Maltloaf

OK! Ordered STM32 and some bits, lets see how it all works! If this does the same job as a LB board for £3 I'll be a happy man.

This is very interesting, thanks, especially as LB boards are getting flipping expensive. Looks like it does pretty much the same thing but for 10% of the cost. Have you tried this and had any success? Looks like I would have to learn some more skills but that is part of the fun. Malt

Cast resin yes but made by me, not eBay. In fact all made by me, shaft, grip, brake lever, hat switch, cannon switch, etc etc!

MkV So here is Mk2 (or should it be MkV due to the cannon buttons). I have added a brake lever on a Hall Effect switch. Clearly it is a switch on a Wart Hog but would be an axis on a standalone using a Leo B PCB or similar. The Hat Switches include a push button function so if you include the 45 degree positions on the right hand Hat Switch that adds up to 17 functions! To be honest, the Hat Switches were the worst problem. Any you can buy cost £40 each at the very least. So I made these. It is an Alps PCB mounted unit (£1.95 ish) set in a resin mould. Pain to set up but once I made the mould and got a run going I can produce a few fairly quickly. There are now two MK1s in use with friends for the past year and they are going strong. This latest one goes out to a friend today so I will get feedback from him as to useability and how it all works.

It was fairly standard on all RAF ac from about 1920 until the jet age. It meant you could get both hands on the stick easily if that was required and swapping from right hand to left hand was easier which was particularly useful in the early Spits as you took off right-handed with the left on the throttle and then swapped straightway to left handed so you could pump the undercarriage up with the left. Not sure it was better as no other country adopted it so universally

Thanks chaps. Verdict on the handbrake has not been decided. I have one I can cast from and clearly there are enough ports to connect the switch to. I need to test these ones (I built two) and I may add the handbrake to one. Also it looks like some of the chaps who want one are after the rocker gun firing switch from the Mk V rather than the Mk I so that may be a higher priority than the hand brake.

OK, progress. I promised I would post when I had something to show. Here are a couple of pics of the prototype. Seems to work well. The PCB fits perfectly inside the shaft.

Quick update. All the bits arrived from China today so I fired up the soldering iron and got to work. The two boards I need are done and work! The rest is all mechanical so I am back in my comfort zone Thanks chaps, will post a photo when done.

I think the guys I am building it for have other axis dedicated to the brake and they fly Cliffs of Dover as well as DCS. Touch a button brake in CLoD on a Spit and you remodel the prop instantly! I can certainly set up a button similar to the one you suggest if they want it. I will ask them. It is an easy mod to make afterwards as well, thanks for the suggestion.

:)Thanks again. Will let you know how I get on.

I normally use 1 fire button and a 4 way hat on the camera button. Your board is 25mm across, that will fit into the 100mm extension which has an internal diameter of exactly that. The brake needs an axis so unless your magic PCB can handle that they will have to go brakeless!

Mk1a Spit. I make full floor mounted ones with the articulation in the middle but some warthog owners thought it would be cool to swap their grips so I am making a Spit grip for them and the PCB will go in the 100mm extention

Brilliant! Just what I needed. Thanks.

Hi to all you electronic gurus, I know you are out there (Sokol and Debolestis spring to mind). I have built several joystick using Leo Bodnar’s PCBs ect but currently someone wants me to build a new grip for his TM Warthog. The mechanics of it are no issue but I could do with some help with the PCB. I don’t want to use the existing one as the whole point is to be able to switch from Fast Jest to Warbird by simply unscrewing the grip. I have been searching the forums and it looks like someone has made some boards but I can’t track them down. Any ideas? Getting boards made is not a problem, there are guys I work with that can do that.