Inspired by the Otterman Racing Cockpit by Lyshco at http://forums.overclockers.com.au/showthread.php?t=914885, I've embarked the journey to create my first sim pit.

I too, wanted a generic pit and the goal is to fit the whole setup into an over sized chest (52"x21") that can double as a furniture when all the gears are tucked inside. Wife approved of course


Here is what I have so far:


Basic frame built.




Installed the panels, realized that it's too long and too narrow :-(



Rebuilt, now wider and shorter.



Installed the bare seat, adjustable lcd arm and throttle holder. Starting to test fit other components like the Warthog and rudders.


Well it's semi flyable now! I like it! No keyboard and mouse holder yet though :-\


Components all tucked away inside.

There are lot of things that I still need to do, such as seat cushion, joystick mount, and keyboard/mouse panel hinge, speakers, and maybe even the computer if i can figure out how to fit it in!
The finishing (stain/coating) will have to wait till the weather is warmer... So far so good and wife is pretty happy too!

A projector would save you a lot of space inside versus a monitor....

Just sayin


Sweet pit btw!

going further you could use a smaller monitor for gauges and a projector (with foldable screen) for for external views.

anyway you are a genius!

I was banking on the release of Oculus Rift to skip big monitors altogether, the idea was to use much smaller display for UI purposes (launching games, etc). But then, Oculus Rift got delayed and I got the itch to build, so now I am fitting a bigger monitor.

Also, the monitor is bolted a Ergotron LX arm, so I can bring it closer to the eyes, instantly increasing the size

This is awesome, if I hadn't already started to mod my desk to acomodate to my Flight sim needs while remaining wife/living room aproved. I'd defently would be going after this!

Verry nice! great work.

Nice, and sweet woodworking skills as well! Any chance of more pics/schematics for those that might be interested in making one?

Just Amazining and really inspiring! This is a setup that would be acceptable with the lady in my house

Great work!!

Very slick. I also notice that you're familiar with pocket screws. \o/

g.

This pit is built as tight as I can, and I imagine it'd be very different for each person according to their own body and available room space, so there is no exact plan. It's currently 21"x49" outer dimension (18"x52" inside), I'm 5'75" btw. With that space, I can fit a 23" Apple Cinema Display, Saitek rudders and etc.

The structure of the chest though is somewhat similar to this video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A8qzKbY2Zs Obviously, I use thicker wood stock, and added more support beams on the bottom, after all, it's going to support a lot more weight.




Heheh, thank God for Kreg Jig, I had to rebuild this two times before finding the right size. Being able to work so fast and without glue is a real helper, especially with a unheated garage....

One of the awesome thing about having an monitor arm is that I can move the monitor real close, which enlarges FOV significantly even with a smaller screen. It also gives me the possibility of using a touch screen lcd instead! If I can find a 23" touch screen add on kit, I can just touch the controls inside the cockpit instead of relying on keyboard/mouse!

I have a tough screen but it's only a 21" and 1600x900, it still does a good job. It's a packard bell viseo200T, but I think they are discontinued.

Great woodworking project for the home and a great way to hide a working simulator in the house. However, the name "flying coffin" did pop into my mind as I was looking for the fifth or sixth time at your work. How hard is it to get in or out of the seat? I am wondering if you are setting it up for a racing simulator also?

Lumper

Nice work, but I have to admit that the Cougar throttle with all those extra toggle switches sticking out of the base took me by surprise.

Why aren't you using the Warthog throttle in its place, and what did you mod that Cougar throttle with to accommodate those extra switches? Better-suited for Falcon BMS and WWII sims (due to the rotaries making nice trim knobs), perhaps?

Heheh I have to admit, even my wife thought i was flying a coffin Getting in and out of the chest is pretty natural for me, I built it snuggly. No plans on racing right now, though with a few more bars of pine I can fit in a wheel mount.






Didn't expect anyone to pick up on that detail. Yes, that's a modded Cougar throttle, with the innards replaced by BU0836X, plus additional 2 SPDT switches and 3 pots. The throttle feels much much nicer than the Warthog's throttle since it's all metal, and doesn't wiggle like a toy (Warthog's throttle is actually mostly plastic with a few sheet metal for weight and look). The stiction is fixed by using damping grease. The movement feels much more high end as the harder you move, the more resistance you feel, but when moving slower, it's buttery. I plan to add a paddle switch too, and when that's complete, maybe i'll do a write up on it.

Okay, so you're not slaving it to a Cougar stick base. That explains a lot. Hopefully, that BU0836X PCB replacement makes the full range of the rotaries usable; with the stock Cougar PCB, the center position is a bit offset, and the ends have huge hardware deadzones.

Even the Cougar throttle has some major plastic construction in the throttle arm and stock bushings, but it was unmistakeably metal. I didn't think the Warthog was mostly plastic with occasional metal plates here and there, but I still haven't encountered a Warthog in person yet.

I solved the Cougar throttle stiction issue while I still had mine by getting a set of UTM bushings. Cleared it up nicely, though it was a tight fit getting them onto the throttle arm initially. It doesn't feel like the resistance increases significantly if you push harder, though; that would better describe a Suncom SFS Throttle, especially at higher tension settings. (I have one of those throttles lying around, awaiting a PCB mod. I'm thinking of taking the PCB out of a CH Flight Sim Yoke with the prop pitch and mixture levers to do it.)

Well, the actual sticks and throttles used in real fighter planes are generally made out of resin (Gene will correct me here. Some might be cast out of Aluminium?), so even though the cougar is unrealistic, it is so for the "wrong" reason. that said, I much prefer the metal handle when the weather is warm.

Man that Kreg Jig is the best freaking piece of wood working equipment I have EVER used. I got mine for my birthday about 2 years ago and it has built tables, cabinets, chairs and now my sim pit. I wouldn't use anything else now.

The Simpit is now in Mk II and more or less complete! It's almost a total overhaul - with a 42" TV and space to pack in a CSR-E.


I've put a bunch of pictures over at reddit (http://redd.it/1mcrx2), but here are a select few.

Recoilfx

Excellent set up mate.

That's the sort of set up my Mrs would approve of too.

Thought that 1.0 was great. 2.0 is Perfect!