Ultimate cockpit

[swoose]

Check out this dreamflyer from a Canadian inventor. Pretty awesome.:thumbsup:
http://www.mydreamflyer.com/
Swoose

[snomhf]

This is the best gimbal type cockpit that I've seen.
Unlike this one (which is really cool but would only work for MS FS):
http://ptyxiouxos.net//greekbotics/user_projects/Flight_Simulator/thanos_home_motion_flight_simulator.htm

I especially like the simplicity of it. I can't quite figure out how it really works though. I need to do some research on it.

It apparently requires no input from the game itself. That is important for someone who plays something like Aces High which has no API the way MS Flightsim does. Apparently there are movable ballasts or something that shift around based on the position of the joystick. It is hard to tell from the pictures just what is going on there. There is some sort of box with a rod sticking up out of it and attached to the bottom of the gimbal assembly. Is that thing moving the assembly or is it a sensor of some sort? With nothing but USB voltage (5VDC), it can't be doing any lifting work at all. Curiosity is killing me here!

Thanks for the post Swoose. If you have any design detail on it I'd love to see it. Too bad I couldn't "borrow" one of those bad boys for a weekend. :evil:

I have been thinking about this stuff for a while now. I had this idea of using the Force Feedback interface as a way to drive the two gimbal axes. Bob Church (et al) convinced me that FF just cannot adequately do the job.

Building a really professional looking frame (like the Dreamflyer) is the least of my concerns. I'm sure (with help from gifted friends) I could build a nice light-weight tubular frame that would look as good as the Dreamflyer. I've just never been able to settle on what "realistic" movement might involve.

Please, keep this thread going and let's see what comes out of it.

Regards
-mark

[El Hefe]

too bad it comes with saitek insted of ch hotas ;)

[julian265]

You need input from the game - going off joystick movement alone would lead to some weird results!

[snomhf]

You need input from the game - going off joystick movement alone would lead to some weird results!

Well, the Dreamflyer does not get any input from the game. There is nothing that plugs into your computer except the two USB cables for the stick and throttle. If I remember right from reading the data sheet, it even says that.

I, like you, wonder if the movement is weird. From the things guys are saying though, it feels pretty realistic. I sure wish I could try one of these things.

[lxsapper]

Well I don't know if you were payint atention: But the Flight stick isn't really a joystick.
Its the saytek x-52 handle mountes on a pole atached to some mechaninsm that moves the chair as you mocve the stick. So if your stick is centered the chair will be too. If you look closely that thing unfer the rig it's actully the x-52 stick base mounted in reverse. So its actully the chair connected to the stick base that is the joystick. So it's rally not a case of the chair needing input from the game to know the possition it should be in. but rather the possition of the chair sending input to the game.
The whole idea appers a bit cheap to me (with a not so cheap price tag)
although very well implemented I must say. But the guy did make quite a few protopites before getting it to it's present state. Also the x-52 base implementation is cheap over the TOP. He could at least put it on a diferent cassing.

I do wonder if it will still work with a saitek deivers and programing software.
Since they rewired it. The X-52 has the stick cennected to the throtle wich then conects to the PS via an USB connection. But if they have both using direct usb connection who knows what they did with it.

[swoose]

This simulator works on a series of gimble mounts. There is a connection to the game joystick that is mounted under the pilot joystick. As you move the stick it actually moves the chair you are sitting in and you bank right or left and move up and down depending on stick movement. The joystick gives the input to the game you are playing.
Check out this link http://www.acesim.com/intro.html to see where the joyrider started.
Mark I can tell from you replies that the wheels are turning. If you come up with something good let us know.
Gary "swoose" Sherwood