This is a starting point for moving prior postings from the "Homebrew Cockpits Survey" thread. Messages will likely get out of the original sequence.

Will,

Ah...... yes.... you are correct........ but I will now unsolder the two mini joystick potentiometers from the printed circuit board and replace them with four remotely mounted linear slide potentiometers that will themselves be actuated by four lever arms (making the throttle quadrant).  Each of those pots will then be a single engine throttle.

After all ....... this whole cockpit construction thing is about "tinkering".       

On the joystick....... let's say that one axis of the pot is forward and back.  If it is a 100k ohm pot....... the center position is at 50k ohms.  So the signal sets the coordinate "position" of that stick to "center" in the sim when the resistance value is at 50k ohms.  When you move the stick full back..... the pot changes resistance heading toward 0 ohms.  So the "position" moves to the bottom.  So when you add a new pot ......... the zero ohm position relates to "full down".... and therefore idle throttle.  And the full "up" position now relates to 100k ohms and full throttle.

I may find that I have to add what are called "trim pots" along with the main linear control ones..... to fine tune the "range" of the throttle.  Those will be a "one time set" type of thing.  But that is a minor and simple addition.

The first trick here is to carefully unsolder the pots.... and then figure out which traces on the circuit board are the ones for each control axis.  Then I just take the pot and connect it to a multimeter and run it from full down to full up and see what resistance it is.  Once I know that..... I can get the linear slider pots to replace them with.

I will also add a "terminal strip" to all the switch contact points so that adding wiring for external switches will be far easier than trying to solder directly onto the circuit board.  Not sure if I'll use ribbon cable or not.

I will document all this construction as best I can and post all the work here on SimV.  I may also add something to my (non-flightsim) website.  I have been taking digital shots of the "destruction"  of the gamepad.  Hopefully Pete will decide that a separate Forum dedicated to this kind of stuff is appropriate and there will be a "files" section created to put this kind of stuff into in something like PDF format.

The next thing I want to know here is if I get ANOTHER "cheapo" Axispad FX and install it in Win XP...... if it will get recognized as a third controller........ or because it is the same unit...... if it will get "confused" with the existing one.... and will then be difficult to "map" buttons and axis assignments in the sim.

Then there is stacking a CH products usb yoke on top of all those  .  Gotta get a (powered) usb port box too to support all of these usb addons.   


best,

.................john

1st Revision of Throttle Quadrant Layout

In learning from looking at the FS2004 "Axis Assignments" that both the flaps and the spoilers can have infinite potentiometer control mapping......... I decided to add the spoiler control to my throttle quadrant.  So that put another angled lever arm to the left of the four throttle levers..... bringing the total levers to six.

I also did not like the way the tension on the resistance to movement for all the levers worked in the older setup.  Too difficult and fussy to set each control individually.  So I changed to using some nylon bushings and then will compress the whole assembly from the sides using 1/2" nuts on the 1/2" threaded rod "shaft".  No individual lever control of tension.... but much simpler.

The "mount" to hold the shaft is simply a piece of metal from a joist hanger bent into shape and drilled to accept the 1/2" threaded rod "shaft" at 1" height above the bottom of the box.  The lever arms themselves are cut from stock shelf brackets that fit into wall mounted strips with slots.  Two cuts for length and drill two holes and they were done  .

The annotations on the drawing should help you figure out what the various parts are a bit.




One thing that I have to decide here soon is if I will actually "waste" an available channel of "joystick axis" (potentiometer control) from one of the AxispadFX gamepads on the spoilers.  I can also set the spoiler arm lever to just hit a microswitch at the "Arm" point, and another at the "Deploy" point...... and have that just emulate the keyboard presses.  Any thoughts on the subject of having infinitely variable spoilers versus just a "one press = full deploy" type?


best,

..............john

Daz,

Thanks.  I will be updating this info when I take the next steps.  Wish I had more time to devote to the project...... but life often gets in the way of "virtual life"  .

There are so many aspects to the construction of a homebuilt cockpit flightdeck that it can be very time intensive.  At least I can tackle different "types" of things...... that can fit into differnt types of available time.

best,

................john

Damn, son, didn't you check the timestamp?