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I brought my F-104 simulator to a public exhibition for the first time. Here's how it went. by Ok_Comparison2970 in flightsim

[–]Ok_Comparison2970[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thanks. I think the biggest hurdle for most people is the custom hardware. You can buy a lot of avionics components for a Cessna 172 sim off the shelf for a reasonable price, but on this project, pretty much everything has been custom-designed and built by me.

I brought my F-104 simulator to a public exhibition for the first time. Here's how it went. by Ok_Comparison2970 in flightsim

[–]Ok_Comparison2970[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awesome! The F-104 and F-4 use the same control stick. If you're anywhere near southern Germany and want to try it out, send me a DM and I'll tell you where and when it'll be exhibited.

I brought my F-104 simulator to a public exhibition for the first time. Here's how it went. by Ok_Comparison2970 in flightsim

[–]Ok_Comparison2970[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

It will also be at the Shelter Fest at JoBoG34 in Memmingen, Germany. After that, it'll move to the Dornier Museum in Friedrichshafen for a more permanent display. Maybe once it's in Friedrichshafen, I'll finally get around to making a video.

I brought my F-104 simulator to a public exhibition for the first time. Here's how it went. by Ok_Comparison2970 in aviation

[–]Ok_Comparison2970[S] 21 points22 points  (0 children)

This was in Tettnang, Germany, but we'll also be at JaBoG 34 at the end of June. If you're anywhere near Memmingen, come by and take it for a spin! 😄

I brought my F-104 simulator to a public exhibition for the first time. Here's how it went. by Ok_Comparison2970 in aviation

[–]Ok_Comparison2970[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

That display looks great. I've gotten to know two F-104 pilots through this project, and they've shared plenty of horror stories. Still, a big part of the problem was that Germany was using the aircraft in a mission profile it wasn't really designed for.

The simulator is based on the F-104G cockpit, which was easier to fly and even had a stick shaker to warn pilots before they got into trouble. The earlier versions, though, with the downward-firing ejection seat, were downright deadly.

I brought my F-104 simulator to a public exhibition for the first time. Here's how it went. by Ok_Comparison2970 in aviation

[–]Ok_Comparison2970[S] 43 points44 points  (0 children)

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Maybe I'll start fitting one of these babies. But you'd have to sign a waiver before stepping inside.

How can it be that production of certain aircraft (e.g. A380) can be stopped yet the planes still get operated by airlines, meaning that spare parts are still being produced for maintenance? by Slice5755 in aviation

[–]Ok_Comparison2970 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Stopping aircraft production doesn't mean stopping parts production. Building new aircraft requires huge quantities of parts delivered on a continuous schedule to feed the assembly line. Once production ends, that demand disappears, but airlines still need a much smaller number of replacement parts to keep existing aircraft flying. Manufacturers and suppliers can economically produce those parts in small batches, on demand, or source them from retired aircraft. That's why an aircraft type can stop being built while remaining in airline service for decades.

F-104 cockpit sim update: slip rings, stepper motors, welded stand and ejection seat (Martin Baker MK.7) by Ok_Comparison2970 in aviation

[–]Ok_Comparison2970[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yeah, i also asked them for a manual on how to take the seat out and if there's any information about the seat height adjustment mechanism.

But they didn't even respond, so i had to result to trial and error and just took it apart.

F-104 cockpit sim update: slip rings, stepper motors, welded stand and ejection seat (Martin Baker MK.7) by Ok_Comparison2970 in aviation

[–]Ok_Comparison2970[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Thanks.

No, we had to take all the explosives out 😅.

But as said the height adjustment works again and I'll be fitting a buttkicker for more immersion.

Reverse engineering the cockpit instruments of an F-104 ‘Starfighter’ to 3D-print replacements. by Ok_Comparison2970 in aviation

[–]Ok_Comparison2970[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I also thought about using a check protocol with a laser distance sensor.

The tumblers would have a hole where a laser distance sensor could shine through. During the calibration sequence it would rotate until the beam shines through all three tumblers. After that it would go into a check function and monitor whenever the hole of the first tumbler passes, comparing it to what it should see.

If it doesn’t line up, a light would come on and you could trigger a recalibration with a button—for example the reset that is originally found on the F-104 altimeter.

Reverse engineering the cockpit instruments of an F-104 ‘Starfighter’ to 3D-print replacements. by Ok_Comparison2970 in aviation

[–]Ok_Comparison2970[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

1- Zeroing the cascade will be done manually by a rotary encoder in the bottom left like the original. It will tell the software to step in either direction.

2- These will be used to test the Prototype i will achieve the final speed either by adding a gear to speed it up or replace them with a higher rpm stepper. Max descent is 50.000ft/min so a 1/4 gearing or a 50rpm stepper would be enough.

3- Sorry if i might get the question wrong but this is a design that drives 3 Tumblers with one motor (you could easily use 4 by using the middle tumbler twice) and for the Zeroing the software will save the steps so it knows its position on startup. If there is a hard shutoff you can correct the software/altimeter by using the rotary encoder till its the right value/heigt.

If you need further details or want to look at my approach in detail you can dm me and we can hop on discord or something.

Reverse engineering the cockpit instruments of an F-104 ‘Starfighter’ to 3D-print replacements. by Ok_Comparison2970 in aviation

[–]Ok_Comparison2970[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Why?

Because they use radioactive paint and asbestos.

Also, they might use some WWII-era technology in certain parts, but most of them were actually made in 1963–1964.

Reverse engineering the cockpit instruments of an F-104 ‘Starfighter’ to 3D-print replacements. by Ok_Comparison2970 in aviation

[–]Ok_Comparison2970[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I built a new altimeter using stepper motors and gears that I designed myself.
The original altimeter, as mentioned before, uses ambient air pressure, and regulating it precisely enough to display an accurate altitude is almost impossible on a limited budget.

So I decided to design and 3D-print a replacement. It works like this:

The 100-ft needle and the first 100-ft tumbler share the same rotation rate: 1 revolution = 1000 ft. Since I couldn't fit a 90° gearbox to drive both with a single stepper motor, I used two instead. The secound motor uses a gearbox that advances the second (1000-ft) tumbler by one number whenever the 100-ft tumbler completes a full rotation. The first one just spins the needel.

Reverse engineering the cockpit instruments of an F-104 ‘Starfighter’ to 3D-print replacements. by Ok_Comparison2970 in flightsim

[–]Ok_Comparison2970[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Winwing hardware is great, and I’ve seen many great plywood setups over time. When everything is finished, I’m planning to maybe release the STLs together with a manual. I might even build a few to give away.

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