PeneCruz Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 After a lot of reading and looking at other builds, I decided to go with a VR pit that consists of the forward panel, truncated side panels and a Mk14 replica seat. The DDI's and UFC will be functional along with some functionality on the side panels. Obviously being flown in VR I can omit working displays and standby instruments etc. The most important thing will be the scale to ensure it matches what I see in VR. A lot of measurements from all the generous dudes at http://Hornetpits.org and hours spent sitting in the DCS VR Hornet pit on the ramp looking at how things go together. I've decided to go with mostly MDF mainly due to the tools I own being better suited to wood, and ease of modifying it late., The "DDI's and other panel subsections will be bolt on and off capable to make it easy to pull apart for repair and modifying. I've kicked off and here is some progress pics for weeks 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stang Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 Look good PeneCruz! Keep going and you'll have a completed Pit in no time. Great work. Stang out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VpR81 Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 Very nice work, especially the MFD´s frame looks great. Good luck with your project! Phanteks EvolvX / Win 11 / i9 12900K / MSI Z690 Carbon / MSI Suprim RTX 3090 / 64GB G.Skill Trident Z DDR5-6000 / 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD / 2TB PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSD / 2TB SATA SSD / 1TB SATA SSD / Alphacool Eisbaer Aurora Pro 360 / beQuiet StraightPower 1200W RSEAT S1 / VPC T50 CM2 + 300mm extension + Realsimulator F18 CGRH / VPC WarBRD + TM Warthog grip / WinWing F/A-18 Super Taurus / 4x TM Cougar MFD / TM TPR / HP Reverb G2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeneCruz Posted January 21, 2020 Author Share Posted January 21, 2020 Thanks Guys, I’m actually really enjoying getting the tools out. I’ll keep adding to the panel just to keep that going! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeneCruz Posted January 24, 2020 Author Share Posted January 24, 2020 I made the left side panel box to take the Warthog throttle. Still thinking about detail so haven’t done the panel infills yet. Made the Stick assembly out of extruded aluminium and Alubond. I will be adding detail like the torque tube and lower stick assembly out of PVC and MDF. As the whole pit will eventually be anchored to a base it seems stiff enough as is on carpet so hopefully it will be enough. Made the Glareshield out of Alubond composite panels. What an awesome product so easy to build with. I’m really happy with how it turned out, super rigid and very close to the real shape. Painted it with Flat Black to minimise glare ;D Going to plug it all in and take it for a fly. Last photo includes the MK14 milk crate I’ll be using until I get my seat done. I may modify it with a cushion depending on G tolerance! Images here https://imgur.com/a/LY7XiV4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruman Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 (edited) Awesome flight chair :lol: Great project. If I may make a recommendation? Extend the Hornet Stick a bit and adapt the Flight Seat accordingly. Makes it a lot more comfortable. Did you wrote down measurements? For the MFD Holders and the whole front panel? Maybe even a sketch? :music_whistling: Looking forward to seeing more. Edited January 24, 2020 by Gruman Intel I9 10900k @5.1GHz | MSI MEG Z490 Unify | Corsair Vengeance 64GB - 3600MHz | EVGA RTX 3090 FTW3 VPC T-50 Base /w Viper & Hornet Grip | VPC Rotor TCS Pro w/ Hawk-60 Grip | TM TPR LG C2 42" | Reverb G2 | TIR 5 | PointCtrl | OpenKneeboard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeneCruz Posted January 25, 2020 Author Share Posted January 25, 2020 (edited) Yep have all measurements, everything on paper. It's not pretty but I have the dimensions. The Glareshield is more a vibe and Look thing as it needs lots of slow bending. The good thing is you can jump into VR and Look at it anytime you like. I'm planning on putting a replica MK14 seat in so I need the pit to be that low to maintain scale. In Fact the Mk14 Milk Crate is about 2 inches too high. I just cut down an outdoor chair to the exact height, slightly more comfortable :lol: Just! The good thing is when you reach out to the MFD in VR your hands Find the sim pit version. It's actually quite intuitive. Edited January 25, 2020 by PeneCruz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stang Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 Hi PeneCruz, You're doing great with your cockpit!! Where did you source the Alubond composite panels from and what size (thickness wise) did you use for the Glare Shield? What did you cut it with> A Jig Saw? Keep up the great work! Stang out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeneCruz Posted February 10, 2020 Author Share Posted February 10, 2020 Where did you source the Alubond composite panels from and what size (thickness wise) did you use for the Glare Shield? What did you cut it with> A Jig Saw? Sourced from Bunnings 1220x810 Aligloss composite panels. 3 mm thick and yes cut with a jigsaw. its like cutting 3mm MDF you can even sand the edges.I then sprayed it Flat Black. Awesome stuff to work with and really inexpensive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeneCruz Posted February 10, 2020 Author Share Posted February 10, 2020 Ok I had a couple of weeks off building while I got back to work. I'm now back into it again this week, I've finished the left panel structure. It’s deliberately truncated to reduce the footprint of the cockpit. I now have lots of detailed switch panels to add to both the forward panel and left panel. I’m really happy that virtual and real position are within around 10-20 mills in both the thrust levers and forward panel reach. when you look at the thrust levers in VR then peak through the nose piece your hand is almost exactly where the thrust levers in VR are just slightly lower (a limitation of the Warthog throttle being shorter) I'm currently working on the HMD/IR Cool Panel and the Master ARM/Emergency Jett Panel. These will be seperate units similar to the MFD's. I'm also working on a HUD frame made from laminated Alubond mainly to make it look cool while its sitting there not being used :music_whistling: Latest photos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeneCruz Posted February 15, 2020 Author Share Posted February 15, 2020 Got to work on the UFC housing and panel integration, Map gain/Spin Recovery panel and the Master Arm Panel. The UFC will run through DCS Bios I should have it up and running this weekend. The UFC is designed to be able to be released and removed for servicing similar to the DDI's and HI. I need to do work on the Map gain/Spin Recovery panel and the Master Arm Panel to put switches into the panels, I'm waiting for these to be delivered which is taking a long time! the rst of the panels will be inoperative and just for looks. and wont take long to get them screwed on when the arrive. The next major project is the MK14 seat. I'm considering using Aligloss panels laminated together for the seat with just the seat pan done in MDF, I have had good success with the HUD frame using this technique. I'm saving that for last to install as I'm constantly taking the panel apart at the moment there's not much point in putting them on yet. Some update photos: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D0rmicum Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 Looks great! Can’t wait to be able to order he UFC as well!! About the IR and master arm control panel: are you going to make them functional as well? Would be interested how you‘re doing this Modules and maps: all of them :doh: Specs: ASUS ROG STRIX Z370-I, Intel i7-8086K@4.9GHz, 32GB Corsair Vengance RAM, Nvidia RTX 2080 FE, 2x1 TB Samsung EVO 970 M.2, WIN10 64bit, HP Reverb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stang Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 Really coming together NICE!! How are you engraving the panels? Or are they decals? Also, are the MFDs Thrustmaster? Keep going and Great Work :thumbup: Stang out Got to work on the UFC housing and panel integration, Map gain/Spin Recovery panel and the Master Arm Panel. The UFC will run through DCS Bios I should have it up and running this weekend. The UFC is designed to be able to be released and removed for servicing similar to the DDI's and HI. I need to do work on the Map gain/Spin Recovery panel and the Master Arm Panel to put switches into the panels, I'm waiting for these to be delivered which is taking a long time! the rst of the panels will be inoperative and just for looks. and wont take long to get them screwed on when the arrive. The next major project is the MK14 seat. I'm considering using Aligloss panels laminated together for the seat with just the seat pan done in MDF, I have had good success with the HUD frame using this technique. I'm saving that for last to install as I'm constantly taking the panel apart at the moment there's not much point in putting them on yet. Some update photos: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeneCruz Posted February 16, 2020 Author Share Posted February 16, 2020 Looks great! Can’t wait to be able to order he UFC as well!! About the IR and master arm control panel: are you going to make them functional as well? Would be interested how you‘re doing this The Master Arm panel will be functional, I’m waiting on the switches and push buttons to arrive. The back of the block is routed out to hold a Arduino nano board with micro USB out. The board will be programmed by DCS- BIOS the same way The UFC is wired in. The Spin Recovery panel will have switches but not wired in. ( I Wire them if I get to the end of the project and don’t want it to end:megalol:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeneCruz Posted February 16, 2020 Author Share Posted February 16, 2020 How are you engraving the panels? Or are they decals? Also, are the MFDs Thrustmaster? Keep going and Great Work :thumbup: Stang out Thanks mate The panels are laser engraved by someone with way more skill than I possess. I toyed with the idea of getting a CNC cutting and engraving machine for this project but at the end of the day there are people that can do it quicker and better than I could. Yes thrustmaster FMC,s you cand go past them for price and ease of use. They are a little smaller than the real DDI’s hence the panel gaps are larger. But it’s a small price to pay. Kieron at TekCreations is great, I’ve got him working on the IFEI and standby instruments for me. These will be non functional but I think we have a plan that will make them look pretty real. If I don’t run out of money I plan on using his Right side panel replica. However I don’t know how long I can hide the project cost from the auditor :music_whistling: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeneCruz Posted March 16, 2020 Author Share Posted March 16, 2020 Little update, Adding some detail plates to the pit. The panels were the perfect size. I'm still waiting from switches! I think I'll give up and try and source locally COVID-19 is causing an impact on the build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noluck Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 Nice setup and build. Very similar to what I will be doing in the future. Any chance sharing who makes those panels and if they can make them for some of the rest of us? Also, are they backlit? Keep up the good work. --- PC: Windows 10 Pro X64, AMD FX8120 8 Core @ ~4.0GHz, 32GB DDR3-1600, GTX 1080 8Gb, 1 TB EVO 860 SSD | Displays: 3 Dell HD 1920x1080 @ 5520x1080 windowed ||| Hardware : TM Warthog HOTAS Stick+Throttle | 3x TM Cougar MFD's | WW Combat Panel | WW Landing Panel ||| Mods: F/A-18C | F-16 | P51-D | UH-1H | C130-J | NTTR | Persian Gulf | Syria | Channel | Normandy | WWII Assets | Super Carrier | Combined Arms Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekadept Posted March 19, 2020 Share Posted March 19, 2020 Looking good PeneCruz! Any chance sharing who makes those panels and if they can make them for some of the rest of us? Also, are they backlit? --- You can check out the panels I do on my website https://www.tekcreations.space/ "Lead me, follow me, or get the hell out of my way" (Gen. George Patton) https://www.tekcreations.space Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeneCruz Posted March 28, 2020 Author Share Posted March 28, 2020 Update Update on the pit: Got to work on the HUD Combiner frames and assembly. now have it finished and though it is obviously no functional it makes the pit look very cool sitting the the study. Working the frames to hold the perspex. Checking the assembly and quick painting Perspex cut and checking the fit. realised I'll need adjustment screws (i guess that's why the real on has them ::) Couple of the finished HUD with the assembly fitted back into the cockpit. I'm in the process of finishing the detail non functional panels a couple in the last shot. Slowly getting there! COVID-19 is speeding up the process ;) @Noluck have a look at Tekcreations for the panels, really good workmanship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekadept Posted April 5, 2020 Share Posted April 5, 2020 Nice work on that combiner frame definitely add that cool factor :) "Lead me, follow me, or get the hell out of my way" (Gen. George Patton) https://www.tekcreations.space Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amido Posted April 5, 2020 Share Posted April 5, 2020 hello, can you indicate the measurements of the central console in the picture? you're doing a great job, keep it up !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notso Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 That's SWEET!! System HW: i9-9900K @5ghz, MSI 11GB RTX-2080-Ti Trio, G-Skill 32GB RAM, Reverb HMD, Steam VR, TM Warthog Hotas Stick & Throttle, TM F/A-18 Stick grip add-on, TM TFRP pedals. SW: 2.5.6 OB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadwing Posted April 7, 2020 Share Posted April 7, 2020 Man this is awesome. I, too, am interested in the measurements you used for everything. Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeneCruz Posted April 7, 2020 Author Share Posted April 7, 2020 (edited) Ok guys I'll grab a full set of dimensions when I get home and post some drawings. Edited April 7, 2020 by PeneCruz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeneCruz Posted April 12, 2020 Author Share Posted April 12, 2020 Pit Dimensions Attached is the basic Dimensions.All dimensions in mm. I found I had to vary some dimensions to make it fit with regard to the UFC. I'll add the UFC and HUD Frame detail when I get a chance.Hornet Pit Dimensions.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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