Awesome, X5!
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I think what we all need to see now is where you hand up the completed SimBox inspection checklists and maintenance logs!
Get the virtual flying hours sky high above the R&D + build time!
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Just noticed this about your pictures: Iâll bet itâs just a teeny tiny bit cooler to move your arm up to rest it on the side of the cockpit, in VR, and actually not [start to] fall over. I catch myself doing this on occasion. About 1/2 heartbeat then my brain goes, ânope, check that.â.
And having something to grab onto while your twist around, having trapped him at your six!
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Hmmm⊠I know I put them somewhere around here⊠
Not sure that is actually possible⊠Not without a flux capacitor and 1.21GW
The first time I tried VR was at Novelair Flightsim center.
They have a Viggen and a Draken flightsimulator, with cockpits and everything. After a couple of hours in those sims, I asked the owner if I could try his Oculus Rift. And after finishing my flight in VR, my first reaction was to grab the virtual canopy sill, to get up, just like I did in the physical cockpit sims⊠
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Off-topic, but I have a friend at my home airport that flew A-4 Skyhawks in the Vietnam War who did exactly that. He told me a story:
Summary
At one point during a mission, his A-4 was hit by AAA fire which destroyed (or disabled) the upper-left portion of his instrument panel, including his airspeed and AOA indicators, among other damage to the aircraft. He was able to fly back to the boat, where he was instructed to fly so many miles ahead of the ship and eject, for the plane guard helo to pick up. He had already ejected once before, and based on the experience made up his mind not to do so again. He declined the instructions and made an approach.
The A-4 had free-floating leading edge slats and he decided he could use them to judge his approach speed. He knew they started to come out at a certain AOA, and when on-speed were about âso farâ out, but if they came all the way out it meant he was slow. Using them for AOA reference he was able to fly the ball and make it back aboard the boat without getting wet. I asked him if they were able to repair the aircraft and return to service and he said with a grin âOh yeah, they fixed it!â.
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Give that man a high-five for being awesome. 
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I feel honored to shake his hand. The best part is, heâs still flying himself around with a 3rd class medical⊠He turned 80 ten years ago. I exaggerate not!
Free beer to him anytime he wants to re-tell that (doesnât matter how many times). Cool sheet.
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Iâve been wanting a main power switch for the SimBox. I got one that isolated phases and ground and that turned out to be a problem for the earth fault breakers installed in the fusebox. So I got a new switch that is grounded in the off position.
But this posed a problem as I had made holes for the old switch and the new switch was smallerâŠ
So, what to doâŠ? Well, why not design a cover plate and print and paint itâŠ
Looks good and works good too⊠
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My artistic sense is pleased.
I will allow this.
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The engineering dept. are ecstatic to hear that!
A huge relief for everybody who worked long and hard on this project.
Does this mean that we can hope to receive the coveted Italian designer Seal of Approval�
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I doubt most people will understand how much pleasure I get out of making stuffâŠ
I mean, I sure would get a heck of a lot more simming done if I just could stop changing or making parts for the SimBox.
But I need it. I need the creative process. Let me try to explain by using the last little project as an example.
The seat back locking mechanism.
Have a look at its first iteration here.
It worked well enough. However, after I started using a seat harness, I could sometimes twist the upper seat back so the lock disengaged. A serious bummer in a dogfight.
I have been searching for a sturdier lock, for some time now, without ever finding the right one, or one that wouldnât require a structural rebuild of the seat back.
So, why not just make one? The answer to most of my needs.
Since the day I decided I should make my own, the creative process startsâŠ
I can toss this idea around my head for many days as I think about the best way to go about making the lock. Having this project brewing in the back of my brain is a great way to pass time at a boring hotel room or when waiting at the airport. Whenever I have a minute to spare, I can just pull out this idea and turn it over a few times. It sure beats picking up the phone to surf the news, even if I do some of that too.
So, in the end, I went for a beefier lock, but with the same basic principle. I turned the parts in my lathe, soldered them together and pop riveted the assembly to the seat back.
One thing, that I gave a lot of thought was how to attach the wire to the plunger.
Using a wire crimp is the usual solution and thatâs what I used in the previous lock. But surely there must be an easier and more elegant way?
Suddenly, one day, it dawned on me! Drill all the way through the plunger and secure the wire with grub screws. Having these small eureka moments are so satisfying!
Imagine what it would feel like for those engineers who really come up with great ideas!
Anyway, here it is. The SimBox Seat back lock, v.2.0.
+++Slats+(32345)+.jpg){kind=link}
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Boy would you be wrong about that. Modern labour (jobs) almost alway involve only part of a production process. You either sell the ticket, wrench on a single part of the plane, plan the flightsâ logistics, fly it, care for the passengers, but never all of those. You donât own the plane and neither do you own the product of happy passengers. You are but a cog in the machine.
It is like this for almost any job.
Contrast that with indicating a need for, designing, manufacturing and installing a clever solution using your own tools. Thatâs something you made.
In philosophy the latter relationship between maker and product is called authentic, while the far more common cog-in-the-machine way is called alienated labor. Guess which sort of work makes a person happy
If you have seen any of my posts regarding my work the last year or so, you can see I make a conscious effort to make sure both me myself and my boys get to enjoy an authentic relationship with the product of their labor. We own our stuff. And it feels great.
So yeah, I do understand you mate
fwiw, the above theory has its roots with a German thinker you all might know by name; Karl Marx
Is that bit of plastic strong enough? It doesnât look like it would cope with the force of a sudden tactically inspired body twist.
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Donât get this the wrong way, but you are not most people
Mostly, when I start talking about making stuff that isnât mainstream, like the stuff you see me build here, I get a blank stare in return and maybe a comment about why I donât just buy something finished instead.
Some people do get it though, several of which frequent this forum
This is also why I like to post my work here. It feels good to get the appreciation from my fellow Mudspikers.
So, I think more people are inclined to appreciate a beautiful back yard or playground, than a home flight simulator. Not even all my colleagues see the joy in that. 
3D printed PLA is surprisingly resilient. It depends on how the printer is setup, though. I have had parts that were under extruded and suffered from poor layer adhesion.
But itâs not metal⊠Then again, sometimes it makes sense to have a design weak spot, that is sacrificed if forces are too strong.
But weâll see. I may just have to redesign that too⊠
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Oh we get it! I think this trait manifests itself differently for any given individual. âCraftmanshipâ is context dependent.
Iâm not knowledgeable of any of that but it makes sense. In my previous life I was a âcogâ; identifying those moments, often fleeting, when you (and/or your team) made the machine work was the key to finding some satisfaction day in and day out.
To me I guess what @Troll are highlighting is one of the [3] pillars of a happy life - something to look forward to (a meaningful, to you, task that gets you outta bed everyday - long term goal(s)).
I think a given society (culture) is diminished by not appreciating - supporting - these traits. Likely from those that donât have it?
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This is wonderful. Iâve never heard of this before but it really resonates.
Thatâs a fine bit of workersâ wisdom there man!
Marxist labor theorists would call that reappropriation of labor, and I just love how you came up with that, easily and elegantly outmaneouvering whole echelons of college professors who grappled with alienation and how to deal with it on purely theoretical terms.
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SoâŠ
Having a stow-away simulator means you have a finite amount of space available and clever solutions are sometimes needed.
Iâm rebuilding the RTT Prop, Mixture and trims module and will place it aft of the throttle. I have also bought the VPC Control Panel #2, and need to put that somewhere. And, on top of this, VPC is about to release their Collective controller⊠Where should I put that? 
I think this is the answer.
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Awesome!
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Nice! Much more elegant than what I am thinking of for my layout - but I do not have âwallsâ to mount the throttle to 
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