Critiques on my new build plan?

EDIT: This top picture is the most updated revision based on everyones comments!

Original post:

Hey!

I've been planning a new cockpit for the past couple weeks and wanted to get some critiques on the plan so far. Here's screenshots of the SketchUp (although the design of the top head rest has changed a bit since I took these screenshots, it's still essentially the same):

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This shows the overall idea. Materials, I'm thinking 3/4" MDF for the chair and sides, 1/2" MDF for the curved supports and shelves, and plywood for the floor. The rounded supports have threaded little leg things (don't know the name) that will make it easier to move. All colors are just for easier viewing of pieces, I won't be clown painting it!

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Here are the 4 main parts that will be removable with bolts. I haven't yet added any joints for this in the design yet.

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This shows my approach to joining load bearing areas. I'll be using standard 1x1s to reinforce the butt joints. I've used this in other projects and find it's pretty rock solid

edit: Also worth noting the joystick will be different (going with the new VKB Gunfighter Pro with extension and the warthog connector), and the pedals are actually MFG Crosswind, but don't have a model for that!

Thoughts? Concerns? Suggestions?

Thanks!

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Current Suggestions to add:

Keyboard mount

Ejection handles

Easier adjustment for seat location for taller/shorter people

Headphone hanger

Curve cut the area in front of the joystick to make it easier to get in and out.

Looks great. I have literally zero experience with cockpit builds and have lingered to this thread just from pure curiosity. Nevertheless I thought I share a few suggestions to consider (even if they may end up to be totally stupid ones :) ):

1. Add place for keyboard and mouse

2. Add place for kneeboard or just keeping a notepad and a pen

3. Headphones hanger (if you're using headphones) - maybe on the side of the headrest

4. Adjustable monitor mount - at least for a single monitor with height adjustment or mounts for multiple monitors - possibly for the future.

5. Ejection handles - for fun, to amuse and/or troll friends (also consider painting a red smudge on the ceiling) :lol:

This is a good start.

Name escapes me at the moment but there is "open source" sets of plans for something similar , was it Jedi pit?

At any rate, what I would suggest is to keep some option for main instrument panel, perhaps you will want to add one later.

1. Add place for keyboard and mouse

2. Add place for kneeboard or just keeping a notepad and a pen

3. Headphones hanger (if you're using headphones) - maybe on the side of the headrest

4. Adjustable monitor mount - at least for a single monitor with height adjustment or mounts for multiple monitors - possibly for the future.

5. Ejection handles - for fun, to amuse and/or troll friends (also consider painting a red smudge on the ceiling) :lol:

Oooo yea good call on ejection handles! Will help getting in and out too since it's not going to be easy lol. And actually good point about the keyboard. I think I need a tilted mount in front of the monitor so it'll be easier to access. I'll add that to the design tonight! Thanks for your suggestions, I really appreciate it :) I'll be posting updated designs tonight.

This is a good start.

Name escapes me at the moment but there is "open source" sets of plans for something similar , was it Jedi pit?

At any rate, what I would suggest is to keep some option for main instrument panel, perhaps you will want to add one later.

I'll look into it! And yea I'll definitely want something for control panels. My current plan is to use the right hand side for that. At the moment I have various GA controls like the GoFlight TPM module, their switch module (has a bunch of switches for GA planes). The purple part that the monitor sits on will probably evolve if I end up adding more controls. One key constraint is I wanted to keep my monitor low since its a 55" monitor. I currently have it on a desk too high above my current cockpit and it's a pain always looking up. It also makes my TrackIR unreliable :(

After I finish this project I'm hoping to move into learning how to make custom switch boards and controls (arduinos? raspberry pi?) and all those electronic things I've literally never touched. So maybe I can use that full right side to be a bunch of controls, along with a low profile mount on the sides of the keyboard for other controls.

Thanks for your input!

Looks nice, however I wonder if the advent of VR hasn't made this kind of project obsolete ... perhaps you could make just the Seat, add the Hotas and the remaining be provided by a good VR system?

At the very least it has the advantage of being accurate for any aircraft in DCS, instead of just one.

Make provisions for ingress/egress, like make the seat able to slide in/out or something.

And turn your joystick around! >:o

You may want to consider buying a car seat from a junkyard or a cheap race seat off Amazon etc, it's difficult to properly do the contour of a seatpan and seatback and flat surfaces and cushions are a recipe for serious back/neck/body problems. I have successfully made my own seat with this contour, but if you don't follow specific contours you do more harm than good.

Looks nice, however I wonder if the advent of VR hasn't made this kind of project obsolete ... perhaps you could make just the Seat, add the Hotas and the remaining be provided by a good VR system?

 

At the very least it has the advantage of being accurate for any aircraft in DCS, instead of just one.

Hah yea I know what you're saying. I have both VR headsets, and sometimes I fly in VR, sometimes I fly with the TrackIR. I fully admit that much of these cockpits are not necessary, but it's just kinda fun ya know? I enjoy designing my own woodworking projects, and I figured why not have a little fun with it and make it semi-stylish, but while still being versatile enough to fly any aircraft. I'm going to be building a general aviation attachment that will sit on top that'll house my PFC Cirrus Yoke, TPM controls, main panel, etc.

Also, worth noting that I fly some sims that don't have VR support (Rise of Flight I'm looking at you! damn DX9)

Make provisions for ingress/egress, like make the seat able to slide in/out or something.

 

And turn your joystick around! >:o

 

You may want to consider buying a car seat from a junkyard or a cheap race seat off Amazon etc, it's difficult to properly do the contour of a seatpan and seatback and flat surfaces and cushions are a recipe for serious back/neck/body problems. I have successfully made my own seat with this contour, but if you don't follow specific contours you do more harm than good.

Ahaha I was wondering if someone would notice the turned around joystick :P I fixed that today when I switched my current stick to the VKP-Sim new fighter stick (see pic below)

Do you have any suggestions on how to create a movable seat? The chair will be fixed with bolts so it's *technically* moveable if I put some extra holes in the connectors. But certainly not easily! The rudder pedal mount (not in the design yet since I don't have sizes) will be adjustable though.

And ya I definitely agree with you on flat seat being killer. All angles in the seat are made with that specifically in mind too (after much research on ergonomics). I'm fortunate in that a close friend of mine makes professional level molded cushions (among other things)! So I'll be making a properly molded and ergonomic cushion. Before I realized he was free to help out, I was going to kind of go the CP1 cockpit build way and create segmented sections of padding on 1/4", held on by vinyl. That way I could create any contours needed very easily.

I even left space for both cushions specifically in the design! I'm actually using a race seat in my current ghetto build and its... ok. It does the job, but it's not my favorite. Don't have a picture of the finished one on me at the moment, but below i've posted a picture of the sketchup plans!

Updated stick:

The current ghetto rig I fly in:

I would suggest you add a second (bottom) monitor to it. Does not have to be a big one, but helps a lot to gain vertical view, so that you always see your instrument panel.

Maybe is just perspective but his picture suggest a probable conflict between legs and monitor support when operating pedals. :)

And monitor looks too low.

http://avia-sim.ru/forum/download/file.php?id=4731

http://avia-sim.ru/forum/download/file.php?id=4718

Hey there! Here's a side view.

It's kinda hard to tell from the plans, but the front end of the seat, once padding is added, will be 13 inches above the ground. This places the seat somewhere between an ACES II ejection seat, and a Cessna bench lol. I originally considered going for a proper aggressive seating, but when trying it out in my work shop I found it a) very difficult for moving your head in VR, and b) not the most comfortable in general.

So I decided to go for kind of a hybrid, more comfortable neutral leg version. So it actually ends comfortably. That said, it's a pain in the butt to get into... So now that you mention it, I think I may curve cut it to make more space! Added to my list, thanks :)

And ya I agree about the monitor, it's far lower than you'd normally game. I'm going to play with this height once I have the rest of it built. My *thinking* is that since I'm going somewhat minimal on physical systems, I went with a 55" 4k monitor that would allow me to see all the dials somewhat close to where they'd be in a real cockpit. But you're certainly right, I'll have to see how I like it in person. If it's too low I'll probably just add a slab on top to raise it.

Edit: Here's the updated curve. Good call!

Edit 2: Added keyboard i'll be using.

Hah yea I know what you're saying. I have both VR headsets, and sometimes I fly in VR, sometimes I fly with the TrackIR. I fully admit that much of these cockpits are not necessary, but it's just kinda fun ya know? I enjoy designing my own woodworking projects, and I figured why not have a little fun with it and make it semi-stylish, but while still being versatile enough to fly any aircraft. I'm going to be building a general aviation attachment that will sit on top that'll house my PFC Cirrus Yoke, TPM controls, main panel, etc.

 

Also, worth noting that I fly some sims that don't have VR support (Rise of Flight I'm looking at you! damn DX9)

 

 

 

 

Ahaha I was wondering if someone would notice the turned around joystick :P I fixed that today when I switched my current stick to the VKP-Sim new fighter stick (see pic below)

 

Do you have any suggestions on how to create a movable seat? The chair will be fixed with bolts so it's *technically* moveable if I put some extra holes in the connectors. But certainly not easily! The rudder pedal mount (not in the design yet since I don't have sizes) will be adjustable though.

 

And ya I definitely agree with you on flat seat being killer. All angles in the seat are made with that specifically in mind too (after much research on ergonomics). I'm fortunate in that a close friend of mine makes professional level molded cushions (among other things)! So I'll be making a properly molded and ergonomic cushion. Before I realized he was free to help out, I was going to kind of go the CP1 cockpit build way and create segmented sections of padding on 1/4", held on by vinyl. That way I could create any contours needed very easily.

 

I even left space for both cushions specifically in the design! I'm actually using a race seat in my current ghetto build and its... ok. It does the job, but it's not my favorite. Don't have a picture of the finished one on me at the moment, but below i've posted a picture of the sketchup plans!

 

Updated stick:

 

The current ghetto rig I fly in:

Now the extension is backwards! It crooks backward, not forwards and this is for a reason. In aircraft you are strapped into the seat and the instrument panel has to be within reach. This arrangement would make the grip clip through the panel if the shaft were straight because you can only mount it x-close to the seat you sit on, and why modern aircraft have a notch out of the front of the bottom cushion to allow the stick to be located closer to the pilot. Without the rear offset, the reaches are awkward in addition to interfering with the cockpit.

Anyhow, I have many solutions and suggestions to all of these issues, but they are best summed up in my mechpit build thread on the mwo forums: http://mwomercs.com/forums/topic/111003-mechpit-ii-a-practical-approach/page__p__2198157#entry2198157 and possibly some stuff you can glean out of my initial mechpit post http://mwomercs.com/forums/topic/47440-my-mechpit/

I recommend decoupling the part you sit on and mount your controls to from the section holding the monitor... jiggling monitor syndrome is a real bummer and unless you gigantically overbuild that section it is guaranteed unless you decouple, which also provides convenient ingress/egress by allowing a decoupled center section to be able to slide in/out. My cockpit has wheels on the back and skids on the front and guide rails on the floor. I have pins I can lock it into position if I'm playing something demanding with the pedals, or I can leave it free to slide in/out like an office-cockpit :p

...and with my current diy extension, adding 50mm rear offset for the reasons above as well as 7deg fwd pitch to correct the ergonomics

Here are some views that give you an idea of the contour shapes req to turn a flat board into an actual seat. There is a reason an ACES II seatback is shaped the way it is...

..and an earlier shot that shows how the contour is not a continuous profile across the back:

...I have .skp files of the wood parts of this cockpit, it was very easy to build and I nicknamed it 'Overnight Sensation' since it was completed from first thought to actually sitting in it as it looked in the pic above in a 24 hour span, plus it's a cool Frank Zappa song and there are also a pair of diy speakers with the same name.

Looks nice, however I wonder if the advent of VR hasn't made this kind of project obsolete ... perhaps you could make just the Seat, add the Hotas and the remaining be provided by a good VR system?

 

At the very least it has the advantage of being accurate for any aircraft in DCS, instead of just one.

Completely disagree.... too many controls in this game for vr

Hey Thadiun!

Thanks for all the input and the pictures! Your cockpit looks awesome. Gonna look through your thread for sure.

And ya you're right about the monitor jiggle. I'll have to think that one over to see how I want to approach it.

As for the joystick bend, you are definitely right! When I was copying the official joystick dimensions into my model, I put it in backwards haha. I just fixed that, oops!

Also thanks for the fantastic side pic of your chair. You did an awesome job. I'll be meeting with my buddy this weekend to plan things out. I'll certainly show him your pics!

Thanks for the detailed reply, I really appreciate it!

Hey Thadiun!

 

Thanks for all the input and the pictures! Your cockpit looks awesome. Gonna look through your thread for sure.

 

And ya you're right about the monitor jiggle. I'll have to think that one over to see how I want to approach it.

 

As for the joystick bend, you are definitely right! When I was copying the official joystick dimensions into my model, I put it in backwards haha. I just fixed that, oops!

 

Also thanks for the fantastic side pic of your chair. You did an awesome job. I'll be meeting with my buddy this weekend to plan things out. I'll certainly show him your pics!

 

Thanks for the detailed reply, I really appreciate it!

You're quite welcome... I just found the pic I was looking for that goes with the cross section of my chair, showing what the blue styrofoam pieces look like without the cushion foam over them. The upper wedge is continuous all the way across, but the lower ones are a specific contour that transitions the radius from the thick side to the flat edge inboard. They are made from 2" thick styrofoam insulation board, roughed on a bandsaw and block sanded to contour. Use a vacuum!!

Ingenious way to get it done!

So I decided the monitor simply doesn't need to be part of the cockpit for now. And I'll have an extra desk so I'm going to use that for the monitor mount for now.

Since I have the extra space, and I was on the fence about it, I'm going to build a control panel containing a keyboard, and 2 MDFs with screens behind them. Here's my current idea (not fully fleshed out yet).

EDIT: This entire time I had a 45" monitor in my design. Oops! It's supposed to be 55". Fixed!

Edit 2: Updated the design a little

Blargh. I just modeled the MFG Crosswind pedals (I have them on order, don't own them, but they post the exact specs online), and it turns out they're slightly too wide for my current design (pic below). Back to the drawing board!

Edit time! I updated the width. I realized I actually had the seat at a very narrow 15 inches (38cm) wide. Decided to move to a closer to reality size of 19 inches (48.25cm) wide. This *should* be wide enough! Updated screenshot:

Slugstatic,

You know the old Aker's Barner cockpit design?

Is a kind of "F-16'ish" based, but you can use their basic dimensions for customize like you need.

https://www.google.com.br/search?q=akers+barnes+cockpit&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiZ2tGMgrjSAhXDhZAKHQpODnkQ_AUICCgB&biw=1600&bih=794

http://dpsim.pagesperso-orange.fr/pdf/bricolagebois.pdf

Slugstatic,

 

You know the old Aker's Barner cockpit design?

 

Is a kind of "F-16'ish" based, but you can use their basic dimensions for customize like you need.

 

https://www.google.com.br/search?q=akers+barnes+cockpit&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiZ2tGMgrjSAhXDhZAKHQpODnkQ_AUICCgB&biw=1600&bih=794

 

http://dpsim.pagesperso-orange.fr/pdf/bricolagebois.pdf

Oh very cool! I haven't seen that, but I feel like that's similar to my aesthetic. I'll definitely look these over, thanks!

Update: Well then! I re-did everything but the chair (although I guess I re-did the chair too because I decided to go with a 20" wide seat design after creating a test run). From my test run (cardboard is your friend!) everything felt like it was in a good comfortable spot. This new design also gives me a far better modularity than the previous one.

The front control panel will be removable so I can also build a General Aviation one for use with my yoke, TPM, etc. I will also be able to more easily expand in terms of added switches or controls.

It's not as pretty anymore, but hey it works better!