DIY virtual cockpit

Interested in building your own home grown cockpit?

Moderators: Uros, OXO

Post Reply
User avatar
BeastFromTheEast
Posts: 445
Joined: Fri Dec 14, 2012 12:21 am
Location: Ipswich, Suffolk

DIY virtual cockpit

Post by BeastFromTheEast » Sun Apr 19, 2015 8:49 pm

Been working on this for a while ...... it's been quite a big project and my facilities are a bit primitive, but these pictures illustrate the project so far:

Basic ladder chassis. Made entirely from CLS timber which is about £3.00 per eight foot length, chopped to length on the scroll saw, and then screwed together with Turbodrive self tapping screws. These do not require pilot holes: however, the joints have to be very securely clamped together prior to screwing.
002small.jpg
Rudder assembly: This is far from finished: in particular the U clamps are inadequate to make each pedal stiff enough. The assembly slides into the front of the chassis and there is about 4" of movement to fine tune the position.
006small.jpg
The seat: This is made from 2" thick polystyrene foam insulation board, chopped up with the scroll saw, and then joined into sections using white glue. The sections lock onto the cross pieces and push into place - no glue is required.
013small.jpg
Ian
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Last edited by BeastFromTheEast on Sun Apr 19, 2015 9:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
You can take the Beast from the East
But never the East from the Beast
Image
Beastly Soaring - Tuesday nights, on the ServerOfTheBeast
Competition number IFC, aircraft registration number G-CHQR

User avatar
BeastFromTheEast
Posts: 445
Joined: Fri Dec 14, 2012 12:21 am
Location: Ipswich, Suffolk

Re: DIY virtual cockpit

Post by BeastFromTheEast » Sun Apr 19, 2015 8:53 pm

Control stick: 1/2" socket extension bar fitted into a Hookes joint. There is a 23mm socket buried in the wood to secure the joint at the chassis end. The movement within the gate is a bit excessive, particularly fore and aft: I will probably make some replaceable plywood shims to fit inside and restrict the movement.
005small.jpg
IMU module: This fits onto the stick as shown (although I will probably not use sellotape for the final version :) )
022small.jpg
The module contains the following:

- the IMU itself, comprising a 3 axis accelerometer, 3 axis magnetometer and 3 axis gyroscope, on a single board
- a PICAXE 08M2 microcontroller
- a Micromega FPU 3 maths co-processor, which works out the angular orientation of the module, and calculates positional bytes (0-254) for pitch and bank.
- 5V voltage regulators (the incoming supply can be 3-32VDC)
- an inverter chip, which is used to interface the FPU3
- two 1/8" jackplug sockets which allow the PICAXE and the FPU to be interrogated by the host PC via USB interface sockets.
IMU small.jpg
Still a fair way to go yet ........ but so far it feels quite promising.

Ian

Ian
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
You can take the Beast from the East
But never the East from the Beast
Image
Beastly Soaring - Tuesday nights, on the ServerOfTheBeast
Competition number IFC, aircraft registration number G-CHQR

Sprunga
Posts: 384
Joined: Thu May 04, 2006 2:11 am
Location: Brisbane Australia

Re: DIY virtual cockpit

Post by Sprunga » Mon Apr 20, 2015 6:40 am

Looks very good. love that you used a socket extension for the joy stick! Looks very simple but at the same time very clever!
Image

User avatar
BeastFromTheEast
Posts: 445
Joined: Fri Dec 14, 2012 12:21 am
Location: Ipswich, Suffolk

Re: DIY virtual cockpit

Post by BeastFromTheEast » Mon Apr 20, 2015 10:06 pm

The hooke's joint idea was not mine - it was used by another chap who built his own joystick, although he used mechanical linkages to connect with potentiometers.

Designing the seat took a fair amount of time, although I found a couple of old research papers on vehicle seat design and a cutaway diagram of a glider cockpit, both of which were very useful. The sections are removable mainly because I will want to do some fine tuning: you generally have to sit in a seat for quite a while for any failings to become apparent ( EDIT: Prophetic words indeed .... see below :) ).

IMUs seems to make remarkably fine joysticks although programming the co-processor and the microcontroller have been lengthy tasks. The code is basically the same as my head tracker (I use Fat Shark VR goggles) although the heading (magnetic) function is not required. I will probably use a third module to connect to the rest of the flight controls (airbrakes / gear / flaps / PDA buttons / water / release / climb - cruise) and possibly a USB hub as I am fast running out of available ports on the PC!

Ian
Last edited by BeastFromTheEast on Thu Nov 12, 2015 12:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
You can take the Beast from the East
But never the East from the Beast
Image
Beastly Soaring - Tuesday nights, on the ServerOfTheBeast
Competition number IFC, aircraft registration number G-CHQR

User avatar
BeastFromTheEast
Posts: 445
Joined: Fri Dec 14, 2012 12:21 am
Location: Ipswich, Suffolk

Re: DIY virtual cockpit

Post by BeastFromTheEast » Thu May 07, 2015 11:11 pm

Try as I might I could not get the rudder assembly stiff enough with the plastic tube, so I reverted to wooden cross beams.
DSCF9286small.jpg
The rudder interconnection is provided by a bicycle brake cable (£2.97 from Amazon) although securing it at each end took a little head scratching.
DSCF9288small.jpg
The slot is filled with some plywood offcuts and 20 minute epoxy resin, clamped together to make the whole thing secure.
DSCF9289small.jpg
Ian
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
You can take the Beast from the East
But never the East from the Beast
Image
Beastly Soaring - Tuesday nights, on the ServerOfTheBeast
Competition number IFC, aircraft registration number G-CHQR

User avatar
BeastFromTheEast
Posts: 445
Joined: Fri Dec 14, 2012 12:21 am
Location: Ipswich, Suffolk

Re: DIY virtual cockpit

Post by BeastFromTheEast » Thu May 07, 2015 11:17 pm

These three pictures show the movement of the right rudder pedal (notice the other one in the background moving in the opposite sense). Connection to the pedal is made using M6 studding and repair washers.
DSCF9296small.jpg
DSCF9295small.jpg
DSCF9294small.jpg
The pedals look a bit clumsy but do operate fairly smoothly.

Ian
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Last edited by BeastFromTheEast on Fri May 08, 2015 1:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
You can take the Beast from the East
But never the East from the Beast
Image
Beastly Soaring - Tuesday nights, on the ServerOfTheBeast
Competition number IFC, aircraft registration number G-CHQR

User avatar
BeastFromTheEast
Posts: 445
Joined: Fri Dec 14, 2012 12:21 am
Location: Ipswich, Suffolk

Re: DIY virtual cockpit

Post by BeastFromTheEast » Thu May 07, 2015 11:24 pm

The brake cable is routed out of sight under the chassis. I was expecting it to feel a bit flimsy, but it is quite stiff, although it would almost certainly break if you pushed both pedals hard enough.
DSCF9298small.jpg
Loosening the four wingnuts on each side of the rudder pedal carriage allows it to be moved forwards or backwards. It took a little fiddling to get it in the right place.
DSCF9297small.jpg
Ian
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
You can take the Beast from the East
But never the East from the Beast
Image
Beastly Soaring - Tuesday nights, on the ServerOfTheBeast
Competition number IFC, aircraft registration number G-CHQR

User avatar
BeastFromTheEast
Posts: 445
Joined: Fri Dec 14, 2012 12:21 am
Location: Ipswich, Suffolk

Re: DIY virtual cockpit

Post by BeastFromTheEast » Sun May 10, 2015 9:39 pm

IMU module screwed to left rudder pedal.
DSCF9301small.jpg
Circuit board in place
DSCF9305small.jpg
Cover on, interface cables attached to laptop :)
DSCF9307small.jpg
Ian
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
You can take the Beast from the East
But never the East from the Beast
Image
Beastly Soaring - Tuesday nights, on the ServerOfTheBeast
Competition number IFC, aircraft registration number G-CHQR

User avatar
BeastFromTheEast
Posts: 445
Joined: Fri Dec 14, 2012 12:21 am
Location: Ipswich, Suffolk

progress

Post by BeastFromTheEast » Mon May 25, 2015 9:46 pm

Sitting on its frame.
DSCF9312small.jpg
12VDC PSU, composite video generator and a 4 way USB hub are mounted under the chassis. 5VDC is supplied by an old Iomega ZIP drive PSU.

Getting tantalisingly close to taking flight, although the IMU modules will have to be re-engineered to allow more i/o to be patched in.

Ian
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
You can take the Beast from the East
But never the East from the Beast
Image
Beastly Soaring - Tuesday nights, on the ServerOfTheBeast
Competition number IFC, aircraft registration number G-CHQR

User avatar
OXO
Condor Team
Posts: 6360
Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2006 1:08 am
Location: France 42
Contact:

Re: DIY virtual cockpit

Post by OXO » Fri May 29, 2015 11:49 am

You will need more glue, and a lot of locking wire if you want it to get a C of A.

:wink:
Chris Wedgwood,
Condor Team

User avatar
BeastFromTheEast
Posts: 445
Joined: Fri Dec 14, 2012 12:21 am
Location: Ipswich, Suffolk

DIY virtual cockpit takes flight

Post by BeastFromTheEast » Tue Sep 22, 2015 11:12 pm

OXO wrote:You will need more glue, and a lot of locking wire if you want it to get a C of A. :wink:
:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
DSCF9613 small.jpg
The famous keypad ......to which I have fitted yet another microcontroller to allow serial data to be sent to the PC. The incoming bytes are decoded using GlovePIE to allow the secondary controls to be operated. It operates in one of seven modes (initiate, takeoff, navigation, flying, viewing, landing & exit) and in each mode, the buttons perform different tasks. The GlovePIE program is not perfected yet - none of the viewing buttons work at present and some of the functions which are shared between modes don't operate as expected.
DSCF9555 small.jpg
The black mast is a wing spar from an old radio-controlled model aircraft and holds the wiring harness to the VR goggles. A 12VDC PSU, composite video generator, 4 way USB hub and a couple of wiring centres are screwed to the underside. As you can see the polystyrene foam is starting to suffer a bit :(

This is a youtube video I took of the cockpit in action - edited down from nearly 3 hours of footage. Unfortunately the webcam seemed to saturate no matter what I did with the television, but you should still get the general idea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPHMs7sc61M

Ian
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
You can take the Beast from the East
But never the East from the Beast
Image
Beastly Soaring - Tuesday nights, on the ServerOfTheBeast
Competition number IFC, aircraft registration number G-CHQR

User avatar
BeastFromTheEast
Posts: 445
Joined: Fri Dec 14, 2012 12:21 am
Location: Ipswich, Suffolk

new seat

Post by BeastFromTheEast » Tue Nov 10, 2015 11:25 pm

I have had the cockpit apart for some revisions: now it has custom made cushions made from a high quality synthetic foam called Reflex Superior. The covers were made by my father from an old settee.
DSCF9993 small.jpg
DSCF9999small.jpg
DSCF0006small.jpg
The keypad, unfortunately, has gasped its last. One of the copper tracks on the circuit board has broken and an entire row stopped working. They are only a couple of quid so I will just build another :). Other systems are back online.

Ian
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
You can take the Beast from the East
But never the East from the Beast
Image
Beastly Soaring - Tuesday nights, on the ServerOfTheBeast
Competition number IFC, aircraft registration number G-CHQR

User avatar
BeastFromTheEast
Posts: 445
Joined: Fri Dec 14, 2012 12:21 am
Location: Ipswich, Suffolk

USB joystick interface on virtual cockpit

Post by BeastFromTheEast » Fri Mar 30, 2018 6:56 pm

It's been a while but I have acquired a Bodnar USB interface and reengineered the system completely with a single microcontroller & co-processor. In also incorporates 8 analogue (0-5V) signal generators and no less than 36 opto-isolators.

The Bodnar interface allows the PPJoyCOM program to be retired for good. It has served me well, but is now 20 years old and only works on W7 in test mode, as it is unsigned software. The Bodnar interface also allows 12 bits (0-4096) of resolution on the analogue axis, rather than the 8 bits available via PPJoyCOM. It wasn't really an issue for the joystick and rudder (one bit being a fraction of a degree of movement) but the jerkiness was apparent with the head tracking.
DSCF0697small.jpg
DSCF0694small.jpg
Ian
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
You can take the Beast from the East
But never the East from the Beast
Image
Beastly Soaring - Tuesday nights, on the ServerOfTheBeast
Competition number IFC, aircraft registration number G-CHQR

Terje Helle
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Jul 06, 2020 8:53 am

Re: DIY virtual cockpit

Post by Terje Helle » Wed Jul 22, 2020 9:26 pm

Old thread and all, but a cool project nevertheless. How is it now? Have you made it work?

Post Reply