Thadiun Okona

Yes but there are no motors listed by APS with 5063 as their designation. Lots of similar numbers but not that one.

Nice to see some progress in this thread. Any chance of just posting a complete hardware list of the mechanicals? I'm really interested in the specifics on the motors/drives/software to smooth their response or adjust parameters and of course to communicate with computer/sims. Beyond that I have my own designs for FF gimbals based on craft I intend to use it for (sailplanes, pitch coupled 50mm longer than roll) and enough basic engineering knowledge to integrate the hardware.

Amazing.. I love projects like this. Reminds me that when doing some contract work at a place that was making mil sim hardware for the army they had something very similar that used a Buttkicker miniLFE installed in the tip for recoil

Both are variable resisters that serve similar functions and work on the same principal but are not the same thing. Rheostats are used for high voltage and can be used directly with RMS loads (fans, lights, heating elements etc) involving actual current. Potentiometers have higher precision but only rated for very low power and are not used directly on RMS loads unless they are tiny. They are generally only used for signal, not load. Joysticks and other input devices use pots as they req precision and there are no RMS loads.

I didn't make these, the work was done by @TomVR but these are the go to standard if you don't want to model your own.. there are 2 3 and 4 ways and a multitude of hats that were modeled off of real ones, plus the source files if you wanted to start customizing them https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3452944 As far as the switches themselves, you can use any 6x6x4.3mm tact switch but imo the best ones are the 500 gram force ones by Omron.. they cost 2-3 times more than the typical ones but it's not like you need a lot so go for performance. Typically they're about 1/2 the force of actuation which end up feeling mushy too. Thrustmaster uses 280gf versions in theirs for reference https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/omron-electronics-inc-emc-div/B3F-1006/1129851

I bought some of those with high hoped but those Alps switches to feel really mushy and have a strangely long throw for how short the stick is. I prefer printing and making my own 4 ways using nice tact switches

Ahhh.. very cool and now my brain is wrapping around this approach and skateboard motors/drives seem like a great choice. Yeah skewed armatures brush motors are indeed expensive.. luckily after a bit of searching ebay I landed 4 suitable motors for projects for like $30 apiece. I needed brushed motors for the MSFF II hack method using a modded version of the h-bridge circuit and new psu to deliver 400% the current. Still a great approach since you get plug and play functionality for DirectInput and can augment it with FSForce but then builds are limited to the scope of what can be done with that mod. Looking forward to learning more about the BLDC approach and already have designs it can be applied to. I never bothered because without being able to interface DirectInput you have a paperweight imo way too many wheels to reinvent for every plane/sim you want to fly it with.

BLDC is better if you can make it work but did you use brushed motors engineered for low cogging? They are available with skewed armatures for this though not common. Pittman makes a line of suitable motors about the size of Redbull cans that I'm working with.. very nice. I'm using Pittman Lo Cog 14303.. here's what it looks like inside

Neat project, watching with fascination. I'm really interested in the motors/drives and software that is used for this project. I have no interest in replicating MSFFII gimbals architecture (my least favorite gimbals arrangement) however gimbals are easy to make but motor selection/drives and particularly the software to interface it with DirectInput is not, especially if there's a tuning gui as well. OP, how much torque to these motors put out? (peak/hold) and what is your pulley ratio? Details seem a bit vague and there is talk of 8nm in its final form but that's the same output of my Fanatec CSW2.5 wheel which has a 7a psu and double belt step up to achieve in a form factor the size of a watermelon for a single axis. These motors looks a lot smaller than the Fanatec BLDC and only have a single mechanical increase that looks ~5:1. I've designed but not implemented FF setups up to 5Nm and those are getting pretty beefy even with 25:1 double pulley, but were based around brushed motors which are not as efficient as BLDC.

Facebook is a hard no for me

Heh thanks, and no problem. For this mod which doubles the current (adding 1 resistor on top of the old ones) a 3a psu is more than sufficient since 2.8a is the max combined draw. I have tested it both with the stock one and the bigger one and while there is a difference it's not night and day in use but it's easily noticed on the bench. With the stock unit, if you only hold 1 axis off center against the force there is basically enough juice to run it but if you hold both axes off center at the same time the total force developed is noticeably stronger with the bigger psu. I forgot exactly but the stock motors at 1.4a are like .8nm iirc. In use it's unlikely you're holding both axes off center but more power leaves more headroom for effects as well as reversals, especially important the heavier the grip and longer the shaft is. I kept mine super light for this reason, with a carbon stick and printed grip. I also have a 7a brick that will be used for the 'big boy' version I'm working on.. it uses motors the size of redbull cans (Pittman 14203) that will utilize the full capacity of the full mod (400% current, 2.8a/motor) and be belt driven but use the same form factor gimbals as my current version. It comes out to around 3.5nm. I have the parts but end up simracing/tinkering on my racing setup more than flying these days so it's backburnered. The motors have skewed armatures and are engineered for low cogging though and are the perfect voltage/resistance for this mod. I actually have 2 pairs of the motors and if there is definitive progress on using MSFF II in MS2020 I'll use them to build a FF yoke. Still waiting to see how it pans out with FS Force but it's likely they figure it out but I digress...

You can do the mod without it but it will not be able to develop the full power potential using the stock psu. Stock one barely supplies more than than the standard current sensing circuit allows, which is like .7a per motor. This mod pushes that up to 1.4a per motor though, well above the stock psu output. Luckily it super easy to change though because it uses a discrete psu. Mine has a 24v/3a psu in the form of a cheap power brick. https://imgur.com/a/4PHsM3V Here's a link to Roland van Roy's site that got this mod started in the first place, he explains it a lot better than me. http://simprojects.nl/ms_siderwinder_ff2_hack.htm "Note on DC supply: The original AC/DC 24V supply is quite weak, it cannot deliver much more than the power for original drive. So for higher motor currents, you have to use a 24V supply that can deliver more current."

If you mean the MSFF II that's exactly what this stick is. Sadly it was the best attempt at commercial FB for the masses but luckily it used a discrete power supply and a good h bridge circuit manipulating current. This is why it's possible to do mods like the op.. change the resistance value in the current sensing circuit and you can get up to 400% the stock torque. OP's conversion is the simple version where you just add a few resistors and get 200% the torque, though if he kept the original psu it's not achieving full power. If you add even more resistors and add some caps and diodes and change the mosfets you can get 400% and power motors the size of coke cans. A modded MSFF II is still the best FF option for normal sims. CH also made one around the same time as MS but it was outperformed by the Sidewinders, as was the G940 and Wingman. The $1500 Brunner is nice but practically a paperweight because it doesn't process DirectInput (standard FF output for flight sims), though Microsoft inexplicably don't support it on FS2020 or else I'd have already made my yoke with big motors/belt drive. If the FS Force project to bring it to FS2020 https://www.fs-force.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=1468 is successful (looks like it might be working now?) than I'll proceed with my yoke and already have a modded MSFF II (200% power, new psu/gimbals/shaft/grip) for gliding though that's used with Condor.

DIY seats can be nice but there's more to it than good foam, the contour of the seat needs to follow a certain form in order to properly support your back for extended periods of sitting. Look at what an ACES II seat looks like before the seat cushions are on it. There is distinct bolstering along the sides and the top curves forward. This is hard to replicate using foams but you can make rigid structure to form the compound curves. I made my own seat for a mechpit a while back using plywood for the structure and first with foam wedges for bolstering but later cut/sanded 2" thick eps foam blocks to form the contours. For the cushion I first lined it with yoga mat then 2" Luxfoam for the seat and 1? memory foam and regular foam for the back with Sunbrella fabric covers. Memory foam is good and used in real cockpits too but usually a laminated construction using 1/2" thick sheets of different densities with firm at the bottom, med in the middle and soft on top. It's hard to find 1/2" density rated memory foam for low cost though and in the end you can buy a nice racecar seat for not much more. I have a sailplane simpit that has a kerf-bend formed seat/back to replicate the semi-supine position and likewise use sculpted eps to form the compound curves for the lummbar. That one doesn't even have a cushion and just has a sheepskin cover on it and it's pretty comfy too but would need a thin cushion as well for longer flights. No pics of it finished but here's a wip sot showing basic seat contour Alternatively I picked up a Cipher AR9 for $100 on Offerup for my simracing rig and man is it comfy though...

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FPSVR runs extremely lean and honestly is kinda a must have app for VR, even if you don't actively use it it's extremely useful for dialing SS and whatnot up to max based on real time performance observation.. it gives fps, time, cpu, (per core), gpu utilization and other stats. Has a flexible UI you can use in the dash or an adjustable overlay. One of the better $4 I've spent on VR...

Every time you use anything that makes facebook money, such as: - facebook (through ads) - instagram (through ads) - occulus (directly) Or anything that helps facebook consolidate control over communications, such as: - whatsapp - messenger You give them more resources to, among other things: - condone genocides in other countries like Burma (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/06/...r-facebook.html) - financially support judges like Brett Kavanaugh (https://www.theguardian.com/technol...-kavanaugh-gala) - provide a shelter online for white supremacy - run the largest news dissemination site in the world, entirely run by ex fox news people - encourage their algorithms to steer more people toward anti-vaxx / extremist ideologies, which the company admits it does but won't change (https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebo...ons-11590507499) This is just the tip of this cancerous corporation's dystopian iceberg It's inseparable now in the context of Oculus because a politically charged far right company that props up the world's authoritarian regimes has chosen to co opt VR for their own purposes. It looked bad enough in 2014 but we now know is even worse. A lot worse.

I'd be looking for a short to ground in the miniDIN or pigtail that connects it either in the grip or in the base. It's pretty easy to pinch a wire in the metal shell if they're not perfectly tucked and I've seen them that way from the factory (I've opened up a lot of these and Warthogs).

Virpil just teased/showed off a new line of modular throttle and panel components and VKB is going to release their big buttony console one in the near? future

It's easy to figure out. Multiply the total pixels first then by the refresh rate and you get the graphical load in terms of pixels per second that need to be rendered 4k: [3840 x 2160] x 60 = 497,664,000 G2: [2160 x 2160 x2] x 90 = 839,808,000 Conclusion: G2 at 90hz is roughly 1.7x the load of 4k at 60hz.

Oveready (USA) sells 10g tubes for $15 and also carry the super hard to find PG44 which is a heavier damping grease than 767a https://www.oveready.com/flashlights/accessories/nyogel-lubricants/

Joystick Gremlin is your friend :) https://whitemagic.github.io/JoystickGremlin/

They do offer cutting/drilling/tapping and quite reasonable prices. I bought extrusions from them for the SFX 100 variant I'm building and had them cut 4 pieces of 8080 and tap 32 holes. Cost inc shipping to US was ~$190. It took a bit to get it all sorted with Fiona via email mostly due to time zones and my wishy washy needs but she was patient and let me go through multiple iterations of my order before *settling on just the parts for my actuators. If I bought a single uncut 1m long piece (same linear amount) from 8020 it would cost about the same or a little more even though they're semi local in the US and there was no machining. *in the end I regretted not buying them all from Langle as it ended up costing me more by the time all was said and done locally sourcing pieces in the US even when buying drop/seconds on ebay

You don't build your own t slot pit to save money, you do it because what you want isn't offered. Unless you're buying hundreds of meters of the material paying bulk rates it will generally cost more than buying a prepackaged set. You can order connector pieces from China for a fraction of the cost of 8020/Item/Modetis/etc but have to wait longer or pay really high shipping. Extrusions for that matter as well. I have bought t slot from Alibaba, Hunan Langle Aluminum (Fiona is the contact) and can recommend them if you go that route. Their shipping is expensive (air freight) but gets to you in like a week. https://cslangle.en.alibaba.com/

Have you done any printing with the newer 3D870 formula PLA? It prints very nicely as far as pla goes but isstronger than abs though likely not quite as strong as sintered prints https://www.natureworksllc.com/~/media/Files/NatureWorks/Technical-Documents/Technical-Data-Sheets/TechnicalDataSheet_3D870_monofilament_pdf.pdf?la=en I'm using Filistruder Veracity Pro to make parts for my SFX-100 type motion platform I'm making. It was the cheapest 3d870 formula pla I could find in the US but in Europe there are other companies that would likely be cheaper for similar filament Hope all's well on your end and you're staying safe, love seeing you continue advancing your offerings.