molevitch

Same here! but dying to get back in the MI-8. Mine will not load and crashes DCS to desktop.... I desperately need to know what has happened to my favourite module.

Hi JaVA_Platypus, I went further, I did a full reinstall of 2.0, and deleted all old files and any mods for MI-8, and then did a full repair on both 1.5 and on 2.0. It's really odd. It was all working beautifully until end of last week....:( I am not tech enough to be able to understand the logs, but they do seem to show some failures. But all my other modules work. KA-50, F-86, Mig 21, Huey, Su-25 and TF-51, all no problem. Very sad and frustrating. I am sure its some conflict.

Hi Guys, I am unable to get the MI-8 module to run in either 1.5 or 2.0. On starting, the blue loading progress stops at about 80% and DCS crashes completely. Any ideas? HELP! It was working fine last week.... Here's a log Any advice appreciated. All other moules work fine, only MI-8 will not work. M

Capt Zeen, You are some kind of genius! Happy New Year to you too! M:pilotfly::pilotfly:

Same problem here with custom built collective and customised MSFFB cyclic. Nothing moves except the corrector on the collective. Some buttons work on the cyclic. Works all fine in 1.5, but not in 2.0. Similar issues with Huey. Ka 50 works fine....

Hi Eaglefox, Glad to see you using Christina A for your avatar. I designed and made that outfit for her. It was originally done for a Rolling Stone magazine cover, and again for the Candyman video. Never met her, but made quite a few for her for music vids. I am sure you were not ignored! Just pulling together names for the squad. I want to apply too. Experienced KA-50 pilot, and competent Mi-8 pilot too. And some experience playing online multiplayer too, though had no time last few months..... Fluent in English and French if that helps! M.

Fer Krissakes! When are you guys gonna stop whining about the price of modules, or the relative cost of modules on sale discount? I just played 2 hours on MI-8, and an hour on UH-1. I practiced my landings on both, just skating on the edge of vortex rings, or doing flared landings on tiny spots of terrain, roofs, oil rigs. And for this much fun and pleasure I paid £23/$35 MONTHS AGO!!!! ONCE!!! Where else can you get this much entertainment again and again and again, every time you fire up DCS, for so little outlay? Seriously?

Hey Capt Z, Fantastic work on the MI-8 Helios Profile. It has revolutionised my enjoyment of this already good Heli sim. Now I have great controls of the weapons and everything else. Just brilliant! Thanks and keep up the good work! M

Hi Simicro, Helios is an app developed by Gadroc to port instruments, buttons switches etc from the clickable cockpit in DCS to a separate screen or screens, enabling you to have a fixed view of cockpit instruments. With a touch sensitive screen, the switches become switchable by touch. Its great! With a multi-screen set up, you can surround yourself with the relevant cockpit panels. Combined with headtracker like Trackir and a Hotas system, it starts to get very immersive.... Yours Molevitch

Wow, amazing, I cannot wait for this!

Hi 98abaile, The flap-stays are Hafele brand, bought on eBay. The tension is adjustable with an allen key. I routed the cables down the outside, because of the throttle mechanism inside the lever. Routing the cable through there interfered with the rotation of the throttle. I tried it, but it did not work smoothly. And most real collectives seem to adopt a similar solution.... M

Hi Karambiatos, Do you mean "Jealous"? Jelly makes me a bit worried! M

Thanks Speckfire! Took a lot of thinking and a reasonable amount of time and some pennies too.... But very enjoyable and most rewarding when it comes to flying. M

Back in 2013 I became enthusiastic about the idea of building my own controllers. I followed Peter P's thread on DCS Forums, and eventually built a version of his Frankenstick, using two MSFFB sticks and a CH Fighter stick acquired on Ebay. This was my first venture into anything electronic, though I am used to making things from all kinds of materials. The stick build went well, and after a few teething issues, it has served me well for a couple of years. In 2014 I set about building a matching collective for the full helo pilot experience. I used bits and pieces of pots and wiring leftover from the MSFFB strip-downs, the whole thing becoming an ongoing learning experience. With a Leo Bodnar board added, the whole project took on a new dimension. The first version was completed in 201? and served well also. But there were a few niggles with both units. And so after New Year of 2015, I decided on a strip-down and rebuild of both units, reusing most of the components I had already built or customised. I wanted to put the controller PCB's of the MSFFB into a smaller, redesigned box, for better leg clearance and neatness, and also to improve the overall appearance of the box. This would also tighten up the whole arrangement of the internal mechanisms. I decided to put all the PCBs in front of the FFB motors in a stacked arrangement, thus reducing the width and height of the housing. The box was made in 9mm MDF. The roof of the housing was made in 1mm Aluminium, thus reducing the gap between the ffb motor brackets and the external stick pivot ring. The whole assembly was secured to the 1mm ali roof with carriage bolts. I changed the aluminium tube shape of the stick to be closer to straight vertical, moving aay from the right angled bend “walking stick” style. This improved the balance of the stick.The power socket and 3 USB cables were routed to the front right side of the housing at floor level. The box was secured to the cockpit floor in a drop in slot and its own weight stops it from moving. The rebuild sorted out a few weird problems, like the stick not standing straight, and gave a better feel and more leg room. Then the collective was taken apart. A new frame was made to increase the height of the axle pivot. The Bodnar board was moved to inside the frame and out of the switch box. Building the wiring matrix had been a nightmare, and left no great room in the switch box, so moving the board to the other end of the lever made sense. The potentiometers were changed for Hall sensors, and what a difference. The Collective break solution came in the form of kitchen cupboard flap-stays. Amazing result there too. They even look quite good.... The combination of the smooth control offered by the stay-flaps and the sensitivity of the Hall sensors, mean I can now hover at 6” above the tarmac with my hand off the collective, and tweak the position with little inputs from the cyclic. Transformative! Anyway, here are a few pics and a diagram of the collective design. More info gladly given.

Hi CJ, I have found over the years that I have gravitated to having one large central screen,30" 2560 x 1600 I think, and given up the side screens. I use Trackir to look around, and always hated that bezel disjoint between 3 screens. In a darkened room the big screen feels just as good. I have a touchscreen below running Helios. Mostly flying Ka50, Mi-8 and Huey these days. Looking to work out how to connect Mi-8 to Helios. Lots of head-scratching currently!

And look at building yourself a desktop rig with a decent graphics card, way better than a gaming laptop to run DCS . And look up the DCS guru of choppers, PeterP....

Do a forum search "MS FFB cyclic". You will find a few of us rotor heads have been messing about down that path.

You may want to get a FFB stick with an extension to get that real hell vibe. Makes control easier, and trimming more functional.

Hi there CPB, If I was you, I would aim to master the KA50. In many ways, it is the easier model to start with, it has many automated trim systems, unlike the Huey or to some extent the MI-8. Also, if you like combat, the KA50 gives you supreme control, map systems, etc, plus the challenge of running it all yourself, no "co-pilots", and you can work efficiently with wingman (sometimes...). Black Shark/BS2 has been around a while as well, but I still love getting in and systematically taking out some armour from a stand off position, before going in to mop up soft targets with guns and rockets. FUN! I also have to say I love the Huey and the Mi8. Comparisons? The Huey is like an old MG sports car, the Mi8 is a Volvo, and the KA50 is like an Aston Martin. All fun for different jobs. Enjoy the lot of them. Best get some good control hardware, check the forums here for helo cyclics, pedals, collectives. You will want them! Good luck! and RTFM! M

Hi Doveman, Yes, this worked for me. I do have the 2 x FFB based on Peter P's mod, and the plastic grip from the CH fighterstick. The car seat is a great way to go. Especially if it still slides on its rails. Only thing I find now is the desk is a bit high for the monitors. Thinking about remounting them all (3) on a kind of bracket shelf on the wall. Bending aluminium tubing is fun.... But I bought a cheap pipe bender on Ebay. I plan to redo my extension when I have a moment.

it is about 14mm diameter, and will fit inside a 16mm aluminium tube, or copper 15mm straight connector.

Hi Kaziekama, I didn't use any gearing at all. Partly laziness, partly impatience! Plus for the main lever pot, I think what I used was a rotary hall sensor recovered from the base of the CH fighter stick. As for the one for the throttle, that was one of the several recovered from the MSFFB stick. I will try and draw uphow iusd the Hall sensor. Cheers M

Hi Artman, all gone very quiet here on this thread. You okay, what is occurrin'? M

Hi Artman, Any updates on your build? M

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=83814 This pretty much covers your desires in principal. You get the FFB, and you just need to custom build your grip with switches, hats etc, or use the system outlined by Peter P. I am planning a second build with custom built grip for KA 50, attached by detachable plug to stick, with Bodnar board in the base. Here is my collective build, using a bodnar board, which gives another option. Again, in principle, this is a route which could be attached to a FFB hack.