SkyPup Posted January 10, 2011 Posted January 10, 2011 Re-worked my flight controls yesterday and though it hasn't improved my on-line performance, the stick has a nice feel to it. Gimbals are made from tilting plywood platforms, pivoting on home-made hinges. Lengths of bungee cord give some centering force. The electronic guts consist of the Bodnar BU086 board, sensors are Hall effect for roll and yaw, pots for throttle. First version of the stick had simple switches on top for pitch trim and guns. New version uses a spliced-on Saitek stick grip for the grip. I'm using the hat switch for roll trim and pitch trim, two buttons for guns, one button for TeamSqueak. Two throttles for now, though I just use one for IL-2. The helo collective, when needed, is plugged into output from throttle #2. Yes, I do fly FS9 occasionally, though it's a secret; hey we're all friends here, right? It was fun to build this rig, still not ideal but a step up from the two commercial joysticks I've used. Really happy with the Hall Effect sensors and the ten-bit ADC Bodnar board , too. When I do a joystick calibration, I can see reproducible signal change from about 1/8 inch stick travel. That translates to about 1/3 of a degree stick deflection. Quote
CaptJackG Posted January 10, 2011 Posted January 10, 2011 WOW...I just pray that if I ever crash land on a remote uninhabited Pacific Island with just a nail file and a toothbrush you'll be with me to rebuild the plane and fly out. Very impressive PS: you might want to redesign the throttles...I might be a little leery of holding those peni.....I mean throttles in my hand. Quote
SkyPup Posted January 10, 2011 Author Posted January 10, 2011 WOW...I just pray that if I ever crash land on a remote uninhabited Pacific Island with just a nail file and a toothbrush you'll be with me to rebuild the plane and fly out. Very impressive PS: you might want to redesign the throttles...I might be a little leery of holding those peni.....I mean throttles in my hand. Sure, Cap'nJack, we could be like those guys in Flight of the Phoenix.... As for the throttles, only a Dawg would notice something like that! Quote
JensenPark Posted January 10, 2011 Posted January 10, 2011 wow...well done! I'm putting that on my Christmas list for next year...so start building! Quote
Snacko Posted January 10, 2011 Posted January 10, 2011 Yea, looks great Skypup! I must be a dog because I too noticed those too big black peni on your throttles. LoL What is that last pic? It looks kind of like a collective for a helo? Do you fly BlackShark? Quote
Kimosabi Posted January 10, 2011 Posted January 10, 2011 I thought you had incorporated a handbrake there. LOL Proof right there that you don't need lots of dough to have a nice setup. Good work man! It is like they say, better to have a stick between your legs than in your hand. Quote
SkyPup Posted January 10, 2011 Author Posted January 10, 2011 Pervs, all of of you. LOL! Thanks Snacko and Kimo. Yes, the last pic is a collective. Haven't tried Blackshark, but hear it's pretty good. Helo-wise, I mostly fly this Schweizer 300 in FS9: http://www.justflight.com/product.asp?pid=169 The long-throw stick seems a natural for the IL-2 taildraggers, as well as the ROF birds. BTW, hacking the Saitek AV8R was not a trivial exercise. All those wires are routed through diodes, not easy to trace what goes where..... Quote
Snacko Posted January 11, 2011 Posted January 11, 2011 You should give BS a try. The flight model is awesome, and so are all of the helo systems. But you must learn to Trim, Trim, Trim, your stick all the time! Very fun... Quote
Shadrach Posted January 11, 2011 Posted January 11, 2011 It looks pretty impressive. Did you make it up as you went along or were you working to a plan? I love the use of all the odd bits of wood and scrap and stuff. Are those castors with the wheels removed being used as pivots? I enjoy messing around doing this sort of stuff almost as much as playing the game. I did something very similar using an old Logitech Wingman. It's so much better having the joystick in the right place and a decent length for extra enjoyment. Keep up the good work. Quote
1. DDz Quorum B16Enk Posted January 11, 2011 1. DDz Quorum Posted January 11, 2011 decent length for extra enjoyment. My wife's lament.. More seriously - great work there pup, I have often day dreamed creating a long-throw stick system that retains compactness and can still be desktop mounted. Collective idea is pretty cool too, helo flying is another ambition of mine Quote
T_O_A_D Posted January 12, 2011 Posted January 12, 2011 wow...well done! I'm putting that on my Christmas list for next year...so start building! What? a pair of big black peckers? JP Quote
1. DDz Quorum Sid Posted January 12, 2011 1. DDz Quorum Posted January 12, 2011 wow...well done! I'm putting that on my Christmas list for next year...so start building! What? a pair of big black peckers? JP Kaaa...ching Quote
1. DDz Quorum Friar Posted January 14, 2011 1. DDz Quorum Posted January 14, 2011 remember push left to go left Quote
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