Building a 3D printed HOTAS based on the in-game cockpit

MathCampbell

M
Hey all, decided to get into 3d printing and play about with Arduino's, and I also wanted a HOTAS for ED...
So I'm building a :"as-close-as-I-can" HOTAS based on the in-game cockpit...I'll be doing the stick, throttle and the two panels you see in-between...

So far, I've got my switches mostly purchased, I'll be using arduino pro micro's as the embedded controllers. The display on the left panel will be a 4.3" 800x480 HDMI display linked into windows for use with either Cougar Displays or FIP Elite. I was considering throwing a raspberry pi in and using that instead but I can't see anyway to get live data from the journal to a raspberry pi without a lot of custom coding..

3d modelling the stick has taken a long time, but I'm getting there and someone on Discord said I should start a thread here to act as a build log. The palm-rest thing on the left panel under the screen will be backlit, with the index finger button using a 5-way hat, and the other fingers and thumb just plain tactile push buttons. The panels are mostly complete when it comes to the models needed for 3d-printing; the stick is about 765% of the way there, just need to add in mounting points internally for the switches and buttons and work out how to get the z-twisst assembly I've found on thingiverse to mate into the stick...the gimbal I'm using is already designed by a guy on thingiverse, so I can remix that in...

I'll update this as I go; I hope to be ready to start printing the panels very soon on my Ender3v2. The Stick will be a little later cos I need to make sure the mechanisms will all fit internally and leave me space for the wiring etc. I'll likely have to print a few copies...

stickprogress2.JPG
stickandpanels1.JPG
Screenshot 2021-06-19 at 21.43.38.png
 

Tom Jacobs

Tom Jacobs
Thats cool if u have the skill to do.
Basically the closest thing to the elite hotas is the x52 stick which looks 90% like it and the T1600M sliding throttle.
Maybe use that as a base.


Thrustmaster_TWCS_Throttle_gaming_gashendel@@njzt9a_1.jpg610xr1TFpNL._AC_SL1500_.jpg
 

MathCampbell

M
Aye, that's where I started in from; I'm mostly there with the stick. I haven't stared on the throttle, but someone on Thingiverse made a very similar throttle I can adapt, so the hard work is already done there, it's just a question of adapting and fixing it all together in 3D (and of course then printing, sanding, rubberising, painting, soldering, coding and building it all)...
 

MathCampbell

M
Minor update; I've started printing the main joystick casing...it's not perfect I think I'm gonna need to increase the thickness in places and possibly a registration hole or two to make the halves line up...here's the left hand side, with the triggers in place - the mount for the top trigger is attached to the right side of the switch so not visible here, and the roller switches haven't arrived yet but you can see where they'll go...and where the springs sit...
IMG_0508.JPG
 

MathCampbell

M
Other half is printed and now thinking of revising thickness in a. few places and working on how to best integrate the Z-twist (for yaw) into the bottom of the stick...it is amazing to hold it in my hand tho...feels very comfortable, tho I am worried it's a little small, but it fits my hand great so I guess that's what counts...
 

MathCampbell

M
Amy Pendergast said:
Cool project 👍

Will you make the project available for repro later? Would be great for us tinkerers :)
Click to expand...
Yep, happy to; I've already had some folk asking if I could print them one as well (for cost; not to make profit, it's Frontier's design, I'm just making it "real")..
This is just the joystick obviously, I still have to do the mount/gimbal for the stick, then the throttle and the two button/diusplay panels....
 

Amy Pendergast

Amy Pendergast
MathCampbell said:
Yep, happy to; I've already had some folk asking if I could print them one as well (for cost; not to make profit, it's Frontier's design, I'm just making it "real")..
This is just the joystick obviously, I still have to do the mount/gimbal for the stick, then the throttle and the two button/diusplay panels....
Click to expand...
That's great to hear :)
If you need any help - just call. Have showed it already two of my friends who are thinking about upgrading their simpit a bit and this is really promising.
 

MathCampbell

M
Nah main thing I need is parts to arrive on time, a source for Arduino micro-pro's that isn't laughingly more expensive than it needs to be, and time to get it all plugged together...tho I am still stuck on getting the Z-twist bit to integrate and whether I should switch from potentiometers for the main joystick gimbal to magnets and hall-effect sensors like the z-twist...it would safe space but mean more design time...
 

Templar01

Templar01
Despite recent negative posts for the You-Know-What release, I still love the innovation community members like this can come up with.

Just a note, there is a company that is producing at least the panel portion of the ED controls

www.flightsimpm.com

FlightSimPM/store

737 throttle quadrant for sale,737 mip main instrument panel,737 yoke pedestal overhead,737 landing gear lever MCP,flight simulator cockpit parts boeing,custom cockpit projects,plug n play parts
www.flightsimpm.com www.flightsimpm.com
2193743849.jpg


D2EA reviewed it here.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z54P9hBOYY&ab_channel=DowntoEarthAstronomy


There's also an instructables app-note for something similar. I bet you might be able to marry what's been done on this website with your efforts.
www.instructables.com

How to Make a Custom Control Panel for Elite Dangerous, or Any Other Game

How to Make a Custom Control Panel for Elite Dangerous, or Any Other Game: So you want to make a custom switch panel for Elite Dangerous, or some other game, huh? It's easier than you might think. I made one, and people like it... My original post on Reddit If you've never used an Arduino or...
www.instructables.com www.instructables.com

Good luck and let us know how it goes.
 

MathCampbell

M
Ah yeah those things. I saw them in fact it’s kinda what kicked me off definitely doing all this. The screen isn’t real!!! Seriously, £200 for two button boxes that don’t even have a real screen. Nah, we can do better!
I did take some inspiration for the layout but I’m going with actual buttons on the palm with full backlighting. Also a 5way hat switch on the index finger.
the screen is being a difficult one to find; I had a source but they stopped selling and the nearest I can get is 3 times the price. I may have to enlarge my pads a tiny bit or switch to a smaller 480x320 display…
 

Esare Kranse

E
The in game controller is actually a Logitech X52 pro
The in game keyboard is actually a stylised version of the BBC Micro Model B Keyboard.
 

MathCampbell

M
No printing updates today cos I had to re-design the stick a bit to get the z-twist mechanism integrated. I've made it closer to the in-game stick and also made it slightly larger as I felt the first revision was a bit small in my hand...this might make it harder to rest my hand on the bottom grip./stretch to the secondary trigger so I'll have to see...I have pretty small hands though so if you make your own it might be too big or too small...

This is ready to print now so I've been working on the base for it. I'll have to depart from the in-game a little for the base since I'll need to make something that works for my own chair (which is sadly not an amazing gaming chair, but if anyone wants to buy me one...)...

I've also made the cut-out for the rubber grip on the stick itself...this was a pain to model but it's done now...
I included the tactile switches and roller switches (the triggers use these) so you can kinda see what everything is/does...
I didn't include the HAT switches in the model cos there wasn't an available 3d file from the supplier and I didn't need to model one so just imagine those..
Once I get a circuit diagram hashed out I'll decide if i use RGB smart LED's for the illumination in the target/hat buttons or if I just wire up 3 smd leds in the appropriate color. I don't actually have those LEDs mind you, so I might just use my 5mm square nano-pixels cos I have 30 of them on my desk...
CurvedSurfacesAreHard.jpg
joysticklid.jpg
leftsidestickwithswitches.jpg
StickWithSwtiches.JPG
 

MathCampbell

M
Nothing much to report right now cos this is an evenings and weekends project and I have a 4 year old with a bug...and my partner also caught the same cold...but the modelling for the stick is done awaiting a cool day to print (I'm NOT turning the 3d printer on when it's 85% humidity and 24ºC...my house is hot enough) ..

The palm pads (I'm going with palm pads, that's their Official Name now, I said so!) are semi-finished but I'm starting to worry about mounts...I need to design something so they not only fit together but also work with my desk...my computer chair doesn't have arms and even it did I kinda want to have stuff tethered to the desk not my chair cos I move it around a lot and wires etc...

I need some way of mounting the throttle and stick to either the desk or my chair...I think the palm pads can attach to the throttle and stick, that won't need metal hardware or anything, plastic should be strong enough as long as I don't put full bodyweight on the pads...but the stick and throttle will need something substantial if they're gonna hang off the front of my desk. I did see those "ergonomic elbow rest" things that look a bit like monitor mounts for the front of a desk to lean on..but at £40 each I'd need two and that's starting to get into "OMG how much have I spent on this damned project"..

Anyone any thoughts for a low-cost solution? I don't think I can just print mounts for them, the plastic isn't strong enough to take the weight of a throttle and a pad AND me going Gamer-Caveman on them when I'm in a dogfight...
 
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Saltyseadog

Saltyseadog
On my X56 which has 4 through going mounting holes on the corners of both stick and throttle I mounted 6mm t-nuts on the underside of my desk and 6mm alan bolts and washers to fix them. You could possibly do something similar by fixing an extended support flush with your desk and create two 6mm holes at the front of your units with the extension supporting the back of it.
 
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