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Author Topic: STAR WARS MICRO Complete with video!  (Read 138566 times)

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Le Chuck

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STAR WARS MICRO Complete with video!
« on: February 11, 2012, 01:12:52 am »
Le Chuck Presents:
STAR WARS MICRO

   I was hanging out at Toshi station browsing the power convertors when I noticed a sweet Star Wars cabinet over in the corner.  Being a hoopy frood who knows where his towel is (wait, wrong galaxy)... Being that I was used to bulls-eying womp rats in my T-16 back home I thought I'd give it a whirl.  I was in love, I couldn't get enough, so when I got home after changing out a bad motivator on this new flaky R2 unit uncle Owen picked up I set about building my own version.  Aunt Beru said there was no room on the moisture farm for another full size cabinet so I made one 1:6 scale.  

Star Wars Micro is a GPH Caanoo based miniature arcade with the first ever fully working miniature Atari Yoke running MAME4All.
:droid 12" tall faithful reproduction of the original Atari Star Wars arcade cabinet
:droid Yoke is hand crafted from aluminum with custom modified 10k OHM axle potentiometers with 60º deflection
:droid Coin Door is hand crafted from aluminum with light up coin plastics  and coin exit buttons in place of coin return
:droid Shroud is hand crafted from dowel rods and bass wood on a 1/4" MDF base  
:droid Handheld screen cable was extended 4 inches
:droid Handheld boots directly to game - no menus required
:droid Over 80 working hours of time went into this build














As seen on: Extended Play Arcade, The Verge, Uber Gizmo, Time Magazine Blog, Geeky Gadgets, Technabob, Hackaday, USA Today, Gizmodo, The Aussie version of Gizmodo, Engadget, TechBlog, Redux, Games Industry, Tech Gatherer,  Arie's World, Walyou, Console Hardware News, Devil Dinosaur, Gadget Sin, Obvious Winner, Yahoo!, Geko Geek, The Daily What, Game Tyrant, Kit Guru, Design Buzz, Design Boom, KLOV, Geek, Geeks Are Sexy, Gadget Review, The Foce.Net, Hard Core Gamer, DCemu UK, MSNBC, Kotaku and Gamopat also IGN, My Top Trailer, and a few other youtube channels have picked it up.  How 'bout them apples?  

Build thread follows.  Thanks for looking!
« Last Edit: May 08, 2012, 02:35:41 pm by Le Chuck »

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Re: Mini yoke build ideas
« Reply #1 on: February 11, 2012, 08:13:26 am »
Why not buy a used PSP and use Mame4All with it?

That has an analog stick.
If I had only one wish, it would be for three more wishes.

Le Chuck

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Re: Mini yoke build ideas
« Reply #2 on: February 11, 2012, 08:29:22 am »
4:3 screen vs wide screen. Other than that no reason. Still leaves me with the same mechanical quandary. Both would work but caanoo can be programmed to boot directly to the game also.

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Re: Mini yoke build ideas
« Reply #3 on: February 11, 2012, 08:32:02 am »
Hmmm, interesting idea.  Modding the XY stick to to XZ will be a challenge.  I do have a Caanoo that I have had apart to do the bezel mod.  You can see some pics of the guts here:

http://www.gp32x.com/board/index.php?/topic/56493-caanoo-cover-problem-solved/

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Re: Mini yoke build ideas
« Reply #4 on: February 11, 2012, 08:51:19 am »
Sammy, can you verify that the caanoo's analog stick is correctly recognized in Star Wars?  Thanks man. Checked out the pics, may have to get a longer ribbon to rotate the screen but other than that it seems feasible.

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Re: Mini yoke build ideas
« Reply #5 on: February 11, 2012, 09:24:26 am »
Yup, the Caanoo stick works as analog in Mame Star Wars.  Although, it is off center a bit with the controller centered.  I'll have to play with a bit more later and see if there is a calibration I can do (charging now).

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Re: Mini yoke build ideas
« Reply #6 on: February 11, 2012, 09:25:19 am »
Word.   :cheers:

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Re: Mini yoke build ideas
« Reply #7 on: February 11, 2012, 10:32:12 am »
OK, I figured out that you just have to move the stick around it's full range of travel and Star Wars self calibrates.

Also, I just remembered that I actually have a second Caanoo around here somewhere.  PM me if you want to work a deal.

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Re: Mini yoke build ideas
« Reply #8 on: February 12, 2012, 09:14:44 am »
I've never messed with a Caanoo, but if you remove the analogue stick, you'll probably find that it sits on top a little box that contains 2 minature potentiometers.
  
You could either get ones of the same value, or reuse the ones from the caanoo if they're not too tiny.  One would have to be mounted sideways inside the yoke itself for the up/down movement.  The other could be mounted to the cab and the yoke attached to the shaft of it.  I'm not sure how I'd go about doing this on such a small scale.

The little box that contains the pots contains springs that keep the pots centered.
Not having them spring loaded and returning to center could screw up calibration.
Most usb gamepads use 10k pots, recognize 5k as center, and don't require calibration.
Like I said, I've never messed with a Caanoo.

I've thought about how I'd design a cheap (sub $20) star wars joke just for fun.
I kept coming back to having a hoop around the bottom that links both grips.
That way the potentiometer could sit in the middle (attached to one side) and both grips would still move together.
Otherwise you'd need to have the grips linked by a shaft with a gear on it that would turn the pot.

« Last Edit: February 12, 2012, 09:19:28 am by BadMouth »

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Re: Mini yoke build ideas
« Reply #9 on: February 12, 2012, 10:07:15 am »
You could either get ones of the same value, or reuse the ones from the caanoo if they're not too tiny.  One would have to be mounted sideways inside the yoke itself for the up/down movement.  The other could be mounted to the cab and the yoke attached to the shaft of it.  I'm not sure how I'd go about doing this on such a small scale.

The little box that contains the pots contains springs that keep the pots centered.
Not having them spring loaded and returning to center could screw up calibration.
Most usb gamepads use 10k pots, recognize 5k as center, and don't require calibration.
Like I said, I've never messed with a Caanoo.

I've thought about how I'd design a cheap (sub $20) star wars joke just for fun.
I kept coming back to having a hoop around the bottom that links both grips.
That way the potentiometer could sit in the middle (attached to one side) and both grips would still move together.
Otherwise you'd need to have the grips linked by a shaft with a gear on it that would turn the pot.


Providing that I can remove the pots I think that you're spot on for the build, even on a micro scale.  The X pot gets mounted to the center axis of the yoke in cab.  Yoke support comes from a small lazy-susan bearing.  Rockler has a 3 inch but I am having trouble finding one in the 1 inch range.  May just have to use sleeves and flare the ends so It doesn't pull apart unless somebody has a hobby store that makes wee lazy susan bearings.  The trick is transfering the Y movement of the handle axle to the Y pot.  Watch gears could work but that's way more in-depth than I would like to get.  Easiest would be to incorporate the handle axle directly into the pot post like on the X and then for the other side run the axle into a sleeve supported by the Y pot's mount and run a small U bar from one axle to the other around the pot so I have synched movement exactly like you said.  I will for sure attempt this method.     

So IF all that goes to plan then where the hell do I get springs to autocenter everything?  If I have the U bracket on the Y I can anchor to that above and below, that seems like it would work so I'll probably add a U bracket onto the X as well just so I have a good off axis anchor.  I think that would work pretty well actually and avoids all gearing, axle springs, and the like.  Any issues off the top? 

Now I just need to get the Caanoo and get started.
« Last Edit: February 12, 2012, 10:32:48 am by Le Chuck »

Bender

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Re: Mini yoke build ideas
« Reply #10 on: February 12, 2012, 08:30:55 pm »
but caanoo can be programmed to boot directly to the game also.

do you know how to do that?
I've tried a few things and have got it to load directly to mame4all, but not a specific rom, any info would be much appreciated!
I'd love to be able to do that with a couple projects I have
I too can confirm that Star Wars is playable on the caanoo with the analog nub
can't wait to see your mini

Le Chuck

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Re: Mini yoke build ideas
« Reply #11 on: February 12, 2012, 10:18:06 pm »
Bender, nope.   ;D

I read it in passing and took it to be gospel.  I've been doing some light reading on shelling GPs and am going to dig deeper into that.  If I crack it I'll make sure and document it.  The fact that you haven't found the answer dims my hopes but I'll keep after it once I get the unit.  

Caanoo has been purchased and should be here shortly (big thanks to SammyWI  :cheers:) at which point I'll get all the software squared away before I start taking things apart.  At that point I'll probably move this over to the project announce section and begin documenting in earnest.
« Last Edit: February 13, 2012, 12:16:30 am by Le Chuck »

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Re: Mini yoke build ideas
« Reply #12 on: February 13, 2012, 09:48:22 am »
Just a heads up.  (Like I said, I've never messed with a caanoo)

Here is what I was talking about expecting to find inside:
(xbox analogue stick)


However, I was looking at PSP replacement parts and they look like this:

Le Chuck

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Re: Mini yoke build ideas
« Reply #13 on: February 13, 2012, 10:02:55 am »
Thanks for the pics - this won't be tricky at all  :blowup:

From SammyWI's pics it looks more like an Xbox type unit rather than a mysterious no pot psp flat pack.  Either way I'm guessing this will take some time to get the signals right.  Hopefully I'll be able to get a model number for the part off the caanoo and order a few so I can rip them apart as necessary. 

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Re: Mini yoke build ideas
« Reply #14 on: February 13, 2012, 06:23:35 pm »
The Caanoo is on it's way.  BTW those pics were not taken by me, just a helpful thread I found for modding the bezel.  I didn't take the stick apart when I had it open but I'm sure you'll dig into it soon enough.  Looking forward to see this build come together.

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Re: Mini yoke build ideas
« Reply #15 on: February 13, 2012, 09:59:36 pm »
Not to dash any dreams here... 

  But...  I believe those are slide-pads.. which I 'think' are some sort of flat resistor.  I think the X and Y axis are combined into one single value reading.  (similar to a drawing tablet)
 Hacking these may not be easy, unless you have some sort of hardware encoder.  Not sure.

 Also, even when using mini-pots, Im pretty sure that the travel is still the same as a large pot.  Meaning, you would still need to use gearing to have the correct resolution.

 Making a Yoke full size is challenging enough... but making a mini yoke would be even more difficult.  It has to be durable enough to widthstand a slamming... but, smaller gears means smaller & weaker diameter drive tubes. 

 Also, with smaller gears, means smaller teeth... which means that tolerances have to be VERY tight.  If there is any loose play, a gear will slip and or chip/break.  A good example of this is actually the older Arkanoid spinners.  Almost all the used ones Ive seen are completely non-functional because of these very facts.  Wear and vibration causing play... and then gears getting all jacked up.  And an Arkanoid controller is fairly hard to jostle... vs... a Starwars yoke that gets Slammed around heavily and frequently.

 Optical would be helpful with ultra high resolution encoders... IF... you could manage to have super precision in alignments, and IF you didnt have to worry about calibration.  However, optical isnt good, because of the calibration issues.

 And finally, you run into playability & comfort issues.   The standard yokes handles are not actually that big... and fit the hands perfectly.  If you make the handles too small, trying to control the thing will be very hard and awkward.

 I think anything less than 3/4 traditional size is too small for good playability, with almost any controller type.

Le Chuck

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Re: Mini yoke build ideas
« Reply #16 on: February 14, 2012, 03:37:33 am »
Not to dash any dreams here...  


Acknowledged and not dashed.  I've already thought about what to do if it has a PSP type flat resistor, let's just say that it may look like a yoke but won't move like a yoke.  Minor annoyance at most.  If its mini pots then I'll do my best but in the end it may end up like the aforementioned cop-out solution but Xiaou... I gotta try man.  We're not talking logic or feasibility, we're talking about adventure and a devil may care attitude towards vaulting ourselves into the unknown world of tiny ass playable arcade machines.  The controls aren't too small man, we're all too big.  

Seriously, all good points and we'll just have to wait until I get the thing apart.  I hope I can surprise everybody but that isn't always the case.    
« Last Edit: February 14, 2012, 04:13:39 am by Le Chuck »

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Re: Mini yoke build ideas
« Reply #17 on: February 15, 2012, 06:38:27 pm »
Caanoo in hand.  I'll be learning on it for the next few days and hopefully get it booting the way I want, then I'll start tearing it down.  Thanks SammyWI  :cheers:

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Re: Mini yoke build ideas
« Reply #18 on: February 15, 2012, 06:56:35 pm »
No problem, man.   :cheers:  Great dealing with you.  Looking forward to what you come up with for this.

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Re: Mini yoke build ideas
« Reply #19 on: February 15, 2012, 09:55:48 pm »
Wow, you are just a glutton for punishment.  You should go buy a CNC and just start machining parts. 

Don't forget how much fun some small springs would be to work with  :banghead:
Check out my current 3 machine build:
http://yaksplat.wordpress.com

Custom Control Panels: http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=121245

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Re: Mini yoke build ideas
« Reply #20 on: February 15, 2012, 10:52:05 pm »
Yeah if I'm not making myself miserable I'm not really happy  ;D

I think I may be able to get something rolling for direct boot through GMenu2x, more to follow.

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Re: Mini yoke build ideas
« Reply #21 on: February 17, 2012, 12:06:29 am »
Bender, what method are you using to boot to Mame4all? 

Right now I'm running gmenu2x and am able to bring up the game with two single button presses but haven't got the straight boot down yet.  I'm having trouble getting the rom to populate as an shortcut in the root application menu.  I keep following tutorials and copying code and it keeps not working. 

Any advice is much appreciated.  Thanks.   

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Re: Mini yoke build ideas
« Reply #22 on: February 17, 2012, 12:54:26 am »
Okay, got that little rascal booting to mame finally using the autorun

Code: [Select]
#!/bin/sh
cd /mnt/sd/mame4all_2.5
exec ./mame.gpe

but I'm still shooting for boot to game.

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Re: Mini yoke build ideas
« Reply #23 on: February 17, 2012, 07:25:45 pm »
Just remember the words of Red Leader:  'Almost there................'   :laugh:

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Re: Mini yoke build ideas
« Reply #24 on: February 18, 2012, 08:35:04 am »
Just remember the words of Red Leader:  'Almost there................'   :laugh:

I prefer the words of Darth Vader: "I find your lack of faith disturbing"

Caanoo now boots to Star Wars directly.  Should also work identically on Wiz or even GP2X.  When you exit game Caanoo backs to the native rom select menu using whatever skin you have installed
This requires GMENU2X and MAME4All 2.5 please note that 2.6 will not work as the command line capability has been removed in 2.6 for some retarded reason. 

This actually shouldn't require GMENU2X since all you are using is the autorun file that comes with it but rather than build your own I find it easier just to download and modify.  So modify the autorun code to look like this:

Code: [Select]
"Autorun"
#!/bin/sh
cd /mnt/sd/mame4all_2.5
exec ./mame starwars

That's it.  Too easy.

Oh, and make sure you download Notepad++ or some other Unix code editor because regular notepad will add unreadable line endings to your code making it worthless in the Caanoo. 

And now I'll start ripping apart, documenting, measuring, resizing art and all that.  Should I just rename this thread and request a move or start a proper Project Announce thread? 

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Re: Mini yoke build ideas and how to direct boot GPX to a rom
« Reply #25 on: February 18, 2012, 10:36:54 am »
I think you'll get just as many page views either way, but I think it would be cool to have a separate thread for the canoo tear down.


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Re: Mini yoke build ideas
« Reply #26 on: February 18, 2012, 09:12:32 pm »
Just remember the words of Red Leader:  'Almost there................'   :laugh:

I prefer the words of Darth Vader: "I find your lack of faith disturbing"

Caanoo now boots to Star Wars directly.  Should also work identically on Wiz or even GP2X.  When you exit game Caanoo backs to the native rom select menu using whatever skin you have installed
This requires GMENU2X and MAME4All 2.5 please note that 2.6 will not work as the command line capability has been removed in 2.6 for some retarded reason.  

This actually shouldn't require GMENU2X since all you are using is the autorun file that comes with it but rather than build your own I find it easier just to download and modify.  So modify the autorun code to look like this:

Code: [Select]
"Autorun"
#!/bin/sh
cd /mnt/sd/mame4all_2.5
exec ./mame starwars

That's it.  Too easy.

Oh, and make sure you download Notepad++ or some other Unix code editor because regular notepad will add unreadable line endings to your code making it worthless in the Caanoo.  

And now I'll start ripping apart, documenting, measuring, resizing art and all that.  Should I just rename this thread and request a move or start a proper Project Announce thread?  


Yippee!!!!!!! :cheers:
can't wait to try it out
this is really exciting for me :D
Thanks!
I posted a bit on the GP2X forums but couldn't quite figure it out

now all I need is for someone to make a vertical menu for Mame4all
« Last Edit: February 18, 2012, 09:18:57 pm by Bender »

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Re: Mini yoke build ideas and how to direct boot GPX to a rom
« Reply #27 on: February 19, 2012, 12:52:26 am »
Bender, if you want to go vert I think you'll have to go through GMenu2x because it is skinnable and you can compile your own if necessary though lord knows what a PITA that would be.  The only reason is that the console devs are notorious for completing a project and then abandoning to work on the next one.  If there is an outcry on the GP forums for vert support they'll add it on the next doodad to come out but the wiz and caanoo are pretty much screwed for a native rotation I think.  GMenu2x's coder frequents the GP forums so you should be able to track him down there or through his website and see if it's even possible.  Then you'd have to recompile mame4all so it doesn't back out to the native OS, although I think that's been done already, I saw a link for it but don't recall which version it was.  Best of luck on that grail man, I can only say that I'm glad Starwars isn't vert. I have a big enough chore ahead of me trying to get the controls to play nice.   


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Re: Caanoo hack mini Star Wars build
« Reply #28 on: February 27, 2012, 09:34:59 pm »
Pulled apart the caanoo.
 
When you do so be really careful if you want to keep the shakers.  Vibrating feedback was not on my list of things I needed so I popped them off but they don't have disconnects so be aware.  The disassembly is pretty straight forward.  Four back panel screws and four board screws.  Take the back then the side ring then the front off. 

In the second pick you can see the analog control, I'm in luck it is a pot type control so now I just need to figure out the Ohm rating for those two pots.  I am thinking it will be easier to just get pots rated the same and work with those than try to deconstruct the control body.  Any hints or help with the pot riddle would be much appreciated. 

The monitor is able to be moved around to a 90 degree position for horizontal play while the board are verticle but it is a bit of a twist and I'm hoping it doesn't strain the monitor wiring too much. 

The monitor is 3.125 inch on the diagonal which gives me a target of 1:6 for scale based on the original 19" Amplifone.  I've already got all the art downloaded so that reduction will be easy and just need to go start reducing measurements.  I'm thinking using .25" MDF unless anybody has something better to build with. 

Le Chuck

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Re: Caanoo hack mini Star Wars build
« Reply #29 on: February 29, 2012, 09:45:09 pm »
Found out that a lot of Caanoo users have to replace their analog joys with playstation ones when they bust.  I'll be getting two playstation controllers at gamestop this weekend to rip down so I can start experimenting with the mini yoke build.  Picked up the MDF and I'll be printing my templates out this weekend as I've got them all sized to scale.  I also did the art while I was at it to give me a bit of motivation.  Cab build should be pretty straight forward until I get to the bezel and yoke.  Those will take some finesse but I am off week after next so hopefully I'll put a dent in this project.  

« Last Edit: March 15, 2012, 01:01:42 am by Le Chuck »

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Re: Caanoo hack mini Star Wars build
« Reply #30 on: February 29, 2012, 09:53:12 pm »
Super Cool!!! I kind of skimmed through the thread didn't see the dimensions?

 

Le Chuck

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Re: Caanoo hack mini Star Wars build
« Reply #31 on: February 29, 2012, 10:00:10 pm »
It's 1:6 scale so it'll be 12" tall.  Scale is based off screen size.

Le Chuck

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Re: Caanoo hack mini Star Wars build
« Reply #32 on: March 03, 2012, 01:19:08 pm »
Went out today and got a cheapo ps2 controller so I could raid the 10K pots out of it and once I desoldered them I had two thoughts.  The first was that I should have just ordered the pots off digikey and saved myself the soldering.  The second and more important thought was this:

Why don't I use two 10K Ohm wheel pots make the yoke?  Here's an example from Radio Shack.  If I make small metal brackets to hold each pot up the yoke "axles" then all I need to do is find a gear for each axle and I should get nice smooth control on a micro scale.

Does this sound feasible?  Can these wheel pots be used in this manner?  Any body got a lead on where I can get small plastic gears to try rigging this up?  I think this will be easier than trying to build directly into 10K post pots but I may still have to do that.  
« Last Edit: March 10, 2012, 10:16:03 pm by Le Chuck »

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Re: Caanoo hack mini Star Wars build
« Reply #33 on: March 03, 2012, 02:40:47 pm »
Why don't I use two 10K Ohm wheel pots make the yoke?  Here's an example from Radio Shack.  If I make small metal brackets to hold each pot up the yoke "axles" then all I need to do is find a gear for each axle and I should get nice smooth control on a micro scale.

Does this sound feasible?  Can these wheel pots be used in this manner?  Any body got a lead on where I can get small plastic gears to try rigging this up?  I think this will be easier than trying to build directly into 10K post pots but I may still have to do that.  

I predict that gear would last 0.75 uses.
Have you worked out dimensions for the yoke body yet?
If there is room, I would go for full size pots. http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062354

If there is enough room, picture this......(cause I'm too lazy to draw & upload at the moment)

From the outside, the grips appear to be joined by a straight shaft.
But if you open it up, there is actually a horsehoe shape in the center.
The pot sits in the center of this horseshoe with the shaft extending into one side of the shaft that the grip is attached to.
(with a set screw to hold it in place)

The pot could just be mounted via in a tab sticking up from the bottom of the housing.
Mounting it by just sticking it through a hole and using the included nut would allow you to rotate it so you can make sure 5k is at center.

The "horseshoe" could also do double duty by hitting stops, limiting how far the grips can be rotated.

The other pot can be mounted inside the cab where there is plenty of room to work with.

BadMouth

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Re: Caanoo hack mini Star Wars build
« Reply #34 on: March 03, 2012, 02:43:06 pm »
Forgot to mention that you could hook a spring to the tip of this "horseshoe" as a way of keeping the controls centered at 5k.  :)

(I have way more ideas than I have time for.  As demonstrated by the half dozen unfinished projects in my basement at the moment.)

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Re: Caanoo hack mini Star Wars build
« Reply #35 on: March 03, 2012, 03:28:02 pm »
The durability concern is exactly why I ordered the exact linear pots your mentioned at the same time I ordered the wheel pots.  I also am going to experiment with drilling clean through the pot so I can thread an axle.  Doubt that will work for a variety of reasons but you never know.  I really want to the yoke to be to scale (1:6) but I might back it up to 1:4 to give me some more working room as I think that will still look okay on the scaled down cab.  Once all the pots arrive I'll take a trip to home depot for metal stock then start making examples.  Really wish I could find a one inch diameter lazy susan bearing, smallest I can source is 3" and that won't do. 
 

Le Chuck

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Re: Caanoo hack mini Star Wars build
« Reply #36 on: March 04, 2012, 10:35:03 pm »
I made my initial cuts today.  Next I'll be making a jig so I can route the bezel and the CP cut away and yoke port.  I need to cut a bunch of bracing pieces too once I decide how I want to do my joinery.  I am keeping a running cut list and can post at the end if there is interest.  Pots should be in by the end of the week so I'll be able to start messing with the yoke build next week.  In the mean time I'd like to get the coin door and shroud fabricated this week.  

Anybody know where I can get or know how to make a ribbon cable extension?  It would save me a major headache.


 
« Last Edit: March 04, 2012, 10:37:09 pm by Le Chuck »

Le Chuck

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Re: Caanoo hack mini Star Wars build
« Reply #37 on: March 10, 2012, 10:13:13 pm »
Decided to try extending the post out the back end of a 10K Pot.  Used 1/8" square aluminum tubing for the key which fits snugly into 3/16" round aluminum tubing.  Drilled a hole in the back of the pot cover for the back post and it works great.


Left is the disassembled pot and the original milled post.  Right is the tubing stock that I used as an extension attached to the pot uh thing.


Left is the reassembled pot that I'm calling an Axel Pot.  Right is it hooked up to the caanoo for a test run.  

This saves me from needing a lot of other loops and support and hardware in the yoke itself since I'm working on a 1/4 scale for that (rest of the build is 1/6 but the extra bit on the yoke adds a lot in playability).  My plan is to box that little unit up and have the yoke handles attach directly to the pot post.  I'll be doing some additional reinforcement though the middle as it's all tube stock.  I will likely try to run the wiring through the tubing as well though fishing it out mid-tube at that size should prove a challenge.  

Problem:  Without gearing I have 300 degree of travel to make the full on screen range of motion.  My theory:  If I use a pot of a different value I can get full range of motion on screen without turning the pot a full 300 degrees.  I don't know if I should go down or up in value to get the effect I'm after tho.  I'm at 10K now, If I grab a 25K pot will I be moving 2.5 times faster or slower?  Does it work like that?  I'm thinking that a 50K would be ideal if it's faster because that should get me in the 60 degree neighborhood.  Any advice would appreciated.  

<Edit:  Further research seems to point at using a higher value pot.  This is from shoddy sources however with no working examples given.  The principle seems to be that it takes 10K ohm to get the cross hair to the top of the screen, so the faster I can get to 10 the less deflection I get.  On a 50K pot I reach 10K at approx 60 degrees so this "should" work.  I'm totally shopping for other solutions tho, I saw that Happs is selling a 1K pot with 40 degrees of deflection for a paltry 30 bucks but they don't seem to have a 10K... and there is no way in hell I'm paying that much money for a pot.  If the 50K pot solution works I'll just add a limiting tab to the housing so it doesn't get past 60 and overload the board or something.>

<Update:  50K doesn't work, gives me a huge deadspot in the middle.  Restricts movement to the first 30 to 45 degrees of rotation and the last 30 to 45. Weird, would not have expected that.  Another possible solution is painting the blacked out traces with a conductive paint.  I'm going to try that but am still on the hunt for a 10K with 60 degrees of displacement.>
« Last Edit: March 11, 2012, 09:51:18 pm by Le Chuck »

Le Chuck

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Re: Caanoo hack mini Star Wars build
« Reply #38 on: March 13, 2012, 12:10:46 pm »
Fixed the deflection issue with the pots.  Now I have 10K Pots with 60 degrees travel corresponding to full on screen cursor travel vs 300 degrees of travel.  In other words, I don't have to worry about gears for the mini yoke. 



Picked up this circuit writer pen at Radio Shack.  It's pricey at $19.99 but the cheapest pot I found with 60 degrees of travel was over $50 so I figured that I've whittled that down to $13 a pot.  Top is the adjusted resistance track and the bottom is the stock.  Just colored in the track to shrink the resistance area.  Already tested it out on the caanoo and it works great.

Also I've primered and painted (first coat) the panels and will begin assembly later today.  I already routed the bezel and will be constructing the shroud later today as well.  Pics to follow.  Hopefully I'll have a working mini-yoke by weeks end.  Feel a lot better now that I've got the pots under control as that was pretty much the deal breaker for this build.   

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Re: Caanoo hack mini Star Wars build
« Reply #39 on: March 13, 2012, 08:43:32 pm »
sweet! cant wait to see
I'm really impressed you got the analog pots to work!  :cheers: