F/A-18C cockpit simulation flight DDI and other instruments DCS

[Gideon312]

Trying to build some kind of desktop cockpit.

Found this item on eBay. https://www.ebay.com/itm/403087965621

A very nice looking MFD with or without screen.

Can’t find any extra information or YouTube feed about it.

 

Is there someone who can share his thoughts and/or experience with this item?

 

Edited August 31, 2021 by Gideon312

[Bunny Clark]

Wow, that looks nice, but it's hella expensive. The Thrustmaster Cougar MFDs may not be exact replicas of a Hornet, but they work great and are a lot cheaper. 

[MAXsenna]

I believe these comes with a screen. At least the video I saw had it.
They're making F-16 MFDs too IIRC.

Sent from my MAR-LX1A using Tapatalk

[MAXsenna]

I believe these comes with a screen. At least the video I saw had it.
They're making F-16 MFDs too IIRC.

Sent from my MAR-LX1A using Tapatalk

Yup. Just watched a video with working screens for the F-16.
I might go for those F-18 ones, even if they are expensive.

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[jskibo]

Over on HOATS Discord channel there's a guy that just got these in the Cubesim discussion.  Goes buy SLAP, he got tired of waiting on cubesims

 

Cheaper from the source without paying his ebay markup

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002817844172.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.5d294c4dHdq3rf

 

Edited September 10, 2021 by jskibo

[Gideon312]

On 9/10/2021 at 5:27 PM, MAXsenna said:

Yup. Just watched a video with working screens for the F-16.
I might go for those F-18 ones, even if they are expensive.

Sent from my MAR-LX1A using Tapatalk
 

 

Do you have a link to the Video?? I asked the vendor about support, link to a working video(-s) and some more information, but still no reply.

On 9/10/2021 at 5:42 PM, jskibo said:

Over on HOATS Discord channel there's a guy that just got these in the Cubesim discussion.  Goes buy SLAP, he got tired of waiting on cubesims

 

Cheaper from the source without paying his ebay markup

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002817844172.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.5d294c4dHdq3rf

 

 

 

Good find! Thanks ......

[Thermal]

I have got the FA-18 DDI with the screen.  I got this from the Aliexpess vendor linked below.  I also have the F-16 MFD version without the screen (different vendor, not linked).

 

Both of them obviously come from the same factory. They are very similar in feel and function.  Note that all the pictures on aliexpress are renders, not photos of actual units.

For both:
The front of the surrounds - "bezels" are made of some cheap cast metal I think.  Either that or a high quality, very rigid plastic with a really thick surface covering. It does feel pretty solid. The buttons are kinda rubberised, they have a good tactile feel, and they have a discernible and satisfying click and positive action.  Gotta say, the units feel expensive.  I have a pair of Cougar MFD's, and they feel cheap, and there is no button feel or click.  The buttons do rotate individually a little in the bezel, so particularly with the LED backlight they can look a little unaligned, they rotate a tad more than the Cougar buttons.  That might bother some people   You can not dim the backlight, and its pretty damn bright.

Both devices appear as a WONWAR joystick/HID device, and all the buttons work just fine.  The two encoders on the DDI work well in-game.  They dont appear to work when you bring up the windows joy.cpl util and check the buttons.  I think that is because the encoder on-off signals are a bit too fast. As I said, works fine in game.  The DDI three position day/night switch works, but does not align exactly with the markings.  For a three position switch thats ok.

Both use micro USB connections.

 

FA-18 DDI: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002817844172.html
When I placed the order (with this vendor) the store immediately contacted me and said it would take an additional 10 day to ship. Then then asked for another 24 hour extension, and then they shipped.

Specifically the FA-18C DDI is approx 125mm square inside (its bigger than a TM Cougar at ~105mm).  There is 12V power, the micro usb and full size HDMI.  Monitor controls are on the rear sandwiched in the crook of the L that the display and base makes.  Hard to reach from the font, but then you can see them normally either.  The mounting solution per the aliexpress pictures isnt great.  Its just stiff enough that I have mounted it using the 4x 3mm bolts from underneath.  The "frame" is a bent ~2mm thick metal plate that the monitor and bezel is mounted too.  It will sit on a desk ok, although I get the impression that it might tip a bit when actuating the top buttons.  The monitor is 1024x768, and the middle 768x768 is visible.  Its a low quality panel, I cannot get it as bright as my main display.  Viewing a FLIR display through it, its not as good as the main display, lacking contrast mainly, but its bigger apparent picture than a Hornet DDI on my 34in screen, and the fixed screen does not wiggle around with my head tracking when I look at it.  Having the surrounding buttons accompany the DDI picture - thats really nice.  You can apparently turn off the backlight if you take it apart and the could be a switch inside?  The store wasnt a 100% sure.  "Later version" might have dimming. 

Overall the DDI is great to use, way easier and faster than using the on-screen mouse to click buttons in the cockpit.  I do wish it had a slightly better LCD panel underneath it, and a VESA mount on the back.

The DDI was good enough that I thought I would grab the non-screen version and mount it on my 13in secondary display (to replace my TM Cougar).  Looking at the pictures before I bought it, I was expecting to pull it apart, carve out the DDI hole, maybe re-route some cables and then find a way to mount it on, or over, my screen.  I was also going to find the backlight circuit and tell it to calm the hell down, before making the same mod on the first bezel.
 

 

NOT DDI: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002817831123.html
The nameless Aliexpress vendor sent me the F-16 version, not the FA-18C version. I chose this vendor because the shipping was cheaper, which is ironic because they were almost two weeks late - shipping after the promised arrival date. The link above for the F-16 MFD is from the store I got the FA-18C from (with no problems).

I disputed this transaction with Aliexpress, the store/vendor asserted that if the entire store page says "FA-18C" including the title, and is plastered with pictures of only a Hornet DDI, but if you click on the specifications tab and in small print the part number is "F-16 MFD" its ok to send the F-16 version.  I got a full refund   I have bought alot of things from Aliexpress, and so far, for me, this was my first real problem.  On par with my Amazon experience.

The F-16 MFD is *exactly* the same dimensions as a TM Cougar MFD, and it does not have anything apart from the "bump" aka usb connection housing obscuring where the screen should go.  You can see the bump on the back as per the pictures.  Its attached internally by a 4" ribbon cable and only two screws externally, so its easy enough to re-route if you want and mount it on a screen.

 

If you get the "with screen" version then the smaller internal size means you get an effective 600x600 resolution.
 

[MAXsenna]

I have got the FA-18 DDI with the screen.  I got this from the Aliexpess vendor linked below.  I also have the F-16 MFD version without the screen (different vendor, not linked).
 
Both of them obviously come from the same factory. They are very similar in feel and function.  Note that all the pictures on aliexpress are renders, not photos of actual units.

For both:
The front of the surrounds - "bezels" are made of some cheap cast metal I think.  Either that or a high quality, very rigid plastic with a really thick surface covering. It does feel pretty solid. The buttons are kinda rubberised, they have a good tactile feel, and they have a discernible and satisfying click and positive action.  Gotta say, the units feel expensive.  I have a pair of Cougar MFD's, and they feel cheap, and there is no button feel or click.  The buttons do rotate individually a little in the bezel, so particularly with the LED backlight they can look a little unaligned, they rotate a tad more than the Cougar buttons.  That might bother some people   You can not dim the backlight, and its pretty damn bright.

Both devices appear as a WONWAR joystick/HID device, and all the buttons work just fine.  The two encoders on the DDI work well in-game.  They dont appear to work when you bring up the windows joy.cpl util and check the buttons.  I think that is because the encoder on-off signals are a bit too fast. As I said, works fine in game.  The DDI three position day/night switch works, but does not align exactly with the markings.  For a three position switch thats ok.

Both use micro USB connections.
 
FA-18 DDI: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002817844172.html
When I placed the order (with this vendor) the store immediately contacted me and said it would take an additional 10 day to ship. Then then asked for another 24 hour extension, and then they shipped.

Specifically the FA-18C DDI is approx 125mm square inside (its bigger than a TM Cougar at ~105mm).  There is 12V power, the micro usb and full size HDMI.  Monitor controls are on the rear sandwiched in the crook of the L that the display and base makes.  Hard to reach from the font, but then you can see them normally either.  The mounting solution per the aliexpress pictures isnt great.  Its just stiff enough that I have mounted it using the 4x 3mm bolts from underneath.  The "frame" is a bent ~2mm thick metal plate that the monitor and bezel is mounted too.  It will sit on a desk ok, although I get the impression that it might tip a bit when actuating the top buttons.  The monitor is 1024x768, and the middle 768x768 is visible.  Its a low quality panel, I cannot get it as bright as my main display.  Viewing a FLIR display through it, its not as good as the main display, lacking contrast mainly, but its bigger apparent picture than a Hornet DDI on my 34in screen, and the fixed screen does not wiggle around with my head tracking when I look at it.  Having the surrounding buttons accompany the DDI picture - thats really nice.  You can apparently turn off the backlight if you take it apart and the could be a switch inside?  The store wasnt a 100% sure.  "Later version" might have dimming. 

Overall the DDI is great to use, way easier and faster than using the on-screen mouse to click buttons in the cockpit.  I do wish it had a slightly better LCD panel underneath it, and a VESA mount on the back.

The DDI was good enough that I thought I would grab the non-screen version and mount it on my 13in secondary display (to replace my TM Cougar).  Looking at the pictures before I bought it, I was expecting to pull it apart, carve out the DDI hole, maybe re-route some cables and then find a way to mount it on, or over, my screen.  I was also going to find the backlight circuit and tell it to calm the hell down, before making the same mod on the first bezel.
 
 
NOT DDI: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002817831123.html
The nameless Aliexpress vendor sent me the F-16 version, not the FA-18C version. I chose this vendor because the shipping was cheaper, which is ironic because they were almost two weeks late - shipping after the promised arrival date. The link above for the F-16 MFD is from the store I got the FA-18C from (with no problems).

I disputed this transaction with Aliexpress, the store/vendor asserted that if the entire store page says "FA-18C" including the title, and is plastered with pictures of only a Hornet DDI, but if you click on the specifications tab and in small print the part number is "F-16 MFD" its ok to send the F-16 version.  I got a full refund   I have bought alot of things from Aliexpress, and so far, for me, this was my first real problem.  On par with my Amazon experience.

The F-16 MFD is *exactly* the same dimensions as a TM Cougar MFD, and it does not have anything apart from the "bump" aka usb connection housing obscuring where the screen should go.  You can see the bump on the back as per the pictures.  Its attached internally by a 4" ribbon cable and only two screws externally, so its easy enough to re-route if you want and mount it on a screen.
 
If you get the "with screen" version then the smaller internal size means you get an effective 600x600 resolution.
 

Thanks!

Sent from my MAR-LX1A using Tapatalk

[Gideon312]

@Thermal, thank you very much for your thorough review of the DDI.