I've really let the simpit project languish lately, but I've been puzzling and doodling a lot, and keeping an eye out for stuff I can use in the construction. bought some neat little switches on eBay recently, and also found an inspiring piece of junk, courtesy of my loft-mate Andrew, who collects weird old tools and junk: an old check-printing machine! Looks kinda like a throttle quadrant, dunnit?  Sure it does!! It was free, which makes it look a lot like a throttle quadrant...

Thought it was an adding machine at first, but it's actually made for stamping the dollar amount on paychecks, I guess.
But not any more... mwahahahahaaa!!





But it will require heavy modding... and really I have to disassemble it to see if it can be integrated into the existing structure.
First order of business: getting the cover off. Not easy... but I am not easily thwarted when it comes to taking things apart.
Been doing this since I was big enough to hold a screwdriver.

Well, I don't think these levers will work quite right for controls... but there's a lot of bits and pieces in here...

     


About an hour later... good thing I don't have to put it all back together- cripes, these things are complex!! That big lever on the left is just screaming "air brake handle!"

  Or something... we'll see.

     


The parts on the left could work for a reverse-thrust rig... interesting...lots of neat little springs, levers, screws, etc... this thing is a gold mine!!

     



The shaft and brackets may still work, but unfortunately the balance of these lever and type-face thingies just won't work. I still need to fab levers, I guess.







A little bending, a quick mock-up in place.... and... holy crap!! a perfect fit!!

There are 8 slots, but I only need six... so, seeing as how I was toying with the idea of adding an indicator window alongside the trim wheel (which will mount on the left face of the quadrant), I'll just cut out the metal between the left two slots. There's more sheet metal from the face of this thing that can be used to cover the little windows there... probably will cover that whole area of the slots anyway, as I don't really want the levers to come down more than that.



Definitely inspiring...tonight I'm going to finally do some more work on the nose box, which needs some reinforcing.
  And I have almost all the parts needed for the throttle, prop, and mixture controls, except for levers and of course the pots.... might make some headway with that this week.

I'm likely going to ditch my idea of hacking controllers and go with Hagstrom boards- for starters, this quadrant will work best with linear pots, and the more I think "spend money or go nuts hacking the sticks?" the more I think spending the money will be well worth it. God knows I've saved a bundle so far by scrounging and fabbing stuff myself...