One of the projects in Mike Powell's new book Building Recreational Flight Simulators is a three (or more!) lever throttle quadrant.

This project was a near perfect match for the '109 cockpit project so I decided to use it - with a few important changes. The original quadrant takes up more room than I wanted to dedicate to it, so I fiddled with it a bit.

Here's what my version looks like:

Quarter view:


End view:


The quadrant is 8-1/2" long and 6-1/2" high and just about 6-5/8" wide with the end cap that's not shown.

The lever arms are .125" 6061 aluminum and the knobs will be machined from 1" acrylic. Hopefully, I'll get some parts cut today.

g.

Sweet! You put some real polish on the design, Gene.

Thanks Mike!

I was able to shave down the length a bit more so the overall is now 7.125".

I've got the four wood parts cut as well as the friction spacers. I made them from 3/8" acrylic as that is material I had handy. I've also got the .062 spacers cut. The only parts left are the lever arms, the four pulleys and the brackets for the pot. Hopefully I'll get that done tomorrow.

g.

As always too cool. We just love you trailblazers doing the hard work we're all too slow to figure out!

Hehe. I'm just riding on Mike's coattails with this one. He did all the grunt work, I just tweaked it for my needs a bit.

I was able to get the lever arms cut out on Sunday and they turned out really, really nice! Tonight I hope to get the knobs done. I'm a bit nervous because I've never machined a 1" thick block of acrylic before....

Oh, and a word to the wise! If you're drilling a hole through acrylic, make damn sure you've got the part clamped down. DO NOT HOLD ON TO IT. I forgot that little detail and damn near lost my thumbnail when the bit grabbed the block at the end of the drill cycle and spun it on me. Nothing like being whacked in the thumb at 1800 RPM by a 3/8" thick block of acrylic.

g.

Here's video of the knob cutting operation:

1. The windup: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpVz3hO6w4g
2. The er...pitch? : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NQ-LlJR2BM
3. We can haz fail? : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJsAtb2u3Js

To recap: Downshear, BAD. Upshear, GOOD!

*facepalm*

g.

Best regards...

Very good your work, I´m working in a prototype using standard rotary pots instead slide ones. As picture below, I have not much tools and I´m using refurbished material, but I hope those one in the future will works fine.








My question,it´s what kind (Brand, size, etc...) of beading wire you´re used for your project and how attach you those one It seams to be very dificult to make correct knots, in order to attach the wIRE to the pot arm.

Sorry about my english skill.

Thx alot for your answer.

inigohe

the way I'd set this up, to avoid slippage, is to get more than one loop of wire around both spindles, and thread a part of the wire through a hole in the spindle. On one side with a simple knot or around a nut and bolt to prevent slippage, and on the other under a nut and bolt to keep both ends fixed. It might also be a good idea to add a sprung wheel to keep the line taut , or a strong spring on the line itself. Oh, btw, look also for steel cored fishing line, and all the relative accessories. Tying knots in these is pretty much the same sort of task as setting them up for a fishing hook.

Hello Inigohe,

I believe Gene used nylon coated stranded stainless steel beading wire similar to this: http://www.artbeads.com/b49-100f-018.html?icid=recpd . Rather than tieing knots in the wire it's better to use crimp rings. These work best when you have the proper crimp tool.

Rather than using beading wire, you can use Dacron string like woven fishing line. It has low stretch and is strong. It's also possible to toe knots in it.

Copy...

In order to avoid slippage, I put some springs outside de small cupper pieces, Asyou said the last post, see picture below. Then I put Teflon tape, over the Throttle pulley and over the pot ones. I supose I will never have slippage with those mods.

Alright???




inigohe

Another option you might try is placing the line in a split on the pulley that is on the pot shaft. Give it a turn or two to wind the line up on the pulley, slap a bit of hot glue on it and you're set for life.

g.