OK, nice to see what parts you have lying around. I wouldn't even have such dampers in my shop. Cool construction. No planning - just doing. I like it.
Hi Peter, we have communicated many cockpit-building years ago. You are one of my long-standing heroes of the cockpit-building obsession; in particular because we share a certain level of parsimony with regard to the ratio of expense to functional perfection. With regard to your yoke design, I somehow missed this post a year ago and have just discovered it; it is exactly what I need at this time. Currently my cockpit has a reasonable MIP; Overhead Panels; Radio Pedestal; Throttle Console; Saitek Rudder pedals, but the crudest of yokes! In fact it consists of my 20-year-old? CH-products Yoke mounted on a vertical plastic pipe and then bolted to pilots MIP. Its potentiometers are so noisy, it has to be replaced, with what? A properly levered 737ng yoke must be my choice, rather than buying another desk mount yoke and fixing it on top of that plastic pipe! And so I am about to follow your basic design approach, and have just ordered 4X 100-Newton kitchen unit dampers. I have some basic questions about your findings. Firstly let’s assume we understand the basic principal of splitting an angular motion with a central hold point that, must be accurately reset to on release of pressure, into two independent motions with a shared central point. There will be various parameters concerning the leverage ratio about the main pivot point, and also how sophisticated the hinging is achieved, eg would simple flat plate hinges serve rather than an axle and bearings etc. I am puzzled by the implications of your 4-damper approach. You started with 2 dampers under expansion, which was unsatisfactory, and then added two more dampers (slightly stronger) under compression, and that worked satisfactorily without needing extra springs. Why were the first 2 expansion dampers still needed at all? Aren’t the compression dampers doing all the work of restoring to neutral position assuming adequate Newton rating. Are the original dampers pulling the lever back to neutral more effectively than the extra dampers are pushing it back to neutral? Would slightly more powerful compression dampers work without further aid? or are the expanded dampers going into compression helping to smooth the compressed dampers going into expansion, to give a better yoke behaviour. I think I need to go and lie down for a while, my 89-year old brain is starting to spin. Cheers NobbyH
Thats a pretty good contraption, I still am looking for a low Profile solution for my elevators, since my plaform is probably not high enough for your solution. Could you do me a favour and measure the height of your elevator build? Might be an option!
Never feel like ive wasted 10 minutes here, i always learning something new. Thanks Peter. :)
OK, nice to see what parts you have lying around. I wouldn't even have such dampers in my shop. Cool construction. No planning - just doing. I like it.
Hi Peter, we have communicated many cockpit-building years ago.
You are one of my long-standing heroes of the cockpit-building obsession; in particular because we share a certain level of parsimony with regard to the ratio of expense to functional perfection.
With regard to your yoke design, I somehow missed this post a year ago and have just discovered it; it is exactly what I need at this time.
Currently my cockpit has a reasonable MIP; Overhead Panels; Radio Pedestal; Throttle Console; Saitek Rudder pedals, but the crudest of yokes! In fact it consists of my 20-year-old? CH-products Yoke mounted on a vertical plastic pipe and then bolted to pilots MIP. Its potentiometers are so noisy, it has to be replaced, with what? A properly levered 737ng yoke must be my choice, rather than buying another desk mount yoke and fixing it on top of that plastic pipe!
And so I am about to follow your basic design approach, and have just ordered 4X 100-Newton kitchen unit dampers. I have some basic questions about your findings.
Firstly let’s assume we understand the basic principal of splitting an angular motion with a central hold point that, must be accurately reset to on release of pressure, into two independent motions with a shared central point. There will be various parameters concerning the leverage ratio about the main pivot point, and also how sophisticated the hinging is achieved, eg would simple flat plate hinges serve rather than an axle and bearings etc.
I am puzzled by the implications of your 4-damper approach. You started with 2 dampers under expansion, which was unsatisfactory, and then added two more dampers (slightly stronger) under compression, and that worked satisfactorily without needing extra springs. Why were the first 2 expansion dampers still needed at all? Aren’t the compression dampers doing all the work of restoring to neutral position assuming adequate Newton rating. Are the original dampers pulling the lever back to neutral more effectively than the extra dampers are pushing it back to neutral? Would slightly more powerful compression dampers work without further aid? or are the expanded dampers going into compression helping to smooth the compressed dampers going into expansion, to give a better yoke behaviour. I think I need to go and lie down for a while, my 89-year old brain is starting to spin.
Cheers NobbyH
Looking fantastic peter, great work 👍🏼
Really impressive, especially for a "quick and dirty" solution! Thanks for sharing.
That's a really smart solution! Excellent work!
Thanks Peter. Where did you say the actual yoke was from?
Thats a pretty good contraption, I still am looking for a low Profile solution for my elevators, since my plaform is probably not high enough for your solution. Could you do me a favour and measure the height of your elevator build? Might be an option!
Why did Boeing kill john barnett