Mobile Driving/Flying Cockpit with Motion and Tactile ( Build )

[RCHeliguy]

For me that doesn't sound like an issue but (lots of) future possibilities

MFG Carsten

Agreed. These are all just building blocks.

 

[RCHeliguy]

I was thinking that I didn't have much to add for rig update video since the last one, but apparently since then I did the following:

• Rebuilt a new Sprint sliding plate that isn't even on my rig anymore
  • That's the danger of waiting too long between updates.
• Designed a sequential shift mount w/ 3D printed test fit
• Milled solid aluminum sequential shift mount on a Bridgeport Mill
• Designed a StreamDeck XL mount including a magnetic 3D mount section.
• Designed an isolated pedal deck with linear bearings.
• 3D printed RB Spring mounts to verify fit
• Machined from aluminum plate and angle a large footplate, BK mount and RB spring mounts
• Designed a 3D printed a side bolted Neutrik 4 pole mount to accomodate my new pedal deck.
• Shortened the 40x80 profile under my ProSim H pattern shift
• Designed new sliding plate mechanism for HE Ultimate+ pedals, 3D printed test fit
• Designed 3D Printed HE Smart Module mount
• Machined aluminum plates for Ultimate+ pedal sliding mechanism.

Purchased:

• StreamDeck XL
• OMP KS-2 Shoes
• HE Ultimate+ pedals
• Aluminum plate, aluminum bar, aluminum angle, end mills

 

[RCHeliguy]

I just found out that the Eve Valkyrie servers are being shutdown August 5th!

I really loved that game and spent about 400 hours playing it, but to be fair that was about 4 years ago. Got to go back in this weekend just for a little bit to remember it.

This is the VR game that seriously sucked me in. It was like Battlestar Galactica in the first person.

 

[RCHeliguy]

Danger: Fire! Fire! Fire!

I'm looking at things I shouldn't be looking at. This will end very badly for my wallet.

“Settle down wallet. This is only gonna hurt for like a minute or something.”

Step 1 arrives Sunday.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08TQLVBR1

 

[RCHeliguy]

Spent more time soldering my stick's USB cable.

Very frustrating work. The wires are very small. I'd have it working and then finalize my soldering only to have it not work again. I soldered in some larger cable as a relief. I finally got all the critical sections working, but it's still missing a few buttons that aren't working at the moment. I'm hoping this is just another wiring issue and not because I've shorted something critical inside the stick.

I just ordered a couple new ones from Virpil, but they are back ordered and it may be a long time before I see them.

Getting slaughtered in Eve Valkyrie. Apparently I haven't played in almost 3 years... Time flies!!!! Of course letting the game run like below without controlling it doesn't help But there were only bots to play against when I took the picture. Shortly afterwards a few of the old guard who used to play against dropped in and we had some good fun

 

[RCHeliguy]

Since I had my pedal deck off, I got some decent pictures of it.

I need to add a very thin washer to the quick release that is backwards so it locks well facing the back.

 

[RCHeliguy]

I now have very compact tool, giving me an easy way to lift my rig's future feet up to put furniture sliding pads under it. It's starting to look very likely that my casters will be going away soon.

I'm so good at reversing my thoughts on a future purchase. LOL!

I may have to put my 800lb retractable casters along with mounting hardware and aluminum brackets up on the for sale forum. They are perfect for the P1/P1X

 

[OlaGB]

That pedal mount would be very interesting to test! Looks heavy/sturdy.

Are you using youre shakers in flightsim’s Mark?
If so, what SW do you use for it?

 

[RCHeliguy]

That pedal mount would be very interesting to test! Looks heavy/sturdy.

Are you using youre shakers in flightsim’s Mark?
If so, what SW do you use for it?

That pedal mount is very solid. I was just playing RBR, Dirt Rally 2.0 and iRacing this morning and it all feels very good from a tactile perspective. I was dialing some things back. Still loving my pedals.

I spent more time with my hand brake and cranked the tension tighter, recalibrated and really liked how it felt in use.

I haven't setup SimSaker for Aviators, yet, but I have a license. It has a pretty large effects lists for each type of aircraft in DCS. Helicopters and Jets have different setup screens. Of course I pull the driving pedal deck off and the front transducers go with that. Still that leaves me with the seat.

I have used the minimal tactile support that the NLRv3 software has in DCS. It's not very good, but I haven't looked to see if they've added any additional effects.

Until I get new USB cables from Virpil I can't map a number of the buttons on the stick which really bothers me, so I'll likely wait off to work on that until I have a fully functional stick. I also ordered the Virpil's collective stick and their Black Hawk grip. It just looked like such great kit what I have now just didn't hold up.

 

[RCHeliguy]

So, looks like I'm ordering a D-Box Gen 5 four actuator system... Just put my deposit down to claim one from the mid-July batch

Just for grins, I'll temporarily leave the NLRv3 on there, but that will be very temporary, while I figure out how I want to set things up when the NLRV3 comes out.

Why am I doing this when I've been so happy with my NLRv3?

Because it's finally what I've been waiting for.

Realistically the game changer was that it will fit my mobile rig very unobtrusively. They've made it very compact and mobility has been a deal breaker for me over and over and over again. The control box is tiny like a small ethernet switch and the actuator drivers are integrated with the actuators. VERY CLEAN! Me LIKEY!

Past that the D-Box actuators are quiet, have great EMI shielding for my VR needs, great reliability and excellent software that supports all my titles. Based on many people I know, I'm very comfortable with their support being solid and I'm hoping to have these for the long haul.

The rest of my reasons are mostly removing the downsides of my NLRv3, not that is has been anything but a great piece of kit.

However I am looking forward to:

1. Solid seat mount without play.
2. Ability to use higher load cell values for my Ultimate+ brake without worrying about my motion quitting.
3. Ability to use a seat slider without worries of moving the CG away from the universal joint.
4. No concern about weight limits.
5. No concerns about shipping back to Poland for repair work ( Granted this has to do with living in the US. If I were in Europe, it wouldn't be a big deal .)

Potential trickledown.

I could actually use the RB tactile plate that I designed which would clean things up.
I have more chassis mounting options for my flight controls since the seat isn't moving. This could mean I can use a large extension tube from the base of the chassis.

Anyway, should be fun!

 

[MarkModdy]

Looking forwards to the d-box 5 build/ set up… it’s going to be a journey

 

[RCHeliguy]

Looking forwards to the d-box 5 build/ set up… it’s going to be a journey

There will be substantial trickledown.

The inevitable battoning down the hatches for anything that can't handle motion. I'm already planing changes for my trackball mouse, but there will be many unexpected things as well as obvious things like all my power supplies etc..

 

[John Bruno]

So, looks like I'm ordering a D-Box Gen 5 four actuator system... Just put my deposit down to claim one from the mid-July batch

Just for grins, I'll temporarily leave the NLRv3 on there, but that will be very temporary, while I figure out how I want to set things up when the NLRV3 comes out.

Why am I doing this when I've been so happy with my NLRv3?

Because it's finally what I've been waiting for.

Realistically the game changer was that it will fit my mobile rig very unobtrusively. They've made it very compact and mobility has been a deal breaker for me over and over and over again. The control box is tiny like a small ethernet switch and the actuator drivers are integrated with the actuators. VERY CLEAN! Me LIKEY!

Past that the D-Box actuators are quiet, have great EMI shielding for my VR needs, great reliability and excellent software that supports all my titles. Based on many people I know, I'm very comfortable with their support being solid and I'm hoping to have these for the long haul.

The rest of my reasons are mostly removing the downsides of my NLRv3, not that is has been anything but a great piece of kit.

However I am looking forward to:

1. Solid seat mount without play.
2. Ability to use higher load cell values for my Ultimate+ brake without worrying about my motion quitting.
3. Ability to use a seat slider without worries of moving the CG away from the universal joint.
4. No concern about weight limits.
5. No concerns about shipping back to Poland for repair work ( Granted this has to do with living in the US. If I were in Europe, it wouldn't be a big deal .)

Potential trickledown.

I could actually use the RB tactile plate that I designed which would clean things up.
I have more chassis mounting options for my flight controls since the seat isn't moving. This could mean I can use a large extension tube from the base of the chassis.

Anyway, should be fun!

LOL, Well that didn't take too long. Good on you Mark, I know when the itch presents itself we're just about powerless to not scratch. I'm looking forward to hearing you're reviews specific to DR2. I've been sitting on the fence between PT-A and D-Box for quite some time. Big plus to D-Box for a total, polished solution with virtually no EMI issues, slight minus for 1.5'' of travel and a huge jump in price for anything above 1.5''. It shouldn't be an issue with circuit racing but I know you appreciate your flight and Dr2 so very interested in hearing your feedback from a first hand experience. Enjoy the ride!!

 

[RCHeliguy]

Yeah, I'll be interested to see how Rally presents on the D-Box. The price for Gen 5 is lower than Gen 3. Considering the trivial installation and form factor, I think they've got a winner.

I read some positive reports about the D-Box in DCS. Fingers crossed they were correct.

Now the wait...

 

[RedBull48]

I am excited for you. That is an awesome product that I am sure you will love. Looking forward to watching the journey!

 

[RCHeliguy]

As much as the NLRv3 has always looked like a bobble head to me when it is on top of a full chassis motion system, I won't remove the NLRv3 immediately. This will provide me with an opportunity to A/B the two systems.

I fully realize that the D-Box may not feel as crisp with the play of the NLRv3 universal joint, and the D-Box may also be a bit faster to react after I remove that additional 65lbs of weight.

Then I'll remove the NLRv3 to see how the D-Box Gen 5 feels with the seat more solidly mounted.

The upside of having lots of profile hanging around is that I have everything I need to mount my seat with its existing RB isolation.

I just need to move the chassis center brace forward 20mm so the two pieces of 40x80 profile will fit. These aluminum isolation mounts from a previous iteration would put the seat 8mm lower than it is right now, but keep my current transducer mounts and flight stick mount. I can easily drop the pedal plate to match if I need to.

The next modifications will be done in steps trying to maintain the geometry that I have now.

Trickledown purchases begin..

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075CR94J3

Amazon.com: Sparco Track Set - (Seat Accessories) : Automotive

Buy Sparco Track Set - (Seat Accessories): Seat Brackets - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

[RCHeliguy]

Trackball Mouse clamp concept for motion.

I have these 70 durometer Sorbothane donuts that appear like they could hold my trackball in place pretty well with my rig moving around in the future.

I'm printing the red part only. There is a ridge on the inside and the Sorbothane will need to compress slightly to fit in the hole. I'll likely prototype with cardboard to get the right dimensions. There is a centered hold that I'll bolt to my in progress prototypes of a locking hinge mechanism.

I'm considering using a ratchetting lock that will hold the Sorbothane down against the trackball, that would be easy to flip to the side with my thumb and then lock back in place.

I should be able to test this for fit now.

Edit: I've been told that this isn't even an issue for at least one D-Box owner, so I'll save my work and see if this is an issue for me before continuing this.

 

[cnhoff]

Interesting approach, Mark.

I am currently doing preparatory work for the SFX-150/Thanos build i have ordered parts for. My simple plan was to stick my M575 to the existing mouse tray with velcro. I cannot imagine that would not hold the mouse in place and should be removable easily enough. The trackmouse is 99.9% stationary on my rig though.

 

[RCHeliguy]

Interesting approach, Mark.

I am currently doing preparatory work for the SFX-150/Thanos build i have ordered parts for. My simple plan was to stick my M575 to the existing mouse tray with velcro. I cannot imagine that would not hold the mouse in place and should be removable easily enough. The trackmouse is 99.9% stationary on my rig though.

Good luck with your build!

I'm going to wait off on track ball clamp until I see a need. My trackball mouse is also velcro'd to the mount so I can remove it to replace the battery every year or so.

The issue I had was that the track ball would vibrate and the cursor would start to creep across my screen. This was a combination of the transducers and the aluminum mount I used to have that allowed the trackball mouse to get to vibrate more. Currently this isn't an issue at all. I'll wait to see if it is an issue for me before I bother continuing work on this.

 

[cnhoff]

Good luck with your build!

I'm going to wait off on track ball clamp until I see a need. My trackball mouse is also velcro'd to the mount so I can remove it to replace the battery every year or so.

The issue I had was that the track ball would vibrate and the cursor would start to creep across my screen. This was a combination of the transducers and the aluminum mount I used to have that allowed the trackball mouse to get to vibrate more. Currently this isn't an issue at all. I'll wait to see if it is an issue for me before I bother continuing work on this.

Thanks! I guess i have gone through some of the stuff you probably will including installing longer side profiles for better actuator geometry without disassembling the rig (open heart surgery!) And fortifying it for the added stress. Currently working on the 19 inch cabinet to hold the drivers, belt drivers and my NX amps and getting to know my printer before the stuff from China arrives. Exciting

I hope your experience will be smooth with the D-Box!