lesthegrngo

Be aware that some Megas have the pins mis-named - I have one and it caused me issues because the TX1 and RX1 pins were marked in reverse Les

Got the Crosswind pedals, you can read what I think here From a cost view, the Crosswind pedals are vastly better that the Saitek ones they replace, and that view was reinforced when I opened up the Saitek pedals to see if they could be fixed for someone else to use. I was unimpressed with them when they worked, but diving into them for the repair showed me just how bad they really were. All the major parts are floppy, with a lot of slop in the joints, the parts were not very strong, and the internals really scream built down to a cost. My wife then pointed out how (relatively) little use they got considering how old they were. They were purchased in mid 2019, and for at least half the time since my rig has been under construction, and another six months in a container floating on the ocean somewhere. That means effectively only about a year and a half of actual use, and even then not that hard use to be truthful. As ever it comes down to cost, but the Saitek pedals weren't that cheap, really - certainly not worth what I paid. I now know that it is worth paying a more for the more premium devices, and so if I want something but don't have the money, I will wait until I do. The MFG pedals have hammered that point home, much like the Racing sim kit. Still, you live and learn Les

I am starting to think that the material is a modern phenolic resin composite - I used to work with stuff called Tufnol when I was an apprentice and I think this is similar to it but a different colour. I have seen some on Ebay and Amazon, so will get some of it to see if it's similar Cheers Les

I posted a link to this on the home cockpit forum, they would appreciate it Cheers Les

Guys, take a look at this link, looks like this should make life a lot easier when not having multiple position switches Les

Hi all, just received my MFG Crosswind pedals and thought I'd just give some initial impressions. Firstly I want to touch on the packaging - I want to be very clear that none of the components arrived damaged or lost - but I also want to make it clear that when I took the box from the courier, it was rattling alarmingly. It looks like there was a ziplok bag taped inside that hadn't been closed properly, and so there were four M6 x 25mm cap head bolts, the two spacer blocks used if the pedals are set away from a wall, the tensioning spring, a spare cam. the tensioning threaded rod and nut and an allen key all loose in the box. The pedals themselves were taped together and then taped to a cutout in the shaped polystyrene blocks, and the pedal base assembly nicely constrained by the shaped blocks. Another closed ziplok bag taped to the polystyrene blocks held the USB cable, and another the four longer bolts for the pedal attachment. While no damage was done by the loose parts, the tensioning spring had caught on one of the cables that goes to the toe brake sensor, and if I had not spotted it I suspect it may potentially have pulled on the cable when opening everything up. However, there is no damage at all, so while I would like MFG to take note about the packing, the pedals and base themselves are everything I hoped they would be. I will be mounting them in my rig frame on a captive floor adapter, so the wall spacers will be surplus, but the nice beefy (13mm thick) baseplate has good solid 6mm diameter mounting holes. The material is some kind of composite, and I would like to know what it is to get some - it looks ideal for any homemade CNC machined items as an alternative to Aluminium. If anyone knows what it is called I would love to know. At this point I have not assembled the spring tensioner, but when I move the pedals with my hands I can feel a slight detent at the centre position. Looking at the bearing on the tensioner arm, it is not touching the cam at all, so I can only surmise that there is some light self-centering on the position sensor. When I try it with my feet, that self-centering is too weak to be felt. I will have to make some adapter plates for the nice ME109 style pedals that came with my set. This is no fault of MFG, it is due to my rig fame being particularly narrow, being my first F1 Sim rig repurposed over time. It was constructed with all welded steel tube and so doesn't lend itself to modification. Nonetheless, with some machined aluminium blocks, the pedals can be moved inwards to suit my needs. If I had some of the composite stuff they make the pedals out of I could use that, it would be perfect. In the fullness of time I can see me making some bespoke pedal plates to better suit my particular rig. I will play around with some 3D printed ones to see what suits best, but the open architecture of the pedals looks like making this a simple task. The positioning of the USB (B) connection at the back is ideal for my rig, meaning that the cable is safely away from any potential harm. I also appreciate that it can be removed, less potential to muller it when manhandling in tight spaces. I made a mistake when ordering in that I should have got the damper as well, but didn't. The pedal base comes with the holes ready made so when I do get it it looks like a literal five minute job to retrofit, but will see how I get on with them first. Generally they exude a quality feel, are nice and beefy and for me at least look great. So far I am happy! Cheers Les

Thanks Vinc - would have made my Altimeter stuff a bit easier if I had known about it! Still, good to know as it means any similar gauges I make in the future have a new possible way to go forward. I did enjoy learning how to make the old one work too Cheers Les

Guys, what's the difference between the VID60 and X27-168 type steppers? Cheers Les

Thanks One thing I have to be mindful of is the lower availability of 2.85mm filament, but of course that is not something that you guys can comment on. If you have any specific brand that would help too, a lot of the Amazon stuff doesn't have reviews, even if they get five stars so there's no guidance Cheers Les

Hi all, I have the Lulzbot Mini FDM 3D that I bought many years ago, and lately I have been using it a bit more when making bits for the sim rigs. I essentially have been using ABS, but that's more because it's what I have rather than it being the best. When printed properly it does have good mechanical properties, but it does tend to warp for larger parts and you can get layer tearing too. Looking online it seems that ABS has fallen out of favour a bit, so I want to know what you guys use to see if changing the filament makes my parts any better. I am looking for a good all rounder, one that prints easily, is reasonable for strength, good dimensional stability and isn't finicky. If I want a part for strength I generally design it so that it has metal or another material inserts that will take the bulk of the load, and if I want super surface finish I would use the resin printer to provide that, with maybe a sub-frame printed on the FDM printer to give it more strength. I was (for a short time) looking at carbon fibre filled filament but that's expensive and from what I read seems to not live up to the hype So what do you guys use? Cheers Les

Hi all, a question for all the Mongoos T-50CM2 owners - is the threaded part that attaches to the grip a metal part? In the pictures it is black, like the TM Warthog base, which has a plastic thread Cheers Les

Finally got around to looking at this again. I checked my momentary toggle switches, and unfortunately they are the same as my other ones in that the lever is free to rotate. None of mine have the anti rotation function. I plan to start by trying the simplest method, which is to replicate the better production ones by pinning the assembly by drilling a hole through the threaded portion of the body and the spherical part of the lever. I will make the hole in the lever larger, as I can almost guarantee that the positioning of the hole will not match exactly, which will probably result in a small amount of residual rotational movement of the lever. The hole in the thread will probably be stepped too so that I can use an interference fit to retain it rather than having to mess around with grubscrews. It will probably take a few goes to get the position right, I'll use the top of the thread as the datum, but can't imagine that these switches will be very accurate dimensionally from one unit to the other so it remains to be seen how many actually end up being viable. However it should be possible with a bit of trial and error to do it, and with machining of the teardrop part so that it is parallel I should be able to make something workable. Les

The Saitek pedals broke (the usual toe brake spring retainer) so I am getting the MFG Crosswind pedal set, which with bespoke pedal plate adapters will fit inside my rig. I wanted the TM TRP set as they seem to have a more accurate action, but they were far too large for my rig without extensive mods to the frame. The MFG set were cheaper and have a good reputation, and are customisable so I think they will be fine. However I will try and make my own pedal pads that look more like the real thing, and also sit at a better angle . The ME109 style ones that come with the set will be fine to be getting on with but I think with some aluminium tube and plate plus some 3D printed bits I should be able to make a stand off replica set. If anyone has experience like this, I'm all ears! Les

No need to apologise to me, I do that all the time! Les

Sorry Macedk, I was replying to edmuss, looks like outs posts went in out of order! Les

Try using R/C car dampers, they come in all sorts of small sizes and are adjustable coil over units as well Les

I used those for my DIY H pattern gearbox to improve feel, they work pretty well. I used to have a TiG welder, which I wish I still had as I would be able to construct my own pedals more easily. Without it I am condemned to much more machining, which on my little CNC mill is not impossible but exponentially more work. Also, getting stock material here is not easy Les I was going to take them apart to see what I could do as an interim why the new pedals arrive, so thanks for this. I may end up repurposing them Les

I sent a ticket in to them, just to ask when they estimate dispatch, they reckon 4-6 weeks. Fingers crossed Les

Add me to the list, just ordered the MongoosT-50CM2 Base. It's on backorder so won't see it anytime soon I suspect, but since my rig is currently partially disassembled so that I can paint the seat parts and consoles, plus needs modification to take the MFG Crosswind pedal I ordered, it will be a while before I'm in a position to use it. I checked out the downloads page to se if they have bolt fixing dimensions for bolting directly to a baseplate, but seems they don't have it posted. Anyone know where I can get it? Cheers Les

Nice, will be looking at that going forward! Cheers Les

So if I understand it the base does not have the twist feature, that is on the grip - in which case if I use my TM Warthog grip it will not have it? Let's just hope they ship to Qatar..... that has been my downfall for getting stuff, like for instance Fanatec, who refused to ship here Les

ok, thanks for the fast answer - if you come across the page I would certainly be interested. I would need the VPC MongoosT-50CM2 Base then, if I read correctly Another question, I noted on one video I briefly looked at that there appears to be a grip twist like you would see for rudder use, is this correct for this or the VPC MongoosT-50CM2 Base? For me it would not be desirable due to using separate pedals, so I would at least like the ability to lock the grip to stop the twist. Cheers Les

Interested to see this thread, since I recently had issues with my own TM Warthog base, resulting in TM saying I have to send it overseas to them to fix. That will end up costing the price of a new one. As it is the base that is the issue, and seeing for the first time that there is the VPC WarBrd base that is apparently compatible with the TH Warthog stick, I am absolutely interested - especially as it will cost less that the replacement TM Warthog! I see that the baseplate is removable, which would be helpful as I have an in-seat mounting for my sim rig. I imagine I would just make an adapter plate that bolts directly to the bottom of the base. I have a 140mm extension, would the heavy springs that come with the standard base be good enough for that, or would I need stronger springs? Cheers Les

Thanks for the reply guys. Unfortunately they are too big. I am going to go for the MFG Crosswind pedals, which will just about fit, although I would have preferred pendulum style pedals for comfort. Still, over time I may make my own, so I will take up the offer of the drawings when they are ready! The current location I am in has a couple of places that can laser cut aluminium, so I might look at gradually getting bits made. I may start with bespoke foot pads for the Crosswind set to see how viable it is. Cheers Les

Sure, I certainly can, although the ever helpful VincVega is the true genius behind it. The display is one of those round OLED displays you can get on the web that are used in smart watches like this https://www.ebay.com/itm/265030625039 - whichever you buy make sure it comes with a connection cable The rest of the hardware is made from laser cut or engraved acrylic, a small 3D printed part and an ESP development board like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07VJ34N2Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 If you want any of the CAD drawings or files, let me know, I'm happy to give you them For the software, you will need a dedicated F-14 sketch, as clearly the one I have is for the A-10, and it was Vinc that was the author of that. However I imagine that you could probably reverse engineer the A-10 sketch if you had a bit of knowhow. It uses some bitmaps for the instrument sprites which you can modify in paint. I ended up having to change the bitmaps slightly from those that Vinc supplied, but that was due to mistakes by me in getting the hardware. I changed the ESP device I got in the end, which resolved some memory issues Hopefully Vinc is reading this and can advise on the conversion to the F-14 Les