Gunner controllers

[RENEGADE-623]

on a Bradley, the drivers hatch and the back door are locked with a padlock.   the commanders and gunners hatches cannot be opened from the outside. 

[wildbillkelsoe]

5 hours ago, RENEGADE-623 said:

on a Bradley, the drivers hatch and the back door are locked with a padlock.   the commanders and gunners hatches cannot be opened from the outside. 

that must be a fortress then

[Viper1970]

Still came across this thread, since I also wanted to build a gunner control handle.  As I looked at the photos of them, I remembered the old CH Products Virtual Pilot Pro. Ok it is far away from an exact replica, but with some modding (additional buttons, rework some of the shapes) and a conversion to USB it could be a nice gunner handle.

 

I also own a 3D Printer (Creality Ender 3 Pro - cheap but really good), so some new Parts could be also made. I think this is a nice part to start with. I will search for a used one at ebay. There is no need that the yoke is working, only the body and the mechanics must be intact, the rest will be replaced with new electronics. I also did this with all of my HOTAS replicas for my homepit.

 

 

Edited June 14, 2019 by Viper1970

[Galileo]

There is some control handles on ebay.

You just have to figure the connections.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/TANK-LEOPARD-FIRING-GUN-COTROLLER-GUNNERS-STICK-HANDLE-CONTROL-HYDRAULIC-REXROTH-/172976831998

 

[Gibsonm]

36 minutes ago, Galileo said:

There is some control handles on ebay.

You just have to figure the connections.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/TANK-LEOPARD-FIRING-GUN-COTROLLER-GUNNERS-STICK-HANDLE-CONTROL-HYDRAULIC-REXROTH-/172976831998

 

Note the word "Hydraulic" in the description!

 

You need to convert a device based on a hydraulic mechanism into one that uses electrical impulses.

 

Edited June 15, 2019 by Gibsonm

[Galileo]

Hall effect potentiometer and arduino card and a little coding.

[hawes]

 

2 hours ago, Galileo said:

There is some control handles on ebay.

You just have to figure the connections.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/TANK-LEOPARD-FIRING-GUN-COTROLLER-GUNNERS-STICK-HANDLE-CONTROL-HYDRAULIC-REXROTH-/172976831998

 

Yes, these are hydraulic controls and are actually from a Marder, not a Leopard. We have a set in our 'Control Handle Museum' 😊 

 

The same ebay seller has a set of control handles from a Leopard 1A5 

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/TANK-LEOPARD-COTROLLER-STICK-HANDLE-CONTROL-HYDRAULIC-BUNDESWEHR-BW-GERMAN-ARMY/173552667258?_trkparms=aid%3D333200%26algo%3DCOMP.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20190129125700%26meid%3D38f8128c774c45f390fcbf5266e578a8%26pid%3D100752%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D172976831998%26itm%3D173552667258&_trksid=p2047675.c100752.m1982

 

These are much easier to convert to a USB device for Steel Beasts as they use standard potentiometers and switches. We've converted a few of these ourselves.

[Grenny]

13 hours ago, hawes said:

 

Yes, these are hydraulic controls and are actually from a Marder, not a Leopard. We have a set in our 'Control Handle Museum' 😊 

 

The same ebay seller has a set of control handles from a Leopard 1A5 

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/TANK-LEOPARD-COTROLLER-STICK-HANDLE-CONTROL-HYDRAULIC-BUNDESWEHR-BW-GERMAN-ARMY/173552667258?_trkparms=aid%3D333200%26algo%3DCOMP.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20190129125700%26meid%3D38f8128c774c45f390fcbf5266e578a8%26pid%3D100752%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D172976831998%26itm%3D173552667258&_trksid=p2047675.c100752.m1982

 

These are much easier to convert to a USB device for Steel Beasts as they use standard potentiometers and switches. We've converted a few of these ourselves.

Spot on! When someone tries to sell you a Marder gunners set as a Leopadr1's...it gets hard to trust them 😉

[Viper1970]

I wanted to keep things cost-efficient, that's the reason I thought about converting an old flight yoke to a gunner control.

 

I also could do that thing from scratch, but the dimensions of the handle are to big for my 3D printer to make it relatively solid. I have to split it in more seperate parts, which makes the thing more complex and harder to built. The mechanics are also much more durable, if you use a factory built control.

 

So I thought about getting an old yoke which has a likewise shape and only change some things or add some printed parts and buttons to it, to make a "universal" gunner control, no exact replica. I think even a not exact replica of the control would improve the immersion to sit in a real tank much more.

Edited June 16, 2019 by Viper1970