Realistic extension length for Warthog

[Boris]

I have just moved on to a 20cm extension from a 10cm extension.

 

To me the throw seems excessive now, and I'm wondering if I've made a mistake.

What is the real stick length from pivot to grip in the real A-10c and in other fighter aircraft?

[shagrat]

Round about two times the grip length, or 32cm.

If you look closely at the photograph of the A-10A cockpit (figure 7, in the A-10C flight manual), you can see where the grip is attached, now the lower half below that reaches into the rubber socket is attached to the hydraulics a bit below the bottom.

You simply can't see much of it, as it is covered with the rubber.

 

I've built my extension to that measures and the only problem was the centering force, which I adjusted with a creative, external spring assembly.

 

The link to what I did should be in my signature.

 

From my point of view, 20cm is a good compromise, if you not fly helicopters and WW II planes a lot, where the longer stick throw, really is more realistic.

[Rogue Trooper]

I have stopped with my 10 cm extension as I find the full throw of the stick more manageable. The 20 Cm extension would be handy on the gazelle or MI-8 mind.

[cichlidfan]

You can't really use the RL Warthog stick as a comparison for the correct extension length. First, the real one is not straight. Second, AFAIK, the real stick has more aft travel than forward travel.

[Deezle]

Gaming joysticks generally have a larger range of motion than real sticks (20º typical for gaming sticks and real aircraft seem to be 15-17º from my limited research), that's why getting too long on your Warthog starts to feel awkward. I started with a 4" extension and quickly cut it down to 3" and don't regret doing so.

[Ragtop]

As mentioned above, a shaft which is the correct length for the real a/c will not translate well to the TM:WH due to the longer throw of the gimbal.

 

Theoretically if you could build some sort of gate to limit the axis then you could build something with a more realistic movement. The problems then begin with setting axis limits, and reduced input resolution resulting from not using all of the throw.

 

The only 'real' way to do it is to build your own gimbal with a shorter throw and new input sensors.

[WindyTX]

I use a 20cm extension on my Warthog it feels pretty realistic to me. It does magnify the dead zone in the center obviously but it makes precise control a lot easier.

 

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[Deadman]

http://vid236.photobucket.com/albums/ff236/Deadman-722/Seat/Ejection%20seat%20%20height%20edited_zpsxk9fvs2z.mp4

[Sokol1_br]

Theoretically if you could build some sort of gate to limit the axis then you could build something with a more realistic movement. The problems then begin with setting axis limits, and reduced input resolution resulting from not using all of the throw.

 

 

But if TmW has all announced resolution of 65.536 (16 bits) reducing the gimbal movement from original ~20+20º for reasonable angles still not allowing use more resolution than need by normal hands? :)

[Deadman]

+1

[WindyTX]

I spent most of my military time on a Martin Baker but really my point was that a 20cm ext feels pretty close to real life for movement. The lack of feel is obviously missing as IRL when the Aircraft is faster the force to move the stick is increased. If you arent gonna have a force feedback system then for now I find 20 is fine ,tho I am looking forward to the VKB and Virpil Stick. Should at least get rid of the Warthog dead zone.

 

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[Boris]

Thanks for the replies guys. I guess I'll stick with the 20cm.

 

I'll see how I go and maybe I'll come up with some kind of a restriction for the range of motion.

 

With all of the extensions out there, I'm surprised no third party manufacturer has come up with a solution yet.

I think you could solve it by making a simple plastic sleeve to fit over the warthog base.

 

Perhaps something like this:

 

Edited April 10, 2017 by Boris

[NeilWillis]

With a 30 cm extension I have a total throw of around 20 cm each way. I don't often go to full deflection when flying anyway, so I wouldn't worry about how far the stick deflects even with a long extension on it. 20 cm extension tubes will give no more than 18 cm of throw, and probably less. My advice would be to suck it and see before you start fabricating limiters.

[streakeagle]

I have a real F-4 Phantom stick (not just the grip, but the entire mechanical assembly). The angular movement of the real stick versus the gaming sticks is way different. But what really matters is the actual displacement of the stick at the point that you are gripping it. i.e. how many inches between a reference point (say the trigger or trim hat) at full forward and full aft extension. So I measured the pitch displacement for the F-4 stick and then chose my Warthog extension to provide nearly identical displacement in pitch. However, using this method, the roll axis has excessive travel. The real F-4 stick was fairly limited in roll displacement because you would hit your legs. The Warthog with the extension matched to provide accurate pitch displacement has excessive roll displacement compared to the real stick. But unless you frequently use max roll deflection, this is actually an advantage. Because now you can control the roll axis very precisely, which is good for many aircraft and pretty much all helicopters.

 

For reference, I used the 15 cm extension and I am very happy with the end results.

 

Edited April 10, 2017 by streakeagle