[MOD] automatic rangefinder for AceMaker sight for P-80A - Printable Version

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+---- Thread: [MOD] automatic rangefinder for AceMaker sight for P-80A (/showthread.php?tid=66839)

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[MOD] automatic rangefinder for AceMaker sight for P-80A - Twister - 01.12.2009

This small mod trying to imitate AceMaker sight with radar-based rangefinder, that for the first time was imloyed on P-80 ShootingStars during Korea War,
as I know. At first American pilots surprised MiG pilots by inexpectedly good long-range shooting. However, benefit from this invention was more then doubtful,
as Russkies quickly developed early predcessor of modern RWS, that giving tone in headset, when rendered in rangefinder beam. So, while helping in aiming,
this sight was giving away shooter position too. Now it was turn for Americans to be surprised, as MiGs initiating evasive maneuver once was targeted,
seemed to have eyes in the back.

This mod works as follows:

fixed reticle - as usual;

fixed + gyro
in padlock mode sight automatically adjusts range to tracked target, else as usual (manual);



gyro only
in padlock mode sight automatically adjusts the range to tracked target, else to nearest target (for the case, if server doesn't allows padlock option)
In this last mode, indirectly, it's an IFF requester. If gyro reticle size is changing - target in range and target is hostile.


So, in automatic mode, there is no need to adjust sight range control, only wingspan control. I think, it will be useful in quick approaching.

You can download this mod here: http://www.filefront.com/15102363/P-80A.rar

Updated mod here: http://www.filefront.com/15102309/P-80A.rar (10.12.09 updated again - performance optimized)
In this version is no need to lock enemy AC to auto-range in any automated mode. Sight will automatically adjust the range to nearest enemy AC.
If padlock enabled, it will auto-range to locked target.

To install mod, just unpack the RAR folder to \MODS folder in your IL-2 directory.

Good hunting !

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- US_GRANT - 01.12.2009

Does this work only for the P/F-80A or for all K-14 gunsights like in the F-86 and F-84G?

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- norm - 01.12.2009

will this work with the f-86's, or SAS' F-80?

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- narvik - 01.12.2009

I'm not a good expert on gunsights, but I thought that only Sperry A-1C gunsight had a radar rangelimiter (it was used on F-86s, F-94s and some F-84s). P-80s (inc. F-80C) had an old K-14 "Acemaker" gunsight, like P-51D. Am I wrong?

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- US_GRANT - 01.12.2009

I did some testing and right now this only works on the YP-80 stock plane with PADLOCK turned ON. I tried it with PADLOCK turned off and it did not work.

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- akdavis - 01.12.2009

Very clever addition, but I believe Narvik is correct. The P-80A was used for initial testing of radar ranging with a Sperry A-1 gunsight. The production A1-C and A-1C(M) gunsights equipped F-86s and F-94s during the Korean War. Not sure if the name "Acemaker" applied only to the K-14 and K-18, or to these later Sperry gunsights as well.

Quote:World War II ended before the new sight could be placed into production. After the end of hostilities in August 1945, the AAF authorized the installation of A-1 sights in the Republic P-84 jet fighter then under development. Additional funds for the A-1 project were approved for test flights in P-80A aircraft. The purpose of the tests was to determine what modifications to the sight would be necessary and how well it would operate with a ranging radar. (28)

By then, Davis was no longer directly involved with the project, having been promoted to technical executive of the Armament Laboratory. He took over the lab in 1946. In the following year, he was awarded an oak leaf cluster to the Legion of Merit (which he had received for his work on the development of the electronic pressure sensor) for developing the A-1 gunsight. Davis spent the next twenty years in a variety of research and development positions within the Air Force. He retired in 1968, with the rank of major general and died in 1995.

In March 1948, the Air Force decided that both the F-84 and F-86 would be equipped with the newest version of the A-1 sight, the B model, which was considered to be the most accurate lead computing sight available to the Air Forces. (29) Its radar set could lock-on a target at 5,400 feet range. The pilot then checked visually to ensure that he was locked on to the proper target (if not, he pressed a target rejection switch and maneuvered until the radar locked onto the target desired) and "caged" the sight's gyros by pressing a button on the control stick grip. After placing the reticle dot on the target and releasing the caging button, the pilot had to keep the reticle on target for one-half to one second (the time needed by the sight to solve the ballistic problem) before opening fire in one-second bursts. (30)

Due to ground clutter, manual range was utilized when either the radar was inoperative or the aircraft was below 5,000 feet. Manual ranging was stadiametrically set by entering the target's wingspan on the sight head target span wheel and rotating the range control on the throttle grip until the reticle contracted to its minimum diameter. As in radar ranging, the pilot pressed the electrical caging button and maneuvered the aircraft so that the reticle dot--called the pipper--was on target. He established a smooth track and, when the target's wingspan filled the ranging circle, uncaged the gyros, waited a split second (one solution time), and began firing. If the computing or radar circuits of the sight were inoperative, the pilot could cage the sight mechanically with a lever on the sight head and use the fixed reticle for rule-of-thumb gunnery. (31)

During the fall of 1948, preliminary firing tests in F-84 and F-86 aircraft, revealed a problem that persisted throughout the life of the A-1 sight program--reticule jitter. Whenever the pilot pressed the firing button, the vibration of the guns either drove the sight reticle entirely from view or caused it to oscillate so rapidly that it became an orange blur. (32)

Flight tests to determine the best method of reducing reticle vibration to an acceptable level began at Muroc [later Edwards] AFB, California, in January 1949. The Sperry Gyroscope Company, which had been contracted to manufacture the first ninety-four A-1B sights, came up with a "fix" consisting of stainless steel stiffeners for the sight head mounting brackets. This reduced vibration considerably, but did not totally cure the problem.

That April, Sperry Gyroscope and the AC Spark Plug Company, which also built the A-1B sight, both agreed to produce 551 A-1C sights, with improved computing features, for the F-86A, F-86D, and F-94 aircraft. Full-scale production was scheduled to begin in August 1950, but the Air Force suspended deliveries of all A-1C sights until some method was found to make the sights more usable in the field. After a short period of review, the Air Materiel Command (AMC) authorized Sperry to modify thirty-five A-1C sights by providing a more efficient sight head and computer heating system, a brighter reticle, and special stiffeners to reduce reticle vibrations. The result was designated as the A-1C(M). After the modifications proved successful, the Air Force ordered that all A1 sights in the field be returned for conversion to the new configuration. By then, several different combinations of the gunsight and its radar had been installed in various versions of the F-86A Sabre coming off the production line at North American Aviation. (33)

Full article:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb3101/is_2_56/ai_n31978575/?tag=content;col1

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- JG14_Jagr - 01.12.2009

I believe you'll find that the PADLOCK feature is needed as thisis how the target is designated in game.. Would be more interesting if it could be implemented as more of a "boresight" mode to automatically select the target in front without the need for padlock to be on

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- Csocso - 01.12.2009

No, you dont need the Padlock, for me it works without it in Gyro only mode.

Twister, very nice addition, would it be possible to equip the F-86 too with this sight?

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- JG14_Jagr - 01.12.2009

Csocso Wrote:No, you dont need the Padlock, for me it works without it in Gyro only mode.

Twister, very nice addition, would it be possible to equip the F-86 too with this sight?

How does it know which AC to track and auto range then?

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Re: [MOD] automatic rangefinder for AceMaker sight for P-80A - Checkyersix - 01.12.2009

Twister Wrote:in padlock mode sight automatically adjusts the range to tracked target, else to nearest target

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- Alemart_el_Redentor - 01.12.2009

BIG HIT! , but, which planes will benefit from it?

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- Twister - 02.12.2009

THX for your interest to this feature.
I think, I supposed to do some clarification about it.

This mod is for P-80A only. Other planes with AceMakers will not benefit from it, because each specific plane should "know" it must attempt to auto-range in some situations. Since I havn't F-86 mod, I didn't equip it with rangefinder, but it is possible. Programming is simple, and very simple for planes having AceMaker.

Without PADLOCK sight will auto-range only in GYRO ONLY mode (without fixed reticle), and only to nearest enemy aircraft within guns range (up to 1000m). Sight modes switches in game by same button, that enables sight automation (if somebody doesn't know).

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- zaelu - 02.12.2009

Sorry to ask for a feature... could it be possible for a "padlock mod" in which when you press the padlock key... if the server has padlock ON... your triangle shows green but without actually locking your view to the target... (for peaple using Freetrack/TrackIR is useless in a way) and when the target is around the distance of weapons convergence the triangle to flash in yellow/orange to make you see you are in range.

Sure it's possible to use icons with ranging... but, i think a more analogue way to show it will be more useful at developing shooting skills.

Thanks and sorry for putting a request here... I just think is a bit related.

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- Alemart_el_Redentor - 02.12.2009

So, if you are using Fixed+Gyro you have to padlock the target first?, could you alter that so you can have it working without having to padlock even in F+G mode?, because i have target padlock disabled (it is not realistic).
Again, thank you very much for this mod! ^_^

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- Twister - 03.12.2009

Alemart_el_Redentor Wrote:So, if you are using Fixed+Gyro you have to padlock the target first?, could you alter that so you can have it working without having to padlock even in F+G mode?

I think, it could be possible, but what sense in that? U always can switch to GIRO ONLY mode and have auto-ranging. Way you proposed, manual ranging option will be lost.

So, what you say? Anyone else has thought about this ?

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