Making a new toy for T34vsTiger
 

I've decided to make myself a little bit of a toy. I've got a friend who restores arcade systems and another who has a machine shop, between the 3 of us I thought up an idea for T34 vs Tiger...

I went out and bought these handwheels from a local supplier of tooling and accessories. Forgive me for buying Japanese made handwheels for my German tank, but as it stands even these cost me $85 with tax. They are made by Jergens based out of Cleveland, Ohio.

http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/1654/img12141200.jpg

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I plan on mounting them to a set of axles in a small box I can clamp down onto my desk (like my Logitech g25 steering wheel) and use with a stripped down mouse which will have its optics for each axis pointed at an axle. Thus I won't have to use the mouse to fine aim. I've already set up my G25 pedals to be used for the turret traverse. Eventually I want to build a few devices and wire them all together into one usb connection for a cool and unique sim.

Anyhow, I just had to share this with someone and thought I'd make my own thread and update it with my progress as I move along.

I've been having some trouble finding exact layout for the handwheels in the tiger, it seems when you look around in the turret the gunner had a handwheel on his right hand side but I cant find where the other one was.

I suppose it doesn't really matter entirely as I'm not building this inside of a tiger turret - I'm fresh out of Tiger 1 turrets...

my other question is if anyone knows how the gun was fired? I think it was a button but where was it located? I don't want to have to remove my hands from the handwheel to fire, and assume the Germans thought the same way.

Any help on the issue would be greatly appreciated,

cheers!

WOW that is an impressive idea :o

What the heck, if the airdales have their joysticks and the racing fans their wheels and pedals, why can't we have this? :rock:

I have the CH pedals for flightsims, and they certainly would be a treat with a tank sim, but I haven't yet tried it :hmmm:

G'Day Animal, nice work :DL the Tiger had power traverse via a rocker peddle below the gunners
feet, with a mechanical foot switch for firing the MG. The 88 final lay was via horizontal traverse
hand wheel, just in front of the gunners left hand. And a vertical elevation hand wheel, at the
gunners right with the firing trigger on a pull switch for electrical firing.

If you go to the url below it will show you the placement of both hand wheels and the firing trigger
Good luck Mate
Darren:yeah:

http://tiger1.info/EN/ElevationWheel.html

wow, thanks for the response/link KnightsCross
If i'm correct in reading the diagram then that "lever" behind the handwheel is how you fired the main gun. that should be simple enough to replicate...

is the horizontal lay done with a handwheel mounted upside down for the left hand? does anyone know what directions on the wheel moved the gun, which way did clockwise move elevation? how about the horizontal?

that link you sent me had something about a turret manual, but it didnt work when i clicked on it.

I am sure someone on here works at Bovington Tank Museum where they have a working Tiger.He seems to know all about them.Can't remember his name though,anyone?

well that just makes things too easy if you've got one in your backyard...

G'Day Again Animal
On the Leopard and other tanks which I'm sure will be the same for the Tiger

Traverse hand wheel
"clockwise turns the turret to the RIGHT"
"anti-clockwise turns turret to the LEFT"

Elevation hand wheel
"Pull up Then towards you, clockwise, Raises the Gun"
"Push away Then down, anticlockwise, Lowers the Gun"

is the horizontal lay done with a handwheel mounted upside down for the left hand?Yes

this is standard for Tank turrets & Artillery:yeah:

This Link is read only for the English translation of the "Tigerfibel", the original German manual issued to WWII Tiger tank crews in 1943
http://www.okw.wwiionline.com/tigerfibel/index.html

This Link has 2 down loads for complete book of "Tigerfibel", the original German manual issued to WWII Tiger tank crews in 1943
http://www.hobbyhavoc.com/forum/index.php?topic=1115.0

hope this helps, sorry I didn't get back to you sooner
Good luck with you virtual controls you should have a BLAST :rotfl2:
Darren
KnightsCross

On the traverse hand wheel what is the lever on the handle used for?

It is a "Traverse Lock" when you grasp the handle the lever is pulled in, which disengages a small pin in traverse gears, a bit like in your car when you use "Park" with an auto gearbox. The reason for this is when traveling in a tank the turret will do its own thing and needs to be secured, also if the tank is parked on the side of a hill, gravity will pull the gun around until it points straight down the hill, not good if you enemy is at 12oclock and your gun is at say 9oclock if you are on the left side of a major feature[i.e.the tank is on a slope]. The early tanks, they didn't have a real problem with this as a man had the strength to traverse the gun uphill. Power traverse was added to the Tiger, not as a luxury but as an essential to aid the gunner for the above reasons. As Tank warfare escalated power traverse has taken over, merely for speed of acquiring the target and has left mans strength way behind.
We still have a traverse lock, now called a "Travel Lock" mostly used for transport purposes. In my early year as a tank crewman it was not uncomen to get into a veh. which had this pin broken, in these cases we would use a piece of wood shoved in between the traverse gears to stop the turret moving, crude but effective.
I hope this answers your question :yeah:
Darren
KnightsCross

KnightsCross, Excellent stuff, thank you very much. :yeah:

G'Day Again Animal

How is it going ?
I'd love to know if you have it set up yet :cool:
It would be great to set up something like what your doing in a Tank/Sub Booth, it may be a bit over the top for some but not me. A good comfy seat set up with your controls right where they should be, the screen at eye level instead of gun sights, or a fake gun sight you put your head up to, that can be folded out the way when playing other positions. This could also be used as periscope view in SH.:hmmm: The Booth could be open on one side to get in and out and so others could watch or enclosed for atmosphere, the sound would be great :D I could keep going but I'm probably dreamin :ping: I would like to do it , and the rest of the things you do on pc would be that bit more interesting and fun

Cheers
Darren
KnightCross