The modular FPS/flight/racing sim pit.

[SimHog]

I use this card: http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=80201

 

A good card with 256 digital inputs and 13 analog inputs.

 

Sweet. Thanks

[cichlidfan]

You can also look at http://www.leobodnar.com/ for this:

 

Universal Joystick Controller BU0836X

[linden]

Yes you will need a card that can handle encoders the BU0836X is a good one for that

[metalnwood]

Spent an hour today trying to find the best position for the seat. I didnt really want to have to redo all of the base platform and found that I could do it by replacing the rear section and keeping the front.

 

The seat is now on a base that it fits in to and reclines it at a good angle thats comfortable. Some of my weight is now taken along the bottom of my thighs. It was also done in mind for some 50mm foam padding which I will turn in to a cushion..

 

Luckily the stand for my stick in my other pit is exactly the correct height for the new pit as well.

 

Getting time to figure out how to mount my helios screen and then the task of getting the monitors to fit around it. That I am sure will be tricky.

 

[cichlidfan]

That thing really is going to be outstanding when you finish! :thumbup:

[slowhand]

Good looking pit coming along very nice..But I have to ask are the :book: for those long flights :megalol::lol::music_whistling:

[SimHog]

Very nice pit mate.

[metalnwood]

Thanks guys, doing a little bit but I need to get it down to my sim room before the wife goes apeshit.

 

I didn't want to put it there until I had the monitor stands figured out. I still had issues with the monitors clearing the forward section of the pit. Similarly the monitor stands.

 

I procrastinated a lot yesterday over the screens thinking it would just be easier to go multi projector. I then spent time looking for prices but came to my senses. There are no good projectors in NZ readily available and I am still not convinced I would be happy. So I got my ass in to gear and drew up a stand and cut them. They are working out ok.

 

They do stand upright without the weight on the back as in the picture but they need to be on flat ground to do it, not carpet. Either way I will put a concrete block on the back of the base to be sure!

 

BTW slowhand, I am slowly working through the kids books and once I get all the way from a through Z and throw in some numbers then I really will be in a position to do some cool stuff :)

 

sorry about the out of focus.

 

[Flim]

Hey, for the seatback... you can use spray foam and shape it.

[Gadroc]

I need the same kind of screen mounts as I'm planning on having the two side screens in portrait as well.. Mind sharing your design?

[metalnwood]

I need the same kind of screen mounts as I'm planning on having the two side screens in portrait as well.. Mind sharing your design?

 

Sure, no problem, I will send it to you tomorrow but bare in mind that it was for my 42" screens so the cutouts for cables will be different and you wont need to have an area cut out to not interfere with the pit.

 

I will post some pics tomorrow with the monitors in place because you will see whene it intersects with the ribs of the forward section. It wouldnt work if I had skinned that section already.

[metalnwood]

Right spent some time moving before wifey got back. She should be happy there is _less_ mess there than before. Just a bit of clean up to do :)

 

I couldnt think of any acceptable way to mount the center monitor without making changes to the pit that I didnt want to do. I like how it is modular and I would have needed to at least put the front sections together to give some strength.

 

In the end I ran out and got a ceiling mount for a TV and installed that. At least now I have some adjustability to line up the center monitor height with the side monitors.

 

I was planning on making a very basic MIP whos only purpose was to use to mount the touch screen running helios. I now think that this is not the best idea. I might go and but another monitor arm and possibly mount the touchscreen on the wall in front of the pit. This way I can position it more comfortably without having to conform to the pit structure.

 

I have just about enough room behind the pit to put the seat on rails. I have run out of linear rail, the more expensive stuff, so my idea is to lay down some angle iron like a railway and put the seat on roller bearings. The bearings will not run on top of the edge but will run inside. Think of the angle bolted to the floor and edge on it makes the letter L. The bearing will run on the bottom of the L and will be stopped from going to the left by the wall of the L. On the other side there will be the other angle with a mirrors L. It will run on the bottom of it and will now be fully constrained from going left and right by the wall of the other L.

 

I should be able to hop in it and have no issue moving in to place. I will no doubt need a little latch when in place so I dont push myself back on the rudders.

 

Of course a motor would be best :)

 

[cichlidfan]

Of course a motor would be best :)

 

The motor would have a much higher 'cool' factor too! :thumbup:

 

Everytime you post a pic now, I keep flashing to kids puzzles like this: :D

 

[metalnwood]

yeah, I have cut the kids out a few dinosaurs and planes.

 

Every once in a while they want another and they refer to my cnc machines as the 'toy machines' :)

[ilikepie]

looks good in there. i think the distance from the wall could be a problem in terms of monitor arm. may cost more than you want it to. will you screw the tv stands into the base plate?

[metalnwood]

Yeah Pie, I thought about that but for the mean time with a lot of panels to make who knows how often I will be moving things around slightly so best to keep them mobile for now.

 

Just doing some research on some sort of keyboard arm as well.

[cichlidfan]

Just doing some research on some sort of keyboard arm as well.

 

If you find a good one, please post. I am looking for one myself.

[ilikepie]

i was looking at these here

[metalnwood]

Lucky I wasn't drinking in front of the computer when I saw the price.

 

I will get something like that for the touchscreen though. Going to do a bit of a search before bed to find someone that might have one in an actual shop.

[metalnwood]

I changed my mind. The price of SSD's is down again so I thought about adding another one in my machine to get some of those larger flight sims off the spinning disks.

 

So, monitor arm or 256GB SSD? Both the same price.. Well I realise it would be difficult for me to build my own SSD so I decided to do a hack job and make the mount for the touchscreen.

 

After all, it cannot really be seen , once its all skinned you wont see it. It just a basic 2x4 cantilevered and a vesa mount on the end.

 

yay, can get my ssd now :) Still thinking about the keyboard tray though.. I have some ideas.

 

[cichlidfan]

Lucky I wasn't drinking in front of the computer when I saw the price.

 

I will get something like that for the touchscreen though. Going to do a bit of a search before bed to find someone that might have one in an actual shop.

 

I have one of their arms with a 22 inch touch screen on it. It is a really nicely made and looks decent to boot. It's a bit much for a keyboard although, the keyboards I would be using aren't light either(a Razer Blackwidow Ultimate or a Das Keyboard).

[metalnwood]

OK, I had to work on the important part. Getting in and getting out.

 

To be honest it would be far to much hard work for me to do it if the sides swung open. It is still hard to get in around the stick and the monitor. I am too big and not as young as I used to be. Sure, I could get in if it was the real aircraft, thing to hold on to , foot rests in the side of the fuselage and I can stand on the seat. Too bad this is made of MDF, I would dare trying to stand on any part as a regular strategy to get in side it.

 

So the theory as stated in another post is to put wheels on the cage that the seat sits in and put that on rails. Then I slide it all the way out, hop in, roll forward and it locks in to place. Revere procedure to get out.

 

I had some spare angle iron but not enough to complete the job so they are a little short but prove the concept.

 

It rolls along very easily. I think I will attach a spring loaded latch with a small knob attached so that when I roll in to place the latch will secure itself and I can pull the knob when I want to roll out. Because of the orientation of the angle iron as rails it can only go in and out, it cant go sideways or slip off.

 

Motorising it would have a cool factor but in reality its quicker doing it manually and very easy. I am using 22mm skateboard bearings.

 

So far so good and I will finish it off tomorrow.

 

 

 

[Kuky]

^^^

Very nicely done, I'm really liking your pit

[metalnwood]

Thanks Kuky, I am happy with the result and I was really thinking before I put the rails in that I wouldn't be able to use the pit and have to give it away, just too hard for me to get in to but now its great :)

[icemaker]

Very nice pit!

Good idea, the rails...