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F-14 Cockpit and instrument dimensions


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On 10/20/2023 at 8:24 AM, Yogi8 said:

If you figure that out I would love to see your autothrottle! As far as the EWS cover, the notches are modeled but I didn't print them. The EWS cover that I printed was just a prototype because I wasn't sure what to do about the clear part. I like the idea of clear acrylic and laser cutting, but I don't own a laser cutter. 

Laser cutter is next on my list.  Loving your work on the wing sweep. Very nice.  Could just get the acrylic from Amazon or wherever and then cut it to your measurements with an acrylic blade (10-12 bucks) and then use a heat gun to bend it. 

I'd be reticent to give up my Virpil throttle but more thinking to design something that sits around it with a large cavity for the Warthog sized base (with proper flap handle on the left) and emergency wing sweep on the right.  


Edited by Uxi
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HP Reverb G2, Samsung Odyssey+ WMR; VKB Gunfighter 2, MCG Pro; Virpil T-50CM v3; Slaw RX Viper v2

 

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Hello. Joining in on the fun and modeling and 3D printing panels for a home cockpit. I read what the standard width is of the side panels to use it to scale, but I haven't read what the correct dimensions are for the vertical panels. Can anyone help by providing the height and width of the right vertical display panel?

Currently, my design has the height at about 193mm and the width at about 211mm (at the widest point).

Thanks!

**Edit: after looking at it again, from what I can tell the panels in the F-14_v1.png file appear to all be 575 pixels wide and since the standard size of the side panels is 5.75" wide, it makes for simple scaling. I'm using Blender so added screenshots of a panel as a reference image, scaled it, then created the panel shape over the reference image.

For those that have done this already, if you are willing to share your files, it would be greatly appreciated!


Edited by ITR1102
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  • 2 weeks later...

I just wanted to say thank you to those of you who are working so hard to make the dream of flying an F-14 become a reality for so many of us. I am very much looking forward to building my sim-pit from the designs a number of you have put together. While I have no design skills to allow me to create & share something with you all, I can not post something here without providing some information that may prove to be useful for those of you who are more skilled.

I came across this site while searching for more info on the F-14 cockpit: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/citations/ADA327438

After opening the link, select "View the full text of this report" (providing a link vs the pdf as I do not wish to become another war thunder player "leaking" info I should not be, so I figured if you can't access the link, you probably shouldn't see what's inside anyway..."

If you're weary to click the link, I came across it by googling "F-14 spin simulator" and selected the "Defense Technical Information Center" result. It is a 256 page report on building an F-14 spin simulator. It doesn't appear to have any dimensions to necessarily help you with your build, but it does seem to provide some useful information & graphics. I've scrolled through a couple times now and I believe there should be info that could aid in the creation of our own replica pits.

Some key pages I noticed (pdf page#, not report page #):

  • 119: Figure 21 - F-14 Aircraft Cockpit Panel
  • 121: Multipurpose Cockpit Crewstation Specifications (not sure if this is useful as it may not be F-14 specific)
  • 130: VDI Specifications (Display Screen Size: 5 inches x 5 inches)
  • 132: HSD Specifications (Display Screen Size: 5 inches wide x 6.5 inches high)
  • 136: Stick / Rudder Control Loader System Specifications
  • 152-163: Instrumentation & Panels deemed necessary for spin simulation by test pilots (not all instruments & panels were needed for the tests). These are said to be to scale, but upon printing & measuring, I found them to be smaller (the panels I printed were 5.5 inches wide vs 5.75 inches wide as they should be)

I hope this proves to be useful to someone!

Also, for those of you who feel like you won't be able to build your own cockpit yourself as you don't have the "necessary" tools to do so (CNC, laser cutter, 3D printer...), look to see if you have something called a "makerspace" near you (may have other names as well). I recently learned of these and found I have one not far from me where they have all sorts of tools that will allow me to make my dream become a reality. They even offer classes to help you learn how to operate the machines and how to use the software to actually create what you designed.

Thank you again to everyone here helping to make my dream of flying an F-14 become a reality!

-Steve

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hey @ITR1102

Ive started work on some of the pilot panels, referencing the F-14_v1.png for the text and switch holes, and using this PDF as a reference for the basic panel dimensions.

DZUS.pdf

I made the basic DZUS-compliant panel in FreeCAD, with a formula in the "Base-plate" Sketch to easily change the panel height depending on how many 0.375in intervals there are.
The top layers with the text and switch holes i made in Inkscape. Ill include all my files below. The FreeCAD files include the base and middle layer which are designed for the method described by TheWarthogProject on his website, including holes for 3mm LEDs.

DZUSTemplateSimple.FCStd

image.png

AFCS.svgAFCS.FCStd

AIRCON.svgAIRCON.FCStd

ENVIROMENT.svgENVIROMENT.FCStd

ICS.svgICS.FCStd

VOLUME.svgVOLUME.FCStd

@Duchess_14 Thanks for that link! Tomcat documentation is hard to come by, and even if its not 100% applicable for us simulator crew, its still an interesting read.

Cheers


Edited by Elo
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  • 3 weeks later...

Gentlemen,


Beauty shots incoming! A build video, the parts list and 3d files will be posted sometime this coming week! Everything works, except for the flaps handle, but that’s being sorted (sorta). All of the switches, potentiometers, buttons and hats all work! This is a 90% solution and your mileage may vary based on your 3d printer. But I hope some of you guys fire up your printers and have as much fun as I have had. Pushing the throttles forward for the first time was more enjoyable than I expected. One can only imagine what this would have been like for a naval aviator. 


I hope everyone is doing well!

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On 11/18/2023 at 4:01 PM, Yogi8 said:

Beauty shots incoming! A build video, the parts list and 3d files will be posted sometime this coming week! Everything works, except for the flaps handle, but that’s being sorted (sorta). All of the switches, potentiometers, buttons and hats all work! This is a 90% solution and your mileage may vary based on your 3d printer. But I hope some of you guys fire up your printers and have as much fun as I have had. Pushing the throttles forward for the first time was more enjoyable than I expected. One can only imagine what this would have been like for a naval aviator. 

 

 

 

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Looks amazing!  Thanks for sharing. Can't wait to see your files and fire up my printer!

Specs & Wishlist:

 

Core i9 9900k 5.0Ghz, Asus ROG Maximus XI Hero, 64GB G.Skill Trident 3600, Asus RoG Strix 3090 OC, 2TB x Samsung Evo 970 M.2 boot. Samsung Evo 860 storage, Coolermaster H500M, ML360R AIO

 

HP Reverb G2, Samsung Odyssey+ WMR; VKB Gunfighter 2, MCG Pro; Virpil T-50CM v3; Slaw RX Viper v2

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have finished the Displays panel and my next step is to get its Pro Micro and shift register set up. I’ve done this for the AFCS panel but haven’t had to use a shift register before. I am new to 3D design and printing and have just gotten a printer, so there’s definitely room for improvement on the print settings. Currently using a .25mm nozzle on a Creality K1 and the Prusa slicer. The small nozzle was needed to print the fine text clearly and not have it distorted in odd ways when being sliced and printed. Its still not perfect though. The easiest solution is to make the font larger; however, I was trying everything I could to keep the text as close to what is shown in the scaled cockpit image.

Momentary push button switches (raised) with integrated LEDs are used, based off of the design I found here: https://github.com/ashchan/tomcat-control-panels/tree/main/TACAN%20Panel

The remainder are standard off-on toggle switches, only one being on-off-on. I ordered all of the switches and Pro Micros from Ali Express. If anyone needs it, I can post exactly what was purchased. I have not added the Pitch Lad knob yet as I don’t know what hardware to use and what size hole to plan for. This can easily be added later though.

I did design a locking nut holder into the bottom panel which turned out really well. The switches all use two nuts, so one goes between the top and bottom plate and one goes between the back plate and the switch body. With the back plate nut screwed all the way towards the switch, the switch can be screwed in until its flush with the top plate.

 

What would be helpful is for those who have done a complete cockpit, can you please share what switches you have used for each panel? I’d really like to use switches that will look as authentic as possible and where the switch and rotary positions look correct and match DCS. I’ve seen a few switches shared but many posts have linked to eBay and the links have long expired.

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Carling switches are cheap, beefy and full sized. Beyond that, you’re looking at $50 Honeywell's or surplus on eBay. And you’ll never find cheap 1/2 throw switches which planes are full of.

 

Honestly, build to need. You don’t need fully sealed waterproof switches with a paper trail because you’re not in an actual cockpit environment. And you’re not building a museum replica because you’re 3D printing what should be engraved backlit acrylic on aluminum panels. 
 

Best bet is look for switches with fixed batons (they’ll have a little pivot pin in the middle of the bushing) so you can put 3D printed caps on them and they won’t spin. Because finding surplus real switches like that are unicorn turd rare. And you can’t even order new ones. They were all special manufacturer run lots.
 

also. I dig your captive nut design on these. Smart!

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I have most of the display and steer commands mapped to my VKB MCG Pro. I do wish the steer commands had a next and previous though the displays do already IIRC. This was clearly late analog thinking and the F-14D put most of that on MFD anyway. Ah if only ST-21.

Specs & Wishlist:

 

Core i9 9900k 5.0Ghz, Asus ROG Maximus XI Hero, 64GB G.Skill Trident 3600, Asus RoG Strix 3090 OC, 2TB x Samsung Evo 970 M.2 boot. Samsung Evo 860 storage, Coolermaster H500M, ML360R AIO

 

HP Reverb G2, Samsung Odyssey+ WMR; VKB Gunfighter 2, MCG Pro; Virpil T-50CM v3; Slaw RX Viper v2

 

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If anyone can recommend specific rotary switches or potentiometers that work the best for each panel, please let me know what you have used. What I'm going for is the same number of positions or stops (if possible) so that the switch position on my panels will match what is shown in DCS.

Examples are the 9 position dial wheels on the Master Light panel, 20 position for ARA 63 Control, etc. I have all of the standard 2 and 3 position latching and momentary switches figured out and purchased but do not know what will work for the others as I don't have any experience with these types of components.

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Unfortunately the seller I sourced my square top switches has run out, I posted it earlier and I guess others cleaned out his supply.

It's a Honeywell 11TW47-1


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F-14B, F-16, F-18C, A-10C, F-5E, F-86, FC3, BF-109, FW-190, P-51, Spitfire, UH-1,AJS-37 Viggen, MIG-15, MIG-19, MIG-21, AV-8B Harrier, P-47D

Persian Gulf, Caucuses, NTTR, Normandy, The Channel, Syria

Combined Arms, WWII Assets,Super Carrier

TM Warthog, Virpil VFX,BuddyFox UFC, Saitek Pro Flight quadrant & Switch Panel, Odyssey+ VR, Jet Pad w/ SSA, Voice Attack w/Viacom Pro

GeForce RTX2080TI OC, Intel Core i7-7700K 4.5Ghz, 64GB DDR4, Dedicated 1TB SSD

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Hey guys,

Sorry for such a long time between posts. I've been booted from my office since we found out there's going to be a new addition to the family (hopefully he/she is ready to learn the RIO because I'm not backseating to a baby). I'm finally back up and running and have posted the files here, and will hopefully be uploading the build video before Christmas. 

The files will also be published on Thingiverse but I have to wait 24 hours before I can upload. 

Merry Christmas!


Edited by Yogi8
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9 hours ago, Yogi8 said:

Hey guys,

Sorry for such a long time between posts. I've been booted from my office since we found out there's going to be a new addition to the family (hopefully he/she is ready to learn the RIO because I'm not backseating to a baby). I'm finally back up and running and have posted the files here, and will hopefully be uploading the build video before Christmas. 

The files will also be published on Thingiverse but I have to wait 24 hours before I can upload. 

Merry Christmas!

 

Thank you very much. I will take a look how I can get this beauty integrated into my existing setup.

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Quote

Hey guys,

Sorry for such a long time between posts. I've been booted from my office since we found out there's going to be a new addition to the family (hopefully he/she is ready to learn the RIO because I'm not backseating to a baby). I'm finally back up and running and have posted the files here, and will hopefully be uploading the build video before Christmas. 

The files will also be published on Thingiverse but I have to wait 24 hours before I can upload. 

Merry Christmas!

Best christmas present of my life man! Thank you!

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On 12/13/2023 at 1:27 PM, Yogi8 said:

Hey guys,

Sorry for such a long time between posts. I've been booted from my office since we found out there's going to be a new addition to the family (hopefully he/she is ready to learn the RIO because I'm not backseating to a baby). I'm finally back up and running and have posted the files here, and will hopefully be uploading the build video before Christmas. 

The files will also be published on Thingiverse but I have to wait 24 hours before I can upload. 

Merry Christmas!

 

You rock! Thanks for sharing.  Merry Christmas!

Specs & Wishlist:

 

Core i9 9900k 5.0Ghz, Asus ROG Maximus XI Hero, 64GB G.Skill Trident 3600, Asus RoG Strix 3090 OC, 2TB x Samsung Evo 970 M.2 boot. Samsung Evo 860 storage, Coolermaster H500M, ML360R AIO

 

HP Reverb G2, Samsung Odyssey+ WMR; VKB Gunfighter 2, MCG Pro; Virpil T-50CM v3; Slaw RX Viper v2

 

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3 hours ago, Lt_Jaeger said:

First batch came off the printer. Worked pretty good. 

20231217_140552.jpg

But I'm not complete sure yet hot to fit this on that

 

20231217_140322.jpg

I honest to God cannot believe someone else is building this. Becaues this is a 90% solution I expect lots of feedback. I'll try and get the build video done by Tuesday. Lt. Jaeger I am excited!

 

 

 

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49 minutes ago, Yogi8 said:

 

I got a question, though. If I take a look at the top cover, the throttle movement would be roughly half way of the total movement range until hitting the AB-detend.

That would correspondent with the MIL marking in game, but in game the throttle moves roughly 3/4 of the total way before the afterburner detents are hit.

Are you sure you got it right?

If so, does it have a fine enough movement range to actually do the adjustments for carrier / formation work?

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28 minutes ago, Lt_Jaeger said:

I got a question, though. If I take a look at the top cover, the throttle movement would be roughly half way of the total movement range until hitting the AB-detend.

That would correspondent with the MIL marking in game, but in game the throttle moves roughly 3/4 of the total way before the afterburner detents are hit.

Are you sure you got it right?

If so, does it have a fine enough movement range to actually do the adjustments for carrier / formation work?

The gating is correct to the actual aircraft.  The additional arm throw in the MIL region of the module was an artistic decision mentioned previously.

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Okay tag me in (be gentle I'm new), been watching for a while now and I am seriously jumping on the tomcat train...err jet..

Plan is to follow Mumbles lead and build a VR pit around my Next level racing flight seat. Christmas may get in the way of that planning, but it has begun.. 

 

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