Good Table

[BeaconSlash 0]

Hi there, Curious if anyone has recommendations for tables to build a basic sim device with... something with a Saitek or CH-style yoke and throttle quadrant. I've looked in to the Roccaforte table, but it seems like the throttles would be mounted in a rather weird location given the table heights. I mostly want to have a cockpit-type setup that I don't need to jack around with too much when going between flying mode and normal-day-to-day-internet kinda mode. ~Nate

[Clutch Cargo 241]

Just happen to come across this so I'll drop my 2 cents. I recently went through what you are trying to do... find a good foundation for my simpit. I spend actually the last perhaps nine months researching, planning and then finally buying and building my control center. I call it my "executive simpit" as I purchased an executive office desk (U-shape). A very nice piece of dark cherry veneer wood furniture with a hutch. Something you might see in a typical corner office. I just got tired of my typical setup of find any desk in the house available, add shelves using 2x4's and bare wood, milk cartons, bricks, ha, you name it! You get the idea. So I took a lot of time sitting down drawing out what I wanted and as best as I could what I might want in the future. Basically, I had built a measured mock-up before I purchased it as I wanted to make sure this was the way I wanted to go (and make sure it would fit!). Once installed, I removed the typical island piece that connects the front of the desk with the back credenza and made my own multi-level simpit mounting all components (have all the Saitek stuff and some Go-Flight) for a nice fit. I moved the hutch which normally would rest on the credenza behind you over to the new customized island as it makes a nice frame over the system - keeping it looking more of a nice piece of furniture. The 26"-27" displays will fit nicely into the hutch that I have planned. I looked at the Roccaforte table you mentioned above as I had no idea what it was. Now looking, it is very nice but would not be a good fit for me. Seems a bit too compartmentalized (is that a word?). I like more space for the "what if" I want to add something or change something. Where would you put some external back-up hard drives or how about that extra laptop you might want to use an external GPS? Tried several setups testing placements, location of equipment for several weeks at a time making adjustments as I went along. Googled a ton of screenshots of other cockpits, simpits and setups to get ideas. Since this setup is to not only serve as a cockpit for a wide variety of aircraft but also serve as my workspace and design space I needed to take my time and test things out. For example, I see a lot of simmers who install a yoke and then either have the keyboard sit on top of it or moved off to the side. Not for me. I use my keyboard every time I sit in front of my system so it had to be right in front where I would normally use it... same goes for a mouse. Even went through three different chairs before I found the right one with just the right type of adjustments I need. (lumbar adjustments, adjustable armrests both up/down and forward/reverse movements. Nice! Probably went a bit overboard with my setup but I plan to use it for many years and felt it was time to do it right. Glad I took the time to this as I am very pleased with the results. Plan to take some photos once I have the wrap-around monitors in place, so I am still not finished to what I call Phase II of this little project. Hope to have it done by Xmas. Hope that helps Clutch

[fvapres 7]

I needed a portable table for taking my computer/pit setup on the go. I hosted a weekly meeting with an aerospace theme and once a month, I brought my simpit for the members to get as close to an aircraft as we could in between the funds being available to get them into a real aircraft.I took two folding tray tables (the small ones, 2'x3' tops table size) and unmounted the folding legs from the table.After, I put them onto a large piece of MDF I had for my actual home pit I'm buliding. This table would have holes drilled around the corners of the base of the TV stand's base. I put a screw with some standoffs and washers through the holes with two nuts on the end, in between the nuts is a T-brace. The T-Brace has holes that fit around the 1/4" screw I was using. I then bent a leg that will go up and over the edge of the stand. I put these at the 4 corners and mid-front/mid-back points of the stand to ensure it being held firmly.The folding leg units were attached near the rear of the table top. The front, I used 3/8" bolts with appropriate washers and nuts. These were used to bolt legs that would rotate up under the front of the table for transport. The legs rotate out 90* from the table, then at the end used heavy duty hinges to add folding legs. I also used 90* lid brackets to ensure the arms would not over-extend. This allows stability of the table by making the base longer than just the table (needed to ensure the table wouldn't fall over with my $1600 TV on it).The folding legs have a bolt hole where a cross-bar can be added between the legs to make a back-brace and stabilize the legs to each other and the table. I had a VRocker chair laying around and made a box for it to sit in (i also added platforms on the sides to place my HOTAS for helo/jet operations). The bucket has holes in the rear to attach to the back-brace. This makes the seat attached to the back-brace, which is attached to the legs, attached to the table. This was needed as moving the yoke sometimes would move the table around you and pull the table toward/away from you. Attaching the bucket to the table keeps the table in place no matter how hard you push or pull on the yoke.I also added a crossbar that fits onto the forward side of the folding legs. This is to place the pedals against so that when pushing, they don't slide forward away from you.The yoke is a saitek and I hate the height below the table the original clamp takes up. So I drilled a hole through the yoke clamp bays, then drilled corresponding holes in the table. I then thread a bolt through and it attaches the yoke to the table, but if you pull hard enough, the yoke tips. So I used an extended version of the holder for the TV and used a long bolt with a T brace at the top. When rotated onto the yoke, it holds firmly and doesn't move noticeably at all. The throttles are attached using their original mounts to the table top. As the thickness of the table is only 1/2", the knobs are nearly at the bottom of the units and don't hang down to interfere with the pilot's legs.Ignore the stuff in the background. I was on a time limit and was in the middle of working on my old PCs in the background and had to abandon that work temporarily and my wife was in the process of her re-organization hypes. These shots should show you what I was explaining above.

[N1125Y 20]

...$70 modified Office Depot desk. Still need some work, but, overall, very efficient convenient ... and most of all affordable.