Haptic mixed reality cockpit | MobiFlight | Page 1

winged narwhal Jun 25, 2024, 12:59 PM

#

Hi there , im working on a modular magnetic VR dashboard

Concept:

I make a clean Sheet metal dashboard and magnetic instruments with dials and buttons so I can place them to match the physical location in the VR cockpit for better haptic feedback and functionality. Also it’s possible to rearrange the instruments for different plane types

#

I decided to make only the half of the instruments, this should be enough for haptic reference and gives more room for placement (maybe I will make fullsize too)

Bildschirmfoto_2024-06-24_um_17.13.50.png

#

On the back are the magnets that holds everything in Place (neodym 10x5mm)

#

Next thing will be a central hub for the cables . Some instruments will be connected directly via USB , others will be connected together into a hub

Also I think about a GNS 540 frame or a radiostack if this works out as planned

#

A Wireless Solution would be super convenient and clean , but I think i have to stick with cables right now

#

I Hope you like the concept, I can provide my STL files if someone is interested in a similar project.

winged narwhal Jun 26, 2024, 4:20 PM

#

First cable work is done, have to test it ingame

hazy flame Jun 26, 2024, 4:59 PM

#

if you can make the panel in other material could use pogo pins under the magnets to wire the encoders

winged narwhal Jun 26, 2024, 5:44 PM

#

That could be a cool solution but I think it will overcomplicate the whole project

rustic olive Jun 26, 2024, 5:57 PM

#

Clever idea dude!

winged narwhal Jun 28, 2024, 6:29 PM

#

Another set

#

At the moment my sets are made with arduino nanos , so they can support 3 encoder with switch function

#

Next thing will be a generic radio stack with 4 dual encoders . I already made it with a Leo bodnar bbi 32 board and screws

#

I convert it to the magnetic mount and a arduino mega so I have a few extra ports for more connections

winged narwhal Jun 29, 2024, 1:14 PM

#

First Placements , I still need a hole for the yoke but it seems to work very well, even if it’s noch 100% aligned

winged narwhal Jul 1, 2024, 3:08 PM

#

Another Switch Unit (avionics and AP Master for the Comanche, but usable for other purposes as well)

glossy badger Jul 1, 2024, 3:14 PM

#

winged narwhal Another Switch Unit (avionics and AP Master for the Comanche, but usable for oth...

Nice, I like those chunky heavy duty switches.

winged narwhal Jul 1, 2024, 3:15 PM

#

Thanks , I used some 1-0-1 switches so they are more flexible for other purposes, and I can place them horizontally or vertically

opaque monolith Jul 1, 2024, 6:42 PM

#

this is a super cool idea! I wonder if you could use one of those pegboard style metal sheets with holes, if the hole would be big enough for the usb cable, so the wires could be routed on the back through the nearest holes?

#

or make magnetic cable holders to route the cables without loose loops that could get in the way

winged narwhal Jul 1, 2024, 7:07 PM

#

Thanks
I think about drilling some holes as cable passthrough in the most commonly used spots . To many holes could be problematic with the magnets, they tend to stick fairly bad on holes 😅

opaque monolith Jul 1, 2024, 7:38 PM

#

yeah

winged narwhal Jul 5, 2024, 12:59 PM

#

Painted the panel, and I’m desperately waiting for the yoke to mount everything and test the whole system

winged narwhal Jul 8, 2024, 11:39 AM

#

And the final steps

opaque monolith Jul 8, 2024, 11:46 AM

#

that is super interesting

winged narwhal Jul 8, 2024, 3:16 PM

#

Thanks !

winged narwhal Jul 10, 2024, 11:39 AM

#

I was able to set up and test everything last night and it worked perfectly! Every dial can be found spot on in VR and it’s super intuitive.
It isn’t the most beautiful dashboard but it absolutely does what it should do and on this 4 hours VR ride it was perfect

opaque monolith Jul 10, 2024, 12:03 PM

#

I mean sure you could spray it matt black for looks, but that only matters outside of VR anyway. Any markings or styling would make it more type specific which is exactly not the point, since it will adapt to any steam gauge plane of similar class now. Very nice!

Do you have some method to gauge your distance from the panel also, or do you just adjust your chair?

winged narwhal Jul 10, 2024, 12:14 PM

#

Yes I just gave it this Comanche touch but it doesn’t match 100% but I don’t mind

I mounted the panel with magnets too, I could easily fit sim spacers behind it
But as I don’t see my hand in the VR cockpit it ok to have a 5cm distance more or less . The rest is muscle memory. It’s off by 2 cm maybe but that’s absolutely fine

opaque monolith Jul 10, 2024, 12:23 PM

#

yeah

#

anything is better than trying to poke with the mouse

#

I wonder if there is a way to get the currently hovered-on sim control via simconnect (the blue overlay)

#

if one could send events to that control with mobiflight and could select by looking

#

but this is kinda the most lacking part of VR, the views are gorgeous and the feel of presence but the interaction with buttons is the hard part - this solution you have of course works great for specific buttons and knobs

winged narwhal Jul 10, 2024, 1:27 PM

#

That would really be nice, also visual hands and arms would be really helpful

winged narwhal Jul 31, 2024, 6:22 PM

#

Latest addition: KLN90b inputs . I recycled 2 DIY knobsters that gathered dust recently. On of them connects to the 5 buttons , the other one is „standalone“ but also modded with one additional button for CRSR . On/Off will be a long press on CRSR which is intuitive enough for now. This sideproject was quick and dirty because two days ago the mouse got on my nerves 😬

#

Like the others , 4 magnets in the back, sticks very well on the dashboard but requires two USB cables

opaque monolith Jul 31, 2024, 7:07 PM

#

ooh, btw, this is not really something for you in VR,

#

https://github.com/falcon71/kln90b < but doing a custom output device for the screen of this would be pretty sweet

GitHub

GitHub - falcon71/kln90b: KLN 90B for MSFS

KLN 90B for MSFS. Contribute to falcon71/kln90b development by creating an account on GitHub.

winged narwhal Jul 31, 2024, 7:10 PM

#

I made the panel for this one (I use it in the Comanche)
I don’t need a screen output because I see the screen in the right spot in VR but for the 2D guys it would be nice. I already wondered why nobody made something for it

opaque monolith Jul 31, 2024, 7:10 PM

#

yeah hmm

winged narwhal Jul 31, 2024, 7:11 PM

#

It’s an absolutely lovely device

opaque monolith Jul 31, 2024, 7:12 PM

#

yeah it is both amazing and the thought of using those old GPS units as a pilot in bad weather makes me shudder too

#

though at their time they were a big thing

winged narwhal Jul 31, 2024, 7:59 PM

#

Yes and it forces me to forget about the magenta line . This increases the difficulty but is also educating

opaque monolith Jul 31, 2024, 9:03 PM

#

yeah

#

since that unit is open source I guess it might be possible to encode the lines of the screen into l-vars

#

and there is the font available too, could convert it to the u8g2 lib font format

#

it would be pretty cool to do a real panel in the style of the GNC255 but with a matching screen

winged narwhal Aug 1, 2024, 9:15 AM

#

That would be cool

winged narwhal Aug 3, 2024, 11:30 AM

#

#

Moving on with an transport panel

winged narwhal Aug 4, 2024, 4:33 PM

#

A few more cables and the transponder is done too

opaque monolith Aug 4, 2024, 4:53 PM

#

neat!

winged narwhal Aug 5, 2024, 1:08 PM

#

cable hell

#

but done!

#

opaque monolith Aug 6, 2024, 1:16 PM

#

@gentle perch you also had some plans for VR controller, check this

winged narwhal Aug 6, 2024, 8:02 PM

#

The actual state , the concept works great ! Not really beautiful because it has grown by spontaneous ideas. But everything is subject to change 😬

winged narwhal Aug 7, 2024, 7:08 PM

#

Not directly dashboard related, but … progress 😉 and the sidewall magnetically attached to the dashboard

winged narwhal Aug 12, 2024, 12:33 PM

#

Some more cosmetic stuff, a window. Maybe I will add a storm window that will open the ingame window as well

opaque monolith Aug 12, 2024, 1:55 PM

#

and a big fan to blow air from it adjusted by the relative wind simvar 😉

winged narwhal Aug 12, 2024, 3:16 PM

#

i have really thought about it 😂 its on my escalation list

winged narwhal Aug 12, 2024, 9:12 PM

#

#

Physical borders

winged narwhal Aug 14, 2024, 4:40 AM

#

I call it done (for now)

winged narwhal Aug 18, 2024, 9:43 AM

#

#

Ok … it’s never done

opaque monolith Nov 15, 2024, 6:25 PM

#

@winged narwhal let me mess up with your head a bit, depending what headset you have

#

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r8AUljZXo0

YouTube

The Warthog Project

How I set up mixed reality in DCS

Shoutout to @simpitacademy for explaining how to get this done.

Virtual Desktop - https://www.vrdesktop.net/
Open Kneeboard - https://openkneeboard.com/

Below is the text you need to add to your Monitor Setup .lua in DCS to allow MFD exports in VR:

VR_MIRROR = {
x = 0,
y = 0,
width = 1920,
height = 1080,
}

VR_allow_MFD_out_of_HMD = tr...

▶ Play video

#

openkneeboard lets you create a video passthrough mask that can be positioned inside the cockpit, and it can have holes for gauges and masked areas for your knobs so you can also actually see them. I am trying to wrap my head around what this could mean in practice

winged narwhal Nov 15, 2024, 7:34 PM

#

Ironically I tried this already 😅 but it had to many hiccups so , maybe later again

opaque monolith Nov 15, 2024, 7:39 PM

#

yeah, VR is great when it works, but there are so many ways it can do the opposite 🙂

winged narwhal Nov 15, 2024, 9:35 PM

#

VR works great so far , no issues, but mixed reality is quite new . I had problems with the color passthrough shining through the edges because i use a slightly decreased FOV for improve clarity. But having a mask where i can see my dials was quite cool , but for me not worth the hassle at this state .

Things can become complex quickly and I try to avoid that

#

For keeping it simple: I made a KAP140 panel , just CAD right now but should be working

It’s not a replica, it just the Button Layout that should nearly match the visuals from the Virtual Cockpit

winged narwhal Nov 16, 2024, 6:19 AM

#

The whole unit houses the arduino nano and the magnets and can be mounted freely with a USB cable

winged narwhal Nov 27, 2024, 3:55 PM

#

I just flew the Twin Otter … and it’s quite fun so … I need a overhead trottle quadrant 😅

#

#

This was archived by recycling old hardware, it fits nicely around the trim krank wich is , by the way, one of the most precise pieces of hardware I’ve ever had for trimming 🤭

#

Next step is a more Twottery throttle and new caps for prop and condition

winged narwhal Nov 27, 2024, 4:33 PM

#

opaque monolith Nov 27, 2024, 5:33 PM

#

can I share that photo elsewhere in our local fs discord ?

#

that is amazing use of the turtlebeach on the overhead!

#

oh, looks like discord can now forward messages accross servers, keeps the original context

#

better that way

winged narwhal Nov 28, 2024, 12:25 PM

#

Yes thats ok 👍 if you have any questions let me know

#

Throttle is done too, printing now

#

i made some custom caps for the VelocityOne too

Bildschirmfoto_2024-11-28_um_13.28.10.png

winged narwhal Nov 29, 2024, 5:35 PM

#

#

Done

maiden turtle Nov 30, 2024, 6:13 PM

#

All you need now is hand tracking!

#

Very cool concept:)

winged narwhal Nov 30, 2024, 7:52 PM

#

Thanks !

Yes ! I would love to see my hands in VR , not interacting with the cockpit, just see them

winged narwhal Dec 5, 2024, 8:39 PM

#

#

Another small project, this is extremely helpful in Vr

opaque monolith Dec 5, 2024, 10:57 PM

#

let me just say the world looks gorgeous on fs2024 in VR, I especially love the seasons and how patches of snow appear in pretty sensible way at times

winged narwhal Dec 6, 2024, 7:44 AM

#

#

It really does ! I really can’t complain, MSFS24 is such a big step forward in many ways . But needs some patches of course.

opaque monolith Dec 6, 2024, 11:29 AM

#

yeah sure, not denying that

winged narwhal Jan 10, 2025, 12:47 PM

#

Reworking the concept, instead of individual gauges with a lot of cable stuff I made the whole panel that can be magnetically attached to the dashboard, this way everything is more clean and can be swapped to another panel quite easily

#

winged narwhal Jan 14, 2025, 5:34 PM

#

opaque monolith Jan 14, 2025, 5:58 PM

#

nice!

#

I got thinking of a sim seat rig where I would use alu profiles that can be adjusted in position and distance

#

so I could fly different planes by swapping the panel part

winged narwhal Jan 14, 2025, 6:05 PM

#

That’s what I did here , I still use the steel plate as dashboard base and this panel uses two magnets and can be easily swapped with another one

#

Bildschirmfoto_2025-01-05_um_12.05.02.png

#

Like a Cessna 152, I make multiple Panels now for the planes I want to fly

opaque monolith Jan 14, 2025, 7:25 PM

#

yeah

#

if you load up the msfs 3d model of the cockpit you can design around it in blender and get dimensions too

#

so hopefully things align in VR

#

I guess you are doing that already?

winged narwhal Jan 15, 2025, 7:48 AM

#

That would also be an idea , at the moment I use screenshots and images and rework it in Fusion

#

We also try to get some kind of standardization and modularity like stackable radios, standard gauges and so on , this streamlines the design of new panels and keeps things easy

#

The Radiostack on the left is the old ugly prototype, this will be overhauled. I also make a glareshield right now

winged narwhal Jan 15, 2025, 8:19 AM

#

opaque monolith Jan 15, 2025, 2:07 PM

#

yeah, we could use the MF shop 20x20 mm encoder pcb idea?

#

and design buttons and such similarly like @wispy prawn did with his workshop kit inspired pcbs

#

and then have 3d pirinted "cases" to fit different avionics?

winged narwhal Jan 15, 2025, 3:33 PM

#

You mean for the Radio Stack ? It already in work , it will be stackable with magnets or some kind of connector so we can mix and match them together to what we need. It will also be magnetic attached to the dashboard itself

opaque monolith Jan 15, 2025, 4:47 PM

#

yea, was just thinking that this encoder pcb could work if the 3d printed panel bezel had screw holes in the inside for this to mount on, though you would need to have the buttons too, for all the functions, and those are quite differently laid out on different panels, would be harder to do button pcbs like thiat

wispy prawn Jan 15, 2025, 4:49 PM

#

yeah, one PCB per button does not allow for the button density you would want on a panel, and panel-mount buttons definitely limit your options for good tactility

winged narwhal Jan 15, 2025, 4:54 PM

#

Ah that’s the point , sorry misread it

Yes that takes too much space

A PCB for the whole instrument like a radio or the KLN would be cool but doesn’t make that much sense for a single unit to be built

#

#

I just centralized the Mega Pro mini and wired it with connectors so I can replace some parts if needed

opaque monolith Jan 15, 2025, 4:57 PM

#

yeah

#

this looks nice

winged narwhal Jan 15, 2025, 5:04 PM

#

At least it works 😅

winged narwhal Jan 16, 2025, 4:52 PM

#

The main panel is done

winged narwhal Jan 17, 2025, 7:59 PM

#

winged narwhal Jan 18, 2025, 3:03 PM

#

Working on the glareshield now

opaque monolith Jan 18, 2025, 3:46 PM

#

how well does this work in practice in terms of actually hitting the knob?

I know the Varjo headsets do active position tracking for the mixed reality masking and thus tracking your eye position in real world vs the virtual scene.

I was testing the "openkneeboard" method with a "hole mask" and Quest 3/VirtualDesktop VR runtime. It tracked reasonably well (and you could reset it with a keybinding but at that point you had to position yourself very accurately, it would then just try to hold the position, and of course any head sideways movement would not work since the mask was a 2D image.

But I am wondering, visuals aside, how well does the "blind" VR setup work in keeping the position correct? I need to build that alu profile setup so I can also position stuff properly, so far it was just a very wobbly pile of cardboard boxes when I tested.

winged narwhal Jan 18, 2025, 3:52 PM

#

It works very well for me , even when it’s off a few cm my muscles memory together with what I see and feel does the trick. It would be better to see the hands in VR and calibrate the position, but even the blind version is great because the haptic matches the optics

opaque monolith Jan 18, 2025, 7:15 PM

#

yea, the quest can show your hands, I got to test that a bit too

winged narwhal Jan 19, 2025, 7:44 PM

#

Yes with a passthrough circle, but it also enables hand interaction wich interferes with the sim switches in VR

winged narwhal Jan 19, 2025, 10:40 PM

#

@opaque monolith Here’s a short demo with passthrough, you see it matches nearly 1:1 so it’s super comfortable to use

opaque monolith Jan 20, 2025, 12:05 AM

#

PINK GLOVES

#

no wait

#

it would show a pink hand?

#

but would it work?

#

no crap it wouldnt

#

because it would need to be in the VR scene, not in camera

#

VR is such a brain twister sometimes

#

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAcSgPLGdr4

YouTube

Virtual Reality Pilot

NO PERIPHERALS - JUST YOUR HANDS! | Hand tracking available in MSFS...

You can mkae use of handtracking with your Oculus Quest 2 or Leap Motion by downloading the OpenXR Tool Kit:
https://mbucchia.github.io/OpenXR-Toolkit/

Twitch: twitch.tv/virtualrealitypilot
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VRealityPilot
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/virtual_reality_pilot/
"Music from Epidemic Sound (http://www.epidemicsound....

▶ Play video

#

or is this something not what I think what it is

#

need to try tomorrow

winged narwhal Jan 20, 2025, 5:41 AM

#

This never worked for me with the Q3 , I think it was for the LEAP sensor

And a openXR toolkit doesn’t has Activ Development any more this will never be implemented for the Q3

And the virtual desktop hand tracking doesn’t do what I need

opaque monolith Jan 20, 2025, 6:51 AM

#

yeah it was kinda weird, and like you said, it then also pokes the controls in the virtual cockpit if you see hands, because of course as a developer you maybe can't see why you would want to just see your hands without interacting with anything

winged narwhal Jan 20, 2025, 7:12 AM

#

Exactly

But, I flew a few tours yesterday, and it worked so well , I’m fine with that

opaque monolith Jan 20, 2025, 1:42 PM

#

yeah

#

what I need to test at some point is whether touhcscreens work or if it is too inaccurate when you cannot see your hand. for that it would be nice to see the hand but if you could disable the hand interaction

#

" If you want hands which will not operate the switches in VR but just to see your hands, use Infuse VR " < someone on reddit

#

that seems steamvr

winged narwhal Jan 20, 2025, 1:49 PM

#

Touch is not accurate without looking at it , it doesn’t give you proper feedback.
On the other hand, a passthrough window to the actual touch device like an iPad works but I think it’s a lot of extra stuff to do to manage all the passthrough windows , maybe someday there’s a proper solution… retexturing a sim Cockpit for transparent spots could be a solution

opaque monolith Jan 20, 2025, 1:50 PM

#

yeah it is such a mess now

winged narwhal Jan 20, 2025, 1:50 PM

#

opaque monolith that seems steamvr

Yes , that’s not a elegant solution

opaque monolith Jan 20, 2025, 1:50 PM

#

there are kinda bits and pieces of stuff here and there but as its whatever each app implenents its kinda meh

winged narwhal Jan 20, 2025, 1:51 PM

#

Yes , this is a feature that needs to be implemented ba virtual desktop or the sim itself

opaque monolith Jan 20, 2025, 1:51 PM

#

did you try infusevr?

winged narwhal Jan 20, 2025, 1:52 PM

#

No because of steam Vr

opaque monolith Jan 20, 2025, 1:52 PM

#

oh yeah, steamvr was a nightmare with virtualdesktop

#

I had to uninstall the whole darn thing

winged narwhal Jan 20, 2025, 1:52 PM

#

Yes , I don’t want to break stuff for this

opaque monolith Jan 20, 2025, 1:54 PM

#

there was also realitymixer but steamvr seemed like an utter mess with wild stutters, I need to try it again sometime but it was a bad day when I tested it

winged narwhal Jan 20, 2025, 1:55 PM

#

Let me know how it performs, I really try to make a way around steam VR

opaque monolith Jan 20, 2025, 1:55 PM

#

maybe it would work better if my msfs was from steam

#

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3TAWyS-2pI

YouTube

SimHanger Flight Simulation

Hand & Peripherals Visualisation in VR! | Beta Testing INFUSEVR Ap...

A quick video to demonstrate some of the features of InfuseVR. An application that brings hand tracking and peripheral visualisation into MSFS.

Referenced Links
InfuseVR: https://www.infusevr.com/

Support the channel so I can continue to bring quality content to you:
✈ You can donate here: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/simhanger
✈ You could...

▶ Play video

#

this seems pretty interesting at least but I gotta try

winged narwhal Jan 20, 2025, 1:57 PM

#

Yes something like tris would be nice… just show me hands

opaque monolith Jan 20, 2025, 2:10 PM

#

https://www.toolify.ai/ai-news/experience-immersive-hand-tracking-in-msfs-openxr-toolkit-ultraleap-686275

#

we have a leap motion at work, will see if I can borrow one

#

openxr toolkit is abandonware though

#

but the quest3 can do hand tracking by itself too

#

it feels frustrating case like "software X can do A but not b, softare Y can do B but not A"

winged narwhal Jan 20, 2025, 2:20 PM

#

Yes , the quest can do this quite well : but , MSFS doesn’t support it
Open XR toolkit is part of virtual desktop now (not in the full functionality yet)

opaque monolith Jan 20, 2025, 3:41 PM

#

I think virtual desktop had an option to show hands? or Iight be wrong, but I wonder if you could just disable vr controller events? at least you can do that for the physical controllers, not sure if hands show up the same way

#

tour alignment is impressively good though

winged narwhal Jan 20, 2025, 3:58 PM

#

Yes but it’s not stable , MSFS wants to hide them after a few seconds, and they show up as a controller , not hands

And there is the hand passthrough wich is cool but also really unstable

opaque monolith Jan 20, 2025, 5:16 PM

#

yeah

winged narwhal Jan 23, 2025, 2:29 PM

#

And here we go again

#

Stackable Radio Stack

opaque monolith Jan 23, 2025, 3:19 PM

#

nice!

winged narwhal Jan 23, 2025, 7:43 PM

#

opaque monolith nice!

Thanks! Do you know how to daisy chain some arduinos on a row ? 😅 it would be cool to snap these boxes together in different order and connect them by spring loadet contacts …

opaque monolith Jan 23, 2025, 8:12 PM

#

yeah. unfortunately not for usb. I wish there were some magnetic flatcables

winged narwhal Jan 23, 2025, 8:17 PM

#

I thought about giving each device a USB hub board but this could be a lot of work on a tiny space

opaque monolith Jan 23, 2025, 8:48 PM

#

it would yeah

#

esp32 over wifi would be cool if mobiflight had the websocket interface

winged narwhal Jan 24, 2025, 8:28 AM

#

that would be pretty neat, that would only require 2 contacts for power for each device

wispy prawn Jan 24, 2025, 8:44 AM

#

Serial over bluetooth is sadly bluetooth classic only, and most modern bluetooth controllers only have ble

#

That would be the most straightforward port

winged narwhal Jan 24, 2025, 7:31 PM

#

#

A first fitting of the Radio Stack

opaque monolith Jan 24, 2025, 8:48 PM

#

this is very neat

winged narwhal Jan 29, 2025, 10:23 AM

#

The Radio Unit, I made a variation with two Single Encoders instead of a dual encoder, because they have the better click 😅 not scale but functional

opaque monolith Jan 29, 2025, 1:11 PM

#

nice!

winged narwhal Feb 1, 2025, 7:06 PM

#

I saw a workaround for a non interactive hand tracking , open the meta menu , move it out of view and enjoy the company of your hands !

opaque monolith Feb 1, 2025, 7:09 PM

#

oo

#

also the leap motion but I think the meta quest does also hand tracking so maybe it is just redundant and the issue is more like how to visualize the hands

#

but let me try that yeah

winged narwhal Feb 1, 2025, 7:12 PM

#

@opaque monolith Just saw it from someone on Facebook

#

opaque monolith Feb 1, 2025, 8:55 PM

#

ooh yeah

#

I mean the feature exists yeah but this is exactly what sucks in non-open source stuff

#

we are always the niche and fringe use cases

winged narwhal Feb 1, 2025, 9:17 PM

#

It’s not exactly a feature, you bring VD into background so the menu is on top and so the hands are too . But it’s exactly what we want 🤗

opaque monolith Feb 1, 2025, 9:18 PM

#

yeah I mean, they have the functionality but nobody thinks just hands alone are important in VR

#

because they always think "controllers"

#

nobody fathoms physical controls

#

unless it is mixed reality then

#

but this is great hack yes

winged narwhal Feb 2, 2025, 12:24 PM

#

https://youtube.com/shorts/fGNgdB_tyKs?feature=share

YouTube

iNherjer

Hand tracking test for mixed reality

haptic VR cockpit with hand tracking

▶ Play video

#

Short test this morning: it works great !! Even if it’s not 100% aligned , feeling the buttons does the trick to the brain , it was really immersive and I was able to pinpoint the buttons and dials .

#

The only downside is, that SSW doesn’t work when the menu is on, but you can switch between VR hands and SSW by just klicking the menu button on the controller

#

Love it

opaque monolith Feb 2, 2025, 1:44 PM

#

SSW?

winged narwhal Feb 2, 2025, 1:45 PM

#

Space warp

opaque monolith Feb 2, 2025, 1:45 PM

#

and yes, this looks like a huge deal

#

what does ssw actually do? something like the DLSS stuff in desktop?

winged narwhal Feb 2, 2025, 1:49 PM

#

It’s like Frame Generation, but for VR

winged narwhal Feb 2, 2025, 2:07 PM

#

It helps with translational movement, it smooths it out a lot

opaque monolith Feb 2, 2025, 4:22 PM

#

oh ok

#

I wonder if you can bind a joystick event to toggle the menu

#

maybe not

winged narwhal Feb 2, 2025, 4:23 PM

#

But I have to try the passthrough method again, maybe it improved since last time

winged narwhal Feb 2, 2025, 4:24 PM

#

opaque monolith I wonder if you can bind a joystick event to toggle the menu

No because it’s a function of the headset itself, but it’s a simple button press on the controller

opaque monolith Feb 2, 2025, 4:24 PM

#

yep

#

could you gesture it?

#

I need to play with this too to figure stuff out

winged narwhal Feb 2, 2025, 4:25 PM

#

I think it should

#

Have you tried it yet?

opaque monolith Feb 2, 2025, 4:51 PM

#

no, been busy with other things now

#

will check this out soon

winged narwhal Feb 2, 2025, 8:04 PM

#

https://youtube.com/shorts/JVhLDE5jx6E?si=YI1ay_MFMmsa8JsR

YouTube

iNherjer

2. Februar 2025

▶ Play video

#

That’s the passthrough solution wich also works but I find it a little distracting

winged narwhal Feb 3, 2025, 12:59 PM

#

Another backplate is done , made it for a friend

winged narwhal Feb 20, 2025, 5:03 PM

#

Ok , this isn’t a big mobiflight thing (but the 2 buttons )

But I modified my yoke to a Frankenstein Cessna/Piper Crossover with a little leather

This is definitely a matter of taste but I like it a lot 😍

opaque monolith Feb 20, 2025, 5:14 PM

#

this is cool, because that top bar you won't see when flying a cessna anyway

#

things you dont realize when doing VR unless you try it

winged narwhal Feb 20, 2025, 5:16 PM

#

That’s right, ok it gets a little in the way when reaching for things behind the yoke , but hey 😂

winged narwhal Feb 20, 2025, 5:32 PM

#

But after flying with the visible hands recently it started to bother me that i don’t have the top bar

opaque monolith Mar 9, 2025, 7:24 PM

#

oh virtual desktop now has option to show hands

#

need to test it, just saw it in the config

winged narwhal Mar 9, 2025, 7:42 PM

#

Oh is it new?

opaque monolith Mar 9, 2025, 9:22 PM

#

I hadnt seen it before

#

but it doesnt seem to do anything thouhg

#

I cannot see hands

#

and Quest menu hides my hands if I pinch my index finger and thumb together

glacial compass Mar 9, 2025, 9:48 PM

#

hmmm Flitsim yoke. Can it be recognized by MF?
I am looking forward to see their toys at FSWeekend. They are in front of us with their booth

opaque monolith Mar 9, 2025, 10:26 PM

#

https://www.reddit.com/r/MicrosoftFlightSim/comments/17oemo3/finally_got_my_handtracked_cockpit_interactions/

From the MicrosoftFlightSim community on Reddit: Finally got my han...

Posted by Sielu - 7 votes and 2 comments

#

hm, we have ultraleaps at work, I might borrow one to test

#

but I somehow feel it wont be much better since there is no hand tracking interaction - but I also want to just have the switches and stuff in VR in their place

winged narwhal Mar 10, 2025, 12:55 AM

#

glacial compass hmmm Flitsim yoke. Can it be recognized by MF? I am looking forward to see thei...

Yes , MF sees the axis and buttons, it’s a great piece of hardware and Fabian is a cool guy 😉

I hope I get make it to lelystad too but it’s a little far from here

winged narwhal Mar 10, 2025, 12:56 AM

#

opaque monolith https://www.reddit.com/r/MicrosoftFlightSim/comments/17oemo3/finally_got_my_hand...

I stick with the menu hands , it works so well and easy now

winged narwhal Mar 24, 2025, 8:36 AM

#

#

A little decoration

#

@opaque monolith ghost hands are broken since quest v74 😭

opaque monolith Mar 24, 2025, 8:38 AM

#

gaah

#

that panel looks so sweet

#

that is a great idea to have some static decoration without the moving parts

#

looks very cool

winged narwhal Mar 24, 2025, 8:40 AM

#

Thanks , the Plotter works great for laminated paper 🤗

The missing ghost hands really sucks , it was just a perfect workaround

winged narwhal Mar 24, 2025, 8:55 AM

#

winged narwhal Mar 24, 2025, 12:43 PM

#

#

Well, i like it

opaque monolith Mar 24, 2025, 1:00 PM

#

well, hell yeah

#

those prints make it look pretty darn nice in real world

winged narwhal Mar 24, 2025, 1:02 PM

#

Thank you

I just took some of the textures and scaled them in the plotter software wich worked well

So I laminated the print and plotted the circles

glacial compass Mar 24, 2025, 3:09 PM

#

really cool project

winged narwhal Mar 24, 2025, 3:10 PM

#

Thanks

winged narwhal Mar 26, 2025, 1:28 PM

#

opaque monolith gaah

Ok , I hope I have found something

If I use a non passthrough background in quest home and deactivate avatar hands in the settings , the ghost hands doesn’t disappear in the menu

I just tested it in the office , I have to confirm it works in the sim too

But it gives me a little hope

opaque monolith Mar 26, 2025, 4:14 PM

#

yeah such hacks. I wonder if some app could model hands as controllers

winged narwhal Mar 26, 2025, 4:17 PM

#

that would be interesting, but most of the time such apps use steamvr as runtime, wich sucks ... VD says its asobos topic , asobo says : i didnt understand the question, and meta does meta things ... and we sit in between and just want to see our hands, nothing more

winged narwhal Mar 26, 2025, 8:02 PM

#

https://youtube.com/shorts/9Ziz0DzX6ww?si=31_VfQ8wgEdThn1g

YouTube

iNherjer

Reaktivating ghost hands (they vanish when clicking into the space)

▶ Play video

#

Ok here’s what I found

The hands will vanish when you „klick“ (thumb and index together) into the empty space like the cockpit

But they reappear when you klick into the menu

So I placed the menu on the ceiling above me and just need to rise my hand and pinch my fingers And they will appear again

It’s not as good as it was before V74 but at least it works somehow

winged narwhal Mar 27, 2025, 11:17 AM

#

Another update! It was the seamless multitasking option that made the hands disappear when klicking in the free space because the focus changed to VD but still shows the menu.

#

so disabeling seamless multitasking keeps the menu in the foreground and with it the ghost hands

#

my day is saved

#

#

now im really happy with the SimPit

mellow lava May 5, 2025, 12:02 PM

#

@winged narwhal This is a fantastic idea! I have played long time in VR. The view is nearly fantastic but no haptic and the buttons and knobs are not really usable despite using handtracking. Than i have turned to Mixed Reality which is a little bit better bit the pass-through isn't really good on Quest and Apple Vision Pro, everything is so pixelated. Now I'm thinking about to go back to normal Displays but i will give this idea a try.
I also won't make a single cockpit. I want to fly Cessna, A320 and Helicopter and looking for an easy solution to switch. Your magnetic design can be a good solution for this but i guess it's not easy to find the correct positions for all stuff and align the vr view to the buttons, or not?

winged narwhal May 5, 2025, 12:21 PM

#

Stick with VR , even without haptic feedback it feels better than 2D

There are plenty of possibilities to realize this idea

If you have enough space you can make a plywood plate with encoders for the Cessna, for the a320 the winwing stuff should work too , maybe fixate them with a gooseneck mount so you can arrange them where you need them

With the magnets I’m able to move the panels horizontally and vertically where i want them to be

For the distance I move the seat on the rail

mellow lava May 5, 2025, 12:49 PM

#

Thx I will make some tests with my quest and then I will see if it's an option for me

opaque monolith May 5, 2025, 12:56 PM

#

@mellow lava lighting is important with camera passthru, it is of course still low res, but low and noisy dark image is worse than low res well lit one

mellow lava May 5, 2025, 12:59 PM

#

opaque monolith <@241940850588909568> lighting is important with camera passthru, it is of cours...

hmm, yes, this could also be an issue. I will test that out. Thx. But, this solution here has also charme.

#

Have you seen this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MFIACJKUvs

YouTube

Yaw VR Motion Simulator

Yaw Aviation - Cessna 172 Skyhawk G1000 - digital mixed reality coc...

A groundbreaking technology in aviation training
Fully immersive - full motion - digital mixed reality cockpit. Every buttons works including G1000 units.

GET THE HIGHEST MOTION RANGE SIMULATOR NOW FROM $3,990

CESSNA 172 SKYHAWK G1000 FULLY FUNCTIONAL - DIGITAL MIXED REALITY COCKPIT WITH YAW3 MOTION SIMULATOR FROM $9,900

http://www.yawvr.com...

▶ Play video

opaque monolith May 5, 2025, 1:04 PM

#

yeah that is similar to this project, just with motion

#

using something like Hyperion ambilight style thing with a led strip is quite interesting way to light up mixed reality cockpit to match the sim

mellow lava May 5, 2025, 1:09 PM

#

#

These are my panels

#

#

The A320 panel is not usable in this scenario but may be the C172 Panel with some changes

winged narwhal May 5, 2025, 1:14 PM

#

This looks good, if the positioning is nearly 1:1 with the virtual cockpit it will work

mellow lava May 5, 2025, 1:15 PM

#

I will report

opaque monolith May 5, 2025, 1:19 PM

#

do you use the OpenKneeboard with quest?

#

that of course has the issue with resolution

#

since the g1000 is not touch, you can maybe mask the g1000 screen out of your passthru so you see the VR image on the screens

#

it did match reasonably well in practice, when I tried

winged narwhal May 5, 2025, 1:26 PM

#

This is indeed a solution but I found it distracting to see my physical hands in a partial passthrough

The ghost Hand Solution should work well if the G1000 has the right dimensions

For a passthrough area around my lap (for map, phone and charts) I use the desk portal from VD

#

@mellow lava You’re from germany Right ?

mellow lava May 5, 2025, 1:35 PM

#

winged narwhal <@241940850588909568> You’re from germany Right ?

yes I am

winged narwhal May 5, 2025, 1:36 PM

#

Ok me too, you can also DM me if you have specific questions

opaque monolith May 5, 2025, 2:38 PM

#

also it would be cool to just follow your train of thought and ideas here too (or a thread in #1265359709880451134 )

winged narwhal May 5, 2025, 2:44 PM

#

Of course!

mellow lava May 19, 2025, 7:30 AM

#

I am thinking about the option to remodel the Cessna cockpit in MSFS to fit to my panel. Remodeling seems to be possible but I have to find out if it's possible to change the G1000 model because mine is't in original size because of using iPads.

winged narwhal May 19, 2025, 7:45 AM

#

That’s an interesting solution, I thought about that too but for me it was easier to build the hardware

Recently I run an iPad with EasyVFR4 with an passthrough window and it works extremely well

mellow lava May 19, 2025, 8:52 AM

#

I will check that out

mellow lava May 20, 2025, 8:10 AM

#

It seems to be not so easy as I thought. The main problem is that's not possible to import the original model data from the Cessna Cockpit so I have to remodel everything by my own.

opaque monolith May 20, 2025, 6:58 PM

#

you can use the msfs2blender plug-in

winged narwhal May 26, 2025, 6:18 AM

#

https://youtu.be/Xoe4ti-TL9k?si=ucCo5l5MwAvaBSW2

that’s my current state, it works like just sitting in the real thing

YouTube

iNherjer

Ghost hands and passthrough demo

▶ Play video

opaque monolith May 31, 2025, 12:38 PM

#

how do you currently get the hands to show? For me it seems they either emulate controllers and then accidentally move throttle or pedals etc, or I dont see them at all.

Is the tablet via OpenKneeboard?

winged narwhal May 31, 2025, 12:49 PM

#

It’s just the Meta menu opened and moved out of sight , so I can see my hands without interfering with the sim at all

The tablet is an physical iPad with easyVFR (excellent software by the way) with SimXR passthrough window

opaque monolith May 31, 2025, 12:52 PM

#

oh, simxr, interesting

winged narwhal May 31, 2025, 2:23 PM

#

It works quite well. The VD desk portal are only horizontal wich sucks so simXR or any other color passthrough mask is the way to go here

winged narwhal May 31, 2025, 4:16 PM

#

@opaque monolith let me know if you get it to work

opaque monolith May 31, 2025, 4:22 PM

#

its mad everyone seems to use the virtualdesktop openXR runtime

#

I had just bad experiences with the oculus built in VR runtime but need to check if it is still so bad

winged narwhal May 31, 2025, 6:57 PM

#

Drop the oculus stuff , passthrough needs VD , Meta has nearly abandoned pcvr

#

Get a solid router next to your pc and connect by WiFi , I never had a single connection problem since over a year , it’s 100% reliable with consistent results

opaque monolith May 31, 2025, 7:29 PM

#

so you use virtualdesktop VR. I also have the link cable but not sure if that really is used by the virtualbox vr?

winged narwhal May 31, 2025, 7:30 PM

#

No, can’t be used with virtual desktop, meta locked this feature - and it’s not really necessary

#

The image is just a h264 stream no matter if it’s streamed via usb or WiFi

opaque monolith May 31, 2025, 7:34 PM

#

right

opaque monolith Jun 8, 2025, 2:36 PM

#

dang the simxr thing, lovely trying to input your email in the registration popup when the keys do stuff in the simulator at the same time

winged narwhal Jun 8, 2025, 2:37 PM

#

That was a pain in the ass

opaque monolith Jun 8, 2025, 2:37 PM

#

even cursor keys move the camera and not the cursor

#

this is like the most insane user experience ever

#

and then I am waiting for the mail, I guess they send a code?

winged narwhal Jun 8, 2025, 2:39 PM

#

😂😂 this is customer torture at its best - similar to a 15 factor authentication process my health insurance is doing to show a message in my inbox

opaque monolith Jun 8, 2025, 2:41 PM

#

or objecting to meta using your data to train AI

#

its like an obstacle course

winged narwhal Jun 8, 2025, 2:42 PM

#

But did you get it working? I mean simXR?

opaque monolith Jun 8, 2025, 2:43 PM

#

my guess is the devs got annoyed by this, disabled the relevant keyboard shortcuts from the sim and then forgot about the whole thing

#

and nobody tested this

#

not yet, trying to register

#

I also noticed the hands disappear if the meta menu is either too far high in the view, or if I seem to gesture something with knobs

winged narwhal Jun 8, 2025, 2:45 PM

#

Make sure you don’t have your meta quest home environment as a passthrough environment

#

Switch to VR first

#

And make sure you don’t have seamless multitasking activated in the quest it’s under experimental features I think

#

It took me an eternity to find this out

opaque monolith Jun 8, 2025, 3:03 PM

#

if course seamless multitasking was on

#

hm, we should list the optimal settings for this and how to set things up

#

by passthru env you mean the virtual scene vs camera view of your room?

winged narwhal Jun 8, 2025, 3:23 PM

#

I mean the main menu in the quest when you start the quest , you can switch between immersive environment and passthrough environment with a button on the left side

winged narwhal Jun 8, 2025, 3:26 PM

#

opaque monolith hm, we should list the optimal settings for this and how to set things up

Yes nobody know about this stuff

opaque monolith Jun 8, 2025, 4:04 PM

#

oh yea. I always tend to use the camera as my passthru

winged narwhal Jun 8, 2025, 4:06 PM

#

You can use passthrough environment in virtual desktop, but using it in the quest menu will make the hands disappear

opaque monolith Jun 8, 2025, 4:09 PM

#

oh ok

#

what settings do you have in virtualdesktop btw?

#

there are also a lot of options for controllers etc

winged narwhal Jun 8, 2025, 4:48 PM

#

I deactivated the hand tracking options ,and I haven’t used the controllers since I have the cockpit done

For graphics I have set ultra and SSW off

winged narwhal Jun 8, 2025, 5:23 PM

#

I can send you my settings if you want , but I’m not at the pc right now

winged narwhal Jun 11, 2025, 11:54 AM

#

Slowly starting working on a 152 main panel

opaque monolith Jun 11, 2025, 9:33 PM

#

the jplogistics is pretty nice

winged narwhal Jun 12, 2025, 4:28 AM

#

Indeed, that’s the one I will use it for

winged narwhal Jun 12, 2025, 11:54 AM

#

#

Prototyping

#

I think this will be a wood dashboard with black instruments

winged narwhal Jun 12, 2025, 3:14 PM

#

opaque monolith Jun 12, 2025, 10:33 PM

#

so nice

#

did you get the 3d model from the sim?

#

that gives you the most perfect fit in VR I guess

winged narwhal Jun 13, 2025, 7:09 AM

#

Sadly no , I took a layout image of the dashboard

opaque monolith Jun 13, 2025, 10:42 AM

#

yea the msfs2blender import -> export relevant part as Wavefront OBJ -> import to FreeCAD works quite well

winged narwhal Jun 13, 2025, 10:43 AM

#

Ok I will have to try this!

opaque monolith Jun 13, 2025, 10:43 AM

#

it is also great for gauging relative positions of things

#

because that is what the 3d model will be in VR too

#

#

so you get a general idea of how stuff is placed

#

I am still very early, just have pedals and seat on a pallet so far, and just rough wood fixtures with the throttle and stick in place using woodworking clamps

#

but it gives a rough idea

#

#

because laying out the stuff so that it is comfortable to fly with is going to need some iteration

winged narwhal Jun 13, 2025, 11:30 AM

#

That’s neat! I will check this out- can you export it for fusion?

opaque monolith Jun 13, 2025, 4:18 PM

#

I found Wavefront obj works for exporting into freecad

#

I would guess there is some formats that work similarly for fusion

mellow lava Jun 16, 2025, 6:29 PM

#

Works really nice. Fantastic to feel Buttons while in VR

mellow lava Jun 16, 2025, 6:48 PM

#

winged narwhal Jun 16, 2025, 8:04 PM

#

Nice Build! This combined with VR sounds really cool

mellow lava Jun 17, 2025, 5:10 AM

#

I have also implemented two Budshakers in my chair. They are connected to a small amplifier and an USB soundcard. I use VoiceMeter Banana to split the PC sound to the normal Soundcard and the USB Soundcard, last cutted all Frequency over 100Hz. Works really nice.

winged narwhal Jun 17, 2025, 5:28 AM

#

I use bass shakers too but with SimHaptic , this gives the possibility to trigger different effects depending on situations like turbulences

mellow lava Jun 17, 2025, 12:46 PM

#

I have made a separate post for my project https://discord.com/channels/608690978081210392/1384508078879150211

winged narwhal Jul 2, 2025, 12:29 PM

#

Alright, the Comanche is done .

Cessna 152 is at 50%

And now I have to go towards the Aerostar 😍

I wasn’t able yet to export the cockpit for precise measurements so this will be the next step if it’s possible for an 3rd party plane?

opaque monolith Jul 2, 2025, 2:23 PM

#

I think you can use the VFS Projection in developer mode to access streamed planes

mellow lava Jul 2, 2025, 2:29 PM

#

I have tested zu use an onld joystick to move the camera to make everything fit between vr and real. Forward, backear, left, right, up and down works good but I cannot find any option for rotate left/right. It seems that the options are disabled while in Vr.

winged narwhal Jul 2, 2025, 2:30 PM

#

mellow lava I have tested zu use an onld joystick to move the camera to make everything fit ...

This might be true , I think only transversal movement works

winged narwhal Jul 2, 2025, 2:31 PM

#

opaque monolith I think you can use the VFS Projection in developer mode to access streamed plan...

Ok so i think i have to climb into this rabbit hole 🙈

mellow lava Jul 2, 2025, 2:32 PM

#

it would be nice to have an addon for this.

winged narwhal Jul 2, 2025, 2:33 PM

#

I was Able to rotate with the controller sticks in 2020 , but didn’t use them in 2024

mellow lava Jul 2, 2025, 2:57 PM

#

may. e I am using the wrong option

opaque monolith Jul 2, 2025, 3:04 PM

#

I am planning to measure everything from my ass

#

literally from the seat

#

so its the same dimensions as the real plane, it should work in theory at least

winged narwhal Jul 2, 2025, 6:46 PM

#

My reference point is the shaft of the yoke , this is a fix point horizontally and vertically, the rest is built around it

I took first mixed reality measurements of the Aerostar, it fits nicely to my hardware pit

winged narwhal Jul 3, 2025, 4:33 AM

#

https://youtube.com/shorts/34vlPW7GSwo?si=n3XL5a78YiNBjRbK

YouTube

iNherjer

Mixed reality C152 panel

▶ Play video

#

The 152 main panel fits well , the copilot side is a little wide but that’s fine

#

For the Aerostar I was able to export the cockpit and import it to Fusion so I can recreate it with real dimensions

winged narwhal Jul 3, 2025, 6:45 PM

#

Project started

Bildschirmfoto_2025-07-03_um_17.25.49.png

mellow lava Jul 4, 2025, 6:59 AM

#

I have tested the finish PLA Printed Stand (see https://discord.com/channels/608690978081210392/1384508078879150211) yesterday and it's so fantastic to feel the buttons and knobs in VR. But it's still not easy to align the stand with the vr cockpit.

winged narwhal Jul 4, 2025, 7:02 AM

#

Yes it’s such a huge benefit for immersion

If you aligned it once it gets quite easy to replicate

Get yourself a fixation point first like yoke or sidestick, then aligne the panels until they match

Then you can replicate the alignment by recentering with a finger on a dial

mellow lava Jul 4, 2025, 7:21 AM

#

Thats a good idea,

opaque monolith Jul 4, 2025, 7:50 AM

#

would be interesting to have a reverse track-ir style setup where you track say a few IR leds in your cockpit corners and match those in the virtual scene, and adjust the alignment point dynamically in VR

#

but maybe that could also work as manual thing - you know how some airliners have the alignmen "gizmo"

#

maybe something like this would work well for VR too?

#

https://safetyfirst.airbus.com/are-you-properly-seated/

Are You Properly Seated? | Safety First

The best position for a pilot to fly is not left to chance. It is the result of detailed analysis and design that provides the optimum seating position for both the Pilot Flying (PF) and the Pilot Monitoring (PM) to safely and comfortably operate their aircraft.

winged narwhal Jul 4, 2025, 7:57 AM

#

Yes that would be cool - it has to work the other way around, not you move in the cockpit, the cockpit moves around you

But that’s an issue from the sim , it demands an ingame recenter everytime

The headset itself is good at remembering the right position , you can see it with the VD desk portals- they stay at the exact same position for months without recalibration

#

But the sim centers itself independent to the hardware

#

But it’s an easy task -> point your finger on an dial and recenter 2 or 3 times until it fits .

mellow lava Jul 4, 2025, 8:48 AM

#

That's easy on using only a front panel. Using a Pedestal additionally makes alinging a little bit more complicated.

winged narwhal Jul 4, 2025, 8:53 AM

#

Thats Right , im doing this right now

It needs to be done correctly once

mellow lava Jul 4, 2025, 9:28 AM

#

In my experience the hand tracking is sometime not correct anymore. You align a button, look around, put your finger to the button, everything okay, look around again, put your finger to the button again, not correct anymore. Do you have the same issue?

winged narwhal Jul 4, 2025, 10:12 AM

#

Not that much , the fingertip floats a little but not too much, for normal use it’s not an issue on my end

winged narwhal Jul 4, 2025, 10:59 AM

#

@wispy lark Made the first magneto switch - looking good

mellow lava Jul 4, 2025, 8:15 PM

#

nice

winged narwhal Jul 7, 2025, 11:31 AM

#

bringing the new printer to its limits i guess. lets see how it turns out

Bildschirmfoto_2025-07-07_um_13.29.32.png

winged narwhal Jul 7, 2025, 1:22 PM

#

#

Yup, this is the limit , 2mm font is really hard to print

opaque monolith Jul 8, 2025, 6:15 AM

#

is that 0.2mm nozzle? Looks pretty sweet nevertheless

winged narwhal Jul 8, 2025, 6:16 AM

#

0.4 Standard nozzle
0.2 should look way better
But it’s fine

winged narwhal Jul 8, 2025, 6:42 AM

#

Overall it looks decent I think, so we plan to print the fronts in multicolor

opaque monolith Jul 8, 2025, 10:57 AM

#

that textured sheet looks so nice with the retro avionics

winged narwhal Jul 8, 2025, 10:59 AM

#

Thanks! I’m quite happy too about the results

#

And this part has 1:1 ingame dimensions, so this should match perfectly

opaque monolith Jul 8, 2025, 11:01 AM

#

did you pull the 3d model and print it?

#

I am sooo intrigued to try printing some of the interior panels (the shapes of handrests etc) and wondering how those would turn out

winged narwhal Jul 8, 2025, 11:02 AM

#

yes, i had to rework most of the parts, but its a great base taking measurements

opaque monolith Jul 8, 2025, 11:03 AM

#

bahnschrift for the font works nicely since at least in inkscape you can adjust the width of the line with a slider

#

would likely need to import texts as SVG into freecad here to try that but one could then optimize the line width to nozzle size

winged narwhal Jul 8, 2025, 11:06 AM

#

i used Arial Bold , it matches quite well and is wide enough to be printed. for the collins Audio/Marker panel i used a photo of the real one and imported it o the CAD and reworked the lines and text

opaque monolith Jul 8, 2025, 11:06 AM

#

yea the fonts and typography on those old panels is often very beautifully done

winged narwhal Jul 9, 2025, 3:51 PM

#

Prototyping the dual encoder for the radio - works excellent!

#

I did that because the regular dual encoders have really weak detends so I took 2 strong encoders and built a coax setup myself, and it klicks really nice 👍

opaque monolith Jul 9, 2025, 5:38 PM

#

that looks sweet

#

how do you make the larger knob sit in place?

#

is it made of two pieces that fit around the panel hole? One could use small ball bearings or could use two bushings, that fit inside each other

#

#

one in the panel, and one on the knob

#

so it would feel smooth and solid

#

or a small ball bearing

#

this might actually work nicely, 10mm internal, 15 outer, 4mm thick

#

bourns has these heavy detent encoders that are really pronounced but I fear printed gears might be too weak for that 😄

#

the orange dual encoders have stiffer detents btw

#

they use stronger damping grease I think

winged narwhal Jul 9, 2025, 7:44 PM

#

I use ball bearings 10x6x3 mm for the outer ring wich sits on the shaft

The inner part is sitting directly on the Encoder shaft wich is quite long

So both parts sitting on the shaft of the inner knob and the mount for that encoder is behind the panel

It works perfekt that way

#

#

These are the parts

Bildschirmfoto_2025-07-09_um_13.31.58.png

winged narwhal Jul 15, 2025, 11:46 AM

#

Progressing

winged narwhal Jul 16, 2025, 6:18 AM

#

opaque monolith Jul 16, 2025, 11:16 AM

#

this is so neat!

winged narwhal Jul 17, 2025, 11:53 AM

#

First part is ready

winged narwhal Jul 17, 2025, 2:48 PM

#

First fit of a bezel

winged narwhal Jul 18, 2025, 6:31 AM

#

winged narwhal Jul 22, 2025, 4:01 PM

#

#

A Little update, the Instruments are blank at the Moment, but they will get a texture like the other panels I made

opaque monolith Jul 22, 2025, 5:28 PM

#

the black trim is so nice

winged narwhal Jul 22, 2025, 5:34 PM

#

Thanks ! It helps holding the panel in Place

winged narwhal Jul 22, 2025, 9:14 PM

#

https://youtube.com/shorts/EhQqrbf9k4g?si=7U-YK3pq28_ZfF9C

YouTube

iNherjer

A2A Aerostar fitting

First test for poisoning the hardware panel

▶ Play video

#

It fits perfectly

winged narwhal Jul 23, 2025, 2:55 PM

#

The clock, i did not model all Details and text because of the size, but it looks fine enough for me

winged narwhal Jul 25, 2025, 7:54 AM

#

Some more stuff

opaque monolith Jul 25, 2025, 11:30 AM

#

ok now this is getting into a new level. I am very interested in how you do the toggle switch covers, because that is quite sweet looking result.

#

I assume it's toggles behind that the white rocker part slots into.

winged narwhal Jul 25, 2025, 11:58 AM

#

#

Thanks ! Yes @wispy lark Made the switches and levers , we use this kind of switches and made custom covers

He did an great job with them

wispy prawn Jul 25, 2025, 11:59 AM

#

that looks like some precision work!

winged narwhal Jul 25, 2025, 12:01 PM

#

wispy prawn that looks like some precision work!

Thanks ! The Bambu P1S is an amazing tool ! It’s so precise that you can easy print such things

wispy prawn Jul 25, 2025, 12:06 PM

#

winged narwhal

Those toggle caps look like they have no layer lines and a very clean top texture that does not betray much of a printer fill. Especially compared to the frames holding them that look very printed.

winged narwhal Jul 25, 2025, 12:11 PM

#

I think the white PLA and the light is doing its work 😋 and te print orientation

opaque monolith Jul 25, 2025, 1:04 PM

#

yeah I think those toggles with text are the ready made toggles that are the mechanism underneath?

wispy prawn Jul 25, 2025, 1:08 PM

#

ah, just me being stupid then. Not seen such compact parts for underneath before, and that mold flash (?) down the bottom did look almost as if printed.

#

yeah, looking at the top bin explains it

#

still impressed by the covers

opaque monolith Jul 25, 2025, 1:17 PM

#

yea looks like the framing is printed

winged narwhal Jul 25, 2025, 1:20 PM

#

Indeed, the switches with the labels are of the shelf, the frame and the caps are printed

winged narwhal Sep 30, 2025, 2:04 PM

#

After the Summer break we slowly Start again: @wispy lark Made this beautiful throttle quadrant and i processed with the front panels and the new DME

winged narwhal Oct 2, 2025, 10:13 AM

#

#

And the new DME panel

winged narwhal Oct 2, 2025, 11:38 AM

#

opaque monolith Oct 2, 2025, 1:18 PM

#

does the simxr or whatever support something similar to Varjo, so reverse chroma color screening?

#

could paint all "displays" magenta and see how mixed reality would work as an alternative mode?

winged narwhal Oct 2, 2025, 1:30 PM

#

That’s not possible right now and i think that would be a nightmare to match all these small dials and screens and keep them running

The depth precision would also be more important than this pure haptic approach

All this colors and style shenanigans are just there to look cool but for the function itself it’s enough to make a plain gray surface with all these encoders, potis and switches at the right place wich can make an Build pretty straightforward and easy to setup

opaque monolith Oct 2, 2025, 5:48 PM

#

yeah I guess Varjo does a more sophisticated 3d mask, and I am not sure it is that perfect either

winged narwhal Oct 2, 2025, 6:40 PM

#

In theory this idea sounds cool but I think this makes the whole setup over complicated- yet , let’s see what the next years bring

winged narwhal Oct 2, 2025, 7:12 PM

#

But reverse chroma color screening is a fascinating topic! This could bring a existing hardware cockpit to mixed reality with magenta windscreens and windows

opaque monolith Oct 2, 2025, 8:35 PM

#

yeah

winged narwhal Oct 6, 2025, 8:02 PM

#

Belly dancing

#

Another approach to increase immersion:

I mounted 2 150kg servos behind the chair and connected it to the lap belt of a 4 point harness

They are mapped to the slip indicator (ball) and moving nicely with the ball

Next thing will be the shoulder belts for g forces

#

It’s not possible to mix two variables to one output? So I could also mix g forces to the lap belt and tighten it when pulling 🤔

opaque monolith Oct 6, 2025, 9:09 PM

#

oh, try vibration motor on the throttle handles

#

that was one thing I wanted to try

#

fet driving the vibra dc motor, try to mape interpolation curve to get the engine rpm and motor speed to somewhat make sense

#

feeling the engine vibration would be cool one more thing to the mix if it worked ok

#

the belt tightening one is a great idea

#

you can use ncalc and config references to multiply things together

#

transform modifier for example

#

(#*$)/2 or something

winged narwhal Oct 7, 2025, 4:08 AM

#

Ah that’s interesting! I have to deep dive into the modifier settings

Also I have to look for a solution to make the servos a little more silent 🤔 the max speed can’t be set ?

Vibrations are already there , I have 2 bass shaker and the FFB yoke itself that shakes on engine rpm

opaque monolith Oct 7, 2025, 5:27 AM

#

I guess you could have an intermediate MF variable that instead of setting the servo value directly, adds, say, 10 to the value until the two values are close enough to each other?

#

it would run at the speed of your config execution loop, so not precise to time, but might still work to slow down?

winged narwhal Oct 7, 2025, 5:30 AM

#

Hmm I have to look into that, the servo doesn’t run really smooth, that’s the only thing I don’t like

But all this modifier stuff is new to me and gosh it’s complicated to wrap my head around it 🤣

opaque monolith Oct 7, 2025, 5:39 AM

#

yeah

#

but like instead of writing the current G force to the servo you could have a variable that holds the current servo position, and add or subtract from it depending if the G force is above or below it I guess. I havent done this either but just thinking now

#

"if gforce is more than current servo position, add 10 to servo position"

#

or something? gotta try it myself too

winged narwhal Oct 7, 2025, 5:44 AM

#

thats what im looking for, the yaw function should work as it is but the neutral position should shift depending on the g force

opaque monolith Oct 7, 2025, 5:44 AM

#

making it smooth might be hard

#

steppers let you define speed and acceleration

#

but servos currently not

winged narwhal Oct 7, 2025, 5:46 AM

#

a stepper could also be an option for the shouder straps, but they need a reference point like an endswitch?!

opaque monolith Oct 7, 2025, 5:50 AM

#

yeah, they in theory work without if you set the zero manually

#

MF should return to zero when you stop it

#

but a zero switch would automate the zeroing at startup

winged narwhal Oct 7, 2025, 5:55 AM

#

Yes , it would be better , otherwise it would also loose its zero position when I pull on the strap with power off

winged narwhal Oct 7, 2025, 7:51 AM

#

Short question: are mf.var functions allowed in any way for a servo output?

Nevermind , I think I got it running now

opaque monolith Oct 7, 2025, 7:02 PM

#

yea the servo output is just the last step in the chain

#

all the modifiers and config references and such work with all output devices

winged narwhal Oct 8, 2025, 8:57 AM

#

i got it running, i mixed slip and gforce and its a quite nice experience

#

now im looking for other solid acceleration variables to fiddle around with

#

the acceleration body x/y/z should be what i want, but they seems to relate to the orientation of the plane in the world coorninate system wich is incredibly useless

opaque monolith Oct 8, 2025, 2:36 PM

#

oh also add a small fan and air vents, so they blow a bit of air when engine is running or there is airspeed (there is simvar "airspeed against windshield" or something

#

its the little things that can add so much

#

so that airvents start to blow when you start the engine

winged narwhal Oct 8, 2025, 2:49 PM

#

Haha 😀 I already added a vent with an radial blower, it’s not connected to the sim but the vent is at the same spot as it is in the sim

opaque monolith Oct 8, 2025, 2:50 PM

#

yeah, wire it to a FET and drive via pwm

#

(A:WINDSHIELD WIND VELOCITY)

#

and could have a potentiometer for the air VENT lever if the plane has one

#

use interpolation to range it from 0 to 1, and then bring that as a config reference into the wind velocity simvar, to multiply with it

#

to bring in outside slipstream air, controlled by your VENT lever

#

so it only blows when your plane moves or engine is running

winged narwhal Oct 8, 2025, 3:16 PM

#

That’s an idea , it already has an poti and it’s quite useful when it’s getting hot in the cockpit

opaque monolith Oct 8, 2025, 4:25 PM

#

I wonder how many / big peltiers one would need to actually cool the air

winged narwhal Oct 8, 2025, 4:27 PM

#

😂 i also though about powering up the seat heater from my car seat depending on the ingame cockpit temperature

opaque monolith Oct 8, 2025, 4:27 PM

#

heh

#

yeah these are kinda wild ideas but the overall experience can be quite good when everything works together

#

or a small container with lid and servo to open it

#

and have some aeroshell oil / 100LL soaked rugs inside 😄

winged narwhal Oct 8, 2025, 4:29 PM

#

🤣🤣man there are so many wild ideas and I’m considering every one of them

opaque monolith Oct 8, 2025, 4:29 PM

#

yeah

winged narwhal Oct 9, 2025, 11:15 AM

#

found one!

#

i digged in the behaviors menu and found this Lvar:

#

(L:FM_BodyAccelerationZ)

#

it seems to export some kind of acceleration related to the longitudinal axis

#

values are around -0.5 to 4

#

as soon as the new servo arrives i will test this for the shouder straps in compination with gforce

#

I just printed the pull wheel for the rope on the 270° servo

opaque monolith Oct 9, 2025, 2:24 PM

#

ok now we are getting serious indeed 🙂

#

looks sweet

#

it would be amazing to see this stuff at fsweekend btw, no idea how hard it would be to transport it

#

I dont think I ever asked where you are from, but timezone-wise I kinda figured EU?

winged narwhal Oct 9, 2025, 2:27 PM

#

The quality of the wheel looks Bad because of the cheap PETG filament but at least it’s solid 😝

winged narwhal Oct 9, 2025, 2:28 PM

#

opaque monolith it would be amazing to see this stuff at fsweekend btw, no idea how hard it woul...

Oh it would be a nightmare, it’s hardmounted to the wall of my house . But i plan to visit FSweekend next year!

winged narwhal Oct 9, 2025, 2:29 PM

#

opaque monolith I dont think I ever asked where you are from, but timezone-wise I kinda figured ...

Indeed- I’m from Germany, Black Forest

opaque monolith Oct 9, 2025, 2:29 PM

#

bringing the house might be a bit hard yeah

#

yeah be sure to say hi then, we will again have a MF booth there

winged narwhal Oct 9, 2025, 2:30 PM

#

If I manage to visit the FSweekend I will definitely show up 😀

glacial compass Oct 9, 2025, 7:32 PM

#

winged narwhal Indeed- I’m from Germany, Black Forest

And you didn't join us for MeetUp? 😮

opaque monolith Oct 9, 2025, 7:33 PM

#

he didnt want to intrude? 🙂

glacial compass Oct 9, 2025, 7:34 PM

#

It's so close to Backnang.

winged narwhal Oct 9, 2025, 7:36 PM

#

Wait you make meet ups?

glacial compass Oct 9, 2025, 7:37 PM

#

Oh no, don't say you didn't see announcement or event in calendar? 😮

#

Yes, Sebastian is organising this fantastic event at Edsh.
We were there couple of weeks ago

#

Back to the topic...
What is this wheel for?

opaque monolith Oct 9, 2025, 7:40 PM

#

it was the third one we had

#

@winged narwhal #1379556342217445487 message

#

The next MobiFlight Meetup will be 10-13 September, 2026. at EDSH

winged narwhal Oct 9, 2025, 7:44 PM

#

Oh i totally missed that!!

winged narwhal Oct 9, 2025, 7:46 PM

#

glacial compass Back to the topic... What is this wheel for?

It’s the pullwheel that fits on a 150kg servo to tension the shoulder belt from the belt system

It will force you into the seat when you accelerate or pulling Gs

#

The second part is the hip belt wich twist around the abdomen and forces you to the left and right depending on the sideways forces

It also tighten up when Gs force increases

#

I just finished the hip belt and in VR it does a great job, it feel even better than I anticipated

glacial compass Oct 9, 2025, 7:52 PM

#

You definitely need to bring your home to next meetup 🤣

winged narwhal Oct 10, 2025, 6:22 AM

#

I should have build it into a trailer instead of my house 😂

#

mellow lava Oct 11, 2025, 9:34 AM

#

winged narwhal

wow, really cool

opaque monolith Oct 11, 2025, 10:15 AM

#

that is truly impressive

#

@winged narwhal I used an euro pallet, or you could do like we did at the meetup

#

#1379556342217445487 message

#

we built a rig from alu profiles

winged narwhal Oct 11, 2025, 5:07 PM

#

If I would build it again I also would build it on a palette (or two) but this was a natural grown project, the base cockpit is from 2014 (A-10 dcs) and evolved over the years to what it is now , it’s the fifth revision and the base plate was also mounted on a motion rig for some time in ~2016

At this state it’s too late for a complete overhaul

opaque monolith Oct 11, 2025, 6:00 PM

#

yeah that is how these things grow organically

winged narwhal Oct 15, 2025, 8:25 PM

#

#

Behind the scenes (the ugly part) but gosh , this works so great

winged narwhal Oct 17, 2025, 8:13 PM

#

Damn it! V81 finally killed the handtracking

#

I thought it will happen with the UI overhaul by meta , but it is the new home environment that is killing the visual hands in the menu when you are away from the buttons by a few cm

That’s soooo bad, because there is still no other solution for just showing the players hands in the VR space

opaque monolith Oct 17, 2025, 8:27 PM

#

bummer

mellow lava Oct 18, 2025, 8:29 AM

#

winged narwhal I thought it will happen with the UI overhaul by meta , but it is the new home e...

thats hard. I am using my Apple Vision pro which has an option to make the hands generally visible.

#

I have the luck to have an AVP for business needs

winged narwhal Oct 18, 2025, 8:31 AM

#

Well that’s far Out of my price range, I think I’ve managed to get it somehow working again , but one hand vanishes quite fast

rustic olive Oct 18, 2025, 7:30 PM

#

What software did you use to do the belt tensioners, mobiflight?

rustic olive Oct 18, 2025, 7:46 PM

#

It’s an awesome project

winged narwhal Oct 18, 2025, 8:39 PM

#

Thanks

winged narwhal Oct 18, 2025, 8:40 PM

#

rustic olive What software did you use to do the belt tensioners, mobiflight?

Yes mobiflight, works quite nicely now that I know how you can mix multiple variables

rustic olive Oct 18, 2025, 8:54 PM

#

That’s so cool.

opaque monolith Oct 18, 2025, 9:22 PM

#

I was playign with the winwing ursa minor stick shaker pull request build

#

and read stall angle of attack and current angle of attack from the sim, and also "SIM ON GROUND"

#

so I can have stall "buffet" - it feels really lame since its just a offset weight motor, but it gives an idea much better on how close you are to stall on landing for example

#

#

first transform gives me a ratio of how close we are to the critical angle of attack (1 being equal to it)

#

and I then multiply with 100, since the vibra wants 0..100 range

#

then I interpolate since I only want the vibra to start from ~70% to up

#

having it on all the time is super annoying, I tried engine rumble but it is just too much

#

a buttkicker would be better, this vibra whizzing is not something you want on all the time

#

and final Transform is just to turn the shaker off when wheels are on ground

#

now, I do have 2 bigger DC motors and a motor driver shield, so hmm tempted to play with this stuff more

winged narwhal Oct 19, 2025, 6:47 AM

#

That’s cool , I use 2 bass shakers and an old hifi amp with SimHaptics and the FFB yoke for that but I also thought about vibration motors to tinker around with

But first things first, I ordered a fifth belt and another 2 servos , let’s see what I can do with them

opaque monolith Oct 19, 2025, 7:07 AM

#

on fsweekend there was a motion seat that used paddles on the sides of the seat pan to simulate yaw

#

it also had similar belts stuff

winged narwhal Oct 19, 2025, 7:11 AM

#

That’s cool, I remember the old Bergeson G seat , this thing inspired me a lot. But we talked about organic growth- I adapt some ideas on my car seat instead of building a new one my self

opaque monolith Oct 19, 2025, 7:20 AM

#

it was the bergeson

#

hmm, g-suit comes to mind but could one use air pressure somehow?

#

not sure how fast such systems could react though

#

the hard part is to keep this system not becoming too restrictive to buckle up or sit in

winged narwhal Oct 19, 2025, 7:26 AM

#

Oh hes still around? 😀 that was pioneer work back in my A10 days

A g suit could be interesting in fighter jets, I think in a GA training Simulator it’s not that useful

But I want the seat to do some more things

opaque monolith Oct 19, 2025, 7:47 AM

#

yeah he had a booth and a company

winged narwhal Oct 19, 2025, 7:55 AM

#

I see I have to come to lelystad next year

glacial compass Oct 19, 2025, 8:45 AM

#

That's a great idea. We have a lot of fun during that weekend and it's cool to pin thee real people to nicknames here😃

mellow lava Nov 5, 2025, 9:40 AM

#

@winged narwhal I am thinking about if it's possible to change the cockpit texture to pink except the windows. If you use pass through with Virtual desktop everything would be visible in pass through except the cockpit windows. This could be great alternative for mixed reality.

#

btw. popped out panels are stopped working while in vr seems to fixed in SU3

winged narwhal Nov 5, 2025, 9:48 AM

#

Yes that should be possible at some point, I also thought about that , making all transparent but not the windows, displays and instruments

With all the passthrough things I find it very distracting to see the hands in passthrough but not in the VR parts , and depth alignment is really complicated

Also the lighting is off until you build a dynamic cockpit lighting depending on the ingame light

Also shadows aren’t existing in mixed reality

So interesting the approach is , for me personally there are too many downsides (yet)

#

I love to have my iPad and my kneeboard in passthrough but too much is irritating for me

mellow lava Nov 5, 2025, 9:53 AM

#

I will make a test with my Fenix A320 Cockpit and let you know how it is (when it works). May be I will make a video

winged narwhal Nov 5, 2025, 9:54 AM

#

That would be great! I think on a airliner this can work better as you are more inside a defined space.

royal lion Nov 5, 2025, 11:58 AM

#

Hi guys, I’m thinking about building a mixt reality cockpit for msfs, I’m not too afraid with the pass trough problem, there are good solutions to implement this. What worries me is how do you align the real world with the VR one? Do you have to guess it every time and use the « VR reset » button in msfs? Is there a more reliable, always right on spot, solution?

opaque monolith Nov 5, 2025, 1:15 PM

#

@winged narwhal so I came accross this and was wondering if it would actually be amazing in this

#

https://youtu.be/Jd3-eiid-Uw?si=tLPK6aHL6qZ2WWr6&t=151

YouTube

Johnny Lee

Head Tracking for Desktop VR Displays using the WiiRemote

Using the infrared camera in the Wii remote and a head mounted sensor bar (two IR LEDs), you can accurately track the location of your head and render view dependent images on the screen. This effectively transforms your display into a portal to a virtual environment. The display properly reacts to head and body movement as if it were a real wi...

▶ Play video

#

doign headtracking combined

#

but without the over-exxagerated head turning angle

#

but actually tracking with 1:1 ratio

#

because that seems to look exactly like our parallax issue

wispy prawn Nov 5, 2025, 1:16 PM

#

I tried that demo once and loved it

opaque monolith Nov 5, 2025, 1:16 PM

#

or maybe the VR headset does it already

#

?

wispy prawn Nov 5, 2025, 1:17 PM

#

Immersive in all the ways headlook isn't

wispy prawn Nov 5, 2025, 1:17 PM

#

opaque monolith or maybe the VR headset does it already

VR headsets do handle parallax if they are more advanced than google cardboard

winged narwhal Nov 5, 2025, 1:22 PM

#

opaque monolith or maybe the VR headset does it already

Yes a VR headset already does a proper 6 dof tracking, this together with the stereoscopic vision gives so much more fidelity and awareness then a monitor ever can provide, I ditched my 7 monitor + headtracking for VR because it works so much better

opaque monolith Nov 5, 2025, 1:23 PM

#

yeah. sometimes these things are a bit of a brain twister. The problem here is though that the mask is static?

#

I wonder if the mask could also move according to the head movement?

#

or does it already do that

winged narwhal Nov 5, 2025, 1:23 PM

#

You mean the passthrough in Vr?

opaque monolith Nov 5, 2025, 1:23 PM

#

at least in openkneeboard it is static I think

#

the passthrough mask

#

it is stationary in the VR scene

#

but it should actually be tied to your head location

#

no wait

#

its SHAPE doesnt change because it is a 2D bitmap

#

sorry, brain twister

#

Varjo has a 3D mask in the VR scene for passthrough

#

so the pink texture in cockpit would work in that sense

#

too bad avionics will look like crap through the VR camera

winged narwhal Nov 5, 2025, 1:26 PM

#

The mask is statistic to the ingame location (wich also is a real world location ) so no matter how you move around, the passthrough window is always at the same spot but shows the 3 dimensional reality behind it like the television in this demo

winged narwhal Nov 5, 2025, 1:27 PM

#

opaque monolith too bad avionics will look like crap through the VR camera

If I would go that way I would paint the dashboard in pink but not the instruments, so they will stay visible in the foreground over the passthrough

opaque monolith Nov 5, 2025, 1:27 PM

#

yeah

#

but then that would not work for touchscreen like the garmin g3x

#

its like there is no free lunch

winged narwhal Nov 5, 2025, 1:32 PM

#

It could if you have a touchscreen at the exact same location as your see it in VR , so you can keep the clear VR view in the foreground and manipulate the touchscreen because it’s at the same spot

BUT , popout didn’t work in VR until now, and I don’t know if it will work forever, it was a performance hungry feature, and I never was able to get a touchscreen panel to work reliably with a 750

That’s another reason I stick with steam gauges

#

But i love the ideas and the dynamic that pops up here 😀

opaque monolith Nov 5, 2025, 1:36 PM

#

oh wait yeah if you also saw your hands

winged narwhal Nov 5, 2025, 1:37 PM

#

Yes that’s the point! I hope I will be able to see my hands again in VR , I fighting with this on the recent firmware in the quest

opaque monolith Nov 5, 2025, 1:38 PM

#

but yeah, it would be a popout

#

and it is kinda silly to show nice vector graphics on a monitor and stream it back on a noisy webcam

#

so the direct view would look better

#

but hmm, another brain twister

#

you need the popup to get touch events, right

#

even though you wouldnt need it for anything else

winged narwhal Nov 5, 2025, 1:42 PM

#

Yeah , a black touchscreen that represents the touchspots and send the correct variables to the sim would also do the job , presumingly with better performance and more reliable on longer term

But this would require to build an completely new interface between the ingame device and the touchscreen wich is far out of my possibilities

opaque monolith Nov 5, 2025, 2:35 PM

#

yeah

winged narwhal Nov 5, 2025, 2:37 PM

#

But I want back my f****n hands again!! Two weeks ago It worked as again somehow, but last time it didn’t and i haven’t found out why exactly 😵‍💫

#

The ghost hands with hardware worked just perfect, really perfect

opaque monolith Nov 5, 2025, 2:58 PM

#

did you see this? just googled. no idea if it helps

#

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPW18qhz2WE

YouTube

LunchAndVR

How to see your hands WITH Wheels/Joysticks/HOTAS (InfuseVR)

This is a new app called Infuse VR and there's a free & paid option. I'm not sponsored to show this but I personally think it's a fantastic use of hand tracking!
**Supported headsets: Quest 2, Quest 3, Pico 4, HTC 3
Currently am using the Beta, but I believe it's a game changer for Simmers & Flyers!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2532240/Inf...

▶ Play video

#

what I dont like is this is just like FS hardware and tools

#

million little apps for every little thing and hoping they all work together

#

but I guess one should create a simbuilder mixed reality app that shows your hands, masks your cockpit in VR (could use a neural net to learn to map the simpit automatically)

#

vibe coding one might be wishful thinking

winged narwhal Nov 5, 2025, 3:06 PM

#

Yes , saw this a few months ago, while this is what i want (just the hands, no need for the devices) it’s a mess that it can’t be used with openXR and Virtual desktop wich is the gold standard for quest3 PCVR gaming

VD also Supports Hand Tracking and you can show hand portals - but it’s borderline useless because the portals cover your ingame instruments when you have your hand next to it wich makes it impossible to dial in the QNH while looking at the gauge

opaque monolith Nov 5, 2025, 3:42 PM

#

yea the portals are kinda just stupid

#

its made for grabbing a coke without spilling or such

winged narwhal Nov 5, 2025, 4:00 PM

#

Yes , if we just could adjust the size 🙄 this could be a great feature but no one is interested in (except a few nerds like me)

opaque monolith Nov 5, 2025, 4:15 PM

#

that is why I dont like proprietary software

#

because I am always some corner case

#

and in order to even test something you would need to have a way to modify the software

royal lion Nov 5, 2025, 9:53 PM

#

winged narwhal If I would go that way I would paint the dashboard in pink but not the instrumen...

I'd llike a "reverse passthrough" where you can paint in pink the windshield and windows of your cockpit and only this shows VR, anything else you'll see the real world.

winged narwhal Nov 6, 2025, 5:50 AM

#

Painting something in real world to make it a VR window does not work at the moment as far as I know

But modding the cockpit textures would work so you sit in a transparent cockpit with visible windows

barren frost Nov 8, 2025, 6:00 PM

#

Love the progress here. I’m also exploring mixed reality with a touchscreen, but when switching to VR the touchinput moves to the goggles. Hopefully someday someone finds a solution for this.

winged narwhal Nov 8, 2025, 8:46 PM

#

Oh that’s bad ! I think this requires a completely new interface

opaque monolith Nov 9, 2025, 10:58 PM

#

https://www.reddit.com/r/homecockpits/comments/1oso8qt/mixed_reality_wquest_3/

From the homecockpits community on Reddit: Mixed Reality w/Quest 3.

Explore this post and more from the homecockpits community

winged narwhal Nov 22, 2025, 9:33 AM

#

I got my hands back!

#

Every passthrough option in VD have to be deactivated wich also sucks a little bit

opaque monolith Nov 22, 2025, 10:34 AM

#

oh!

winged narwhal Dec 1, 2025, 9:19 PM

#

https://youtube.com/shorts/vVLnIOj0hmU?si=oNWqepb_tox2Jd2D

YouTube

iNherjer

That’s VR

▶ Play video

#

Using the Q3 browser works quite well , love it!

Sorry for the bad video capture

opaque monolith Dec 1, 2025, 9:46 PM

#

oh wow that looks amazing

winged narwhal Dec 1, 2025, 9:58 PM

#

It is! This replaces the ingame EFB (mostly) and the passthrough for me! Using the fingers is the way

Sky4sim runs great in the quest browser

waxen canopy Dec 1, 2025, 11:09 PM

#

Saw your post over in Reddit. At first I was thinking "Oh, I need to show this to the guy with the magnetic VR dashboard" , but guess you know him 🙂

rustic olive Dec 2, 2025, 6:32 AM

#

waxen canopy Saw your post over in Reddit. At first I was thinking "Oh, I need to show this t...

Haha I had exact the same thing🤣

#

Do you have something to imitate the touchscreen surface or is it just touching the quest browser “in thin air”?

winged narwhal Dec 2, 2025, 6:49 AM

#

haha, yes i wanted to inspire others because im sold to this concept and i think it needs more attention . Not my setup, but the idea.

#

at the moment the window just floats around, but i will build a dummy ipad (a piece of plywood should be enough) that is placed a few mm behind the browser so i dont point through the browser screen.

winged narwhal Dec 2, 2025, 8:00 AM

#

Haptic mixed reality cockpit

#

I Changed the Titel , I think this project has become a little more than just a magnetic dashboard 😅

opaque monolith Dec 2, 2025, 3:09 PM

#

oh yeah! this is pretty ground breaking research stuff

winged narwhal Dec 2, 2025, 3:19 PM

#

opaque monolith oh yeah! this is pretty ground breaking research stuff

Thank you! This journey is fun and frustrating at the same time, but it showed some nice results , i really enjoy this and i hope others find this knowledge helpful

winged narwhal Dec 15, 2025, 12:46 PM

#

Slow progress, today I milled the lower Panels for @wispy lark

Now I need new plywood

winged narwhal Jan 12, 2026, 12:48 PM

#

Bildschirmfoto_2026-01-12_um_13.42.56.png

Bildschirmfoto_2026-01-12_um_13.42.43.png

#

Back to the drawing board, after a test flight with the motion rig from @wispy lark I have to convert to a motion simulator too , flying without feels a little bit dull since 😂 thanks for ruining me 😉

Anyway this is the first concept for my haptic, mixed reality , motion simulator 💪

#

We also spoke about variables , especially in the Comanche it’s a little bit complicated because the AccuSim data doesn’t match the base flight model which is problematic if the software can’t be modified to accept the data

For my belt tensioner I use the L:windForces variable for the turbulences, I hope there is a way to mix this into the motion System somehow- I fear this leads to another ton of research

opaque monolith Jan 12, 2026, 2:17 PM

#

my friend who was building a sim at Varjo said msfs2024 acceleration data is kinda bogus also

#

compared to DCS for example, they have some motion platform there and they never kinda got it working ok with msfs, but maybe its old news, I can ask him

winged narwhal Jan 12, 2026, 2:20 PM

#

Yes , acceleration forces are not exported properly, we had the discussion further above for the belt systems, I was able to calculate the effects my self with custom LVars but I have the fear that’s not possible with the motion Software

opaque monolith Jan 12, 2026, 2:41 PM

#

yeah, makes me kinda wonder about the quality of motion on most consumer motion rigs marketed for MSFS

#

but I havent really tested any except the bergison seat at fsweekend

#

that was nice but it is kinda different concept

winged narwhal Jan 12, 2026, 2:44 PM

#

Berigson was the inspiration for my seat belt system

But after flying with a SFX150 system once and felt the motion… I was sold 😅

winged narwhal Jan 12, 2026, 3:52 PM

#

After tinkering around with mobiflight i love the flexibility to export all sort of variables - but for a motion solution its too slow

winged narwhal Jan 13, 2026, 8:42 PM

#

Ok , the base idea seems to be working, I want a clean simple setup this time. The construcion is mainly 17mm multiplex plywood and KVH construction wood - because its already here 😉

The magnetic front Panel worked very well in the past , but thanks to the possibility to export the cockpit model from the MSFS files gives me the possibility to arrange everything during the build because I can take precise measurements and CNC mill a big front plate with everything right in place

Some wild attachments will happen of course , because me is being me but I think it will streamline the whole process of making new swappable dashboards

The dashboard box that houses the Yoke is adjustable in height and depth and it has two mounting surfaces for attachments on the front and the bottom , I think thumb screws will be the way

Also the seats are adjustable forward and backwards and in height and will also be mounted on the base with thumb screws

If something will start to wobble i can easily reinforce the construction

Everything should be detachable in the case I have to move the whole setup to another room

opaque monolith Jan 13, 2026, 10:32 PM

#

neat. good luck and I am looking forward to updates!

rustic olive Jan 14, 2026, 7:42 AM

#

Really awesome. Shame you’re not able to use two VR headsets in the sim yet 😄

winged narwhal Jan 14, 2026, 7:51 AM

#

Thanks guys!

winged narwhal Jan 14, 2026, 7:53 AM

#

rustic olive Really awesome. Shame you’re not able to use two VR headsets in the sim yet 😄

That would be fantastic, the second seat will be some kind of non FFB 2D seat in the rare case this place is occupied

Right now I’m thinking about a „roof“

Man this goes out of hand faster than I thought

rustic olive Jan 14, 2026, 12:16 PM

#

Have you considered something like aluminum extrusion for weight and adaptability?

#

You could setup an extra computer and use something like YourControls for dual sim. Extra easy since the inputs will be physical in your cockpit so you can both operate practically everything 😄

opaque monolith Jan 14, 2026, 4:13 PM

#

winged narwhal That would be fantastic, the second seat will be some kind of non FFB 2D seat in...

a sheet of acrylic or plywood for a window that can be opened in flight? 🙂 And blower tied to the simvar of window opening

winged narwhal Jan 14, 2026, 4:14 PM

#

Well 😅

opaque monolith Jan 14, 2026, 4:15 PM

#

https://tenor.com/view/robert-redford-robert-redford-agreed-nod-gif-6882050326903489161

Tenor

winged narwhal Jan 14, 2026, 4:16 PM

#

I Need to stop planning here because I can not say yet how the motion influences the stability and how heavy this thing will be in the end

But if there is room for enhancements it will escalate for sure 😂

opaque monolith Jan 14, 2026, 4:16 PM

#

yeah motion changes quite a lot how you look at structures I bet

winged narwhal Jan 14, 2026, 4:18 PM

#

Yes , I had a diy motion platform a nearly decade ago and it showed me how not to do . This time I go step by step

#

The glareshield is a low poli export from the ingame model , not sure if I cover the surface with fake leather or leave it that way, I like the low poli look but leather should also look nice, we will see 🤗

#

It’s printer in PETG wich is ridiculous cheap right now, so it should be no big deal to print larger parts

opaque monolith Jan 14, 2026, 4:27 PM

#

yea nice

#

loading the msfs models into blender is just great

#

also for general dimensions

winged narwhal Jan 14, 2026, 4:28 PM

#

Absolutely , I took all the measurements there and adjusted the position of the seat, roof and dashboard in Fusion

opaque monolith Jan 15, 2026, 9:57 PM

#

@desert patio ping `^^^

#

this is the narnia of VR

winged narwhal Jan 18, 2026, 8:48 PM

#

#

A First fitting , It came together nicely and as planned, that’s great. Now I have to wait for the color and the carpet then I can move on

#

And I have to Sand the corners of course

winged narwhal Jan 19, 2026, 12:51 PM

#

Dropped together the dashboard and the glareshield, will test mount it later this day

#

#

glacial compass Jan 19, 2026, 1:33 PM

#

Why I have a feeling that you will finish 5th iteration of this cockpit before I do my 1st? 🤣

#

It looks stunning

winged narwhal Jan 19, 2026, 1:49 PM

#

🤣 thanks , well you will get faster each time

But this was mostly recycling , the radios and dashboard were already there and the other stuff too

#

And many things are just hotglued in Place for testing… … and sometimes it stays this way forever

opaque monolith Jan 19, 2026, 2:19 PM

#

never underestimate hotglue 🙂

winged narwhal Jan 19, 2026, 2:22 PM

#

Like zip ties- holding the world together

winged narwhal Jan 19, 2026, 7:30 PM

#

Did a quick TestFlight and wow! The exact measurements are paying off ! It’s far more precise than my old cockpit!

I love it

Ps : ignore the mess , I need the chaos for creativity 😀 I clean up when it’s „done“

mellow lava Jan 19, 2026, 8:15 PM

#

I don‘t wanted to make a separate post so i hope it‘s okay to post here. These are some screens of my mixed reality cockpit not 1:1 because it wasnt easy to realize but a really nice feeling. Thats how flughtsim must be. I am using an Apple Vision Pro for it.

#

winged narwhal Jan 19, 2026, 8:20 PM

#

That’s cool! The Vision Pro brings complete new possibilities with passthrough .

mellow lava Jan 19, 2026, 8:21 PM

#

yes, the passtrough is much much better than from Meta Quest

glacial compass Jan 19, 2026, 8:30 PM

#

What are the advantages?

winged narwhal Jan 19, 2026, 8:45 PM

#

It’s a different approach, you cut a passthrough area into the virtual space to see your hardware. If the quality is good enough you can also read displays

I personally prefer the full VR visuals but there is no right and wrong

mellow lava Jan 19, 2026, 9:06 PM

#

i have tested the full vr visual with physical panels but it‘s one thing to have one panel in front of you and another think be surrounded by panels. It was not possible for me to get it 100% the same. That‘s why I switched to Mixed Reality.

#

It was the first full test and it‘s surely possible to get it more beautiful

winged narwhal Jan 19, 2026, 9:13 PM

#

Yes it needs a lot more space for a bigger plane, for a regular GA plane it’s more practical even here i have not only the front panel but also the switches on the ground and the roof but a whole overhead panel and switches behind you in an airliner is Space consuming.

glacial compass Jan 19, 2026, 9:17 PM

#

My ultimate goal for future is mixed reality fo GA

winged narwhal Jan 19, 2026, 9:23 PM

#

glacial compass My ultimate goal for future is mixed reality fo GA

The passthrough Solution?

glacial compass Jan 19, 2026, 10:22 PM

#

Yeah

winged narwhal Jan 20, 2026, 5:17 AM

#

That’s a super flexibel solution especially if you change the plane often !

mellow lava Jan 20, 2026, 6:26 AM

#

Another solution for mixed reality. Super flexible.

#

Or this try

ornate minnow Jan 20, 2026, 7:19 AM

#

mellow lava yes, the passtrough is much much better than from Meta Quest

Must be for literally 10x the price. At more expensive than a 5090, not really reacheable for average consumer market. I am waiting for the Steam Frame, although major drawback is black&white passthrough 😞

mellow lava Jan 20, 2026, 7:20 AM

#

Yes, that's right. I only have them because I need them for the company.

winged narwhal Jan 20, 2026, 7:20 AM

#

Yes the steam frame is interesting, but the lack of hand tracking and passthrough is a big downside . I hope there will be a expansion module for that matter

mellow lava Jan 20, 2026, 7:21 AM

#

Pimax would be nice, but no passthrough

ornate minnow Jan 20, 2026, 7:31 AM

#

winged narwhal Yes the steam frame is interesting, but the lack of hand tracking and passthroug...

Steam Frame has the hardware for handtracking so it will likely be a future feature. Also the eye tracking with foveated rendering eases the load on the GPU substantially

winged narwhal Jan 20, 2026, 7:32 AM

#

Ok I just heard it can’t track hands but that would be THE selling point for me

Yes eye tracking is really welcome

ornate minnow Jan 20, 2026, 7:34 AM

#

Anyone has any experience with the quality of hand tracking on the Quest 3? I am still considering the Quest 3, although I am suspicious of the fact they lose money on the 500 USD per unit price and is it my data they are making up the loss with?

winged narwhal Jan 20, 2026, 7:38 AM

#

Meta was trying to bring VR to the masses and sells the Q3 unterprized but the headset itself is fine and the handtracking works reasonably well (not for ingame manipulation in the sim, that’s Microsoft’s fault)

Data collection might be a thing, but you don’t need to feed all the data they want

ornate minnow Jan 20, 2026, 7:42 AM

#

Ah clear, but if Microsoft sh*t the bed on handtracking input, it doesnt really matter if a third party headset has it or not, if its not really useable. Or are there headsets that do manage it?

winged narwhal Jan 20, 2026, 7:47 AM

#

Right , for ingame use it doesn’t matter

For this project on the other hand, i don’t want ingame handtracking at all otherwise i will get interference with the controls

I just want visible hands that don’t interact with the virtual cockpit. It increases the immersion, usability and muscle memory a lot in this kind of setup

winged narwhal Jan 20, 2026, 9:44 AM

#

Let’s proceed: the switch panel

Bildschirmfoto_2026-01-20_um_10.42.36.png

#

It will be mounted from below

opaque monolith Jan 20, 2026, 1:28 PM

#

winged narwhal Yes the steam frame is interesting, but the lack of hand tracking and passthroug...

there is the ultraleap for hand tracking? I should borrow it from work to test, whether it works as an additional hand tracker for the same VR scene

winged narwhal Jan 20, 2026, 1:30 PM

#

I have an old leap motion device from the CV1 days , but didn’t fiddle around with it since - i belief it requires steamVR ? I don’t want to drop virtual desktop for now

opaque monolith Jan 20, 2026, 1:30 PM

#

yeah steam vr was not a good experience for me with quest

winged narwhal Jan 20, 2026, 1:31 PM

#

Right now, Hand Tracking works smoothly and stable so I keep my hands off it 🤗

mellow lava Jan 20, 2026, 4:08 PM

#

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtyK3AQd-xM

YouTube

gagagu

First Mixed Reality test with my 3d printed Airbus A320 Cockpit.

This ist my first mixed reality test of my 3d printed A320 cockpit. The most parts incl. the frame are printed. Some partes (EFIS,MCDU,FCU) are from WinWingSim (WinCTRL).

This video was made with an Apple Vision Pro using ALVR, SteamVR, Reality Mixer, SimApp Pro, Mobiflight, Popout Panal Manager and Spacedesk for the iPad views and of course M...

▶ Play video

winged narwhal Jan 20, 2026, 4:46 PM

#

mellow lava https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtyK3AQd-xM

Seems to work great! Congratulations

#

I also proceeded with another part : the flaps lever - it looks a little mechanical but well it is - maybe I can hide the base underneath a bellow. But it’s a robust and long lasting construction

#

It will be mounted with threaded inserts , so I can remove it easily with two M6 screws

waxen canopy Jan 20, 2026, 6:45 PM

#

winged narwhal I also proceeded with another part : the flaps lever - it looks a little mechani...

What's the main lever part there?

winged narwhal Jan 20, 2026, 6:50 PM

#

A parking brake handle from a Peugeot 206 - automotive parts are ridiculously cheap 😅

winged narwhal Jan 21, 2026, 6:55 AM

#

Gear switch

#

opaque monolith Jan 21, 2026, 6:52 PM

#

oh wow

#

these things are just so cool

winged narwhal Jan 21, 2026, 7:02 PM

#

opaque monolith oh wow

Thanks , I hope the whole switch row comes out nicely

#

But there is still some work to do

winged narwhal Jan 22, 2026, 3:48 PM

#

#

And done

#

The left part is kinda ugly, it’s a recycle from the old pit , but i really don’t want to rip that apart

opaque monolith Jan 22, 2026, 5:22 PM

#

those engine knobs must feel amazing, one can see how beefy they are

winged narwhal Jan 22, 2026, 5:24 PM

#

They are absolutely solid and can be tightened for a high friction , especially during Approach and landing when you have one hand on the yoke and one on the throttle you can control the throttle precisely without manipulate it by accident

opaque monolith Jan 22, 2026, 8:48 PM

#

yeah, chunky resin prints I guess? those tend to feel great

winged narwhal Jan 23, 2026, 1:26 PM

#

Yes , but I printed a „Golfball“ knob for Mixture today in PETG with 100% infill (by accident) and it also feels heavy and nice

#

#

I also made this this morning, found the model on thingiverse and gave it a shot

First time using a stepper , well that was easy

winged narwhal Jan 27, 2026, 1:25 PM

#

Now it becomes really custom 😅 let’s see how this works

Bildschirmfoto_2026-01-26_um_20.12.17.png

winged narwhal Jan 27, 2026, 3:17 PM

#

#

This is a Completely different kind of toy 😀 it’s so filigrane, you can feel the 50s

winged narwhal Jan 27, 2026, 8:16 PM

#

waxen canopy Jan 27, 2026, 10:19 PM

#

winged narwhal

Are those some add-on buttons to a FliteSim.com force feedback yoke?

winged narwhal Jan 28, 2026, 5:05 AM

#

I just run a spiral cable with a RJ9 connector to the yoke handle
I did the same for the extra buttons I made for the stock CLS handle so it’s easy to swap

The new handle is missing a trim rocker so I have to rely on the trim crank and software trim

opaque monolith Jan 28, 2026, 1:15 PM

#

this looks so cool it's unreal

winged narwhal Jan 28, 2026, 1:16 PM

#

Let’s build the wheel well 🙈

#

And i need some kind of roof for the trim crank … this makes me headache because it should be light but also right so it will not wobble around when the cockpit moves 🙈

It’s just a first concept for brainstorming

waxen canopy Jan 28, 2026, 6:38 PM

#

winged narwhal I just run a spiral cable with a RJ9 connector to the yoke handle I did the sam...

I'd love to see more about how you did those extra buttons for the CLS handle. Do you have any info online about that? I like my CLS, but could use a couple more yoke-mounted switches.

winged narwhal Jan 28, 2026, 6:40 PM

#

winged narwhal Jan 28, 2026, 6:40 PM

#

waxen canopy I'd love to see more about how you did those extra buttons for the CLS handle. D...

I just used a spiral cable that runs to an arduino behind the dashboard

#

This way I can add 3 more inputs and can still remove the yoke and the cable easily

#

It works independent from the CLS

opaque monolith Jan 28, 2026, 8:24 PM

#

you could also do it like many of the HOTAS sticks do it - have a shift register in the yoke handle, and connect it to a Nano or Pico behind the panel. Needs 3 data pins plus GND and VCC, and you can chain 4 8bit chips for 32 buttons.

#

the shifters in thrustmaster warthog for example are not compatible with the 74HC165 I think, but the principle still stands

#

to get a few pins through a connector and then expand it to several buttons

wispy prawn Jan 28, 2026, 8:30 PM

#

opaque monolith the shifters in thrustmaster warthog for example are not compatible with the 74H...

I did the backwards thing last week, use 74HC165 on a firmware that expected 4021 chips. Simply a matter of inverting the latch line, and from my experience even a cheap little resistor+transistor solution is plenty fast for that

opaque monolith Jan 28, 2026, 8:34 PM

#

ok so its not direct compatible, but not even hard

#

would actually be an interesting idea

#

to do a shifter module that connects to a combat stick grip connector

#

and has the built in inverter

#

most often you would of course have a stick base that does the interfacing for you too

#

but maybe you want to build the gimbal mechanism yourself

wispy prawn Jan 28, 2026, 9:01 PM

#

have not tried 4021 on MF yet

winged narwhal Jan 28, 2026, 9:04 PM

#

opaque monolith you could also do it like many of the HOTAS sticks do it - have a shift register...

I thought about it but never opened that can before and as I only needed 3 buttons , this was a usable solution

For a bigger yoke handle with more buttons i would definitely go that way or implement an arduino nano directly to the handle

opaque monolith Jan 28, 2026, 9:05 PM

#

well that too yeah

#

winged narwhal Jan 28, 2026, 9:07 PM

#

Exactly, I have a few of them around here from earlier experiments

But the Comanche yoke is really tiny , really really tiny 😅

opaque monolith Jan 28, 2026, 9:07 PM

#

Exactly, I have a few of them around here from earlier experiments

this applies to a whole closet of stuff here 😄

winged narwhal Jan 28, 2026, 9:08 PM

#

It’s getting out of hand pretty quickly 😅

waxen canopy Jan 28, 2026, 9:14 PM

#

winged narwhal It’s getting out of hand pretty quickly 😅

When you switch to buying to do a project to buying proactively ("Oh, that looks neat, I bet I'll need that some day") is when you've tipped. I have drawers of parts now, but it is nice when I really get into a new plane (currently the A2A Aerostar 600) and you have all the bits you need to put together the whole panel without waiting a month for AliExpress.

wispy prawn Jan 28, 2026, 9:15 PM

#

waxen canopy When you switch to buying to do a project to buying proactively ("Oh, that looks...

I have so much stuff lying around that I bought for unrealized projects...

waxen canopy Jan 28, 2026, 9:17 PM

#

winged narwhal It works independent from the CLS

Do you have an stl you'd be willing to share for the cross-bar? Curious to know how it's holding on. Does it attach through "wings" behind the leather grips?

winged narwhal Jan 28, 2026, 9:18 PM

#

waxen canopy When you switch to buying to do a project to buying proactively ("Oh, that looks...

Yes, I also tend to buy interesting stuff or get it from friends so my stockpile is quite big now

winged narwhal Jan 28, 2026, 9:20 PM

#

waxen canopy Do you have an stl you'd be willing to share for the cross-bar? Curious to know ...

Oh you mean the bar ! Yes I can send you the file , it can hold by small latches in the back that clamp to the grip

But I added 2 m3 screws directly to the handle for a solid fit

winged narwhal Feb 1, 2026, 6:48 PM

#

Ok this weekend I was able to make some things , I reorganized the whole room (cleaning up the mess is still on my schedule) and build the housing, I made some kind of wireframe with a roofplate and a closed wall on the pilot side (will get some upholstery next week)

The sim pit itself is fully functional again , except the tank selector

#

#

Wire management is mostly done after i ripped out the USB-C jack from my CLS 60 by accident… @wispy lark was my hero , he soldered a new jack to the board and a few hours after the incident it worked perfectly again! Huge thanks!

#

#

I think I’m becoming paranoid but that was a shocking moment that unlocked a core fear 😂

#

And at the moment it’s a single seat configuration, this makes it easier to access all the areas and boarding is no big deal

I will mount a second seat when I find a similar or the same one but with a quick mount

rustic olive Feb 1, 2026, 6:58 PM

#

Mate; your sim is pretty much my dream. And I love watching all the progress. Is your glareshield a 3d print?

winged narwhal Feb 1, 2026, 7:03 PM

#

Thanks! I will post my progress here again 😀

Yes , it’s an blender export , 20mm thickness with 2 wall loops and 3% infill and split up to multiple segments

It’s really light but strong enough

opaque monolith Feb 1, 2026, 7:30 PM

#

winged narwhal Wire management is mostly done after i ripped out the USB-C jack from my CLS 60 ...

oof that must have been quite a moment to realize

winged narwhal Feb 1, 2026, 7:31 PM

#

opaque monolith oof that must have been quite a moment to realize

That’s nightmare fuel!

opaque monolith Feb 1, 2026, 7:31 PM

#

I think that is one crappy design too

#

those cables are exactly the ones you accidentally trip onto

#

and that is a lot of pull force on the cord

#

amazing it didnt rip off the solder pads

#

importing the sim 3d models has been a huge help with dimensions etc

#

they are not at all accurate, like I am playing with the asobo / fbw A320 cockpit 3d model a bit and sketching for excercise and it is quite a bit bigger than in reality

#

but that is what it is in VR scene

#

so it is spot on for VR use

#

that metal tray is amazing

winged narwhal Feb 1, 2026, 7:37 PM

#

Indeed! That’s a design flaw ! You can’t trust a jack that’s not mechanical fixated to the frame

Yes it’s tricky with the scaling of the ingame models, on one hand it’s exactly what you see so that’s good, on the other hand , if a GNS430 is 9mm too narrow, you can’t use existing hardware and knowing it’s inaccurate sucks .

I also think the JustFlight planes feel wrong in VR , I don’t know if they are out of scale but they don’t feel natural to me

winged narwhal Feb 2, 2026, 12:41 PM

#

prototyping the Yoke V2

#

to increase rigiditiy and stiffness i printed a new Yoke, but without infill.

#

i added screws to the hollow infill and will inject epoxy and GFK snippets , this shouds help with the flex

#

winged narwhal Feb 2, 2026, 2:53 PM

#

And here is one of the fuel valves , i fiddle around with reed contacts and magnets, seems to work great

winged narwhal Feb 2, 2026, 3:20 PM

#

opaque monolith Feb 2, 2026, 5:01 PM

#

oh yes, actual valves give you the real feel

#

how do you wire it? with hall sensors or something?

#

no wait, led and photodiode? that is genius

#

oh wait

#

reed and magnet ok

#

light would also work

#

because well, there is a hole when the valve is open

#

was once looking at this

#

https://www.moellermarine.com/moeller-marine/fuel-accessories/vents/fuel-valves-vents/brass-fuel-four-way-valve-14-fnpt-033304-10/

#

this is what real Maules have

#

https://baspartsales.com/10049e-5-maule-mt-7-260-fuel-selector-valve-assembly/ $525 !

BAS Part Sales

10049E-5 Maule MT-7-260 Fuel Selector Valve Assembly

10049E-5 Maule MT-7-260 Fuel Selector Valve Assembly | Used Maule Parts | BAS Aircraft Parts and Salvage

#

€60 on ebay

#

for the marine version

winged narwhal Feb 2, 2026, 5:24 PM

#

Ou this are great ones but yes the price is out of range

winged narwhal Feb 2, 2026, 5:24 PM

#

opaque monolith reed and magnet ok

Yes , there’s one magnet in the ball and the two reed switches are screwed into the ports

#

So I can read 1-0-1

opaque monolith Feb 2, 2026, 5:25 PM

#

yeah, I tried to look at four way valves once because I also thought a real one feels so much better

#

but couldnt really find anything reasonably cheap

#

so is that a 3 position switch then?

winged narwhal Feb 2, 2026, 5:26 PM

#

Yes , the original is a three way valve but I only need 2 switches for that and so I went for a regular valve because of the price

waxen canopy Feb 2, 2026, 7:50 PM

#

That’s genius!

winged narwhal Feb 3, 2026, 9:32 PM

#

Added the upholstery to the sidewall ,it’s a little wrinkly because it came this way but i hope this will get better over time

winged narwhal Feb 4, 2026, 6:49 AM

#

Injected resin and GFK snippets to the yoke handle - I hope this works

#

#

And the Tank selector is finished

winged narwhal Feb 4, 2026, 8:06 AM

#

And getting rid of the leftovers

opaque monolith Feb 4, 2026, 9:01 AM

#

resin filled badge?

#

you know you can get a metal print from jlcpcb that you could belt sand for the shiny edges and resin pour....

#

it is not really that expensive

#

depends on the size of course

winged narwhal Feb 4, 2026, 9:02 AM

#

Yes, I poured the leftover resin into the badge

opaque monolith Feb 4, 2026, 9:02 AM

#

sorry my brain comes up with all these rabbit hole ideas

#

should make some keychains that way

winged narwhal Feb 4, 2026, 9:03 AM

#

opaque monolith you know you *can* get a metal print from jlcpcb that you could belt sand for th...

I thought about that , I also thought about buying a real one wich is only 120€ … if you live in the US … but because they all have the rod attached, shipping is another 100€ and that’s a little too much

opaque monolith Feb 4, 2026, 9:03 AM

#

yeah

winged narwhal Feb 4, 2026, 9:06 AM

#

I give this resin and metal filled print a shot and if it’s totally crap i will think about a real one again 😬 or a metal print , can you estimate the price roughly?

opaque monolith Feb 4, 2026, 9:06 AM

#

you can upload the model and you get instant quote

winged narwhal Feb 4, 2026, 9:07 AM

#

👍 will check

opaque monolith Feb 4, 2026, 9:07 AM

#

real stuff reminds me of this amazon.com ceiling fan I repainted

#

AP1GczMnDv2eFm82gI3ZNq5qPNoEIY9NUyxfcKkMO_hWZ_mRLFmGE695fTQIvQw2180-h981-s-no.png

#

and used real harzell stickers 🙂

winged narwhal Feb 4, 2026, 9:07 AM

#

That looks great!

opaque monolith Feb 4, 2026, 9:08 AM

#

need to repair the controller, blew something on it when I slopped with multimeter trying to troubleshoot the led light voltage

winged narwhal Feb 4, 2026, 9:08 AM

#

Oooof i know that 😵‍💫

#

My brother in law once sneezed into a cathode ray television during repair - wich resulted in a funny blue flash and a „ach scheiße“

winged narwhal Feb 4, 2026, 10:07 AM

#

opaque monolith you can upload the model and you get instant quote

400$

So it’s cheaper to buy a real one

opaque monolith Feb 4, 2026, 10:08 AM

#

oof, I guess it depends on the volume? I got a test keychain and it was like 75€

winged narwhal Feb 4, 2026, 10:09 AM

#

226 mm3

winged narwhal Feb 4, 2026, 8:08 PM

#

#

The Fuel tank selector works very well

winged narwhal Feb 4, 2026, 9:33 PM

#

And some storage space

waxen canopy Feb 5, 2026, 1:58 PM

#

winged narwhal And some storage space

Now just put an iPad mini with the msfs2024 tablet running on it and you’re all set! How are you keeping the fuel selector valves from moving around on the floor when you manipulate them?

winged narwhal Feb 5, 2026, 2:02 PM

#

I flew with an iPad and skydemon last year when handtracking and passthrough worked together wich was great

For the fuel selectors : I drilled and sawed a square hole into the floor plate and inserted the base of the valve assembly into that and fixated it with 6 screws

#

#

This is the base beneath the black cover plate

waxen canopy Feb 5, 2026, 3:12 PM

#

Ah, thanks. Didn't realize the seat was mounted to base that was above the room floor. It makes more sense to me now!

winged narwhal Feb 5, 2026, 3:13 PM

#

Yes , the whole cockpit will be converted to a motion platform as soon as my SFX150 actuators arrive 🤩

winged narwhal Feb 6, 2026, 6:04 AM

#

Cleaned up a little, the final cable managed on the floor will be done when the actuators arrive

opaque monolith Feb 6, 2026, 5:52 PM

#

you know this will fit on a trailer... just saying...

winged narwhal Feb 6, 2026, 10:07 PM

#

😂 well , mobility was a criteria but i thought about 10 meters not 652km 😅

but yes it would fit on my trailer

opal junco Feb 9, 2026, 8:59 AM

#

you might consider adding wings and an engine 🙂

winged narwhal Feb 9, 2026, 9:05 AM

#

😂 that’s an interesting idea

opaque monolith Feb 9, 2026, 10:49 AM

#

you did already have a fan box to blow air throuhg the vents if I remember right?

#

too many updates so hard to remember it all

#

I think so because we talked about peltiers and stuff

winged narwhal Feb 9, 2026, 10:50 AM

#

Yes , it sits on the shelf right now, it will be added again in the end

#

This thread is indeed kinda big 🙈 sorry

opal junco Feb 9, 2026, 12:02 PM

#

Do you have vibration yet? I would certainly recommend it. I use simhaptic and a buttkicker, but the hardware can be as DIY as you like, just an amplifier and one or more transducers. So not just the yoke, but the whole rig will have vibration.

winged narwhal Feb 9, 2026, 12:05 PM

#

Yes , I have two transducers inside my seat , the amplifier is not connected right now but after the motion Platform is done I will connect them again

It’s a big enhancement for immersion

I can also recommend the belt tightening with the servos , it really adds another layer

opal junco Feb 9, 2026, 1:02 PM

#

Oh you are even doing a motion platform. Which one?

winged narwhal Feb 9, 2026, 1:03 PM

#

opal junco Oh you are even doing a motion platform. Which one?

It will be a SFX150 style motion Platform

opal junco Feb 9, 2026, 1:03 PM

#

winged narwhal Yes , I have two transducers inside my seat , the amplifier is not connected rig...

I have aviation 5 point belts on my dining table, need to adjust them to my seat and attach a motor yet

opal junco Feb 9, 2026, 1:05 PM

#

winged narwhal It will be a SFX150 style motion Platform

You might also want to have a look at ark dynamics, I might be able to test one soon for flightsim purposes. It has 250 kg load bearing capacity, and the way it moves I am sure that is no exaggeration. I still need to figure out whether it is smooth enough.

winged narwhal Feb 9, 2026, 1:08 PM

#

opal junco You might also want to have a look at ark dynamics, I might be able to test one ...

They look promising for a 6dof setup, but I think the price tag is a little too high

I ordered my set a few weeks ago and wait for it now , it’s somewhere on a railroad

winged narwhal Feb 9, 2026, 1:09 PM

#

opal junco I have aviation 5 point belts on my dining table, need to adjust them to my seat...

With two or three servos you can quite easily build a nice setup

opal junco Feb 9, 2026, 1:14 PM

#

What I currently have lying around is a e-scooter DC motor with a switching power supply that can be modulated via arduino. I want to try to hook it up between the legs via bowden cable (fertility safe). https://lebois-racing.com/seat-belt-tensioner-gt/

Lebois Racing

Lebois

Seat Belt Tensioner GT V3.0 - Lebois Racing

How to feel the G forces in Sim Racing ? Just use the SRT Seat belt tensioner ! It is a free DIY project with complete tutorials !

winged narwhal Feb 9, 2026, 1:17 PM

#

That’s nice! I also use some sort of Bowden cable wich works great

I think this approach will be quiter than my servos

opal junco Feb 9, 2026, 1:18 PM

#

Might even use MF to control it, just need a PWM signal (LED output) and optionally two seven segments that came with the power controller. Then do all the logic in MF desktop.

winged narwhal Feb 9, 2026, 1:22 PM

#

Should be possible, the only drawback with mobiflight for me is , that it’s a little slow, I can feel a latency wich can annoy from time to time

opaque monolith Feb 10, 2026, 12:21 PM

#

the issue with motion is the movement, I mean the hardware side is probably kinda "easy" but just needs hardware so its a workload sure

#

but the motion is not really about just tilting the platform following the plane orientation

#

that will not work, it needs to simulate acceleration and that is a whole different thing

#

I wish there was open source software to do that part

#

so that there could be a true open architecture and ecosystem for motion systems

winged narwhal Feb 10, 2026, 12:29 PM

#

opaque monolith the issue with motion is the movement, I mean the hardware side is probably kind...

Oh yes of course ! I will use FlyPTmover for motion, i only talked about the seat belt wich is controlled by mobiflight and three servos

I read accelerations (custom LVars from the Comanche external flight model) and g force

This worked fine after a few calculations

opal junco Feb 10, 2026, 5:55 PM

#

Unfortunately there is no open source motion software, but Flypt Mover at least allows open algorythms for motion control. The FlyPT Mover is just the middleware between the sim, your own filters and the hardware. From an end user perspective it comes pretty close to open source, since it allows for customizing everything. Very much like MF, but closed source. I am switching from FlyPT Mover to DRSM though, simply to save time, more plug and play. Just found out DRSM supports custom serial output, so it can be made to work with DIY hardware.

winged narwhal Feb 10, 2026, 8:35 PM

#

Ah that sounds interesting! I just started to look into FlyPT and it’s a lot ! Would love to learn more about FlyPT and DRSM

winged narwhal Feb 11, 2026, 5:39 PM

#

It’s all about feeling, isn’t it? 😅

glossy badger Feb 11, 2026, 10:42 PM

#

opal junco Unfortunately there is no open source motion software, but Flypt Mover at least ...

Didn't Simtools have a free tier?

opal junco Feb 11, 2026, 10:44 PM

#

Yes they do. But not full functionality, and not open source.

winged narwhal Feb 12, 2026, 4:46 PM

#

I will try to set up my system with DRSM at first as soon as the parts arrive - if it runs smooth and how I want it to be I’ll buy it . flyPT is also installed but it’s a dinosaur- sure it’s powerful with all the possibilities- but all these .net errors and systems slowdown when I open a new window are concerning for me

winged narwhal Feb 14, 2026, 6:55 PM

#

Added a spotlight, I like it 😍

opaque monolith Feb 14, 2026, 9:23 PM

#

you never think whether to also make the gauges work without VR?

#

because these look incredibly nice

#

also, is that a golf ball? 🙂

winged narwhal Feb 14, 2026, 10:14 PM

#

Thanks ! After I made the compass working i thought about the other instruments, but in the end it’s quite unnecessary 🤣 but this doesn’t mean anything you know

It’s a Golfball but a printed one 🤗

ornate minnow Feb 15, 2026, 7:26 AM

#

Might have been asked before already, but how do you make sure the knobs and everything is lined up exactly where it is in VR? I have to recalibrate the headset on every flight as it resets to wherever the headset is pointed when starting VR. Not big deal for me because only the yoke is haptic. But in your case (with all the small knobs) you want it lined up exactly every time

winged narwhal Feb 15, 2026, 7:31 AM

#

I bound the button function from the altimeter encoder to „reset VR view“

So I point my finger on the hardware encoder and push it , I can see if it lines up or is off by a cm or so

If it’s off a little bit I move my head to the right direction and push it again

After 3 or 4 tries it fits mostly perfect for me

The whole setup is lined up once , i just need to reset the view on every start wich is done within a few seconds

ornate minnow Feb 15, 2026, 7:37 AM

#

Ah thats very clever, using an existing knob for reference as the reset button. Thanks!

winged narwhal Feb 20, 2026, 10:06 AM

#

@opaque monolith guess what?

#

#

😍 this feels so f*** nice

opaque monolith Feb 20, 2026, 10:41 AM

#

oooo, a real part?

#

sweet!

winged narwhal Feb 20, 2026, 11:45 AM

#

Yes , I was stunned it already arrived

#

Now I need to design an adapter and do some restoration

winged narwhal Feb 20, 2026, 3:21 PM

#

Let’s do something- the hole needs to be bigger, the rod from the original yoke is roughly 40mm wide - this will result in a lot of modification work

#

And I quickly added a sun visor , this will get an poti of course 🤣

opaque monolith Feb 20, 2026, 8:10 PM

#

oh yes

#

the little details that all matter

#

you need to add an infrared lamp that brightens when the sun shines on your face

#

and then dims when you pull the visor down

winged narwhal Feb 20, 2026, 8:24 PM

#

winged narwhal Feb 20, 2026, 8:26 PM

#

opaque monolith you need to add an infrared lamp that brightens when the sun shines on your face

🤔🙈😭

opaque monolith Feb 20, 2026, 8:29 PM

#

sorrrrry

winged narwhal Feb 20, 2026, 8:30 PM

#

🤣🤣🤣 another point added to my list

opaque monolith Feb 20, 2026, 8:31 PM

#

but isnt that all about sensory feel in VR?

#

I dont know how to get the data from the simulator,

#

but I did prototype WLED and Hyperion that creates a kind of "ambilight" from your monitor colors

#

and fed it to a led strip for mixed reality "lighting" based on the simulator scene, like a big arc of powerful RGB leds

#

it worked nice with a simple 1 meter led strip stick

#

but maybe you can also define a single lamp there somehow and drive a IR bulb

#

maybe just make the visor opaque so it actually does its actual job

#

and blocks the light from your face 🙂

winged narwhal Feb 20, 2026, 9:00 PM

#

This would be great against winter depression 🤣

Somehow this is possible for sure

But first things first: the yoke needs to be done 👌

opal junco Feb 21, 2026, 11:10 AM

#

opaque monolith I dont know how to get the data from the simulator,

You can get date, time and location from the sim, so you can calculate where the sun is above the horizon. If you use real weather, there must be some source to find out whether there is cloud cover. Combine that with heading and pitch information, and you can set boundaries within which parameters the sun is in your face.

#

But you would need three lamps or so, to make the correct cheek feel warm in the sun.

#

Or alternatively a custom balaklava with heat pads (coupled with head tracking of course)

opal junco Feb 21, 2026, 11:18 AM

#

winged narwhal Let’s do something- the hole needs to be bigger, the rod from the original yoke ...

Maybe cut it behind the handle and CNC a Flitesim.com adapter? Could even be a 4 hole flange to mount the original interface....

winged narwhal Feb 21, 2026, 11:24 AM

#

I thought about the flange but the holes are exactly as wide as the tube

My approach is to keep the the original tube , slide it over the FliteSim rod with a printed spacer and fixate it

I will also make a new front plate for the CLS60 housing with a bigger hole so I don’t have to cut the original one

opaque monolith Feb 21, 2026, 12:34 PM

#

yeah 3 IR terrace heaters 🙂

wispy lark Feb 21, 2026, 12:58 PM

#

But then you also need a lot of fans to prevent sweating under the VR glasses.😂

opaque monolith Feb 21, 2026, 1:04 PM

#

oh yeah, I dont think this is a very realistic idea, but more like a test

winged narwhal Feb 21, 2026, 1:57 PM

#

The idea is funny , in reality … we will see 🤣

But back to topic

#Haptic mixed reality cockpit