CP-1 Command Pod: The VR Space exploration project

[SpaceHedgehog]

To make them functional, wire each in parallel with a potentiometer wiper (middle tab) and ground.

They will display a value between 0v and Vcc. (5v?)   


Scott

Cheers for that Scott 

Made some progress on the casing for the stick today:







Currently working on the side pieces for this.

[SpaceHedgehog]

Drill holes to rough cut the window:



Rough cut the window:



Do the same for the second piece.

Attach the router guides:



Flush trim the window:



Use this piece as a guide for the second piece:



On to the beveling ....

[SpaceHedgehog]

Side panels completed. External bevels:



Inlay routing:



Fit:



That's the weekend's building complete. The cases were more work than I'd anticipated but I'm pleased with them.

[SpaceHedgehog]

Dry assembled for inspection before I start on the finishing. Things are a little wonky or leaning as a consequence.

[Endaar]

Your R-Pod MkII is perhaps my favorite project on the entire site. This is shaping up to surpass even that. Can't wait to see more.

Endaar

[SpaceHedgehog]

Your R-Pod MkII is perhaps my favorite project on the entire site. This is shaping up to surpass even that. Can't wait to see more.

Endaar

I'm flattered Endaar, thanks very much for that! The complexity of the R-Pod is going to take some matching but with this being simpler (minus making the seat), hopefully I can include a few extra visual elements. Keep watching, plenty of pictures will be posted 

[SpaceHedgehog]

Lots of filling and sanding:





I've covered the rear lid. The edges will be painted black so there will be no visible wood to be seen once in-place.



Emblem close-up:



Rear view:



The trottle will sit on rises so will be higher than shown in the last picture.

[Generic Eric]

Say...are there any rank structures in Elite Dangerous?  Maybe you want to put those badges on as you increase.  Or, how about the insignia of opposing factions? You could cross them out as kills. Or do you want to smuggle contraband?  I don't suppose you'd show that off with a badge.

[SpaceHedgehog]

There is indeed a ranked structure. It would be great to have swappable badges but they only make the dangerous one. Maybe I should make a suggestion to the developers.

There are different factions too. I haven't checked out the insignias though.

Interesting idea!

[Generic Eric]

In case anyone else was wondering about the factions.

[SpaceHedgehog]

In case anyone else was wondering about the factions.

Cool! Thanks for that Generic 

[SpaceHedgehog]

Side pieces filled, sanded undercoated twice, sanded, filled and sanded again:



A few pictures of the flat black paint process.

2 coats (nearly - the tail has only 1 coat as I need to hold the pieces somewhere) of flat black applied:

Wet (it looks terrible and inconsistent at this point):



Drying (much better):



Close-up (this starts to bring out the inconsistencies and highlights where extra finishing needs to be done):



Inconsistencies will be filled and the paint will be sanded back with a high grit sandpaper before another coat is applied.

[SpaceHedgehog]

Almost done with the painting. Just need to flip them over and do the other sides.

[SpaceHedgehog]

Sides just leaning against the case atm.

[Jimbo]

This is insane.  In a good way. 

[SpaceHedgehog]

This is insane.  In a good way. 

Lol. I wish my desire to build would take a rest for a while

Filled, sanded and undercoated the sides of the stick case:







Working on the lid for this at the same time ...

[Pinfritz]

i love this project!!!! Very clean work... 

[SpaceHedgehog]

Thanks Pinfritz. You never know how it will be received as it's not a typical arcade related piece.

I've finished filling, sanding and covering the lid for the stick:





I will use Neutrik connectors for the HOTAS USB connections:

[AzureKnight]

You never know how it will be received as it's not a typical arcade related piece.

I can only speak for myself....but your work is stunning.  The attention to detail is amazing, I think what impresses me the most is how you (and a few other members on this forum) will invest an incredible amount of effort into the smallest piece of the cabinet.  I think R-Pod is the best driver I have seen and I can't wait to see this one completed!

[SpaceHedgehog]

Thanks very much for that Azure, it's appreciated. I'm enjoying the build process at the moment but there will come a time when I want to see it finished. I haven't even worked out all the details yet - I like to freestyle 

Boring stuff: more undercoating, filling and sanding. Stick case sides are ready for painting in flat black:

[SpaceHedgehog]

Two coats of flat black applied. The backs of these still need to be done properly and the pictures are a bit rubbish because I'm tired):



A couple of wonky pictures:





I'm also working on a panel overlay for the throttle. Using someone's design (MoodyB) as inspiration, did a bit of Photoshop video googling and had a crack at making my own. This is what I may use for the legends:

[SpaceHedgehog]

I'm making the top blanking plate for the stick today.

Removed the stick from its base:



Check for clearance:



Select the correct hole saw to use:



Looks like a tight fit so I'll need to be accurate with my cutting.

Marked out the panel (over-cut so I can trim back later) and drilled the hole:



Fit is good:



The rear of the panel sits nice and flush with the lid. The front ... not so much. I'm not going to let it be a problem though:

[SpaceHedgehog]

I completed the top plate for the stick. It still nees a bit of work - this inner and outer edges will be painted black.







It's not perfect but will certainly do.

[SpaceHedgehog]

My Ribbed rubber sheet arrived - perfect timing:





I made the inserts for the windows:



In-place:



Loose assembled:

[jackiabu]

Men your work are amazing

[SpaceHedgehog]

Thanks  jackiabu, I'm glad you're enjoying the build 

Two coats of varnish, one more to go and I can think about assembling:

[SpaceHedgehog]

Varnishing has been done.





I will attach the sides tomorrow.

[Superfrog]

  man I really love your work 

Great detail and finishing 

I'm hooked 

[SpaceHedgehog]

Thanks for that Superfrog, I really liked your last project too!

Today I will be making the top panel for the throttle. This is significantly more complex than the stick.

[Typefighter01]

Finishing your edges and corners on 45's gives your projects a real professional and "manufactured" look. Love all your builds...keep it up

[SpaceHedgehog]

Finishing your edges and corners on 45's gives your projects a real professional and "manufactured" look. Love all your builds...keep it up

Thanks Typefighter -  it's a simple way of adding extra interest and very easy to do 

Finally finished the panel after pretty much a full day's work. There is still some additional work to do to integrate it into the case more effectively.

Covered with vinyl:



Edges painted (thumbs used to wipe any seepage on the surface - messy business):



Top in-place:

[emphatic]

Love it!

[SpaceHedgehog]

Love it!

Thanks emphatic, I really appreciate your comments on my builds!

I'm happy with the top plate made for the throttle but the material is a little too thick for my liking. I ordered some HIPS (plasticard) to try instead. Drilling holes with a spade bit is a breeze:



Cutting the squared holes will be a little more of a challenge.

One of the reasons for using the thicker material in the first instance was so I could hide the screws which hold the fascia panels in place. It turns out I can just remove these and the panels still stay in position somehow. Very happy with that break ...

[dkersten]

Awesome work, as always.  I have a huge appreciation for your attention to detail.  I know the level of patience it takes to spend hours on the details that don't actually lend to functionality.

I never see it in pictures, but I assume you have some form of shop you do your work in?  I can't imagine you are painting and routing in your living room...
The reason I ask is because I see some of your painted finishes you are using a flat black paint and then varnishing.  I would suggest looking into either catalyzed varnish or catalyzed lacquer.  I have been using catalyzed lacquer for years and if you have a regular shop setup, a decent HVLP sprayer is not all that expensive, the lacquer lasts for a few months in the gun so the only cleanup is when your project is finished, and the drying times are measured in minutes, not hours or days.  I would shoot a quick coat on a project, wait 20 minutes, come back out and hit it with some steel wool, then wipe it down with cheesecloth, hit it with a second coat, wait another 20-30 minutes, and repeat one final time.  Depending on the finish (flat, satin, semi, or gloss) I might hit it one last time after a few hours of curing with some 0000 steel wool just to get rid of any fuzzy stuff that got in the lacquer while it was drying (if semi or gloss, just scrub it a little with a microfiber cloth).  The finish ends up super strong, goes on FAST, and is ready for assembly in hours if you want to be careful, less than a full day if you need to handle it a lot.  Far better than any brush on finish.

And you can lacquer in colors too.  High Gloss Black Lacquer gives you an amazing finish, with drying times that are a fraction of a rattle can and none of the brush marks of a brush on varnish finish.  The only problem with the high gloss is that until it is fully cured it is easy to mar the glossy finish, and any poorly prepared piece will show the flaws.

OH, and I would try textured ABS for the cover .. the 1/16th stuff is fairly easy to cut with a knife, and the textured surface would lend itself to your other finishes.

Keep up the good work, I enjoy watching your builds. 

[SpaceHedgehog]

Thanks dkersten, I am a little obsessive about details but not as much as some on these forums! Maybe it's because my projects require so many pieces to be cut - I need to reach a point where I move on and not continually re-do pieces until they are perfect. I remember I did take that approach when making a couple of side panels for my desk - they ended up taking 6 weeks to get right. The law of diminishing returns applies for results versus effort.

I have a very basic setup; a small Black and Decker workmate bench, a router (a good one though), a jigsaw and a power drill/driver. I have 2 large and 2 smaller g-clamps to work with. A fairly meager set of tools but sufficient for building. I also use a respirator mask when cutting the MDF. I do all the woodwork either outside (the really messy bits) or in my garage (not too much space in there to be honest and just 1 100w lightbulb). I just take my time and try not to rush things too much.

Filling is done outside but I generally do the sanding in the garage and all the painting inside on the coffee table in my lounge (i just get some old pieces of wood or desk surface to avoid potential problems). A simple, cheap foam roller and tray is used.

I'd love a proper spay booth setup and think this is where a lot of time could be saved and finishing improved. As you have indicated, there's a lot of options to look at there but I don't have the setup or space to accommodate unfortunately. If I was doing this for a living, I would certainly be investing in the necessary equipment. A CNC would be on that list too!

I wasn't aware of the textured ABS - it looks great and I'm sure I'll get some of that to use at some point.

Thanks for taking the time to post the ideas and suggestions, it's appreciated and I will look further into the catalyzed lacquer.

[dkersten]

You can get precatalyzed lacquer in a rattle can, I use it for touch up on a jobsite when I am either doing finish work or if I can't haul the HVLP sprayer to the location (or use it because of the environment I am in).  It definitely should be used outdoors if possible, or at least in a well ventilated area, but it is the same stuff you can get for a sprayer.  The type I use is by Cambell called SprayZit.  I use the clear satin or semi gloss.  A quick google search shows that it isn't widely available on the interweb, but it looks like you can find some Mohawk brand on Amazon. 

[SpaceHedgehog]

Just tried looking for that in the UK. No luck initially. I'll keep looking though. 

[SpaceHedgehog]

I spent the evening re-cutting the top plate for the throttle. It's a good deal thinner. The throttle itself will have to be raised a little to get it flush with the front section and the lid.







There's still a little trimming and tidying up to do yet.

[Superfrog]

It's way better withe the thinner part 

But for me, it's going TO SLOW ... I wanna see MORE 

 

[williamavished]

This is just perfect

i want to see more from this project