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ColdFront's Hornet Cockpit


ColdFront_WI

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Hi, folks,

 

Haven't posted here before aside from a couple of questions/responses, but this has been a great source of ideas and information, so thank you all. I did want to share what I've been working on during the lockdown here in the US...my home Hornet simpit, project Quar-net or Hor-entine. I won't say this is complete, but it's at a pretty good state for the moment. It's not as sexy as some of the projects out there with lights and dials, but it is very practical for VR use.

 

A brief description of the construction below and a few more pictures, but if you're interested I've placed a lot of info including more detailed write-ups, DXF files for the panels and console boxes, STL files for parts I've 3D printed, Arduino code, and some LUA code for control setup on a github site at https://github.com/ColdFrontWI/Hornet_Cockpit.

 

IMG_7684.JPG

 

This started out as a "modular" home cockput that I built when VR got me back into flight sims after a long (multi-decade?) hiatus. I built it so I could easily swap between HOTAS and yoke/throttle quadrant. Well, with War Thunder (I know, I know...) and then DCS, the yoke lost its luster and has been collecting dust. This project started off as a desire to build a button box with some of the key functions for the Hornet until "mild" scope creep set in. I wound up building full left and right consoles and front instrument panel. It's been a blast to fly in VR. I had to develop some pretty good muscle memory, but it didn't take long, and at this point I'm much faster at finding controls on the panel than with the mouse. Plus, I don't have to look down.

 

General info on the construction:

- The original cockpit frame was built with 2x4s and plywood

- Side console and front panel boxes were built from MDF (1/2" for sides, 1/4" for bottoms).

- Panels are 3mm white acrylic.

- The designs were drawn in QCAD using the NATOPS panel foldouts as reference, printed on full-sheet labels, and then stuck to the acrylic. The prints became the reference for drilling and cutting holes for switches and buttons. No fancy CNC or laser cutter available...just a drill and a jeweler's saw.

- Controllers are a mix of Arduino (knockoff Pro Micros) and Leo Bodnar boards (2x BU0836As and 1x BBI-64).

- I wound up getting most switches/buttons from Newark electronics (https://www.newark.com/) although some came from Amazon. I have been happy with Newark. They have a fantastic search, it is usually possible to find the same switch/button more consistently than with Amazon, and they usually have detailed spec sheets with dimensions.

 

 

The electronics

I started out with more Bodnar boards, but have swapped a couple out over time for Arduino (the left and right consoles). The Bodnar boards are fantastic and very easy to use--totally plug and play! But they are more expensive, and I found that I wanted more inputs (at lower price), and really enjoy coding the Arduinos. There are also some things you can do with Arduino that you can't do with the Bodnar boards, e.g. have the board send a button press when a switch is turned OFF as well as when it's turned ON.

 

I also used matrix break-out boards for the Bodnar BU0836s, but would not do that again either...I learned that wiring a matrix is slightly more complex (more planning, and need to think about where to put the diodes in the matrix), but there is WAY less wire involved.

 

3D printing parts

The most recent updates I've made have been to create 3D printed parts for many of the knobs and as caps for the switches. This makes it easier to identify what you're doing in VR without having to do as much "counting" of switches. 3D printing has also allowed me to implement some features that I find pretty cool including blue73's Jettison Control Knob (https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=239718), as well as a collar for the Emergency/Park brake that restricts it's movement to how it moves in the Hornet, and when used with a push-pull pot provides a cool piece of immersion--look for the "Hand Brake" parts in the STL section of the github site.

 

Happy to answer any questions, and would love to hear any suggestions or feedback. Thanks to everyone here for your ideas and inspiration!

 

Eric

 

Overall view:

IMG_7670.JPG

 

Front panel:

IMG_7669.JPG

 

Left console:

IMG_7667.JPG

IMG_7668.JPG

 

Left console update:[/b/] Recent updates to the Jettison and Parking brake knobs.[/u]

IMG_7711.JPG

 

Right console:

IMG_7666.JPG

IMG_7665.JPG

 

 

And by the way, it stores "neatly" in the corner of the basement when not in use...

IMG_7671.JPG

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ColdFront_WI

Home-built Hornet pit, detailed plans available on GitHub

Virpil WarBRD base, TM Hornet/Warthog grip, TM Warthog Throttle, Logitech G Pro rudder pedals

MSI MPG Z390M, i9-9900k @ 5.0GHz with Noctua NH-D15, RTX 2080ti FE, 32GB DDR4 @ 3200MHz, 1TB NVMe M.2 SSD, HP Reverb

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Very impressive.....I have wood skills, but nothing in the electrical and switchgear department, so stuff like this is beyond me.....I need to buy ready made stuff.

System specs: PC1 :Scan 3XS Ryzen 5900X, 64GB Corsair veng DDR4 3600, EVGA GTX 3090 Win 10, Quest Pro, Samsung Odyssey G9 Neo monitor. Tir5. PC2 ( Helo) Scan 3XS Intel 9900 K, 32 GB Ram, 2080Ti, 50 inch Phillips monitor

 F/A-18C: Rhino FFB base TianHang F16 grip, Winwing MP 1, F-18 throttle, TO & Combat panels, MFG crosswind & DFB Aces  seat :cool:                       

Viper: WinWing MFSSB base with F-16 grip, Winwing F-16 throttle, plus Vipergear ICP. MFG crosswind rudders. 

Helo ( Apache) set up: Virpil collective with AH64D grip, Cyclic : Virpil CM3 base & TM F18 grip, MFG crosswind rudders, Total controls AH64 MFD's,  TEDAC Unit. 

 

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Thanks, Gruman,

 

Looks awesome und very usable. Any particular reason you have chosen white acrylic?

 

I inkjet printed the panel layouts, and thought the white acrylic would give the cleanest appearance in combination with the white paper. I thought about printing the panels white-on-black, but figured that much ink would rub off and make a mess...especially on the side consoles where I rest my hands.

ColdFront_WI

Home-built Hornet pit, detailed plans available on GitHub

Virpil WarBRD base, TM Hornet/Warthog grip, TM Warthog Throttle, Logitech G Pro rudder pedals

MSI MPG Z390M, i9-9900k @ 5.0GHz with Noctua NH-D15, RTX 2080ti FE, 32GB DDR4 @ 3200MHz, 1TB NVMe M.2 SSD, HP Reverb

[sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]

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Thanks, BrassEm!

 

Fantastic work! Adaptable to other cockpit layouts in principle I'm sure.

 

It was my intention at the start to make it modular, but that got lost along the way. That said, if I decide to build another pit in the future (Viper, maybe), I could leverage a lot of the same designs.

 

But right now I'm pretty married to the Hornet!

ColdFront_WI

Home-built Hornet pit, detailed plans available on GitHub

Virpil WarBRD base, TM Hornet/Warthog grip, TM Warthog Throttle, Logitech G Pro rudder pedals

MSI MPG Z390M, i9-9900k @ 5.0GHz with Noctua NH-D15, RTX 2080ti FE, 32GB DDR4 @ 3200MHz, 1TB NVMe M.2 SSD, HP Reverb

[sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]

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”...when not in use.”

I don’t get it?

 

:lol: Apparently there are other people who live in this house who occasionally want to use that space. Who knew? :smilewink:

ColdFront_WI

Home-built Hornet pit, detailed plans available on GitHub

Virpil WarBRD base, TM Hornet/Warthog grip, TM Warthog Throttle, Logitech G Pro rudder pedals

MSI MPG Z390M, i9-9900k @ 5.0GHz with Noctua NH-D15, RTX 2080ti FE, 32GB DDR4 @ 3200MHz, 1TB NVMe M.2 SSD, HP Reverb

[sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]

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looks great!

 

how are the parking break lever an the wing fold lever works? What switches do you use for this 2 rotate / pul-push lever?

 

--> thats my design.

 

Great looking design!

 

For mine, I'm not thrilled with the wing fold. There's no push/pull...it's just a rotary switch, and the position between Hold and Extend toggles the push/pull. So to fold the wings after landing, the first left rotation pulls the handle, the second moves to hold, and the third moves it to fold. It's not great, but it works for as often as I need to fold/unfold.

 

The parking brake uses a push-pull potentiometer combined with some custom Arduino code and a 3D printed collar to restrict the movement. The STL files are the "Hand brake..." parts on the GitHub page. you can also find the Arduino code that I use to control it on the site.

ColdFront_WI

Home-built Hornet pit, detailed plans available on GitHub

Virpil WarBRD base, TM Hornet/Warthog grip, TM Warthog Throttle, Logitech G Pro rudder pedals

MSI MPG Z390M, i9-9900k @ 5.0GHz with Noctua NH-D15, RTX 2080ti FE, 32GB DDR4 @ 3200MHz, 1TB NVMe M.2 SSD, HP Reverb

[sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]

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