Show us your cockpit!

[cardboard_killer]

46 minutes ago, J2_SteveF said:

But it is about the size of the user.

 

But she told me size doesn't count ?

[Guest]

On 4/24/2022 at 12:27 PM, Picchio said:

@Hetzer-JG51Looks like the stick is a bit too far... ?

 

I'm just under six and a half feet tall and the seat in the pic is slid back. When it's fully forward the front edge of it is about three inches away from the stick. 

Edited April 30, 2022 by Hetzer-JG51

[Picchio]

@Hetzer-JG51 Ah, I see! My comment was because I'm a bit tall as well (192 cm) and I had also been scratching my head quite a bit while I was imagining how I would fit in the pit I had in mind (with measurements taken as faithfully as possible from a few Hornet's schematics).

 

Aaand here's my... contraption.

It's my very first, and I must say thanks to many of the forum members and their contributions posted here - the builds I've seen were inspiring!

Now, despite the care I put in getting this up I can honestly say that I can't wait for it to just fall apart so that I can begin designing a second version!

 

 

 

Edited May 1, 2022 by Picchio

[cardboard_killer]

1 hour ago, Picchio said:

Aaand here's my... contraption.

 

It's nice, but is it really White Gloves nice?

[Picchio]

1 hour ago, cardboard_killer said:

 

It's nice, but is it really White Gloves nice?

 

It's all about the way it feels, dear sir.

Therefore, white cotton gloves, oh yes.

 

(I know how I would improve it, but what could substitute these dear, soft gloves?)

Edited May 1, 2022 by Picchio

[SvAF/F16_Goblin]

11 hours ago, Picchio said:

 

It's all about the way it feels, dear sir.

Therefore, white cotton gloves, oh yes.

 

(I know how I would improve it, but what could substitute these dear, soft gloves?)

Very nice, may I ask where You got the stick extension? Looks very intriguing.

[Picchio]

2 hours ago, SvAF/F16_Goblin said:

Very nice, may I ask where You got the stick extension? Looks very intriguing.

 

Thanks! Those are actually two extensions combined, both by Virpil. One is 75 mm, straight. The other is the so called Z-extension: https://virpil-controls.eu/vpc-flightstick-z-extension.html

Two of my requisites were to keep the grip as close as possible without cutting the seat and without renouncing to the extension, excluding the option of placing the base above the seat. So I resorted to a "creative" use to the Z-extension... despite the fact that grip plus extensions became quite heavier, I only had to tighten the pre-tensioners, and I kept the Standard springs installed.

Edited May 2, 2022 by Picchio

[Drum]

I love your floor, the sim rig looks pretty nice too.  ?

[1Sascha]

Wouldn't call it a cockpit, but since I uploaded the pic in another thread already, might as well post it here too ...

 

 

That's a space-age, out of this world, NACA-approved Ikea gaming-table BTW, in case anyone was wondering. ?

 

 

 

EDIT: Been working on the "cockpit"-aspect a bit. Throttle mount is here already, now I'm waiting for VKB to restock on the Stronghold mount for the NXT Evo next week. Plus I got this awesome and totally high-tech left-over wooden plank for €5 at the local HW-store (basically having to pay for, well, trash) to push those Crosswinds further away from the wall. Already ordered a gas-spring equipped, but affordable, monitor arm from amazon to be able to also quickly adjust the monitor to my new flying position.

 

I'll post an update once the VKB-mount gets here, because at the moment I can't really use the throttle on its mount with the stick still velcroed to the desk.

 

EDIT 2: Getting closer...

 

 

So much nicer already to be able to just pull the screen towards me instead of having to lean in like a dork...plus my desk looks less cluttered now and that gas-spring stand/arm was just €37 on amazon...

 

Now all I need is for VKB's current shipment to clear customs so I can order that stick-mount.

 

 

 

S.

Edited June 5, 2022 by 1Sascha

[1Sascha]

Well... it's finally arrived. Not the best pic, but I've only just finished assembling the mount and will probably fiddle with it a bit more to get the "perfect" position for my stick. The important bit is that it actually works as a central mount - yay! ?

 

 

 

 

 

I will say that this VKB UCM-S feels very well put together - no wobble, no flex, nothing. Once I tighten those two clamps at the top, the mount and stick feel like they're a part of my desk. It also doesn't try to castrate me like the TM clamp did when I tried to use it as a central mount... ? I *think* the lower baseplate (that you screw the Gladiator adapter plate to) looks like it would also take a Warthog/Cougar/WW Orion. And I might even be able to mount a Virpil WarBRD to it, thanks to an adapter-plate VPC sell (for the ultimate Franken-Mount! ) Haven't been able to verify any of this since I don't own any of these other sticks, but a friend of mine who owns a WW Orion HOTAS said the plate looked like it would work for his stick.

 

The mount can be height/length adjusted (mine is set one position longer than minimum length in the pic and I'm currently using it in its shortest config) and the base-plate slides in and out by seven cm and can be rotated up or down, giving you more adjustability. However: Unlike with a Monstertech, you have to loosen and take out a few screws for that... length adjustment especially is probably a bit more complicated than with the Monstertech. Plus the Gladiator base-plate does restrict the up/down pivot function to around 7° down (max range without the GL-adapter is 15°).

 

Still: Highly recommended.

 

S.

 

 

Edited June 30, 2022 by 1Sascha

[LLv34_Flanker]

S! 

 

Something new coming to my cockpit soon, or at least in 2 weeks ?

 

[1Sascha]

22 hours ago, LLv34_Flanker said:

Something new coming to my cockpit soon, or at least in 2 weeks ?

Long time no see, Flanker... err.. if you are the Flanker that's still on my Steam friends-list, that is... ?

 

S.

[LLv34_Flanker]

S! 

 

@1SaschaIt is me

[pollock56th]

I just ordered some of the new stuff from VKB. I will post some pics when I am done.

[BladeMeister]

Last year I built a new Rig and added a new monitor and just today I finished my dream Hotas setup.  VKB Gunfighter III with 200mm extension, MFG Crosswind Rudder Pedals, GVL custom Trim Panel, Virpil CM3 Throttle, Virpil KA50 panel and TIR5. I am set for quite some time for all forms of Combat Flight Sims including WWI, WWII, Korean/Veitnam era and also modern jets. Tank Crew and the DCS Helos are secondary, but I will enjoy them also with this setup. Thanks DB for your reviews of some of the above products which really helped my comparisons when deciding on what to go with.

 

S!Blade<><

 

 

 

 

Edited July 31, 2022 by BladeMeister

[cardboard_killer]

4 hours ago, BladeMeister said:

I finished my dream Hotas setup.

 

How do you get into the chair?

[BladeMeister]

3 hours ago, cardboard_killer said:

 

How do you get into the chair?

I climb into my imaginary cockpit Mate, of course.

?

I literally step over the back of the chair onto the seat and climb in. It is not optimal, but being 6'1" tall, it really is not a big problem for me. I can move the mouse to the black shelf holding my Rig and unplug the connection at the trim panel and slide the chair out if I want to. It is what is!

I Love it!!! Now to setup my new profile in the P38. I cannot wait for the new option to individually profile planes. For me that will make IL2 GBS even better as far as Hotas setup.

 

S!Blade<><

[Hoss]

 

13 hours ago, BladeMeister said:

Last year I built a new Rig and added a new monitor and just today I finished my dream Hotas setup.  VKB Gunfighter III with 200mm extension, MFG Crosswind Rudder Pedals, GVL custom Trim Panel, Virpil CM3 Throttle, Virpil KA50 panel and TIR5. I am set for quite some time for all forms of Combat Flight Sims including WWI, WWII, Korean/Veitnam era and also modern jets. Tank Crew and the DCS Helos are secondary, but I will enjoy them also with this setup. Thanks DB for your reviews of some of the above products which really helped my comparisons when deciding on what to go with.

 

S!Blade<><

 

 

 

 

 

I like your GVL trim box, I have his basic Trim box. I'm still working on how I want mine to be but I need to wait for cooler weather, it's just too damn hot in the garage to work on anything right now. GVL is doing well, he's in Germany, said his Visa is good for two years, kids in school learning German so they can translate for him. Not sure when he may be able to return home. (Ukraine)  I still need to modify my chair and do the cut out for the MT table mount the stick is mounted on. Another Flight Sim nut made the TMWH throttle and BlackHog faceplates for me, I think they look 1000% better than the original.

 

Cheers

Hoss

Spoiler

 

Edited July 31, 2022 by Hoss

[BladeMeister]

4 minutes ago, Hoss said:

 

I like your GVL trim box, I have his basic Trim box. I'm still working on how I want mine to be but I need to wait for cooler weather, it's just too damn hot in the garage to work on anything right now. GVL is doing well, he's in Germany, said his Visa is good for two years, kids in school learning German so they can translate for him. Not sure when he may be able to return home. (Ukraine)  I still need to modify my chair and do the cut out for the MT table mount the stick is mounted on. Another Flight Sim nut made the TMWH throttle and BlackHog faceplates for me, I think they look 1000% better than the original.

 

Cheers

Hoss

  Reveal hidden contents

 

That looks Awesome Hoss. I literally stripped my Ka50 down to the face plate in the hopes of repainting, but then I found out it is powder coated and I would have to sand blast it clean of the powder coat to have the paint stick to the metal. I said screw it, reassembled it and will just use it the stock way. Live and learn.

 

S!Blade<><

[duko]

On 7/31/2022 at 8:02 AM, BladeMeister said:

Last year I built a new Rig and added a new monitor and just today I finished my dream Hotas setup.  VKB Gunfighter III with 200mm extension, MFG Crosswind Rudder Pedals, GVL custom Trim Panel, Virpil CM3 Throttle, Virpil KA50 panel and TIR5. I am set for quite some time for all forms of Combat Flight Sims including WWI, WWII, Korean/Veitnam era and also modern jets. Tank Crew and the DCS Helos are secondary, but I will enjoy them also with this setup. Thanks DB for your reviews of some of the above products which really helped my comparisons when deciding on what to go with.

 

S!Blade<><

 

 

 

 

U need a ultrawide monitor , at least 34" ?

[MyCyJIbMaHuHko]

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Customizer171]

On 7/31/2022 at 8:42 PM, Hoss said:

 

 

I like your GVL trim box, I have his basic Trim box. I'm still working on how I want mine to be but I need to wait for cooler weather, it's just too damn hot in the garage to work on anything right now. GVL is doing well, he's in Germany, said his Visa is good for two years, kids in school learning German so they can translate for him. Not sure when he may be able to return home. 

  Hide contents

 

I hope GVL will be back in business in a not too distant future. I have a project that I would like to discuss with him.

However, the most important thing is that he and his family are safe!

By the way, how do you like your Black hog button box?

Edited August 26, 2022 by Customizer171
Additional info

[1Sascha]

Tinkering with the new stick is over for now - I hope! I've disassembled the gimble more times than I care to mention - including getting to both clutches twice... once to clean them up, once to put dampening grease on them ... but anyway:

 

Haven't cleaned up the desk yet, but here's the current state of things:

 

 

With the grease on there, this thing *really* starts to make sense. As great as the Evo is, the GF's even better.

 

 

 

 

S.

[=FEW=fernando11]

On 9/7/2022 at 1:54 PM, 1Sascha said:

"Tinkering with the new stick is over for now - I hope! I've disassembled the gimble more times than I care to mention - including getting to both clutches twice... once to clean them up, once to put dampening grease on them ... but anyway"

 

I thought there was  no need to clean/grease the clutches.

 

What did you find that needed cleaning?

[1Sascha]

6 hours ago, =FEW=fernando11 said:

I thought there was  no need to clean/grease the clutches.

 

What did you find that needed cleaning?

Before I bought it last week, my GF must've been sitting in VKB's warehouse for a couple of years (production date on the packaging is Sept 2020). Out of the box, I couldn't run any sort of clutch, since both axes would behave stickily on small corrections (reminded me a bit of my TM TWCS throttle slider's behavior). The stick *worked*, mind you ... but its handling while actually flying felt pretty terrible with clutches applied. Since clutches and dampening were a big reason why I went with the GF, I freaked out a bit and thought I'd gotten a lemon or something. I went ahead and stripped down the clutches. I was a bit reluctant to do that, since you need to remove a PCB to get to the Y-axis clutch, but with VKB's tutorial video on YT, decent tools and a bit of care it wasn't all that bad.

 

Here's what I found out of the box:

 

 

That black stuff in the pic must've been the factory grease which felt rough and sticky to me, so I initially cleaned the "brake pads" and the barrels - which instantly improved things quite significantly, but now I only had dry clutches with no dampening.

Dampening grease is ridiculously hard to find over here at non silly prices, and a VKB dude on discord pointed out to me that there is a "stash" of extra dampening grease built into the Gladiator Evo (they actually put a little compartment into that stick to accommodate the stuff). I had ordered a 50gr tube of Nyogel 767A, but that hadn't arrived yet, so when I got impatient, I took apart the GF's gimbal again, raided my Evo's stash and greased up both barrels with the extra stuff from my Evo. I'm not quite sure what sort of grease was in there, but judging from comparison videos I found it's at least as strong as 767A. The difference in handling was quite dramatic and instantly turned the GF into the stick I would've imagined it to be.

 

This is how the stick behaves now with 10+20 springs on X, 20+30 on Y and dampening set accordingly (soft to medium on X, medium to hard on Y):

 

 

After just a few days with it in proper working condition, I couldn't imagine going back to another stick, not even to my Evo which I still think is an awesome stick (especially for the price). The GF is such a smooth handling thing and small corrections are even easier with it - probably due to the longer throw and longer grip which gives you more leverage and fine-control. Instantly made me start eying extensions for even more throw and precision, but that would mean I'd need a different mount, so ...

 

Oh.. and yes: There's still quite a lot of grease left in my Evo, but I just future-proofed myself even further:

 

 

They call this stuff magic, and they're not wrong. The difference dampening makes is quite incredible, especially when you consider how little I actually applied. That grease compartment in the Evo really isn't very big - maybe a little smaller than an average fingernail - but I'd guess there's still enough left in there now to re-grease the GF (or the Evo) at least twice. So I guess I'll be passing on that 50gr tube to my (non-existent) kids or grand-kids one day...

 

 

 

S.

Edited September 10, 2022 by 1Sascha

[dburne]

Very nice! I supposed that is what I should do ( already have the Nyogel 767A) but don't really have the desire to take mine apart at this time.

Going to have some downtime after next week so if I feel up to it I may have a go with it then. 

[1Sascha]

57 minutes ago, dburne said:

Going to have some downtime after next week so if I feel up to it I may have a go with it then. 

It looks more intimidating than it actually is...well, a little at least.

 

All you need is a 7mm wrench, the standard size hex key/driver for the grip (2.5mm? not sure ATM) plus another hex key or driver one size smaller, since two of the three screws holding on the PCB over the Y-axis clutch use a smaller size head (on my example at least). It's the two screws on the left side of the PCB - the third one in the middle/bottom position holding that little guide-thingie for the two cable-strands uses the same size hex-head as all the other screws on the grip (screw for grip lock mechanism, screw for the MCG's palm-rest adjustment, etc.).

 

Plus you'll need the grease itself, one or two clean, lint-free pieces of cloth (I used a soft-ish and fresh microfiber towel) and a bit of isopropyl to clean the pads and the barrels and, once you're done, to wipe off any excess grease. Although with the newer type of barrel on mine, which has a metal rim on the outside, excess grease getting squished out once you push down on the pads doesn't seem to be much of an issue. Apparently, the barrels shown in the video are of an older type that didn't have that metal rim on the barrels.

 

Oh, and you'll need a bit of time, but not *that* much. I think it took me longer to get the gimbal out of my UCM-mount than to disassemble the clutches. Probably an hour all in on my second session, perhaps a bit longer if you're doing all this for the very first time. You can actually do the greasing without having to take off the springs (I think), but I did remove them on mine, just to be on the safe side.

 

I'd also recommend a watchmaker's loupe or something similar, since that helped me tremendously with the more delicate parts - like the cable/plug connecting the gimbal to the PCB that sits at the front of the base housing.

 

 

S.

Edited September 10, 2022 by 1Sascha

[Dallas88B]

4 hours ago, 1Sascha said:

 

I'd also recommend a watchmaker's loupe or something similar, since that helped me tremendously with the more delicate parts

I had not thought of the loupe. I wear glasses, so sometimes I just use the camera on my iphone. I can zoom with it and, as long as I have a free hand to hold the camera, it works very well.

[1Sascha]

15 minutes ago, Dallas88B said:

I had not thought of the loupe. I wear glasses, so sometimes I just use the camera on my iphone. I can zoom with it and, as long as I have a free hand to hold the camera, it works very well.

A DIY solution if you don't have or don't want to use one of those "stick 'em in your eye-socket"-loupes is what I did before, namely that I affixed a small magnifying glass to my reading-glasses with a zip-tie. My eye-sight's always been good and it still is (apart from the fact that I've needed weak reading glasses since I was 45 or so), but even with 20/20 all around I used to have before I would've wanted some sort of magnification to work on these things. It's just so much easier when you're able to see all the details on those tiny components while you're working on them.

 

S.

Edited September 10, 2022 by 1Sascha

[dburne]

2 minutes ago, 1Sascha said:

A DIY solution if you don't have or don't want to use one of those "stick 'em in your eye-socket"-loupes is what I did before, namely that I affixed a small magnifying glass to my reading-glasses with a zip-tie. My eye-sight's always been good and it still is (apart from the fact that I've needed weak reading glasses since I was 45 or so), but even with 20/20 all around I used to have before I would've wanted some sort of magnification to work on these things. It's just so much easier to be able to see all the details on those tiny components while you're working on them.

 

S.

 

What cam are you running when showing the movement in that video you posted?

[Dusty_Steppes]

5 hours ago, 1Sascha said:

Plus you'll need the grease itself, one or two clean, lint-free pieces of cloth (I used a soft-ish and fresh microfiber towel) and a bit of isopropyl to clean the pads and the barrels and, once you're done, to wipe off any excess grease.

Paper coffee filters dampened with isopropyl also work well for cleaning. They are basically a lint-free paper towel.

[MAJ_Raptor]

On 9/28/2021 at 12:11 PM, jskibo said:

Wrong game but works well in IL2 as well 

What did you use to mount those MFD's  I need that for mine

[1Sascha]

14 hours ago, dburne said:

What cam are you running when showing the movement in that video you posted?

Those are the Space S ones. I tried all of them except Avia H. Didn't like the hard center on Space H, and didn't much care for the excessive force needed for max deflection with the default Avia S ones, so I didn't even bother trying the Avia H ones. With Space S the stick feels a bit similar to the Evo whose feel I really like.

 

I don't really see the point of that "wind/air resistance simulation" they're going for with the Avia profile, since you wouldn't always get that much resistance at the end of stick travel on a real airplane. Like when you'd be going slow for example and there wouldn't be much wind-force on the control surfaces. I prefer the more linear and more "predictable" feel of the Space cams, even though I only fly fixed wing, atmospheric stuff...

 

S.

Edited September 11, 2022 by 1Sascha

[dburne]

53 minutes ago, 1Sascha said:

Those are the Space S ones. I tried all of them except Avia H. Didn't like the hard center on Space H, and didn't much care for the excessive force needed for max deflection with the default Avia S ones, so I didn't even bother trying the Avia H ones. With Space S the stick feels a bit similar to the Evo whose feel I really like.

 

I don't really see the point of that "wind/air resistance simulation" they're going for the the Avia profile, since you wouldn't always get that much resistance at the end of stick travel on a real airplane. Like when you'd be going slow for example and there wouldn't be much wind-force on the control surfaces. I prefer the more linear and more "predictable" feel of the Space cams, even though I only fly fixed wing, atmospheric stuff...

 

S.

 

Interesting thanks for the info. I am not even sure my Gunfighter Mk III came with Space cams when I got it, will have to dig out the box of parts and see. I am thinking it may have just come with Avia S and Avia H.

[Hoss]

Still working on it, Need to build a box to hold the throttle, button box and Trim box. It needs to be off the table..

 

 

[1Sascha]

8 hours ago, dburne said:

I am not even sure my Gunfighter Mk III came with Space cams when I got it, will have to dig out the box of parts and see. I am thinking it may have just come with Avia S and Avia H.

AFAIK: If you bought yours around or after the time my example was produced (Sept 2020, as stated earlier) it should have four sets of cams. Avia S/H and Space S/H.

 

6 hours ago, Hoss said:

Still working on it, Need to build a box to hold the throttle, button box and Trim box. It needs to be off the table..

 

Gotta ask: What's that sitting to the right of your button-panel? Gamepad analogue-sticks for giants?

 

 

 

S.

 

 

[savagebeest]

Heres my tank crew cockpit.  Has a buttkicker shaker just in front of the seat not visible.  My space is limited temporarily.  

Edited September 11, 2022 by savagebeest

[Customizer171]

7 hours ago, 1Sascha said:

Gotta ask: What's that sitting to the right of your button-panel? Gamepad analogue-sticks for giants?

I believe that is a GVL made trimbox

[ACG_Invictus]

A picture of my cockpit taken last month with the cockpit lighting on (as you can see...I like green lights).  I also include a picture of some changes I made the other day to accommodate a newly acquired Super Taurus throttle and Reverb G2 headset. 

 

BTW - I will be selling my (modestly upgraded) Warthog throttle with a MonsterTech mount, older HP Reverb G1 headset and CH Throttle Quadrant in the very near future.  ?

 

 

 

 

[paul_leonard]

 

deleted

Edited September 15, 2022 by paul_leonard