Selling warthog extension/offset adjuster.

Hi all, I had this over on the ED forums and thought I would post here as I can do a few more before I run out of the 2" stock I am using so I may not do anymore for a while, if I do.

You can have one for $75 + shipping, I just need to know the length of the extension. The adaptors are bored to 1" so if you already have tube you can use that or get the 8" extension I put in. If you use your own the shipping can be less as the package is smaller.


Only doing aluminium, not the carbon as seen in one pic.

Cool!!!
Thank you!

Looks GREAT!

Nice work, but what exactly are the benefits of a longer handle? ie, what's the difference of a center-mounted default stick versus one that has an extension?

Hi Ice, I guess there are a couple differences. If it is center mounted you currently have to have a 4" base right between your legs or if you dont line that it ends up being higher than your legs and tmaking the stick too high.

This lets you move the base lower so that you just have the 1" extension, lots of room. Even if the 4" base doesnt get in the way when seated, this makes getting in and out of your seat a lot easier if the stick is permanently mounted.

Another is that you can offset the stick the 15 degrees. The other is that some people like the extra movement that you have and the possible more precise movements. It also tames the center detent as they don't seem as harsh.

I guess it's mainly ergonomics though. The pic I have above with it mounted to my warthog is not how it's normally installed, the base would normally be below seat height, thats just my 'product shot' until I get mine set up correctly.

Thanks!

Quick Q's: Does the spring return the stick to centre when in the corners? I'd think the feel of the centre 'click' is greatly reduced, but is it? How's the electric connection passed through?

Hello, It depends on how long you have the extension. When I tried a very long one (cant remember, maybe 9") it didn't return from pulling back. At that length I think there is too much travel, I suggest you just use what you need to get the round base out of the way which is usually ~ 6"

Good point about the electronics, I didn't mention in the post. It doesn't come with a cable. The easiest way is to get a ps2 extender for a few bucks. Chop out most of the wire in the center and put it back together and remove one of the six pins on the male side that will not fit in to the TM base. Thats it.

With the extension on you can still feel the centre click, remove the extender and you feel it a lot more but the extender does allow you to travel through the click easier with slow movements.

Sent you a PM regarding this. It's just what I need

I have had a few Q's about the wiring. Here is what you need to do. You can buy a ps2 extension. They come in in 6 feet lengths.

You need to break off one pin from the male plug. Use something to wriggle it around and it will snap at the base. about 6 moves side to side will do it.

Use something to break off the plastic tab on the male plug. It will break easily enough at the bottom when you push from the side near the top. Push it away from any pins.

On the female side you need to drill or somehow make the slot longer. I went at it with a big drill bit here (3.2mm) you could do it with something smaller. As long as you dont break any of the connectors near by it doesn't matter.

The pic highlights what you need to break.

PM sent regarding sale to UK

Congrats, on first the first great mod for the WH. I fault TM for not providing it with each WH.

That is a nice, and I must say, indispensable addition to the WH.

And I wish you a lot of orders.

Now, if someone could figure out how to fix T.A.R.G.E.T. to add a zoom function to amplify the axes' signals, then this would be even greater.

Could you be a bit more specific? I'm drawing a blank trying to come up with something that would fit under the wording of that question that isn't addressed by the scale and curve capabilities.

Pretty cool.

Ah... this could be it.

With an extended grip you will need to move the grip farther to reach the same angle of motion. The longer the grip the shorter the angular travel. What you need is a way to amplify the signal. The program function equivalent of gears.
Is that what the 'scale' function does? Amplify the signal from the sensor?

OK, I'm getting more lost.

You want to make the stick longer, but still use the same travel as stock? That much is easy - you can either crank up the deadzones or use the 'zoom' function in TARGET so that, say, 1/4 of stick throw gives you 100% output.

You're going to be giving up a few bits of precision though. Still have way more than most titles will ever need, but the precision is a main selling point.

Hi guys, I don't mean to keep peddling my wares but I have four guys wanting an extension and it's not cost effective to make them at that price unless I do at least 6.

So if there are a couple people wanting one then flick me a PM as I don't think I will get another 6 people so quick.

Thanks!

PM sent

Just received mine. Thank you Metalnwood. Have it installed and flying my new A2A Spitfire. This is the best money I've spent on my joystick. If you like flying with a stick this is a must have item.

Received mine today too here in the UK, Thanks Metalnwood, great engineering and very effective mod. Apologies for copying the carbon look....I couldn't resist. (please ignore the tatty HOTAS furniture, it's going to get some love and attention soon and I now need to drop the height of the stick)

Glad you like it guys! Hey, that CF one looks just like mine

Did you get my PM metalnwood? I really looking forward to buy one of your extension.

Received mine today, a great piece of kit! Very pleased to see that the spring 'divot' has been significantly toned down in feel when moving the stick through center. Worth every dollar, thanks metalnwood!

Thanks Jocko, I have just about run out of aluminum again so I need to make sure I keep one for me, mine was sold a while ago now.

I will be the first to make them and last to use them

Ok, completely up and running again now, had just played with the action before last post. Found an old 10' PS/2 extension cable in the basement (see Honey, that's why I never throw anything away... ), still had to go out and buy a new wire stripper as mine only went to 22 gauge and the tiny wires inside the PS/2 cable are probably 24 gauge.

Performed some minor cosmetic surgery on both the male and female side (see metalnwood's pic above), clipped each end of the cable down to about 4.5" from the connector base, stripped it (10 gauge), stripped each little internal wire (24 gauge), then soldered each little wire to it's mate (NOT my specialty, last time I did any soldering was installing Cubby's Hall sensors in my Cougar), heated the shrink tubing that I almost forgot to install before soldering, a little electrical tape for protection and voila, IT'S ALIVE!!!! All buttons and axes work!

Now to get started on the stick mount

Metalnwood definitely gets the Teej Seal of Approval.

Bought one of these because I definitely wanted to go to a center stick setup and thought I just might want to try some extra throw. This works perfectly for me and his design makes it a snap to change the stick grip angle - I have mine twisted 20-30 degrees for a more ergonomic center grip.

Heh sounds familure. I still haven't replaced my own Franken-Potato

I got a red slip of paper from the mailman today saying I got a package that was too big to fit in the mail slot. I got curious because I wasn't expecting anything.... then I realized what it must be! Very nice work, sure glad I bought this. Now to see if the local Currys has some PS/2 wires.

Dammit, now I have to make a new 'pit!

I've lopped an inch and a half of mine, so down to 6.5" extension.....perfect for me now and have updated my centre mount so that it is at the correct height. The spring also gets a little relief and is slightly stronger.

I've also had to further tweak my HOTAS furniture to get the all important wife-acceptance certification. I'll have to get some new photos posted. Little does she know that the next purchase will be the USB MFD's (I think that will have to be via the PayPal Stealth option), I asked her to be my navigator the other night and offered to deck her out in a flying suit and headset - the slap I received nearly took my head off. If anyone wants to trade in my anti-flight wife for someone else's flight-happy wife don't hesitate to PM me

Sorry Daz but I'm keeping my wife, thankyouverymuch!

Having trouble sourcing a PS/2 wire though.

I got mine from ebay - 99p to approx £1.99 each depending on length.

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/i.html?rt=nc&...d=p3286.c0.m283

Hi,
I recieved my "metalnwood Extension" this morning and...wow. It very nicely build, very sturdy and it makes a such a huge improvement on how the warthog reacts! And really, plastic and garden accessories on such a beautifull hotas, NO WAY.
That's a must have, THANKS metalnwood!

Great I am gad you like it and I hope the other guys who have received them like them as well.

When I made it and posted over at the ed forums I didn't think people would ask me to make them one! Little did I know! I have done 27 of them and I hope they are all working well for you guys. I have now done all orders, sorry for the few guys that had to wait a little bit longer. I tried to keep them to a week but I know some had to end up waiting for two before I was able to ship them.

Thankfully, I can now make one for myself and have a bit of time to use it

I have once again run out of stock so I won't be doing anymore for a while depending on interest. Same as last time, if you are interested PM me but I will have to wait until I get at least 6 people willing to place orders - that could take a bit of time.

Also, I learnt that paypal takes some $$ off top which I didn't know about when I started so if you do want one I am going now ask for $80 instead of $75.

Anyway, back to a10

The only problem I'm having wit the extension is that I take my joystick off the base when I'm not using it --- it protrudes up too much and my elbow bangs against it when using the mouse. Obviously, with the extension, this protrusion is worse. And with the extension, taking it removing/replacing the stick is now harder, with the allen screw and such.

Another complaint is the cramped confine of the extension tube for the PS/2 extension wire. I can't make it too short because I obviously need some slack for when attaching it to the stick and base, but jamming that slack wire back in is a pain! I'd like to hear other users how you set up your PS/2 wires.

Of course if I had a dedicated pit, this wouldn't be a problem.

A big, BIG plus of the extension (and I'm using the small one) is that it softens that center-clunk that people have been complaining about.

Yes, an extension is certainly not ideal if you plan on removing the stick all of the time.

I would suggest that your ps cable is 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 the length of the tube and inserted like an S. That way it is already in a good folded position to pull out a bit and push in again.

I dont think I would use it in your position. What you should look at doing is making some quick connect/disconnect for the actual warthog base so that you can move the whole unit rather than take the stick off. This would be much easier for you in the long run I think.

I think the biggest complaint is not so much the extension but your situation and I agree it's not ideal.

Yeah, a dedicated pit (or a removable one, which this is, but I'm just lazy) would help matters a lot. Still figuring out how to remedy the PS/2 cable thing though. I am doing the S technique now, but like I said jamming it back in is... a bit of a challenge. I'm seriously debating putting a little bit of oil/petroeum jelly to make the dry rubber cable "slide" a bit more easily.

Excellent idea... but with the size of those pin cables, it looks way too fragile for me. Might be worth experimenting with though. Bottom line is I probably might have more than one PS/2 cable...

Ice, I had exactly the same problem....the issue being that my HOTAS parking place is lower than the desk it fits under therefore I was unscrewing the handle off the joystick to put it away tidy. I tried all sorts with the cable and was thinking about another way of dealing with the connectors with the possibility of another quick release device, but ultimately and although my cable is a snug fit on the connectors at both ends of the device I think that constantly undoing one end will result in failure some time in the future.

It was at that point I decided to tackle the issue from the opposite end. I don't what options you may have with your freshly built HOTAS furniture but I decided to tackle my desk instead and modified that. Now I don't have to worry about undoing the allen key bolts, undoing the cable and going through that again in reverse every time I got it out. I simply created a channel in my desk that lets the joystick slide into. Followed up with a respray and job done.

With a better 'pit layout (and with this stupid, cursed extension, I'm going center-stick layout!! ), it won't be much of a problem. It's just getting in the way of the right arm with my current side-stick setup.

I think I'll buy more PS/2 cables, if nothing but to have spares available.

My current desk is one from Staples, and even if I were inclined to chop and mod it, I have yet to buy my DIY tools, so that's not an option for now. I do agree that constantly installing/removing the stick may only lead to trouble later on.

Would this mod also fit on a cougar?

I don't know if they are compatible but after a bit of an early rush, I did near 30, the interest has completely dropped off so it doesnt look like there will be enough interest to do another run.

That said, yes, it would work on a stock Cougar, or one with FCC / FSSB mods.

Whether it would work on an IJ mod I don't know (Uber)....there's been several reports of people unsuccessfully trying to put a 'hog handle on their IJ-mod Cougar base and it didn't fit for some reason.

Metalnwood, if you do another run I'll be interested in buy one

Cheers

Hi Metalnwood et al., just wanted to say that I recieved the extension a while back and everything works great, I made the cable as decribed from the ps2 extension, worked on the first try, but those cables are tiny, it was interesting to solder them

If there are some other photo nuts in here, well those tripods tend to accumulate over the years, wouldn't you say? I set up a temporary center stick combo from a couple of tripods with two pieces of mdf board bolted to stick and throttle to be able to attach camera plates to fit them in the tripod heads. Works great and it's easy to try out height/length of extension etc., would be a bit messier with pedals though

Cheers /Per

Interesting concept with the tripods. I have one that I might tinker with. Seems like you wouldn't need the extension for the joystick, you could just extend the tripod to achieve the correct height. My only concern would be if you had to do some yanking and banking. Definitely looks promising for the throttle though. Also, I see how the legs could get in the way of rudder pedals.

I'd hate to use this in a WW2 pit, but damn.
You guys are making it hard to resist!

Hi Lucky,
I think the tripod would get more in the way without the extension, but the biggest point is that I like the action of the extended stick much more than stock, feels smoother and more precise, I will probably shorten the extension a little after some more experimentation to get a good compromise.
The tripod is really stable due to creating a very large base, combined with the larger leverage of the extended stick I would be more worried about wrecking the stick that moving the tripod if I was slapping the stick hard to the extremes.
This was mostly to try out the extension before setting up something a bit more purpose built (but I have no space for someting permanent) but I'm actually surprised at how well it works, easy to put away to.

I was thinking instead of the extension just use the height adjustment of the tripod. But, if it's only temporary then it doesn't matter. How did you mount the mdf board to the tripod?

I have quick locks on the tripod heads that clamp to a small plate with dove tails, so I just used wood screws to attach the plate to the mdf, and then the head clamp -> plate attachment is very solid, but that system is pretty expensive for just messing around, I would never get it just for this, I had a couple of extra plates laying around for the camera gear.
For a normal tripod head I guess you could replace the standard 1/4 inch bolt with a longer one if it is accessable and countersink the head in the mdf or something like that.

Hi Lucky, I think what Per_L was hinting at as well is that the extension between the base and the stick changes the feel of the stick to one that is more preferable to a lot of people. It softens the thunk in the middle and allows more movement.


If you only want to achieve an adjustment in height but not stick length then yes, your idea will work but the stick will still feel stock.

Got it. Thanks for the clarification.

I have a Manfrotto tripod left over from when i sold my camera equiptment. It has a ball head and some quick adapttors. So it wouldn't cost much to use it for either the stick or throttle.

Aha, the manfrotto system should work great, it is similar in concept to the arca swiss system I use, my plates are a bit bigger so perhaps more room for bolting them to the stick/throttle but that's solvable one way or another.

I received my Extension a efw days ago and finished my centermountconstruction. The quality of the extension is really superb and flying with a centermount is simply a much more immersive gameplay and also the precisiongain thru the extension is imense.

Winger

Here are some pics

metalnwood,

Are you still taking orders? This may make or break Tarmac's ability to get my money.

anyone can tell to me , that how big diameter and screw thread have on the Cougar handle ?
I would like to made a removable handle on my old TM F16FLCS

Great to see you have it all plugged in Winger, after the mission of getting it shipped over there. I just sent another one to germany. No doubt he will be the last to get it..

Bill, I have some stock left over to do a couple so pm me if interested.

Repvez, the thread is a M36x2 ie.e 36mm diameter with a 2mm pitch.

Thanks,

Just thought I'd chime in with a recommendation, have flown quite a few hours now with metalnwood's extension and it is great! Easy to install and greatly reduces the center 'divot' that the stock WH user has to put up with, very pleased.

A word of warning to all who are considering this purchase --- once you start using the extension, you will have to change your flying style. No more small twitch movements, you'd need to move the joystick a bit for input. Great for guys with crappy accuracy like me... but once you get used to this extension, it'll be very hard to fly again without it

I second that. The amount of precision gained when aiming is amazing.

Winger

@metalnwood YHPM

Just got my Warthog, can feel a cockpit build coming on.

DG

Installed my extension last night and flew some carrier ops to test it out.
The added precision is absolutely fantastic. I thought it was going to take me a while to get used to it, but the benefit was immediate. I never did like the thunk as the stock stick passed through the center -- even posted some screenshots on this site of what happens going through the center. The extension has minimized that thunk -- I now have far more precise control near the center.

I know I will have to be careful now. With the added leverage, I could easily break the joystick -- now I'm thinking of adding some sort of "fence" around the perimeter of travel.

BTW, I found a 7" PS/2 splitter that worked perfect for electrically coupling the stick to the base.

The stickmovement is already physically limited from the topplate whene the stick comes out.

I think that is not really an issue since the longer traveldistance already leads (at least me) for some reason to not use so much force to move the stick. Could be because its already easier to move around now with the longer handle.

Winger

deleted, wrong thread

I know there are a couple of diy solutions out there. I have seen a couple use garden hose attachments.

One part I can't see from those attachments is how well the stick attaches to the top. If you look at the hog base it has some recesses. If you look at mine in the pictures there are also the recesses. They are primarily there so that the stick cannot rotate because the nut it uses is not fixed to the stick, it swivels.

The other issue is if they are not there the stick cannot screw on the full length of the thread , only a turn and a half. I wonder how long that will last with only a small part of the thread being used? Hard to tell from the pics I have seen.

in all points you´re right. The thread i can use isn´t very long. I had to use a metal nut on the lower side of the joystick and with a lot of file work i can do 2 turns metal nut on metal thread of the cougar so its ok but not perfect. I hope my english "works" Such a extension makes the joystick thousand times more sensitive.

Order sent....need to get the stick between the legs!

does anyone have a video posted of the extension in use ie to see the travel of the handle i have a kwikpit with a center stick and cant verify if i will have room for it.

Have the extension myself. I can give you the measurments of the travel forward,backward,left and right from dead center if you like, but won't be able until I get off work tonight.

No video...but presumably you would lower the base by a length equivalent to your extension anyway...position it where you think it would go, move it to full deflection....then imagine it being just under twice as long.

It would be one thing if you were talking about an 18" extension and would be putting the base on the floor and would have to do the splits with your legs to have enough room for the throw....but the movement really isn't that drastic.

Hi guys!

I recieved my extension some weeks ago and now I have it cut to the right length and put the modified P/S 2 cable into it, works like a charm =)
I really love the rotation, much more comfortable for the hand, and the extra length gives extra precision =)

my extension is about 8cm long and I think with the cable in it you can't get it much shorter without making it very hard to plug the cable in.

If needed I can measure the throw tomorrow.

Thanks metalnwood for this great extension =)

I just got my stick extender/compensator running and I could not be happier with it.

Thanks again metalnwood

J

Thanks guys, I am glad you have them installed and they are working for you! I on the other hand do not have one for myself yet!

I have a top section that I didn't think was good enough to sell but is functional so I kept that to the side for me. I still have to do a bottom part.

I am working on the last two that I will do for some time because I have run out of stock again, so sorry if people are reading and want one. There will probably be a wait again.

In the mean time I am putting the CNC to use and making up some replica panels to build up the left console of the a10. They should fit nicely around the throttle. At the moment I am working on the radios but I will be using 7 segment displays instead of the mechanical turning number system in the real a10.

It should interface to dcs and give me some real knobs to turn and displays to look at. Also radios are a couple of the harder things to use with a touch screen so I would like a real hardware solution for them. I will probably do a number of different panels.

Pics of the panels please! Might be more business coming your way!

Hi Mfrank,

So all you needed to do was break the pin and it worked?

What size extension did you cut your metal tube to? Will the 7" PS/2 splitter be long enough to plug into the full extension tube that he does?

Did you cut away the second cord as well?

Cheers

Do you know what would make you some BIG money? Some replacement stickreplicas for i.e. the BF109 or some other flightsticks. I think the market is pretty big for such things. And if welll built people would be willing to pay for a good replicastick. I for example would buy a 109 replica:)

Winger

The problem would be the wiring...even to get just a trigger and bomb release you'd have to reverse engineer the existing grip and/or use a cannibalized stick grip for parts.

Note circuit board in this SimHQ review pic:

http://www.simhq.com/_technology3/images/technology_174a_018.jpg

Metalnwood,

Just letting you know that the ext arrived safe and sound...thanks!

Hi Taipan,

Yep, just broke the pin. Of course, I still had to drill the holes in the center, but that was a piece of cake with a dremel. I used the 7" PS/2 splitter for the 6" tube and it fit fine. And yes, I cut away the entire 2nd cord -- actually I cut off the second cord and peeled the jacket back a bit, removed the shield and cut the internal wires to slightly different lengths then pulled the jacket back up. I did this to prevent the shield from shorting to one of the wires and to prevent the wires from shorting with other wires.

To add to my previous post, I don't need any kind of "fence". I thought the added leverage would lead me to damage the base, but it just doesn't happen. Really like this mod.

Bugger, I envy you guys because I am getting more in to a10 and I dont have anything left to do one for myself and another guy!

Whats worse is that I had put the first one on without wiring it up but it was enough to know that this would be nice.. Now flying many more hours on a10 and remembering the feel I want it. I have just been doing some flying around/ lots of ils landings for fun and the extra precision would be nice.

No problem as I am feeling spoilt having just got one 42" 1080p to see how it went and will get a couple more next week to replace my current eyefinity screens! :->

Awesome, sounds nice and easy to setup then. Ive seen a few of those splitters on ebay. I hate fiddling with cables and stuff...

Well I'm ready whenever you are buying the next batch of materials. I've tried to talk some others into it but they aren't able to do it due to their cockpit setup restrictions.

3x42" in eyefinity! Woah you are not the one who should be jealous.

Are you going portrait mode due to the size? That's what I'd do... I've got a single 30" but that will have to do with the lack of decent graphics cards I like having 60 frames.

Hi Taipan, you were the other guy

I will see what happens next week when I get the new 42's installed. I may just be tempted to go buy the extra stuff so I have one, then I can do one for you as well.

I will stick to landscape as I prefer it for a couple of reasons. One is that there is way too much vertical at 42" so a lot of it would be blue sky. I have a touch screen with gauges mounted in front so I dont need to see below either.

The other is that for motor racing I cant seem to use the trackir, the brain doesnt like it and I go off the road when using eyefinity. It's fine for racing with a single monitor/trackir but 3 seems to give my brain a kick lol.

So, three in portrait gives me basically 180 degrees and with iracing its good because there is no stretching on the side monitors

Ahh yeah I tried iracing, trackir wasn't so good in that compared to flight sims. I decided racing wasn't for me I like to fly or blow up things in games

I guess I don't mind seeing sky because I play alot of RoF where the vertical is important when pulling for a shot.
But for DCS yeah the ground and horizon is best. As long as your can see 120" all the way round!

Let me know what you want to do, I'm doing ok stick on the desk for now but will buy an extension whenever you're ready.

Cheers

Here's mine....

Looking good. Nice pedestal, what was that used for in an earlier life, steam or water?

Funny guy! It's actually 100mm pvc pipe with 100mm flange on the bottom and a 100mm cap on the top. Warthog Joystick is screwed to the cap. Pipe is half filled with mortar to give it some weight (to stop flexing) as the Joystick is quite heavy. All screwed to 16mm ply.

I have been meaning to get around to doing my own and I have finally installed it!

Given I use a car seat I can't have it too long but where it is seems to be good. I have added a little more than 3" to the length but it gives it a lot more travel and makes the flying nice. Very good for a10 but il2 will require some slight changes in stick movement than I have been used to.

I have found that I cannot rotate the stick too much as I still sometimes pull back from the direction the stick is pointing. I.e. if it's offset 30 degress I will be pulling back and to the right because it feels right to pull back on the grip rather than back towards me. I am sure I will get that sorted

While its not too long it does give a lot more travel so I do get more precision. Also, if it was too much longer it would touch the touchscreen that I use for the gauges.

I got some new 42" screens a couple weeks back so a lot of changes lol.

I just need to make proper stands for them so that I can move the bedside drawers back in to our room and make the wife happy

That's simply awesome Metal!

Thanks mate

I am liking it so far but I really need to make stands because sooner or later the wife will complain about her light and radio sitting on a barstool beside the bed

The trouble is, being so large now I was forced to move it from the open plan section of the house in to it's own room. Now the trouble has turned in to opportunities, I have a dedicated sim room, how best can I grow the beast now lol.

Looks good!

Have you guys experimented with offsetting the stick by 15 degrees with these pipe style center mounts?

What do you prefer in the end, default stick or offset?

Cheers

Do you mean like mustangs and paradazas?

I would not offset the pillar, it should be done on my extension as you guys have it.

If you just turn the pillar then you will either have a problem of introducing unwanted roll when pulling straight back on the stick or you need to use target to compensate for it but I don't like that method.

As you have the extender I would just do it there and then it is very easy to tweak it to your liking by loosening the top grub screw and turning/tightening again.

Yep like their setup. By the way thanks guys for the excellent info, I read the other thread with all the photos!

With the offset, you can adjust in the TARGET software to counter unwanted roll. So if you offset by 15 degrees, you just add a line to your profile scripts to counter that. There is a function specifically for that to cater for cockpit builders.

I'm just wondering if people find they like it like this for ergonomics, or if it's a detriment to precision to do this..

Yes you can do that Taipan but you wouldn't want to do that.

With my extension that you have you just need rotate the top adaptor around the tubing. That way you are not rotating the base and have to do the TARGET thing.

The stick will be ergonomically rotated but the axis directions will remain true.

Ahh ok good idea thanks.

I have my base, PVC pipe, screws, PS2 cable, and cement. Now I just wait on the carbon fibre covering before I can build this

Although the extension gives a smoother movement, do you guys also find the need to replace the grease in the ball joint?

Lots of people were saying it helped get rid of sticktion over at ED forums: http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=62564&highlight=grease

I'll have to see how I go, but I use the stick almost every day now, it could be better to regrease it.

Getting a cougar hotas. Are you still making these extenders?

I'd be interested in one too if you're still making them. Great addition to the pit I'm working on.

Hi guys, I have had four guys all ask at once so I will follow up in a day and see if you all want one still and I can do a quick run.

I'm interested in one, so if you do another run count me in.

If you're thinking about doing another run I would love to be added to the list as well!

Now that I've gone and bought one of the silly things, I should probably put my request in for a set as well. A set cut out of black acetate or black delrin might be cheaper than aluminum too.

g.

Sweet thanks Metal I'll start saving the cash!

EDIT: On second thought hold my order Metal. As bad ass as your extension is I might be able to make my own and save my desperately needed cash! Won't be as nice or as sturdy as yours but will leave me $60 richer LOL. Thanks for thinking about another run though and if I change my mind I'll let you know ASAP.

Don't know if he is still doing these but I would like to have my name in the hat just in case.

Hello, I have done a couple here and there. The demand is low after doing quite a few initially.

Last time I waited until 6 people had interest and then only two replied and went through with the orders so I have not been to keen to stick my neck out and do more.

A lot of the hassle is fitting the time in to do them, I like to take the money up front but fairly often I would say a couple of weeks and it would turn in to four before I ship which isn't exactly fair.

So I am not entirely sure the best way to continue with them unless people are happy to pay up front and possibly wait 4 or even 5 weeks until it ships - at worst case. I would hope that I do it within 2 weeks though.

Hope you do more runs for the simmers out there, metalnwood. Very great add-on for this already-awesome equipment. If 6 people had interest but only two went through, does that mean you have some extras lying about?

No spares unfortunately! It just means that I have some material that I have not turned in to parts.

The bigger pita is that it's more effort doing only one or two at a time and with changes in exchange rate, paypal fees and all of that it just doesnt feel worthwhile doing one or two.

When I priced it up I wanted simmers to be able to afford it so it is priced lower than anything else I do in terms of return on investment for me. Thats because it's something associated with my hobby so I don't mind so much. Making little money on it just doesn't give me the motivation right now to do one or two at a time.

I must have done 60 now so that doesn't help motivation either!

Fear not, guilt that people want one seems to get the better of me as I know it improves the experience and I think other people should have it. I wish TM made them,!

PS. That doesn't mean people should not be shy in asking as you just don't know when a few people are interested and I am willing to do them.

I think I remember you saying that it was easier for you to make a "production run" of, say, 6 units, is that correct? If so, why not make a few runs and then ship them as people order them, rather than wait for orders before making a batch?

Also was wondering how hard it would be to "modify" your design? It's just that the base unit (the one that screws on the joystick base) seems to scrape the top silver surface of the base, eventually making a mark. Shaving off (or rounding off) the bottom edge of the base unit would avoid this "problem."

hi Ice, thats no good. The current ones should not have that problem. I didn't actually know that any had an issue like that. Just checking my one which is that same as all the ones I have made for some time it doesn't do it.

Obviously on your's the internal bore and thread is longer than it needs to be. What you can do on yours is get some materialthat is a couple of mm thick, like leather or cardboard and create a circle with a hole in the center large enough to sit inside the base adaptor. This will stop it screwing in far enough to give you the clearance issue you have.


I usually bore to ~ 11.1 - 11.2mm for the internal thread. I.e. thats the maximum amount the male thread on the base can go in. I wonder what it is on your one?

Lol, no idea dude, you made this one.

I know I changed the length of the base adaptor by a small amount but I didn't think I changed the depth of the bore for the female thread so I was just curious what depth I may have done on yours.

If it is annoying you then def do what I suggested above. Another good one is some rubber, like a rubber washer. Put that in there and it will also make sure that when you tighten the adaptor to the base it will not wiggle free from use. Not that mine has done that yet anyway.

Rubber washer found in water hoses should sort that issue out.

What is the stock wiring connector called from the inside of the stick to the base. I have made a wire extender for inside the tubing using the ps2 connector but want to try and find some that don't need to be modded other than some soldering.

Hi Chappy, There are not any off the shelf versions like that. You have to take a standard one and remove a pin and piece of plastic from one end and mill out a larger area from the female side.

I can supply you an already made cable to fit in a 4" extender, all working for $10 if you like.

no thanks I have a new one still in the package. Was just wondering if there was one that could have just needed to be shortened.

metalnwood you have mail sir

Hi guys, I have just finished some extenders but there is just enough to do one more. I wont be able to fit it in this week but if anyone is interested I can send it this time next week.

It's $85 + $20 shipping and if you don't want to do your own cable by following the instructions earlier in the thread I can make you up a modded cable for $10.

Thanks,

Got my warthog today. Attached the extension right out of the box and I love this set up. Thanks for making me an extension the quality is great!

Thanks Chappy, glad you like it!

For anyone interested I have one extender I can ship in the next two days. It is currently 125mm but I can make it smaller - 100mm is the most popular.

If you want it PM me, it is $85usd + $20 shipping and another $10 if you want a modded cable.

Thanks.

M&G, you have a PM re the above post

Hi Metalnwood,

I have sent you a PM.

Another satisfied customer

Good to see it is working!

Brig, it doesnt look like you put an offset on it? When I first put an offset on it I kept wanting to pull back in the direction that the stick was facing so I got a bit of roll happening as well, doh.

It took a little bit of use for me to pull back straight but its much more ergonomic on the wrist with the offset, you may have it, just hard to tell from the pic.

It's the angle of the photo. I have it offset by around 5 degrees.
When I set it up I had the extender slightly loose, sat in the chair and moved the stick around until comfortable and set it in place.
Looks very cool and feels great.

Can't thank you enough

I highly recommend the "M&G Thrustmaster Offset and Extender ™" to anyone who want a centre mounted WartHog.

metalInwood, I sent you a PM

Hi all, I have had a few enquiries lately but I will not be doing any more runs for a while.

I am thinking about some other products that may interest some of you though. As you know there are not really any options for us combat simmers to get working panels for our various aircraft.

Having now added a large laser to my workshop with a 1500x1200mm (59"x47") cutting area it is possible that I could use it some of the time for flight sim panels. I have also recently changed the devices I use from atmel AVR (not arduino) MCU's to TI M3 cortex chips which gives me some other options that I plan on utilising.

At the moment I am putting together the VHF AM radio from an a10, currently it's got an ethernet interface and is pulling information directly from the game but that will change a little bit.

I will keep you guys posted and probably start another thread soon.

Just wanted to throw in a comment here for metalnwood's work. I recieved my extension from him about a month (give or take a week) ago. I have it mounted in my pit, and will be doing a post in the pit builder's section shortly. The quality and ease of installation were welcome, and the workmanship in the extension was evident. I realize that metalnwood has stated that he is not doing more of these at this moment, but if/when he does throw the invitation out, know you will be getting a great product.


Thanks again metalnwood. I hope to see you expand on your services offered as I see you may now be in a position to produce panels and other materials for home simming.

Great stuff!

Thanks to you all who have said something in this thread and in some others recently I have read

It is likely that I will not make any more extenders. It's all manual and takes too much time, it has become hard to fit them in and give people good timeframes. I know some people are prepared to wait but then I have to give up some of my own time to do it and my interests are tying up all my free time right now.


As I mentioned a post or two up I am working on parts for my a10 pit and I have been working on it, off and on. More off than on as it turns out Probably another few weeks of that before I can really concentrate on it.

Thought some of you might be interested in a couple of things I have done. I will probably miss some people as I bury it in this thread but its on a couple other sites as well.

I had been working on the radio and then turned to the caution light panel and the CDU. Here is where I am up to with those.

The CDU is not complete, everything including the buttons has to be made from scratch. Wish there was more off the shelf to hang it all together but there is not. The buttons dont press yet. Just waiting to get the PCB's made and then they will be all go. For you eagle eyed you will see a mistake which I wrote on the youtube description.

BTW, the text on the CDU lcd isnt blown out like that, its just the camera.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGAN03YWalM



.

nice job.

Are you still selling a 100mm or 125mm post?
I want to buy one now....

If its too long you can cut it with a hacksaw and re attach the end. It can be tightened with an Allen key, I did this it's not too thick.

Hi Josh, sorry I am not selling them anymore. They are just a bit too time consuming to do on the side.

If I had a CNC lathe it would be a different story!

Hi metalnwood,

It is a pity you can´t do them anymore. Can you confirm if the thread is M36x2? Any advice would be welcome.

Thanks.

Damn. It's ashame cause I really need one for my hotas stick. Does anyone else make them?

How did you make the the thread of the metal to join to stick? With the CNC or?...

Damn. It's ashame cause I really need one for my hotas stick. Does anyone else make them?

How did you make the the thread of the metal to join to stick? With the CNC or?...

William, I had made them all manually on a lathe and a couple things on a mill but they were too time consuming to keep on with. Also a bit of motivation was lost after doing 80+ of them. Its a bit repetative and tedious by then

Aullido, it is a M36x2 thread. Not much advise though. Without a lathe its pretty much impossible to do. Check out the other diy threads using a garden attachment.

Thanks Metal,

Unfortunately "garden attachment" simply doesn't sound right.

Okay. Yeah cause I was looking forward to buying one, but yeah a "garden hose" part just doesn't sound right

Cheers,
Josh

@Williams,

Since You are an Aussie maybe you can contact IJ, if He can do the Uber Nxt 2, a extension will be a piece of cake.

Don't knock it if you haven't tried it. Some of us have done it. Cost around $15.00, and it works just as well as the one that cost almost $100.00.


With the savings you could buy TM MFD's.

Maybe not the prettiest but it works perfectly.

Does anyone know where to buy the thread ?

How do I contact him?

He is still active at frugal refugees.

http://frugalsrefugees.yuku.com/

... and he is planning an Uber Hog. There goes my savings.

Hey lucky, where did you buy the thread from to screw onto the stick?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002VED3KW/ref=pe_175190_21431760_M2T1_SC_dp_1

I used 2 1/2" PVC male adaptors and a 1/2" PVC coupling

Don't want to hijack this thread anymore then I have but, here are a couple more pictures



After some trimming

Guys, I'm thinking of selling my extension setup... see thread

Just bought the thread off amazon. Can't wait to build my extension....

Is 150mm too big for the pole?

Depends. Mine was almost 5 inches (127mm), a little too long for where I had it. Where are you mounting it? Some people feel 3 - 4 inches(76 - 101mm) is about right, just gonna depend on where you mount it.

Mounting it in middle of pit. Does the 100mm hit your leg when you move it?

Basically I held it between my legs. I kinda sat on the base with the stick between my legs (OK, stop laughing). It was a little long. Before you commit to a final length, I would take something about the same height as the stick will be and test it. I never really had an issue with it hitting my legs at 127mm. It did hit my chest when I pulled way back on the stick though, but that was due to holding it between my legs.

How did you screw the pipe connection to the garden hose connection? I can't find a way to screw it into the garden hose connection

What fittings are you using?

I'm using the Gardena hose fitting

Hello,

Maybe the pictures in this thread may help you out http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ub...tml#Post3305974

Thanks

For those guys that are unaware and still wanting an extension there is now another person making them.

He has posted on the DCS forum and is taking orders!

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=99092