7 hours ago, jschaper said:

This might be an option: https://flightvelocity.com/products/flight-velocity-trim-wheel

I'm not affiliated to them in any way, but it seems like the answer to your question. And for a reasonable price. I'm considering getting one.

 

Jack

I use it. Works perfectly, has two buttons inside.

Karl

10 minutes ago, kaha said:

I use it. Works perfectly, has two buttons inside.

Karl

They have revised it apparently so it now maps as an Axis:

 

Quote

NEW - NOW WITH UPDATED HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE!

Details:

• A brand new, more refined digital encoder at the heart of the wheel. This yields an improved tactile feel and finer control.
• Totally re-written software that allows the wheel to be seen by the simulator as an axis control providing an even higher level of control than the original.

 

1 minute ago, Glenn Fitzpatrick said:

They have revised it apparently so it now maps as an Axis:

 

 

Hmmmmm.... sounds interesting.

Karl

2 minutes ago, kaha said:

Hmmmmm.... sounds interesting.

Karl

 

They only just changed it, I will be interested to see if anyone reviews the new version.

 

Quote

Installation Instructions for Trim Wheels shipped after 1/1/21

The set up is virtually the same as below, you'll just be selecting the axis rather than the buttons when assigning the wheel to the elevator trim.

 

I wonder if that introduces the situation of sudden nose up/down because you started trimming with buttons and wanted to finetune that with the wheel, or turning the wheel after switching off Autopilot.
If so, than it is no improvement unless they also motorised the wheel...

Edited January 13, 20215 yr by orchestra_nl

I assume they now use a digital axis encoder. That's nice.

Karl

2 minutes ago, orchestra_nl said:

I wonder if that introduces the situation of sudden nose up/down because you started trimming with buttons and wanted to finetune that with the wheel, or turning the wheel after switching off Autopilot.
If so, than it is no improvement unless they also motorised the wheel...

I do not know of any motorised wheels but would be interested to know of any that are around.

They do exist, but are quite expensive and mostly intended for (more or less complete) cockpit builders.

I started wondering, does anyone know how an real autopilot works in a real small aircraft, like a C172? Does it control trim, by using a servomotor, or does it directly control the elevator and how does that affect the yoke?
I tried to Google it, but only found manuals about how the instruments work, not the mechanical side of things.

Edited January 13, 20215 yr by orchestra_nl

8 minutes ago, orchestra_nl said:

They do exist, but are quite expensive and mostly intended for (more or less complete) cockpit builders.

I started wondering, does anyone know how an real autopilot works in a real small aircraft, like a C172? Does it control trim, by using a servomotor, or does it directly control the elevator and how does that affect the yoke?
I tried to Google it, but only found manuals about how the instruments work, not the mechanical side of things.

Trim on light aircraft never directly moves the elevator as far as I know.   Adjusting trim moves a trim tab that then applies a force to the elevator through aerodynamic forces.

In an older Cessna I believe what happens is the trim motor turns the trim wheel which pulls wires that move the trim tab that then applies a force to the elevator dependant on airflow (and hence airspeed).

Interesting article I found the other day:

http://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP 1774 Trim Runaway InFocus.pdf

 

8 hours ago, Nedo68 said:

same here i dont like buttons for trimming, until my honeycomb bravo arrives i use the small wheel on the left

side of my TWC Throttle. This works ok, you can finetune the trim very well.

I use the same thing and it works quite well - just needed to get used to running it with my pinky.  As I don't have my rudder pedals operational right now, I use the paddles on the front of the throttle for differential braking.

12 minutes ago, Glenn Fitzpatrick said:

Trim on light aircraft never directly moves the elevator as far as I know.   Adjusting trim moves a trim tab that then applies a force to the elevator through aerodynamic forces.

In an older Cessna I believe what happens is the trim motor turns the trim wheel which pulls wires that move the trim tab that then applies a force to the elevator dependant on airflow (and hence airspeed).

Interesting article I found the other day:

http://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP 1774 Trim Runaway InFocus.pdf

Thanks for the PDF. It's interesting to read.
I also found an interesting discussion on https://forums.flightsimulator.com/t/c172-ap-when-did-the-c172-trim-wheel-get-a-motor/333305/17

What I gleaned from it is that in real (small) aircraft, you need to check/adjust your trim before switching off the autopilot, otherwise you might end up with an uncontrollable aircraft. In MSFS and other flightsims, it is the other way around. You cannot adjust trim while the autopilot is switched on, and the aircraft is automatically trimmed when you switch off autopilot. There the troubles begin when you start using a physical trim wheel since the axis position doesn't correspond to the position it should be in the simulator.

I use gauges from FSXTimes displayed on my 9 FIPs (driven by SPAD.neXt). The (muti-plane) VSI indicator has a Trimwheel scale. That's very helpful as the startup settings are not always optimum, and this indicator shows a "takeoff" position tickmark.

While this is not exacly how it works on the real thing😉, I find it very helpful. It's also good for diagnosting issues with the (Saitek) TrimWheel. I have to turn it several times before entering the simulator, otherwise it may or may not work properly (in MSFS as well as P3D).

Kind regards, Michael

Edited January 13, 20215 yr by pmb