i have devised a new contraption

a lever that doesn't move on an axis, but in notches, pressing a button every time it passes one

i designed it for flaps, but it can also be used for controlling magneto switches, or anything that moves in notches....

i called it Clever, the clicking lever

here it is:



now to explain the thing:

1- NOTCHES: these are basically pins that stick out the base plate, they can be long screws or anything that will stick out in the way of the pick

2 - MAIN PIVOT POINT - this is the pivot where the whole llever is mounted, it is not springloaded

3 - PICK - propably the most important part of the whole thing... as you move the lever, the pick is turned as it slides over the notches

4 - SECONDARY PIVOT POINT - this is the pivot the pick is mounted on, it has a spring around it so it always returns the pick to the center

5 - HAMMER - the hammer basically is the other end of the pick, as the pick swings over, the hammer pushes the ground pins onto their respective contacts

6 - CONTACTS - as the name implies, this is where the circuit is closed to send a button press signal to the computer

7 - DETENTS - (1)the detents are the ends of the forward plate, which work just like the notches, throwing the pick sideways... the difference here is that the detents won't let the pick go through, working as endless notches since you can keep pushing the lever against them...

(2)the detents can be also built to stop the lever, instead of the pick itself, in order to eliminate the endless notch action

8 - GROUND PIN - the ground pin is a flexible strip of metal, mounted on the plate that holds the pick and the contacts, and tied to the ground wire (the ground wire is the one that provides power... when this power is retuned to the PC through another wire, a button press signal is sent) when the pick swings over, the hammer presses them into the contacts, closing the circuit

now, some more comments on it:
you can mount the clever using as many notches as you wish , depending on the function you want it to perform, mine had around 10, to accomodate the flaps of the 737, you can also build a smaller version for magneto switches, or even a version with only the detents, for cowl flaps and the like (although you dont need a design this complex for just 2 positions)

it might be tricky to build as you have to make sure that the notches will swing the pick enough to close the circuit, but not too little as the pick might not go over them... the best solution here is to have a flexible hammer, that will bend to allow the pick to go through after it pushes the ground pin

this was designed as a part of an analog joystick system, but it can be built for a digital one or keyboard emulator, by replacing the ground pin and contact assembly with a buttton or key, so the hammer presses the button as it swings over, i won't go into joystick wiring details here

so there you have it...  my invention

Moach

ahh i see what you mean there ramos.... the pick looks like a screw in the sketch...

it's actually more like a flipper and doesn't actually make contact with anything, it just pushes the contacts onto each other as it tilts to pass over the notches... the notches themselves don't make contact with anything also...

i'm gonna draw a perspective sketch of this thing and post it (not right now, as im going to bed now) it'll be easier to understand

BTW the detents are just those lumps at the ends of the forward plate, where the lever stops when it reaches the end of it's course

Moach

Thanks so much!
I have been working on this problem for over a year.

Hope you don't mind me adding a few bits and peaces
as to light up position indicating LED's on my panel.

Once again THANKS for a great Switch!

Ron