Dear Members, I am trying to buy a Real Boeing 737 yoke.....Anyone can help me please?? I dont have a Home biult Cockpit Simulator...Can you please Give me some Advices...eg If I buy the real 737 yoke....how I can connect it??? What software and Hardware I must have???I hope to hear from you very soon....Regards,Air Malta Pilot

You might take a look at Matt Ford's site www.737sim.com )Perhaps a polite email to him may gain you some advice.) He has a lot of pictures, though I don't know if there are any specific to the yoke mechanics. And it is the mechanics that will likely demand the most work on your part. The interfacing is quite easy. Simply take an exiting joystick apart and make use of its electronics and driver. The main challenge will be mechanically connecting the movement of the yoke to the linear or rotational motion of two potentiometers. Strictly speaking you don't even need to use the insides of a joystick. If you have a sound card with a game port, you can wire two potentiometers directly to it. Windows has an assortment of drivers installed already that can be used. Details can be found on the Stickworks web site. (see the links page on my site)Additionally, you will need to provide some sort of control loading so the yoke provides some resistance to motion along with some tendancy to remain centered. Most often this is done with springs in the recreational market. Commercial systems use much more involved active control loading systems that mimic the changing forces delivered to the pilot through the yoke during flight. You might consider using gas springs used in automobiles to open hackbacks. These offer both a spring force and a hydraulic damping.Also take a look at Roland Van Roy's write up here in the Avsim library on building a home cockpit. His is not based on a column yoke as you intend, but does show some mechanical linkages to potentiometers that you may find useful.Mikewww.mikesflightdeck.comInfo for simpit builders.