heard of Maker Mark! I got a Monoprice Maker Select, an iPrusa clone. It holds 0.1 mm fine and is a good starter printer. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Treated myself to a 3D printer a while ago, was going to make an extension for my X55, then it occurred to me I could be a little more adventurous! So I made this: Underside view: WTF I hear you ask! It is an adaptor to couple the X55 joystick handle to a MSFFB2, non destructive to both sticks, and when I have done some soldering fully working with all buttons and hats. Next up is a clip on adapter to turn the X55 base into a trim control for all 3 axis and a button bay for the displaced MSFFB2 buttons. Ultimately I am looking to also create a throttle/pitch mod for the X55 base too, to add a little more immersion to helicopter flying [emoji4] Have enjoyed being an engineer again, and using 3D CAD to produce the design! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Utterly floored, yet not surprised, that some will stoop this low in a insane act of religion, and abhorrently against the very tenets of the religion they purport to act on behalf of. Good to see, however, the Brits can still summon up their 'Blitz' mentality and pull together and show the sadistic and murderous bastards we won't be cowed. Hope the c@nt gets his over endowed male virgins to torture him for all eternity. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

SweetFX View File SweetFX - actually just testing the announcement of a new file feature that has been causing some raised eyebrows! Submitter B16Enk Submitted 01/28/2017 Category Utilities Checksum  

I also find, personally at least, that being *too* gentle with the boost on takeoff can cause all manner of wayward behavior, being firm with boost and getting it >2.0 makes a lot of difference on rudder authority, obvious I know but it wasn't to me originally! I can now make a reasonably good impersonation of a controlled take-off! And yes - that buried take off cheat had been on, what an ego deflation finding that was!!

Very nice watch that was Tom!

Dave - that link was very timely! Once I got the stick working I found my throttle was doing really weird stuff, took it apart to find I had 10+ wires cracked and there was shorting amongst them due to the grease. Took a hell of a lot of cleaning up so I could solder and tape them, as a temporary repair whilst my ribbon cable is on it's way for the permanent fix. Saitek X55 has got to be the worst quality controlled HOTAS ever produced!!!

G25 is a great wheel, I really miss mine still (FB has it now so not too sad) and I have promised myself a replacement in the not too distant! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Good write up Fen! I found personally that chopper flying had prepared me, once I got my joystick issues resolved, and was able to float her up of the deck, and back down again! Taxiing - now that is a different story but your post has been my lightbulb moment, thanks! Loving DCS now and hoping to lay the 'ground crew' title to rest [emoji6] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks Dave, that may prove useful when I get more use out of the throttle now I have *finally* fixed the stick! Fixing the stick - wow what a saga! I was able to extend the stick and made it floor standing using 1.25" diameter PVC tubing, latex and plaster for various moulds (getting that pesky screw thread bit for example) and had really fine control with no spikes at long last! Unfortunately as predicted the stick displacement meant separation between stick and desk an chair became uncomfortable - I could set curves but a bend is really required to permit pitch up to be with stick 'in lap' whilst permitting full pitch down without striking the desk. Bits on order for this so I revisited the initial issue. Design flaw with X55 is the centering is via a spring loaded conical collar running on a cylindrical shaft, both made of ABS. Tolerances are so slack that the shaft is actually not cylindrical, and this causes binding of the collar. This manifests as intermittent sticking as it travels up the shaft, which results in sudden jumps in control input. Far from ideal with a flighty warbird (or helicopter for that matter). I bit the bullet and disassembled the entire lower half of the stick, this required cutting the 10 wires that transmit the button presses and rudder input (I don't use the latter). I was then able to separate shaft and collar, and applied abrasive paper using a cordless drill to get the shaft more truly cylindrical, and polished to a high gloss finish. Reassembled and Vaseline applied, I now have a joystick that performs as originally designed - took a freaking day to do it though!!!! Can now take off, land, and maneuver the spitfire at long last [emoji4][emoji4][emoji4][emoji4][emoji106] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Maybe I should 'accidentally' buy the Kurfürst too.. loving the Spitty and have the 190 and P51 already... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk