Hello,

I have a selfbuilt collective with a twist grip for the engine throttle. As I'm right in the middle of building my homecockpit, I couldn't test things right now.

Don't remember if the throttle, not the collective, is assignable to a joystick axis. And if it's possible, are there two axis for the right and the left engine (as it is the case for the keyboard control)? I ask, because I only have one twist grip, so I could only control one engines throttle. If there are two analog axis for the engines throttle, is it possible to control both connected with only one axis?

Thanks very much!

Viper

Hi Viper,

I believe that you can assign them to axis. That's what I've done in my pit.

Andy

Hi Andy,

thanks for the quick response. Do you know if you could use the same axis for both engines, so I
could use the the twist grip for both engines? Have built the collective I while ago and haven't
cared about two engine helos. To change this now is a lot of work.

Hi Viper,

Could you replace the throttle pot with a dual ganged one ? That would give you connections for two axis ( that you could split later if needed).

I think you could simply take the center connection of the throttle pot to both inputs on whatever interface board you're using and that would work, but I'm not 100% sure.

Andy

The throttle have separate keys for each engine to increase/decrease them. But I don't think they have separate axis in the control settings.

@ Andy
Hm do you mean something like a stereo-poti, but a linear one? I have seen, that I have the possibility to simulate keystrokes via the poti. I hope I could do something like ",.,.,." for throttle up and "Shift, Shift. Shift, Shift." for the down sequence. In this case both throttles may be controlled.

@ messyhead

If there is no analog axis, I have to use the digital way from above. Hope this solution works. I use Pokeys56U cards for the connetion. Don't know exactly how the digital programming of the axis work, cause I'm relatively at the beginning of the electronically part of my pit at the moment. Just bought the cards a few days ago.


I have also the option to connect the poti to my old FLCS/TQS electronics (digital throttle pot - works the same way as in the HOTAS Cougar) I still use only for keyboard emulation. All the analog axis for the different flight controls are connected to USB. But in this case I have to reconfigure a lot of the connections and resolder many contacts which I've just finished. Really don't like this option so much

I'm building a homepit for use with falcon bms, eech allmods many of the good old Janes sim and the big birds of FS9 and FSX. It's a kind of universal for all aircraft pit, but as realistic as it is possible in this case. Have about 350 switches in the pit, interchangeable HOTAS for F-4, F-15/F-18, F-16, AV-8B with nozzle control, MIG and a collective and cyclic for helos, three functional MFD and four working gauges. Most built by my self, cause sadly I'm no millionaire . Now I have slowly enough of building new things. Must come to an end of a never ending story . Brainless as I am, I haven't took care of the eech's key reference cause I was totally overwhelmed by falcon bms and its hundreds of key commands. At first I want to make the important things work, but than the cockpit virus infected me. The project expanded in a way it should never be. Now I must slowly come to an end, otherwise my girfriend will kill me

Hi Viper,

It's been a while since I set it up on my pit, but I seem to remember using a function in autohotkeys that did what you were talking about.

I'll have a look at my documentation folder (it's big) tonight and see if I can find how I did it.

Cheers,

Andy

Hi Viper,

I've zipped the two autohotkeys scripts for the left and right throttles from my pit and put the file on my simpit site. You can download it from:

http://www.simpit.me.uk/throttles.zip

Inside are the two scripts which you should be able to read in Notepad. They're all commented. I don't think they're my own work, I rekon I got them on the web and modified them to suit my needs. Feel free to butcher them to yours.

Hope this helps,

Andy

Hi Andy,

many many thanks! Have downloaded the file.

I anyway use AutoHotkey for my pit, too. So its no problem to implement your scripts. At the moment I try to get a combination of AHK and Hidmacros running a toggle function, so that you can use just one key on an extra numpad for example to toggle between different macros.

Hidmacros has the option to differ between used USB devices, which means you could connect three standard numpads to your system and program each with different macros. Really great thing, but it lacks the programmability of AHK. That's why I try to combine them.

At the moment things are running, but this could change if all (the Pokeys software for the interfacecards) is running together.

Had the imagination of an universal useable homepit years ago, but never had the time to get my plans come true. Now as I try to make it reality, I see that its a real challenge to get such a universal pit running.

The funny thing is that the simulator I thought which is the cockpit builder friendliest, the MSFS, makes the most trouble. Falcon BMS and EECH are relatively simple to control, but the FSX or FS9 are a real nightmares with such things like mouse macro recording etc. The popular FSUIPC makes things a little better, but its quiet a pain. Most of the more realistic birds have panels with switches you could only click with the mouse. No keyboard functions here.

Hope I could realize my project. Sometimes I'm near giving up, cause its mostly a one step forward and two steps back project ;-) Ever wondered why people make such a extensive work for flying just one aircraft with one simulator after all. Now I know why!

Hi Viper,

Yeah, you've made the pit building a lot harder for yourself by going universal.

I wouldn't worry too much about feeling like giving up. I get like that often, then have a break from it and come back refreshed and ready to go again. I've had months where I didn't touch it at all.

Keep going buddy it's just one more not and bolt towards completion.

Cheers,

Andy

Hi Andy,

just have seen your pit. Looks really great!!!

He, he I've also seen that you have the good old Suncom Talon stick, too. I have posted some pics of my pit few months ago in the Falcon BMS forum, but the quality isn't very good, cause of my stoneaged cellphone .

I also use the old Suncom (SFS/TALON) for the F-15/F-18 HOTAS. Have the old Thrustmaster FLCS/TQS I use for the F-16 HOTAS. For the AV-8B I use the TM TQS, which has a selfmade nozzle-control, and the Talon.

Out of a second SFS I have built my collective. The Grips are interchangeable and all HOTAS have the old FLCS/TQS electronics inside. Have collected a dozen of them over the years. Still love their programmability! The axis run all through USB, only the keyboard emulation in those HOTAS runs with the old electronics.

Mine is still in structural work. I just wanted to begin with the painting and the lettering of some of the parts, but the building management decided to renovate all the balconies. So no more painting this year. Sh.. !

Don't know how to add pics here, otherwise I had posted the layout plan of the pit.

Regards Sven

P.S: I've seen we both share the same philosophy, making as much as possible by your self. Lot of builders buy extraordinary expensive parts and fit them only together.

Hi Sven (glad I don't have to keep calling you Viper....)

it's easy to post pics. On the tools menu above the box where you type in "Quick Reply" you'll see a button with an orange box and a blue upward pointing arrow, that's the upload botton. Just click on it and follow the instructions in the dialog box to select your image.

I was originally an aircraft engineer and then spent quite a few years in the electronics industry after that so I had all the skills needed. I've been building up a workshop in what was our old garage for years as well so am fortunate to have access to most of the tools I needed (my wife is also happy to buy me tools for Christmas/Birthdays).

I'm spending a lot of time just now just "thinking" about how I'm going to fit the projector I've got (managed to get an Epson short throw from work with about 30 hours on the bulb) on to the pit. It's a bug heavy sucker and I want to get it right first time.

Cheers,

Andy

Hi Andy,

o.k let's try it, hope its working. This is just the layout. The HOTAS are still missing in the plan, they are mostly ready, but not painted yet. The pit itself is also under work, no painting also, just the naked structure with a selfmade ejection seat replica.

Want to do the paintings, the lettering of the panels and the HOTAS before winter, but as matter stands I can continue with the pit next spring. Another half year away, but sh.. happens



Not all is labeled in the plan at the moment and some things will maybe change. The left side console is ready. The center panel will get some rotary encoder at the gauges, to adjust them.

The right console will only get some faked instruments for better looking and not much more controls, cause I could not put more of them at the right side. This is a compromise I have to make, in case of simulating side stick controled aircraft, like the F-16, too. You couldn't grab the center stick with the left for a few moments, to operate switches at the right in those side stick planes.

The keyboard at the bottom of the right console gets the whole navigation part for the bigger birds, like com, vor etc. The mini keyboard on the top of the normal keyboard is a part of the not ready at all "A-10C CDU / Airliner FMC" I will make. It's no exact copy in case of the design, but as close as possible without spending hundreds of euros. I have also made a small four lever throttle quadrant for the big birds I could exchange with the fighter side stick. In this case a Yoke is connected to the pit, which is again interchangeable with the center sticks.

The centerpanel has three old Quickshot Masterpilots in, which are cuted out. Behind the whole panel is a TFT, to display the left and right MFD's and the four gauges. The center bottom MFD's has a mini TFT in. Don't know at the moment, if I will connect some cockpit warning lights, too. I have the possibility to do so, cause of the Pokeys I use, but that's a matter of desire. After building so long, I want be able to fly some day. Maybe it's an extra feature for the future, but for now the rest is enough work.

The overhead panel, the most problem at the moment, is just a few simple numpads with one "gaming" keyboard and a bunch of switches connected to an Arduino.

This plan is my aid to memory, if I don't know anymore what I've planed what switch for, a few days ago .
Thankfully I have made it, cause if I go further with the project next spring I wouldn't know anything from memory again. As I couldn't make any construction work at the moment, I will do a little bit of the electronics for now and there is also my bathroom, which I had to renovate. Actually I want to make this after I have finished the painting of the pit, but as state of affairs is at the moment...

Regards Sven

Hi Sven,

Layout looks very good.

Love the idea of the overhead panel. I'd have loved to do that but mine is based on the Comanche and that's all glass overhead.

I could modify the design though. Hmmmmm........ Oh dear you've started me thinking again.

Cheers,

Andy

Hello Andy,

at first I don't want to make an overhead, too. It should be an fighter/attack helo cockpit only. But then I thought about flying bigger birds like C-5, C-130 or in case of helos the CH-47 and CH-53, too. The idea came, why not to use the cockpit for those too, instead of using the "workstation". Now I have placed the workstation behind the pit, connected also some HOTAS, so that my son (or should I say, perhaps mostly myself ) could fly in the backseat. Yes, yes daddy does the work and the son will fly with it...