F-16 Sidestick Grip

thingiverse

UPDATE May 8 2021 I have removed the 3D printed threads from the M3 holes as some users had trouble printing them. They are now just 2.65mm holes that you can drive an M3 or similar screw into. This should be functionally equivalent and you probably won't notice a difference. I also consolidated all source files (SolidWorks and STEP) into a single zip file to simplify things for everyone who wants to mess around with those. UPDATE Feb 8 2021 I have added a zip file containing a mirrored STEP file of the grip as well as mirrored STLs of the main parts. The trigger, hats, and buttons should all be the same as the standard grip so I didn't mirror those. Hello friends! This is a 3D printable F-16 (or A-10) grip, modeled by yours truly from a Blender file and a bunch of reference photos of a Thrustmaster Warthog that a nice fella from the DIYHotas subreddit gave me ([check out his designs on Thingiverse here](https://www.thingiverse.com/erikscott/designs)). I don't own a real F-16 SSC or a Warthog or Cougar so I can't speak as to how close this model really is, but I think it feels and looks about right. I did not design this grip to attach to any specific joystick base. I left a 25mm hole on the base with a slot cut into the front and back and figured this might make it easy for people to make their own adapters for gimbals, extensions, whatever. Feel free to design directly into the grip if you wish. (also, would adding a screw hole down there for mounting be useful?) I modeled this in two stages, first doing the external geometry and then slicing that up and clearing space for internals. I included two STEP files, one of the external stick geometry and another of the trigger. My next project is going to be the F-16 TQS as I've already got a decent start on it. I began with hempstick's excellent shell model and going from there I've been adding electronics and a base. After that's done, who knows? I think perhaps an F-18 stick/throttle will be in order but I'm open to suggestions. I'm on the HOTAS Discord as Spock. If you think this model is worth it feel free to leave a tip, and of course let me know if you have any problems with this design and I'll do my best to fix and improve. PRINTING I printed the main left/right sides and the top face down with supports. I've included a zip file with PrusaSlicer project files if you'd like to see where I added support blocking, etc. Most parts should be fairly self-explanatory. COMPONENTS 1x Left, Right, Top, Face Plate, Nubbin, Paddle, Trigger, DMS, TMS, CMS, Trim, Pickle, Pinkie, NWS, tact switch cover 4x Hatswitch base, hatswitch cap, hatswitch stem (same as the standard grip) OPTIONAL: Paddle spring (>5mm ID, compressible to ~2mm) Secondary trigger spring 1-3x Hatswitch push (you can add a push button to the CMS, TMS, and Trim hats if desired) ASSEMBLY The most finicky part of this design is the trigger. I've included a picture of the mechanism. Basically, place the tact switch cover over the 5mm tact switch, then the spring over that. If it's all good, you'll get the first stage click about halfway and it'll unclick when you release. If it won't release make sure the trigger moves quite freely all along the way. You may want to add a second spring (which I left room for above the first) to ensure the trigger always returns to the fully not-pressed state. I think everything else is fairly self-explanatory. A lot of the tact switches for the various buttons need to have two of the prongs snipped off, and it's likely you'll need to cut a little material away on the NWS button hole in the right half to give enough space for the button. (and while we're on the subject, the NWS, Pickle, and Pinkie buttons are all slightly different lengths... I may fix that in the future but it's a bit too much math for me at the moment. Pinkie is the shortest and the wide part on the Pickle is thinner than the other two) Oh, and the lower nubbin holds the tact switch for the pinkie button. The lower screw goes directly through it and into the right shell.