Well… I was originally going to use a dummy grenade instead, but I didn’t want to get shot when I get pulled over, or get the bomb squad in my car when I’m parked.
I wanted to go for a “realistic” vibe instead of a “techno” vibe. Saitek brand joysticks are cheap, but some look too techy. Logitech brand ones are too expensive to be just decoration, and don’t even get me started on the Warthog H.O.T.A.S. which is my top choice if given unlimited money. So I got mine off eBay, a used F-16 joystick from the 90s
Just to show you that it looks realistic, here’s a real F-16 cockpit:
It’s so old that it didn’t use USB, instead, it used a combination of PS/2 protocol and the old analog joystick D-sub connector. Inside was a PIC microcontroller, and a ton of IO expanding chips, all of it was through-hole soldered.
Note: I am not the first person to do this, but I really did want something like a airplane yoke and throttle, but then I wouldn’t have an airbag.
Removing the Shift Knob from a LHD Hyundai Santa Fe 2011
- Turn off engine, but leave key in ON
- Engage parking break
- Shift to Neutral
- Pull the knob upwards as hard as you can
The shaft is actually a D shape, and it has a groove that is used to latching the knob.