Force Feedback flight yoke!

[Midnight_LS1]

One thing I had in mind, make the yoke force feedback!

Ebay again, won a broken rudder axis Sidewinder Force Feedback 2 joystick with USB connection, that came out to $40.
At the same time I win the same yoke I have for 99 cents (IBM Easy Options flight yoke) in case the force feedback didn't work out well and I can't revert it due to cutting the old one already, the older one had a intermit connection inside the wiring too so that was the one to be hacked up.

Took it apart, d@mn microsoft used "security" screws in the middle of the underside. It wasn't much of a trouble to get them out with a screwdriver.

Took out the power supply circuit board, then the force feedback module board, then the force feedback motors.

Come up with an plan how to make it work with a yoke, one week later and the end result:

The wiring mess will be cleaned up later. I just want to fly.

The yoke moves with varying resistance to the amount of travel, feels the landing gear deploying and retracting between locks, feel the bump to the ground, feel the runway conditions, feel the grass/dirt if you run off the runway or do a takeoff from it, the stick shakes when the aircraft is in a stall (except light planes)...etc


The command center with the LCD screen for setup


And today I put in 2 rear sony speakers for the surround sound effect feature from the tv, the pictures on the wall shakes with radial and jet engine noises and my ears are still ringing from using too much thrust reverse  :D


-Chris

[TacitBlue]

Very interesting! So the force feedback circuitry is independant from the rest of the basic joystick circuitry?

[JBaymore]

Midnight_ls1,

WOW...... the force feedback yoke needs a LOT more pictures and explanations.

[Midnight_LS1]

Very interesting! So the force feedback circuitry is independant from the rest of the basic joystick circuitry?

The force feedback is intergrated into one circuit, look inside the half top clear and half bottom white plastic box, that's the intergrated circuit board, the one on the top of it is the power supply for the force feedback motors.  
I think because it has to relate with the pontimeters because the way it works is that if I pull back hard on it in a Cessna 172 at high speed, you can feel a moderate amount of resistance in that direction, If I bring it back to netural, the force gradually goes back to normal.
Also in it's netural state, the motors keep the yoke centered (The blue rubberband shown is for support when the motors are off because the yoke is slightly tilts foward due to the aileron feedback motor weight.

And if your at the end of the yoke's travel (full left or right alierons or full up or down elevator), it will only put feedback in the opposite direction so the motors don't bind while trying to push the yoke past it's stops.

In a General Aviation aircraft such as the Cessna 172 at idle on the ground, the feedback feel when you move the controls is that you feel what I best can describe is cables moving through pulley's such as the 172 has it.

In a deep stall conidtion, the ailerons feel like there's no resistance (slack condition) until your out of a stall condition.

Run off the runway with one or hit a building, it vibrates good.

[Midnight_LS1]

[quote]Midnight_ls1,

WOW...... the force feedback yoke needs a LOT more pictures and explanations.

[TacitBlue]

OK, I basically see how you did it now. I've been thinking about doing something like that for a while, but never really took it seriously. I also have no $$$.
BTW, Nice work!