Warthog joystick extensio - 3d printed (part 2)

[Terry Dactil]

This is version 2 of my 3d printed extension for the Warthog joystick.

Because the unit is mounted on a chair, the handle is low down at thigh level. Therefore I want the handle to be tilted forward about 20° to retain a comfortable grip on the handle when it is moved full aft. The handle is quite heavy, so its cg needs to be over the pivot point when centered otherwise the forces will be different moving for and aft. I started with a 100mm extension length, but that made the stick forces too light and the increased leverage when hitting the gimbal stops broke things!

The extension length has now been halved from 100mm to 50mm and this works a lot better for me.

The connecting cable has to fit in a small space, and all the external bits of the 5 pin mini-din connectors need to be removed for it to fit. I used a ribbon cable and put a blob of hot glue over the soldered contacts to prevent any stress during installation.

Creeping elegance has infected this project. I have made a dust cover for the exposed gimbal thingy in the base, and a snap-on plate to raise the wrist support platform 15mm so I don't have to slide my hand up to reach the trim switch.

With right-click now working on the touch controllers they are now very useful in the VR cockpit, so I have put holsters on the side of the chair for easy access.

I don't think I could live without a 3D printer now!

For anyone who wishes to make any of these items, here are the STL files.

HOTAS.zip

Edited July 19, 2018 by Terry Dactil

[Wrench]

Nice design Terry. Which CAD software did you use/would you be willing to send the original files?

There's a few tweaks I'd make, personally.

But seriously, really nice work.

[TWC_Alamo]

Neat to see the evolution of the design. Ditto on the request for the CAD files.

[Terry Dactil]

Which CAD software did you use/would you be willing to send the original files?

I'm using the free version of Fusion360. It is an incredible program and seems capable of just about anything. I'm way down on the learning curve (I have just got to about 'V1 rotate' in aviation terms :) )

Here are the files in the native f3d format. If these are not suitable there are many other formats available. Just let me know.

Tilt Handle 50mm f3d.zip

[mrwell]

Thanks very much for sharing!

[thrustvector]

out of interest, what type of printer can do things of that size, was thinking of one as a future purchase?

[Terry Dactil]

I am using an 'Anycubic I3 Mega'. Costs less than AUD400 now in OZ, and it works flawlessly. I was amazed that I could print male and female threads and they matched perfectly. Close working tolerances are no problem. Amazing stuff.

[thrustvector]

thanks for the info Terry, ill make a note of that one, im surprised really how cheap they are

[Brewnix]

I am using an 'Anycubic I3 Mega'. Costs less than AUD400 now in OZ, and it works flawlessly. I was amazed that I could print male and female threads and they matched perfectly. Close working tolerances are no problem. Amazing stuff.

 

 

Hi terry want to say good job on the EXT. Also I agree the Anycubic I3 is a great beginner printer. I have one and it pretty good out of the box. Just FYI if anyone is on the fence I got mine from Gearbest.com and they have good sales from time to time. I have seen them as low as $279.

 

 

But anyways wondering Terry what all brands for filament you using? Just taking a real world tally, I have had 3 rolls of different manufacture's PLA and they all are different in strength and characteristics. I cruise the Youtube for reviews but I feel sometimes they are biased a little! Just curious your favorite one? Thanks!

[Terry Dactil]

But anyways wondering Terry what all brands for filament you using?

I stay with one brand on the assumption that I won't have to change any settings when I change to different colored filaments. Seems to work.

The filament is the Chinese E-DA brand, readily available here on eBay. Not the cheapest, but it is not expensive either.

 

The only small changes I have made to the suggested Cura print settingss were to slightly increase the first layer width and thickness to guarantee good adhesion to the bed and increased the extrusion temperature and retract distance to eliminate stringing and that was it - perfect prints!

I have also modified the Cura start code to first run a long line along one side of the base plate to fully prime the extruder and clear any color left over from the previous filament. It also includes the power failure recovery arming code.

 

One great thing about 3D printers is that they can make modifications for themselves.

I was not too happy with the original separate filament spool holder. It got in the way of other things, and was easily knocked over. It also made it a pain to move the printer with the filament attached.

So I got the printer to print itself a spool holder that attached to its structure. This also required a bracket with a small pulley to direct the filament, and for good measure a nice handle to rotate the filament drive instead of just stuffing the filament in manually. The last thing to add was a LED light with a magnetic base and flexible gooseneck so I could see what was being printed.

I reckon I got a great printer for a good price. :)

[Brewnix]

Nice thanks for the tips. I have not made any changes to Cura other then messing around with temp and layer height and speed. I did upgrade to the E3dV6 hot end and tried printing this poly carbonate mixed with something else, So it's not 100% Poly carb. Polymaker is the company It called PolyMaker PC MAX. It's really rock solid prints but I couldn't keep it from warping on the Big prints. Tried covering the printer to keep the heat in. Plus the company recommends after you print with it to place it in the oven on low temp to finish annealing the part.I kind of shy'd away from the PC MAX. I also use Buildtak sheet for good bed adhesion. Its works really good at sticking prints to bed. For Buildtak if you not careful I have damaged the sheet and had to replace it cause the print got stuck to the sheet and came off with the print. Right now I am using Polymakers PLA PolyMax filament I printed up the Bottom Nut to your EXT. The Polymax is supposed to be stronger then standard PLA. And it feels stronger I have not found the right temp setting yet for the new filament. So some of the prints are a little rough this is at .2 layer height with 50 infill.

 

 

Edited July 21, 2018 by Brewnix

[the_soupdragon]

Terry any chance you could upload the drawings for the spool holder mate.

I am looking to purchase one of these printers and that looks like a really handy addition.

 

 

Cheers

SD

[Muskoka]

Thank you for posting this. Printed today, and it worked great. You did a really good job with the drawings. I added a 50mm extension, works just fine with the TM Ava base.

Edited June 12, 2024 by Muskoka

[Terry Dactil]

Great to see that this fixed your problem.

I had the same problem, so there is another version that includes the extension. This could have saved you a bit of work

I guess it is a bit hard to find as it is in a 6 year old thread. 

Warthog / Cougar stick - 3D print an extension for a better VR experience

Edited June 12, 2024 by Terry Dactil