And the last of the "Hog"-throttles. The F-14D throttle. The grips are really that small, I have the right dimensions. 😅
F/A-18 and F-14D are still a construction-site for sure, the F-15 and the A-10 must be painted the next days. After the throttles I will start with all my collectives and the last part ever (maybe 🤣) will be the 4-engine throttle for the big birds.
At the last photo all Hogs are side by side, starting with A-10, next F-15, after that F/A-18 and the last is the F-14.
Sometimes the photos are good and sometimes bad with the same settings. Don't know exactly what it is, seems having to do with the environmental illumination.
But a new smartphone is something I really have no interest in, as long as I can use the phone function and What's App.
Before I would buy a new phone, I would rather choose to buy a fifth WH throttle to make another "replica" or the Deltasim slews.
Desoldered the switches and prepared the holes for fitting the POV's. I will use partially POV's of an old FLCS stick (3 POV's on the right outside).
The original 8way POV will be splittet into two 4way POV's, one with the diagonal directions and one with the straight ones, to have enough inputs for the F-14D throttle. This isn't programmable with the TARGET GUI, but can be done with the script, although it's a bit tricky. As Direct input it should work without any problems. The wing sweep POV will be made out of the functions of the Boat- and the China hat.
For the wires at the diagonal switch, I will rotate the direction logic clockwise and always add two functions, like eg. up and right to one pin, which than exactly will press the up and right contacts at the same time and makes an up/right corner signal.
The slew must be integrated in the left handle, cause the F-14D grip has it at this position. I will transfer the wires here from the left to the right handle (which has the PCB inside) through the base, making them a bit longer. There is just enough room in the ducts to do so, if the original shrink hose is removed.
The front POV of the right handle will be the 5way POV of the original WH, but with another matching cap for the Tomcat. Originally this is only a 4way POV, but I will use the push-function of this one and the push-function of the slew to mimic the functions at the F-14A/B throttle. Sticks are different, cause I have one F-14D grip and one F-14A/B grip.
I have used a lot, and I mean really a lot of filler
First do a rough sanding, so that the filler has a good adhesion and make all holes fit for the POV's, switches and buttons. (this has also to be done after the painting again, couse of the thickness of the paint layers). After this apply the filler in many thin layers. If needed (what is mostly the case) sand the parts again after the fillering.
Next step is to attach the primer. Also only thin layers and always let it cure between the steps (same also applies for the filler before). I never had to sand after the primer again, but if something goes wrong and a nose or anything else appears, do another sanding.
Then the painting must be done. I used satin black for it, cause it's one of the nicest colors to spray paint (except the F-14D throttle, which is light gray like the real one). It dries really quickly, is awesome to paint and absolutely good looking. You can for sure also use glossy black, cause if you do a satin clear coat finish it does not make a big difference at the end at all. The glossy may be better for attaching decals to it, but I prever the much better properties of satin black during the paint process over this feature.
Attach the printed decals after this. There are special inkjet- or laser decal papers available at Amazon or Ebay, which model makers use for their projects. For the black HOTAS you need a white decal paper and just only print the frame arround the letters. For something like my Tomcat throttle I use clear decal paper and print black letters on it. You can also make colored letters and look what fits better for this, the white or the clear paper. It's mostly a matter the colors saturation.
The clear coat is really the ugliest part to do of the whole paint-work. You have to shake the spray can like hell before using it, to ensure that the clear coat really does become matt. Also always shake it between making the thin layers! And make thin, quick layers, to prevent the decals from pulling up. That is better anyway, since satin clearcoat tends to become glossy again if the layers are too thick and fluid.
That's it! If done properly and with patience the end result is really good, even if the print itself wasn't completely perfect.
AND DON'T FORGET TO CAREFULLY MILL OR FILE THE HOLES OUT AGAIN BEFORE INSERTING YOUR POV'S AND SWITCHES. If you don't do it, you risk the paint chipping off there if you force the things in.
I also painted my HOTAS screwed slightly together, so that not much paint is inside and the contacting surfaces stay clean from paint. If there are some thin corners where the black paint does not cover the primer after the paint job is done, just use a black model color pen or even an Edding and correct those tiny sections. After the clear coat is applied, no one will notice it ever, even you yourself will have problems to find those corrected sections again.
and a bit further. Now some POV and switch caps have to be printed to make it look more like the real thing. There will change some switches in the base too and of corse I will make the manual wing sweep also, but it will not be realistic in it's dimensions and I have to make some compromise also with the functions. Front POV cap will also change.
The filler I have isn't the best choice, but I had 20 cans of it, cause it was for sale here at the ALDI and my wife sponsered me.
The primer and the satin black are from Spraila (ebay or building center). The clear coat is from Ludwig Lacke (also ebay). Really nothing special here. Only thing that is important, use car colors for the grips and not any waterbased paint. Car colors are much, much more abrasion resitant.
For my pit consoles and even some of the bases I use waterbased color (furniture lacquers) and do the painting with a foam roller. You have also to use a primer before (special primer for those lacquers, also attached with the roller) the final color and also do some sanding, but it's much easier and can be done the whole year, cause you don't need to go ouside to do it.
It doesn't smell and there is no spray inside the flat if you do it this way. Here those colors are good enough cause you don't touch those things the whole time and you also do not sweat as much as you are doing it, holding the controls for an hour or more. You only have to be careful that the paint has the right consistency, so that no bubbles appear during the painting with the foam roller and on the otherside the paint is not to fluid so that it runs.
If there are some bubbles, let the paint dry, slightly sand the sections again and do another layer. With a further layer after grinding, bubbles usually no longer appear, this mostly happens only on the first layers.
Added the fingerlifts (springloaded) to the Hornet throttle and also printed all the POV's. The left outside switch is also added (couldn't be seen here at the pic). I used the original switch from the Warthog.
Now all the electronics and wirings have to be done. Some switches in the base will change and many small things have also to be sanded and painted.
P.S: I decided to make the dispense switch cap of the F/A-18E, cause functional it is a Super Hornet throttle. Antenna Wheel is still missing, cause the supporting part to hold it in place is the friction pot, which will be removed now after disassembling the whole thing once again.
... and the F-14D throttle grips with all inputs (also not all in the right colors).
So, of all the throttles I've made now, I find the F-14D throttle the most comfortable to use. Although it has a rather simple shape, it is in my opinion the most ergonomically successful throttle.
Of course, this may also be due to my rather small hands. But all POV's and switches are very nice to reach and can be operated excellently. The slew on the left is a bit unusual, but I think with a reasonable stick, as the Deltasim solution is, this is no problem at all. And the Tomcat D-model throttle has by far the most functions under control.
The Hornet throttle I find despite the ergonomics, not so great to use. Whereby my hands are probably just too small.
On the A-10 and also on the F-15 throttle, the two grips are very far apart (as in the original), which also bothers me a bit. But the rest of the throttle is reasonably easy to use.
The F-16 throttle is, in my opinion, after the Tomcat throttle the most pleasant to operate, but has very few functions. I'm curious about the Harrier throttle, but it still has to be assembled. Then the jets are all done.
Complete disassembly. This is now the third time that I disassemble such a throttle. I'm slowly becoming a WH professional.
If one of the 5 switches in the front plate is broken, you really have to disassemble the whole throttle to get the board out. Then you still have the problem of soldering one switch out and the other in.
Why didn't they just connect the switches with cables to the board? That way almost anyone can change a switch. This is not a 50€ throttle that you throw away when a switch no longer works. The cables to the LEDs are so short that you can hardly get the switch-board out. 🤬
I added the lid above the manual wing sweep, but it's just a mockup (and not finished yet - some small details will follow). Anyway, the whole thing is way too small compared to the original and the function is a bit different too. The opening of the lid and the pulling out of the lever will be programmed via TARGET at the little red button.
My pit is universal and so are all my HOTAS, nothing is a complete replica of anything, but it should give a bit of the feel of the airframe you are just flying. Because of the universal design I have to make some compromises and since the things should be interchangeable, everything must be relatively small and kept in about the same size. The AV-8B throttle respectively its nozzle lever will also not correspond to the original in size and appearance. But I'm ok with it and it was also clear from the beginning of this project.
And on the other hand, which purchasable HOTAS or consoles already correspond to the original? 😂
The switches will be: Top two 2way switches for the engine mode, next are two 3way switches (changed from one stage momentary to normal 3way), the left is the throttle mode switch, the right is the throttle temp switch. Next with the guard is the asym limiter, the red button is already descripted. In the bottom panel left there is a 3way momentary switch, laterally aligned, for the engine crank function. The next switch is a 2way, vertically alligned for the air start. The last switch is also laterally aligned and is a 3way momentary for the rudder trim function.
Inlet ramps and many other extra functions, like a eg. a second backup flaps switch which will be momentary in all directions, will be mounted in a small console left to the throttle. The second flaps switch is needed to use the throttles also with aircraft, that have more than only one or two flaps positions.
The F-14 handles. I slipped them over the rest of the WH-levers (after the original handles were cutted off) and fixed them at the right position with super glue. Only the big part of the lever is fixed, the small cover not, cause it should stay removeable. In this way it's mostly like the original handles also.
After the fix at the right position, I disassembled the whole throttle again and made holes for screws that go through the whole handle and the lever. Here you must take care to not drill through the wire duct of the levers cause there is no other way to transfer the cables, as inside of this duct.
The inside mechanics, which do the spring loading of the original detents (the AB detend, filed down is still in use on all my throttles, except the A-10), must be cutted a little bit (something arround 8mm) to avoid a collision with the screws. But this makes absolutely no difference in the function of the springloaded mechanism.
The covers of the levers are still removeable. You must remove the two screws which go through the whole grip and the lever and also the two original screws at the bottom. After this you can slide them downwards out of the grip. I will add some epoxy to the corners where the big levers go into the handle also, but not much. The whole thing is already stable as hell. 😅
The levers and grips at the Hornet throttle will be done in the same way.
P.S: The original small holes I made in the 3D construction aren't used, cause at that time I was of the opinion that the cables are routed centrally in the lever. ☺️ Don't know why?
No idea how I came to this, because I had even looked at photos of the disassembled lever. Probably I have it then, when I have made the construction, had wrong in memory. #%&*$# just happens sometimes. But I didn't want to design and print new handles now.
Everything fits in! But it is really brutally tight in the Tomcat handle. And the wiring for the diagonals used on the second small outside hat needs a lot of cables.
In the Hornet handle, everything will be much easier (hopefully). 😅
Made a mistake in the planing of the wiring. To use only the diagonals of the 8way hat for the second hat, I had to use diodes. Now everthing is working fine and the throttle is ready for doing the final paint work at a later time. The electronics do not look very nice and a PCB with a circuit for the diodes would be more professional, but it works.
I will now switch to the Hornet throttle and base electronics.
After this I will take a second look again at the Eagle's throttle base and maybe also change some more settings in the base to better fit the functions that I want to have. Now after the Tomcats throttle, which need a lot of changes in the base, I have no more fear to desolder and change more switches at the base-PCB's. 😅
I am currently still fiddling around with the throttle bases. The only throttle that is really fully functionally complete is the one of the F-14D.
For the A-10A/C, the F-15C/E and the F/A-18C/E I am still selecting the appropriate functions in the base. Since I'm not rebuilding an original cockpit, where you simply reproduce the functions of the original, I have to set up everything so that it makes sense in the end in conjunction with the rest of my cockpit, but is also not too far away from the original.
This sounds easier than it is and was already with the predecessor of this cockpit the part that has devoured the most time. This will be much more complex at the consoles and panels than it is with the throttle bases, but I have to consider this already, although the functions of the consoles are not even a 100% fixed yet. They are already roughly planned but will certainly also change again during construction phase, cause some things will only then be recognized as a planning error.
I have to make compromises also of course, like some switches in some airframes will not be at the right places in the cockpit and some things will only be operable in the virtual pit, but otherwise it's just not feasible to do a universal usable pit.
And in addition, even with expensive HOTAS like the WinWing Taurus, the switches are partly on the wrong side of the cockpit and that's only made for one airframe, not to mention the generally usable HOTAS. There is nothing right anyway. 😅
I know some guys think this is neither one thing nor another, but I could never commit myself on just one airplane or helicopter. I wanted to be able to fly as many things as possible, but still sit in a cockpit and have the feeling of real switchable buttons and switches.
The example here is the A-10 Air Refuel Door Lever. Starting with simple shapes, putting them together to match the shape of the lever from top. After this I cloned this shape, turn it 90° and reduce the high to match the top-view part.
Then I take a cuboid and put it over and lay it over the turned and reduced in height part. I make this part a negative part and substract it from the cube.
Now the cube will be put over the first part I made out of the simple shapes. This time the cube must changed to negative and substracted from the made part.
After this I have a part which already looks very similar to the part I want to have. Now the whole thing must be exported and put into Meshmixer. The first thing I do here is to remash the part with a finer mesh.
Here I used "adaptive density", cause it makes the part already more smooth while the remaeshing process. If you don't want this and keep some sharp corners use the "linear subdivision" method.
After the remashing I did a mesh smoothing. Here you have to experiment with the settings until you are fine with the result.
This is the way I did also all my HOTAS. It's not the professional way to make 3D models, dirty but quick! 😅
For further reworks like making holes etc. you have to reimport the model to TinkerCAD again. But you have to keep in mind, that the polygons to reimport it do not have to be over 300.000 polys.
It's also often that after the reimport some cracks appear in the model, but after another export of the final model you can repair and smooth the part again with Meshmixer.
But only smmoth those surfaces that have no fits, cause if you smooth the whole model, those fits will also be smoothed.
P.S: This part took me arround 5 minutes of work. After the rough shape is done you can anytime change the dimensions, like height, lenght, wide and so on.
