FishDoctor Posted November 29, 2015 Posted November 29, 2015 Hi Folks! In past I often read about other self-made projects and used them to inspiration, so now its my turn to share my little work. It all startet with komodo-sim :D I really want to buy one of those beautyfull collectives but I cant pay that much, so I had to find another way. I started to build a own collective, first one out of a Saitek ST-290 Pro, I had laying around. I extended it and it worked fine except holding position when letting go. This was/is a big problem for me. Additionally I made some mistakes in extending wich lead to the provlem some of the buttons stoped working, so I had to find another sollution. Next try: Saitek Throttle Quadrant. Extending one of the levers and build a grip on it. It held position when I let it go but I had two new problems: 1. Saitek-Shit. All axis where shaking like hell, which makes it pretty hard to hover. 2. No buttons, which is not perfect for p.e. Black Shark. So keep o searching. Later found ECS throttle by VKB. Looked good, price is great and hall-sensor, what to expect more? Ordered one. Building and resuld you see on the pictures below, it works great and I just testet, I love it! :D Opinions? :)
TomOnSteam Posted November 30, 2015 Posted November 30, 2015 That looks fantastic! Do you find it makes a difference to your helicopter flying? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cockpit Spectator Mode
FishDoctor Posted November 30, 2015 Author Posted November 30, 2015 Absolutly yes! Since the first time flying with the modded ST290Pro I never flew with Hotas as collective again. The moving is different and more realistic (I think, I never flew a real chopper, just sitting next to the pilot while flying). The point was, that I really fast get used of it and didn't want to miss it. A difference in precision or accuracy? No, because of Warthog Hotas. In fact a collectice do not need a 16bit resolution, extreme small inputs do not cause a reaction in the Sim.
luke88 Posted November 30, 2015 Posted November 30, 2015 Looks great! What is the function cylinder attached to the shaft?
7rooper Posted November 30, 2015 Posted November 30, 2015 How did you solve the friction problem? Does the shaft stay where you leave it or it tends to swing down due to the higher torque generated for the extra weight and throttle base position? My rig specs: Intel Core i7 4770 @3.4Ghz // Corsair 16GB DDR3 // MoBo Asus Z87K // HDD 1TB 7200RPM // eVGA Nvidia GTX 760GT 2GB DDR5 // LG 3D 47" 1920x1080 // Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS // Saitek Combat Pro Pedals // Thrustmaster MFD Cougar pack // PS3 Eye + FTNOIR
FishDoctor Posted November 30, 2015 Author Posted November 30, 2015 The last two posts belong together, 7rooper is answering luke88s question :) The cylinder is a hydraulic steering damper, which holds the collective exactly where I let it go.
roob Posted December 2, 2015 Posted December 2, 2015 How does it fit with your hand holding it and flying? Looks like you'll have to twist your wrist, or somehow let go of it, to push the buttons? My DCS stream [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Past broadcasts, Highlights Currently too much to do... But watch and (maybe) learn something :)
Sokol1_br Posted December 2, 2015 Posted December 2, 2015 Looks natural the hand position. Imagine put you left hand over a Saitek throttle (ECS borrow X-36/45 molds) and then turn the throttle 90 degrees counterclockwise and lowered then ~45 degrees.
FishDoctor Posted December 2, 2015 Author Posted December 2, 2015 Yes, thats exactly what I did. The grip is turned in a way to fit good to my hand. While I build it I permanently checked the ergonomic aspect. For me it works pretty good, but I think it could be a problem for people with small hands. In fact I think I created a real modern collective, maybe the future of helicopter-engeneering? :D Sokol1_br wrote it very good, thats the way it works.
Madfish Posted December 3, 2015 Posted December 3, 2015 Great setup. Isn't your hog throttle a bit far off to the side now though? Or do you move it closer when flying fixed wing? Best regards
FishDoctor Posted December 3, 2015 Author Posted December 3, 2015 The Throttle is in this position since I build my little "Pit". So I get really used in the distance, for other virtual pilots it bay be a bit to far, but I didn't found another way to build both in... I just saw, it seems like to be really far on the pictures. Its not that far! :D between Throttle and seat are about 12cm (~4,5inch).
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