Community Event / Creation The C-Pod: A DIY Command seat (build log)

ThereIs0nly0ne

ThereIs0nly0ne
bcrdncola said:
I just spent the last two hours going through this thread. Absolutely amazing work. Makes me wish I had the space/time/patience/talent to build something like this.

Can't wait to see the finished product!
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Thanks bcrdncola :) I think you covered all the elements to build something like this minus the talent. With a small amount of practice with a router, this is a relatively easy build to make, just lots of parts to consider.

Harvey Brands said:
Man not being able to see this beauty when you're wearing the oculus would be such a shame, maybe go full on nutter butters like this fellow (might not go over well with the missus ;))

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5BmA3ejyHY
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I know what you mean there Harvey. I'd love to have a 3 screen setup for this but I do have TrackIR and will be using that initially. IT's not just the rig I wouldn't be able to see with a Rift but also my James T Kirk outfit ;)

Rafe Zetter said:
Have I mentioned my variation on this method? All of the above (well almost) but thin out the P38 body filler with fibreglassing resin. The two mix well no problems and it thins the filler to a point it can be painted on almost. Goes on thin and soaks into the fibres of the MDF as well giving a great bond.

It requires less sanding, makes the filler go further so less product used, and can be used to mold shapes and fill voids too.

Only thing to bear in mind is use twice as much catalyst, the retarding agent in the fibreglassing resin means it dries much slower - from liquid to rubbery about 20+ minutes if you use just the normal amount of catalyst, which sometimes this can be in your favor, but for angled, vertical surfaces it'll run all over the place if you don't speed it up ! :)

For smaller areas buy el cheapo poundshop superglue (it's thin like water), I use it for toughening up the edges of thin plywood, so they don't split and fray, and can be sanded to a superfine finish. I've also used it instead of oil based varnish, it makes the wood tough as nails and resistant to dings.
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That sounds interesting Rafe, thanks. I've just checked this out and may give it a go on some of the larger sections. I'm also going to try priming and sealing with polyurethane varnish this time to see whether that helps - I'm always on the lookout to try and speed up the finishing phase but without compromising things.
 

ThereIs0nly0ne

ThereIs0nly0ne
I've made the panel for the front of the seat. This will have an additional 6mm panel bolted onto it using threaded inserts so I have those showing rather than screws. It will be covered in blackboard vinyl:

 

ThereIs0nly0ne

ThereIs0nly0ne
I've started working on the stow-able console mechanism. I've been giving the design of this a great deal of thought and wanted to come up with something attractive, simple and stable. The design you see here will have a rod running between the aluminium bars and the long, upright piece - the rod will be embedded in the main centre section towards the top. The bottom will have 2 additional pieces made - small sections will be cut and include a hole which will then be further cut into taking about 90 degrees out of the circle making it open. The idea will be to allow this to rest on another lower, circular rod embedded in the main centre section which will be further forward from the upper rod. To stow, I can then lift the mechanism up, push it forwards and drop it down. Simple.

The rear upright will have some convoluted sheathing (which I have split) to accommodate 2 or 3 cables - lightning, USB / mini USB.

As these parts are small, I will be filling, shaping and finishing by hand. They're too small to work with a router. The top piece shown in the picture is not attached yet. I will epoxy in place one everything has been prepared. Once dry, I will used thin screws to further secure the pieces together - I don't wand these to split so will drill pilot holed beforehand.



 

Enride

Enride
Beautiful work and design! Im having issues myself with how to get a center stand in there and are thinking in similar concept, though mine id much more simple (ugly) in design.
Though i havent begun construction of it yet so think i might hold it off for a while observing this ;)
 

ThereIs0nly0ne

ThereIs0nly0ne
Fiddly, small bits for the bottom of the stow-able console:



These will fit into a dowel rod embedded into the main section:



Another rod will pass between the aluminium and the back of the unit:



This is going to need to be precise to achieve a level platform. Some retro adjustment will be possible to address any imbalance if necessary.
 

ThereIs0nly0ne

ThereIs0nly0ne
Thanks Enride. There are a couple of extra stabilisers I've fitted which makes the whole mechanism very solid now. I'll need to tidy the whole of this up significantly before it's up to the mark.
 

Winterwalker

Winterwalker
Centre console looking great there, top of heap, as ever TIOO ..
Looks like a joy to use. Just in the right place and the Aluminium frame sounds awesome ..
Did you remember to order tinsel too? :rolleyes:
ED badge could be replaced with a fairy for the season!?

Or boxes, empty now, of various throttle, stick, ipad, leds, usb ports, leathers (?) special screws and inserts, strewn all around like a post modern, Charles ens the CCLIVth still life???

On the Christmassy side of things actually, Cmdr Archangel donated me a GPU! Have since grabbed an SLI sister, for a steal on eBay .. still missing CPU, crucially RAM and a hard drive .. but it was a real Santa moment .. twinkle twinkle little galaxy ..

Happy Solstice!
 

ThereIs0nly0ne

ThereIs0nly0ne
Thanks Winterwalker :) It took some thinking about to get a design that was going to be easy to use but I'm really happy with how it's turned out. The position of the peripheral mount should be fine for use. One of the reasons I made this was for planet landings - if that requires a keyboard/mouse, I now have the ability to use those controls relatively easily now.

Great to hear bout your additional GPU! I'd be interested to hear about how E: D plays with SLI. Which cards to you have now?

Happy Xmas to you too mate :)
 

ThereIs0nly0ne

ThereIs0nly0ne
tresch said:
It looks amazing! though, I think it might need a little lumbar support! XD
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Thanks tresh. I'm prepared to add some if necessary but I genuinely feel it's very comfortable at the moment. Maybe it's the rake and split back section that's doing this. Only time will tell after I get the whole thing up and running for a bit of extended game time. I'll dry assemble first so I can adjust if necessary later.

Couldn't resist having another little look-see:

 
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