u/the_real_hugepanic

Update2 of my project.

update1 here and concept-idea here.

I think the HOCAS controller is pretty much finished now.
I have added the ball-bearings and update all parts with minor changes.

For the electronics side I have found a nice USB-Joystick library for ESP32-S3. Actually I "found" this ESP32 on my desk from my last Aliexpress shipping....

The Alu-Tubes are and 3d-Printed slider are very well confirmed. No need for steel and special bushings.

The large pulley has some wobble, but it's not really "feelable" once you are flying in VR.

I can just recomend such a device for every VR pilot who is not 100.0% in HOTAS cockpit.

update on my HOCAS project

HOCAS --> Hands-On-Controller-And-Stick

https://www.reddit.com/r/HotasDIY/comments/1u7oks4/hocas_using_quest3_hand_controller/

I have build the first prototype and doing "flight test" at the moment.

Unfortuantely some idiot forgot to order the ball-bearings for all the pulleys..... So I have decided to simply use 3d-printed bushings until the bearings are delivered...... with "medium" success....

A few features are still missing, e.g. End-stops and and a nice baseplate/hoursing

The good thing:

• it works
• it is easy to plug-in or remove the controller
• significant improvement in aircraft-handling
• the Leo-Bodnar board works perfectly with the hall-effect-potentiometer (as expected)

The bad-things:

• lots of friction from the 3d-printed-"bearing" --> ball-bearings ordered for replacement --> It might be realistic for a tractor/MIG, but it's not very convenient....
• you can easily pinch your finger at full throttle ---> I have to update the design
• the travel might be too long (it is 180mm, as I assume it is on the MIG-29) --> maybe go back to 130-150mm in the future
• due to the friction, I need a really heavy clamp to fix it on the desk
• all screws on top need to be counter-sunk to improve ergonomics...

I have asked this sub-reddit a few questions about hot-swapping batteries: https://www.reddit.com/r/diydrones/comments/1u1sbfv/hotplugin_batteries/

Here is the background, why I needed this information.

The idea comes from fuel combusting aircraft, where the weight decreases with flight time, allowing better performance at the end of the flight.

A typical electric vehicle can't do that, as the battery does not change weight with deceasing SoC....unless you do something against it.

TLDR
If I reconfigure the drone and the batteries to drop empty batteries, I can improve performance (in this case endurance) by about 25%.

Drone
I have designed a (virtual) drone with the following core-specs:

• Multicopter
• 10" frame
• 6s4p LiIon-Battery configuration
• up to 3kg of payload

Battery Modules

There are (in this study) 3 possible battery configurations:

• 6s4p
• 2 x 6s2p
• 4 x 6s1p

Each of these configurations have the same capacity. The weight of the "smaller" packs is increased to assume weight for the battery dropping mechanism and the cell-switching PCB (50g added for each module.

Data

As you can see in the charts, the performance of the "dropping" drones is significantly improved. Due to the missing weight, the cruise (and hover) power consumtion is significantly reduced

Problems Identified

• Obviously dropping batteries in our nature is not the best idea for multiple reasons!
• The batteries (especially the first packs used) can easily be stressed too much, as the discharge C-Rating ist way more critical. --> the drones is flying on a 1p configuration.
• Reduced power of the drone due to "1p" configuration
• More hardware is needed for battery the "dropping solution"

Insights

• higher battery mass fractions will allow higher endurance improvements
• If we assume dropping batteries to be a thing, more option show up, e.g.:
  • using LiPo batteries for takeoff and mission-ending, and LiIon cells for the "cruise" phase of flight
• A clever power-distribution board (PDB) needs to be designed to avoid reverse currents that would damage batteries if switching done wrong
• A mechanical device to actually drop the batteries is necessary

I am working on a VR-Throttle intended to be used with the left Quest3 hand controller.

I call it HOCAS, as it is Hands-on-Controller-And-Stick.

The Joystick is a modified MS FFB2 with 2 additional 5-Way switches. This throttle shall be used together with the hand controller.

Usually I am grabbing the virtual-throttle, but sometimes, e.g. in a dogfight, it is hard to get grab it in VR as you have to look inside the cockpit to find it.

I don't need much buttons on the throttle, as the buttons/axis on the VR-controller are sufficient.

The idea is to put the controller in the throttle hardware to be used as physical throttle. If I need to operate the cockpit, the controller can be removed with nearly zero force. It is located inside the (pink) part and acts as a detachable handle. That way I NEVER have to lay-down the hand controller AND have a physical device to operate throttle.

The rail-system is inspired by the MIG-29 throttle. I am using a belt system and a 360° hall effect potentiometer and a Leo-Bodnar box. All pulleys have ball-bearings. If the concept works, I will use industrial bushings for the throttle-slider and chromed steel rods.

I have ordered all the buy-parts (potentiometer and bearings) to arrive at latest next week. First parts are printed today.

I really hope it works in VR and that I am able to find the right position to insert the controller into...

Ich will den Wasserhahn von der Spüle lösen, am besten so das man beides wieder verwenden kann.

Das Rohr mit Gewinde ist mit dem oberen Teil der Armatur verbunden.

Drehen kann ich das Teil nur minimal, weil ich sonst ja die Rohre abscheren würde.

Ich sehe aber auch keine Möglichkeit die Rohre (Warm, Kalt und Schlauch) abzudrehen.

Hat jemand eine Idee??