Throttle quadrant on e-bay

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If you are contemplating a home cockpit and like to fly jets, you might want to take a look on e-bay. I bought my Baron throttle quadrant that way and I can tell you - add a few sliding potentiometers from Mouser.com, link them with RC push rods, and connect it to the computer with a USB adapter and you will have something far better than the PFC controllers that are so expensive. I check e-bay frequently and this is the first jet unit I've seen. I can't make out all the controls on this thing but it looks like a good start. Too bad it doesn't have the handle though. Good luck!http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...item=1872964714If you buy it and need help converting it, just let me know.David

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>>If you are contemplating a home cockpit and like to fly >jets, you might want to take a look on e-bay. I bought my >Baron throttle quadrant that way and I can tell you - add a >few sliding potentiometers from Mouser.com, link them with >RC push rods, and connect it to the computer with a USB >adapter and you will have something far better than the PFC >controllers that are so expensive. I check e-bay frequently >and this is the first jet unit I've seen. I can't make out >all the controls on this thing but it looks like a good >start. Too bad it doesn't have the handle though. Good luck! >>David>Interesting.. please provide some info or links on a USB interface how-to. An understanding of these techniques is essential in building and configuring external controls.Gregory Abbey - Edwinnengineering

[Guest]

Gregory,You are correct that USB is critical if you are going to have lots of inputs in FS. I'm sure there are more elegant ways to do this (cannibalize USB joysticks for one), but I chose to wire my pots as normal gameport controllers then used a Gameport/USB converter to convert to USB. There are only a couple out there but quality does matter. The Rockfire one (link below) is far superior to the Radio Shack version (the latter is cheaper though). The converters work in a stepwise fashion. A certain range on the joystick will yield a certain input level via the USB. That means inputs are "lumpy", not smooth. The more "steps" a converter provides, however, the smoother the transition is. The Rockfire has twice as many steps and yields controls that are pretty smooth. You can see the steps when calibrating in FSUIPC but otherwise they are not really noticeable. An added bonus is the conversion process eliminates those pesky spikes that you see in gameport controllers. http://www.123usb.com/usa/item_9.htmDavid