Yoke construction done

[Guest]

Here are a series of shots of the construction of the yoke column. I used a water drainage tube for the column and the CH yoke.Here are the shots:http://www.flightsimnetwork.com/dcforum/Us...b221cc5ac38.jpgDisasembled yoke with the original tube cut shorter.http://www.flightsimnetwork.com/dcforum/Us...b781cf1e6b6.jpgThe yoke fitted into the column. The two Rings near the top and bottom are to avoid the yoke from sliding in and out of the culumn. http://www.flightsimnetwork.com/dcforum/Us...be71d65ac38.jpgI used these things at the base of the yoke column for the resistance. they go from the floor board up into the yoke. I am not sure what you call them in english but in dutch they are "gasdempers" or in spanish "amortiguadores". I used two of them. I tried four springs first, but that turned out to be a bad idea.http://www.flightsimnetwork.com/dcforum/Us...cba1de85dad.jpgHere is the entire finished setup after painting the floor board and the column. The yoke was left black.http://www.flightsimnetwork.com/dcforum/Us...d461e63e10a.jpghttp://www.flightsimnetwork.com/dcforum/Us...d5c1e7744a6.jpgTwo range shots.Next I will install the potmeters. One at the top behind the yoke, and one at the base connected to the axel.I hope you liked the shots.

[Guest]

Well done Hans. I too do use Gas Springs ( that"s the usual name )Gas Federn in German - Ressort

[tigert 0]

Very nice looking stuff indeed!>Do you have some drawings of your "Gas Spring" design >in the bottom of the column ??? Heh, I was about to ask the same thing.. I am also interestested, having a yoke under construction.Btw, I just drilled the first holes in my tabletop console - adding switches now. The labels are just an inkjet print that I laminated with a hot-lamination machine but you could just as well stick the paper under an overhead projector film or a thin plexiglass. Those wont backlight because the backside is plywood :) but many GA planes just have a red light bulb on the roof for night lighting anyway..Tuomas

[Guest]

ok here is a little drawing of the bottom part. you can only see one gas spring on the drawing since the other one is behind it. They are close to the water pipe wall, and so to the left and right of the axel. One near the front of the yoke and one near the back. These are two of 5 kilos, and they are pretty strong, so you really don't need anything bigger. let me know if you have any problems understanding it, because i can take some pictures if wanted.

[Guest]

That switch panel looks very good. I am also busy with the overhead. What I did was print out a pictures of the PSS Dash 8 overhead panel, but 70X50 CM. I pasted them onto a piece of plywood, and I will next drill holes for the switches. The only problem is that the stores are closed today so I can't buy any switches. How do you plan on connecting the sitches to the computer and interface with FS?

[tigert 0]

>That switch panel looks very good. I am also busy with the >overhead. What I did was print out a pictures of the PSS >Dash 8 overhead panel, but 70X50 CM. I pasted them onto a >piece of plywood, and I will next drill holes for the >switches. The only problem is that the stores are closed >today so I can't buy any switches. How do you plan on >connecting the sitches to the computer and interface with >FS? I am using FSBUS - www.fsbus.de - it is totally awesome, and very expandable, so it suits well for the home cockpit builder who wants to start from something useful and small and maybe wants to expand later - one can just build more extension modules as the need arises. I am running with two switch/key modules at the moment. Going to build the led module (gear and warning lights and maybe red leds for night lighting) and maybe the 8-potentiometers -module, will see how this thing goes.So is the gas spring in 45 degree angle to the yoke column? A pic from the side would be helpful in figuring it out. My gas springs cancelled each others out (they were totally head to head) so I am wondering how to eliminate that..Tuomas

[Guest]

Its become kind of hard to make pics, but i do have a top view drawing. Note that for me the point is not to make the gas springs push the yoke back to its center position, but just to create some resitance. also be sure that when the yoke is in its central position that both gas springs are half way depressed.

[Guest]

now with the FSbus thing. You can just buy this?? and it becomes possible to connect regular toggle switches and such to it? is it a cheap and easy to use solution?

[tigert 0]

>now with the FSbus thing. You can just buy this?? and it >becomes possible to connect regular toggle switches and such >to it? is it a cheap and easy to use solution? Cheap: moderately cheap yeah.Easy: Yes and no. FSBUS is non-commercial project, which means you cannot go to a HomeCockpits'R'US and buy boxes of a FSBUS COM-Card and two Key/Switch Cards for $49,99.But if you can solder and make PCBoards somewhere (a local school or something?) then it is very doable. Besides, making home cockpits involves a lot of the soldering business anyway ;-)So if you have someone you know who is into electronics or you know a nearby school / whatever has an electronics club / facilities etc, it does not hurt to ask whether it is possible to have a few PCBoards made. Those are the trickiest part, then it is more or less just going to a parts supplier with a list of components and soldering the thing together.So, yea, a bit of work, but very rewarding and fun.Tuomas

[Guest]

The FSbus thing is similar to what I wanted to make for my toggle switches. However, My way would require a relay for every switch, which ended up being very expensive. I then saw this other idea and used that. I just got a toggle switch, and glued a small push button inside, so that whenever I flip the switch, the button gets pushed down quickly. I soldered the push button onto an old keyboard card. Today I also pasted the overhead pictures onto the piece of wood, and I'm thinking of laminating it just like you did. It seems kind of small on the picture, but it is pretty big (70X50 CM).Here's the picture:

[tigert 0]

>The FSbus thing is similar to what I wanted to make for my >toggle switches. However, My way would require a relay for >every switch, which ended up being very expensive. I then Yea, exactly the same thoughts I was wrestling with as well. FSBus basically has one big "relay circuit" for 64 toggle switches (for starters) - you can use it for just that - I think it beats the relay-for-each-switch solution very much in efficiency. Plus you can do a lot more with it too, no need to revamp everything again - just build one more module for servo control for example.I'll be using servos for my trim indicator so I know what position my trim wheel is in. I need to use a rotary for the trim to avoid confusing the autopilot. But since it is a rotary the wheel itself doesnt have a "position" so it is impossible to build mechanical indicators based on the number of turns etc. So I'll have a RC servo that moves a needle to show the trim position.. Overkill? Maybe. Cool? Oh yes :-) Now an interesting idea would be to have another servo move the yoke centering springs so that the yoke center position moves according to trim - so you can "trim off the control forces" like for real, helps a lot when flying.>saw this other idea and used that. I just got a toggle >switch, and glued a small push button inside, so that >whenever I flip the switch, the button gets pushed down >quickly. I soldered the push button onto an old keyboard >card. Today I also pasted the overhead pictures onto the >piece of wood, and I'm thinking of laminating it just like >you did. It seems kind of small on the picture, but it is >pretty big (70X50 CM). >Here's the picture: Wow, that looks pretty awesome for a mockup panel, that bitmap is quite incredible in the feeling of depth and 3d.. nice! That would totally work as a backing for just a few select switches for things you actually use in FS2002.. while the rest is there "for the looks".. Good looking stuff.Tuomas

[Guest]

Thats a cool idea with the servos on the trim indicator, and it looks pretty neat in the picture. I've seen small videos of someone's cockpit who had put servos of the throttles, so that they would move in autotrottle mode. Servos in the yoke will work, but they need to be pretty heavy. That way the yoke will also be able to move by itself when in autopilot mode just like on real planes. I'm not sure if you have ever seen it, but yokes are never still in flight, always bopping around making small corrections. (at least in smaller turboprops).The picture for the background overhead panel comes from PSS. They use it on their Dash 8, and like you observed, it has a nice 3D sence, so I thought I'd use it. Slowly I'll try to get all the switches on it.