Home made Starwars yoke for the technically challenged - talk me out of it!!!

[BazookaJo]

Okay - we know RAM does a decent yoke, but what about a Starwars yoke lite that almost any clown can cobble together - even me!

Was thinking about using the gyro in a mobile phone e.g. MAME4Droid + DLNA would present some interesting possibilities, but right now the gyro is only half working, which leaves us with the Wiimote+GlovePie+PC+MAME.

So here's my plan - please feel free to talk me out of it before I spend any real money e.g. how the hell would I splice the 2 nunchucks together before they enter the wiimote?

1. Cheapo China wiimote & 2 x nunchucks - £20
2. Wii steering wheel/stand £10 (none essential steering wheel bits removed ala hacksaw)
3. 2x Pipe clamps £8
4. 2-3 Pipe spacers/clips and PCV pipe for axle £5
5. Various bits and bobs to attach the stuff together, limit the rotations, and add the springs to return the yoke to centre £5

Finally I would create a set of templates in quality card to replicate the dashboard and yoke decals....

Again - please talk me out of it!!!!

[BadMouth]

Seems overly complicated and expensive for a controller that only needs 2 axis and four buttons.
Also, I get the blue screen of death when I try to use more than one 3rd party wii controller with glovepie.

I'd start with a Jakk's plug and play game for the grips and buttons:


Throw in two $3 pots from radioshack and a $6 or $7 pad to hack.
How to tie it all together would depend on how durable you wanted it to be and much you wanted to spend.
It would probably end up costing $40 or $50 if you wanted it to be durable.

A few times I tried to put together a parts list that could be had for $20, but could never get it that low.

[yotsuya]

Sooooooo...... do you really want us to talk you out of it, or are you looking for validation? As this is BYOAC, I would feel wrong to try and talk you out of rolling your own, but I agree with BadMouth. Unless you're planning to fabricate something study to hold all those pieces together, I see it falling apart with any sort of real play.

So in short, the Spock in me is trying to talk you out of it, but in the spirit of BYOAC, well, BYOAC!

[Nephasth]

Don't do it.

[Le Chuck]

I've always liked the PVC homebrew version myself.  You could combine that with the Jak's handles and have a pretty sweet setup. 

http://files.arcadecontrols.com/details.php?image_id=3586

[BazookaJo]

It's working....I'm beginning to question it already.

The thing is, I've tried the wiimote/Glove-Pie and it worked very well in principle...it just needed anchoring to limit the movement of the x and y axis and add an element of torsion and spings (if that's the right word).

I really think for your general chump like myself, the minute you mention POTS and integrating with a joypad it's all over.  Hence the beauty of a gyroscopic approach - it just works, no pots required.....

But your right - the cost and durability of these parts is definitely questionable.....

The grips are a good idea though.....

Seems overly complicated and expensive for a controller that only needs 2 axis and four buttons.
Also, I get the blue screen of death when I try to use more than one 3rd party wii controller with glovepie.

I'd start with a Jakk's plug and play game for the grips and buttons:

Throw in two $3 pots from radioshack and a $6 or $7 pad to hack.
How to tie it all together would depend on how durable you wanted it to be and much you wanted to spend.
It would probably end up costing $40 or $50 if you wanted it to be durable.

A few times I tried to put together a parts list that could be had for $20, but could never get it that low.

[BazookaJo]

I looked at the Twistygrip many moons ago and  the problem is that the UK doesn't have the same pipe sizes

I think some are available in the pond/fish-keeping arena, but some were sadly absent or very hard to find........

I've always liked the PVC homebrew version myself.  You could combine that with the Jak's handles and have a pretty sweet setup. 

http://files.arcadecontrols.com/details.php?image_id=3586

[Le Chuck]

Okay - we know RAM does a decent yoke, but what about a Starwars yoke lite that almost any clown can cobble together - even me!

RAM doesn't do anything other than steal people's money.  Caveat emptor. 

I looked at the Twistygrip many moons ago and  the problem is that the UK doesn't have the same pipe sizes

If you want to build one I'm sure that you could do some simple conversions and buy pipe that is approximately the correct diameter.  There are only a few different pieces needed and you can fit it all right there in the store to make sure you'll be bringing home the right stuff.  It doesn't have to match the plans in diameter, just in design. 

[BazookaJo]

Whilst I agree that some of the ideas from the Twistygrip would be worth incorporating, it looks a bit well ... naff.  Plus again, pots and wires and calibrating is a bit of a put-off when you have little or no experience.

Also, it would still be cool if it could be designed on a gyroscopic controller as most android phones have them and can be used as a bluetooth mouse in that way, also it would 'almost' remove the need for the serious electronics, though you'd still need some way push the fire buttons through the phone as well....again maybe a game-killer that one.

Anyway you've helped me put the brakes on - back to the drawing board methinks....

Finally - on the question of durability - how about something like this for the base to provide a stand plus the rotation on the x-axis?  Little sturdier than the wii steering wheel/stand, but workable?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TV-MONITOR-WALL-MOUNT-BRACKET-TILT-ROTATE-14-TO-21-DELUX-/330922630826?pt=UK_Sound_Vision_TV_Wall_Mounts_Brackets&hash=item4d0c869eaa

Okay - we know RAM does a decent yoke, but what about a Starwars yoke lite that almost any clown can cobble together - even me!

RAM doesn't do anything other than steal people's money.  Caveat emptor. 

I looked at the Twistygrip many moons ago and  the problem is that the UK doesn't have the same pipe sizes

If you want to build one I'm sure that you could do some simple conversions and buy pipe that is approximately the correct diameter.  There are only a few different pieces needed and you can fit it all right there in the store to make sure you'll be bringing home the right stuff.  It doesn't have to match the plans in diameter, just in design.

[yotsuya]

Whilst I agree that some of the ideas from the Twistygrip would be worth incorporating, it looks a bit well ... naff.

 

[BadMouth]

If going the gyroscopic route, one option would be to get an xbox speed wheel for $30* and call it done.


http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-Wireless-Speed-Wheel/dp/B0050SY0L2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1368718669&sr=8-4&keywords=xbox+speed+wheel



*receiver not included

[Le Chuck]

Isn't it much easier just to say, "nah man, that twisty grip looks like crap" rather than "I can't find the right pipe".  You're not going to hurt my feelings.   

[yotsuya]

Isn't it much easier just to say, "nah man, that twisty grip looks like crap" rather than "I can't find the right pipe".  You're not going to hurt my feelings.   

He didn't say it looked like crap, he said it was a bit naff. I'm quite chuffed by that.

[BazookaJo]

Isn't it much easier just to say, "nah man, that twisty grip looks like crap" rather than "I can't find the right pipe".  You're not going to hurt my feelings.   

But seriously you can't get the pipe either...I ended up having to turn to various fish centres and still was having to consider getting certain bits imported:
http://www.koicarp.net/pvc_plumbing/pvc.html

Also - difficult to hide the fact that it is PVC* piping however much you box it up.

*Of course the sizes required never available in black...

[BazookaJo]

I hear what you're saying, but it's more like a traditional yoke with the up/down centred below the wrists instead of in the centre of the palms - might as well buy a USB flight yoke.

As we all know - the feel of the SW yoke is unique, but is basically it's just a steering wheel with a rod though the centre.  Mount a bluetooth gyro in the centre somehow and the yoke becomes a purely mechanical exercise instead of an electromechanical one with all the cogs pots and intricate work previously involved becoming unnecessary.

That was the dream anyway...

If going the gyroscopic route, one option would be to get an xbox speed wheel for $30* and call it done.

http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-Wireless-Speed-Wheel/dp/B0050SY0L2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1368718669&sr=8-4&keywords=xbox+speed+wheel



*receiver not included

[PL1]

*Of course the sizes required never available in black...

Rit Dye should take care of that.   


Scott

[Generic Eric]

Go for it! Don't forget that prototyping is expensive work.

[BadMouth]

Go for it! Don't forget that prototyping is expensive work.

The game is that you spend $50 to find $10 worth of parts that work and then brag about building it for $10 worth of parts.   

[1500points]

interesting.  I put some thought into this type of project some time back, then put it off.
Then was given a real SW yoke that needs restoration.
Figured that was easy enough....

BUT now I can't find anyone that sells resto parts of than Ram controls who the concensus says is not an honest seller.
So I've put that on the backburner, too.  very interesting predicament.

Curious to see if you come up with a valid solution.

[PL1]

I can't find anyone that sells resto parts

Stephen (Mylstar on KLOV) has lots of SW yoke parts at ArcadeFixit and several parts not listed on the site.

If you don't see what you are looking for, drop him a PM or ask me about alternate sources.


Scott

[1500points]

Thank you, message sent.

By the way, the pages around 50 have some really good drawings of the yoke here- http://www.arcade-museum.com/manuals-videogames/S/StarWars.pdf

[Xiaou2]

Sorry, but Gryoscopic accuracy for gaming applications is Crap.   If you want to play a game like crap, why even bother to build a specialty controller?

 You will have lag, and inaccurate drunken response.  Which is why I cant stand to play gyro games on a phone.

 The Twisty Grip not only looks bad, but its nearly impossible to get it to calibrate in windows.  The reason, is because it does not use enough pot travel to even register properly... because it has no gearing. Also, as a result, the resolution is very poor, resulting in poor control results.

 I dont remember any springs in the handles either.   And finally, the switch-buttons it used were horrible feeling.
I had a proto, which was pretty much the final design.

 Making a Yoke isnt an easy task, but its possible to do.
The usual issue is that the end result isnt as good as the real deal.

 One day I might give it a 2nd shot, improving the spring return mechanisms.

 

[BazookaJo]

So I take it your not a fan of the Twisty Grip then?

I would slightly disagree with you on the Gyro score - playing StarWars with the wiimote/Glovepie yoke combination was the closest I have come to short of the real deal, which will understandably always be king and time-consuming and/or expensive to replicate 100%

Again - my aim is simply to be able to play a reasonable game of StarWars without a huge investment of time and money, with a controller that works well, can be thrown together with relative easy, and looks cute on the shelf..

As for the gyro on a mobile phone it remains to be seen if this could be used effectively - the one on my phone seems to work quite well on Outrun etc. via MAME4Droid which can however only use the accelerometer on the X-Axis for now, so I guess the jury is still out for Starwars...


Anyway - I bought the wii wheel/stand for the sake of £10, which if crap will stop me in my tracks anyhow

Sorry, but Gryoscopic accuracy for gaming applications is Crap.   If you want to play a game like crap, why even bother to build a specialty controller?

 You will have lag, and inaccurate drunken response.  Which is why I cant stand to play gyro games on a phone.

 The Twisty Grip not only looks bad, but its nearly impossible to get it to calibrate in windows.  The reason, is because it does not use enough pot travel to even register properly... because it has no gearing. Also, as a result, the resolution is very poor, resulting in poor control results.

 I dont remember any springs in the handles either.   And finally, the switch-buttons it used were horrible feeling.
I had a proto, which was pretty much the final design.

 Making a Yoke isnt an easy task, but its possible to do.
The usual issue is that the end result isnt as good as the real deal.

 One day I might give it a 2nd shot, improving the spring return mechanisms.

[1500points]

this popped up on klov- http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=276984

[Lilwolf]

What are the prices of an original starwars controller going for these days? 

[ark_ader]

I hear Stun Runner yokes are the same with a bar screwed inside the yoke gimping the axis.

[PL1]

I hear Stun Runner yokes are the same with a bar screwed inside the yoke gimping the axis.

Yep, the main difference is the handle assemblies.

The stop plate P/N 047121-01 is on page 23 of the manual here.

Remove the two screws holding that plate and you have a good yoke for SW IIRC.

You may need to adjust the vertical axis pot / 14 tooth gear so you get full vertical range of motion.

The only down side is if you play ESB and don't add thumb buttons, you'll need to have one trigger as lasers and one as tow cables.  #firstworldproblems

Also, TwistyWrist has the Molex connector and pins that connect to the harness. (The pins are also handy for adding the thumb buttons to the existing harness for use with the USB adapter from TOG)  Please don't butcher the original harness.


Scott

[yotsuya]

Sooooooooooooo........... did we talk you out of it? 

[Generic Eric]

Sooooooooooooo........... did we talk you out of it? 

Gosh, I hope not. 

[BazookaJo]

Sooooooooooooo........... did we talk you out of it? 

Gosh, I hope not.

Do I detect a hint of sarcasm


Sadly I'm still undeterred at this stage, and have probably spent £35+ so far on something that may never see the light of day.

The steering wheel and black nunchuks were passable enough not to deter me, but I also discovered that wii nunchucks have x/y accelerometers built in, so my next quest is to see if the accelerometers can be used to control the cross-hair instead of a the gyro in the wiimote?  If so this would be better than the bluetooth->stack software->gloviepie->PPJoy I have used previously.

So my most recent purchase was an adapter to connect 2 nunchuks to a PC via USB - perhaps this can be used directly with PPJoy to utilise the full set of controls from 1 nunchuck and  just the trigger from the other.....I await it's delivery from Hong Kong.

[BazookaJo]

Okay - nunchuks to PC adapter arrived today, and whilst it will allow me to utilise both triggers it does not utilise the accelerometers, so that will still have to be done via the wiimote 

Alternatively it may be that I can use the accelerometers on my mobile phone, but I would ideally want an app that will handle this but also has USB support - again trying to minimise the number of daisy-chained programs needed to stitch it all together.....

Now waiting for the trigger 'holsters' to attach the nunchuks to a metal pipe of my choosing - again, from China....

Sooooooooooooo........... did we talk you out of it? 

Gosh, I hope not.

Do I detect a hint of sarcasm


Sadly I'm still undeterred at this stage, and have probably spent £35+ so far on something that may never see the light of day.

The steering wheel and black nunchuks were passable enough not to deter me, but I also discovered that wii nunchucks have x/y accelerometers built in, so my next quest is to see if the accelerometers can be used to control the cross-hair instead of a the gyro in the wiimote?  If so this would be better than the bluetooth->stack software->gloviepie->PPJoy I have used previously.

So my most recent purchase was an adapter to connect 2 nunchuks to a PC via USB - perhaps this can be used directly with PPJoy to utilise the full set of controls from 1 nunchuck and  just the trigger from the other.....I await it's delivery from Hong Kong.