STARTING CONSOLE.

THE PREVIOUS PAGE IN THIS SERIES IS "INTERFACING RUDDER PEDALS".

My thoughts turn to starting work on a console .. in particular a set of controls which would fit into a console. What I
envisage is a piece of metal to which various controls could be fitted. That whole assembly would be designed so that it
would be able to be fitted, at a later date, inside a console.

These controls will be, from left to right, "Spoilers/speed brakes". "Elevator trim wheel", "2 Throttles", "Flaps",
"Undercarriage". My current thoughts are not to try and emulate any particular aircraft type, just a proof that I can get
it all working. Also, to initially keep the controls relatively simple. I have noted articles on the web describing "nice"
(construction) articles like motorised throttles, motorised consoles etc., but with my extremely limited www connection,
I haven't been able to download that material. Possibly, at a later date, I can upgrade/motorise some of the controls.

At this stage, I am not sure how I will interface all those controls to my 2002 Flight Sim. programme. I will now consider
the various controls.
THROTTLES.
In effect I have simulated their operation with 2 potentiometers fitted inside the plastic box described in "Interfacing
rudder pedals". "Events" in FS2002 allow for up to 4 seperate throttles and I have those 2 pots successfully assigned to
engines 1 and 2. I visualise 2 simple levers, at this stage, for throttle controls. They will be mechanically linked to pots
with a similar arrangement of rack and pinion gears as used in my rudder pedals/brakes.
I also have vague plans to motorise the throttle levers, thus simulation the operation of "auto throttle", an output from
the autopilot.
AILERON TRIM WHEEL.
I have noted that this trim works exceeding well with 2 buttons on my joystick assigned to this function. With the throttle
slider on my joystick now available I assigned that to the available "Event" axis and it thus emulates a trim wheel. So I
currently have 2 elevator trim controls, the 2 buttons and the slider (which is really a potentiometer). In fact, they
both work together quite realistically. One may adjust the trim with the buttons and then go ahead and make further
adjustments with the slider .. or vice versa. As mentioned, that function is quite realistic. What is missing is having the
(simulated) trim wheel (the slider) motorised (move with input from the buttons). I will investigate this further at a later
date.
I have gone ahead and modified a, I think, supermarket trolley wheel which I purchased in a bargain store. This involved
removing, in a lathe, portion of two sides of the solid rubber part of the wheel. Thus, is left the centre portion,
resembling to a fair degree, a trim wheel. This has been coupled to a potentiometer and the whole assembly mounted on a piece
of thin metal channel. It is planned that the pot will be wired to another USB axes card in turn connected to the computer via
another USB cable.

View of the "Trim wheel" described above.
Note the metal stop screwed to the trim wheel. This limits the angular movement of
the trim wheel to slightly less than that of the pot. (300 degrees).
Here again, I have plans to motorise that trim wheel .. more later.
Note the trim wheel is mounted to a piece of light steel channel. This steel section, which will be mounted across and inside
the (future) console, will provide the necessary mounting for these controls.

SPOILERS/SPEED BRAKES.
A bracket, on which this lever will pivot, may be noted in the above image.
More later ..
UNDERCARRIAGE.
Here again, the button on my joystick works quite well with undercarriage lever on Flight Sims screen moving in response to
that button. However, that button function, pressed once for gear down, press again for gear up, (and so on) does not easily
lend itself to being used with a lever as we now desire. What would be "nice" if there were seperate digital "Events" for both
gear down and gear up. Then one could have a simple (say microswitch) switch which would be actuated when our new lever was
in the "up" position. Another switch would be actuated when the lever was in the "down" position. Those 2 switches could be
then wired to those "Events".
FLAPS.
Being investigated.

This was the situation in late September 2007.
I had been gathering information and had downloaded some files on IOCP (Input Output Card Protocool), SIOC (? System Input
Output Card Protocool), FSUIPC (Flight Simulator ???), etc.
It was becoming apparent to me, that those (and possibly other programmes) were being used by the "experts" in cockpit
building. They apparently give access to many, many more "assignments" in Flight Sim. than the standard supplied ones.

With my 2002 version of Flight Sim., under settings, assignments, I counted 263 possible assignments under Buttons/Keys.
These are possible digital inputs to Flight Sim.
Under Joystick Axes, I counted 25 possible assignments. They are possible analogue inputs to Flight Sim.

Perhaps I should explain what I mean by digital/analogue and inputs/(so far unmentioned) outputs.
These are the various electrical signals which command our simulator. For those who are not "clued up" on these matters,
I will try and explain. Having an appreciation of these matters allows us to better understand what we are trying to do with
our Flight Sim.
INPUTS.
These are signals that are fed INTO our simulator. They tell the simulator what we want it to do. Examples are the signals
from all of the controls, switches, press buttons etc. They are fed INTO our simulator.
OUTPUTS.
These are signals which are fed FROM our simulator to tell us what it is doing. Examples are the signals that drive all the
instruments, guages, indicator/warning lights etc. Those signals are fed FROM our simulator to drive those instruments,
lights etc.

All the above signals may be in either digital or analogue form.
DIGITAL.
Digital signals can only have two possible states. Examples, from the above, are switches, push buttons, indicator/warning
lights. Note they all have only two possible states. A switch or push button can only be on or off. Likewise, an indicator/
warning light can only be on or off. No intermediate situation can exist like a push button cannot be partially pushed. If
this was done in the real world, depending on the design of the push button and just how far it was pressed, it would still
only be either just on or off. Likewise, a light can only be lit or unlit (on or off). Should you wish to vary the intensity
(dim) that light, it cannot be done with a simple digital signal. (Emphasis on the word "simple").
ANALOGUE.
Analogue signals may have continually varying states (or values). Examples, again from the above, are the controls (say
flight and engine), signals driving the instruments etc. All these signals vary continuously over various periods of time.

There are some signals which make us think hard as to weather they are digital or analogue. One which comes to mind is the
rotary encoder. These are generally used to input radio frequencies, auto pilot settings etc. Initially one may think that
because they input a string of numbers, they are analogue. However, they are in fact, digital.

I decided, at this stage, I would try and interface my console to Flight Sim. using those "assignments".
I already had them (supplied with Flight Sim.) and I was somewhat familar with them.
I would worry about/get familar with IOCP, SIOC, FSUIPC etc at a latter date.

Pressing on with my console, I came up with this simple under carriage control lever.

View of the "Under Carriage Select Lever".
Note it uses an "over centre" spring arrangement to "position" the lever in either the UP or DOWN position.
I fitted a microswitch to sense the DOWN position. However, there from what I can see of the above mentioned standard
available assignments, it is only possible to select under carraige up and down with a single push button.
This means I will need to fit another microswitch that is actuated each time the lever is moved from up to down, or vice
versa. I can see a potential problem in that the lever may get out of sync. with reality. For example, with the lever in
the down position, the under carriage may indeed be up. This may illustrate a limitation with trying to use those standard
assignments.

Next, I started work (here again with somewhat limited knowledge) on a "spoilers" control lever.

View of the "spoilers" lever.
It uses the similar rack and pinion gears to drive a potentiometer. I note there is an "analogue" input vailable for spoilers
in the standard Flight Sim. assignments.
Here is a view of it now fitted to that metal bracket beside the elevator trim wheel.

Another view of the "spoilers" control mechanism.
This shows the associated rack, pinion and potentiometer.

I sourced a supply of plastic worm gears and geared 12 volt motors.
A few were ordered and this inspired me to start work on motorised throttles.

View of worm gears. Also, the 50mm diameter aluminium and cork friction clutch components.
Those aluminium and cork components are 3mm thick and were machined in my lathe.

View of the "throttles assembly".
This view shows the whole throttle assembly mounted on the light metal channel.
The white coloured worm is fitted to the 12 volt motor. It drives the black coloured gear wheel which, in turn, drives via the 2 friction clutches,
the 2 throttle control levers. They are coupled via, my now standard, rack and pinion drives to the 2 sensing potentiometers.
The friction of the 2 clutches is carefully adjusted so that the motor drives the control levers in a satisfactory manner.
Also, so that one has the "correct feel" to manually adjusting the levers .. either seperately or simultaneously.
During manual adjustment, the worm drive is held "fixed" due to the worm drive characteristics.
Thus we have both manual and auto throttle control available. Each throttle may be individually adjusted manually and each
throttle position is indivually sensed by potentiometrs.

Another view of the "throttles assembly".
This view from the opposite direction shows the 12 volt motor.
The clutch friction is corrently adjusted by 8mm lock nuts on the common axle.
Arrangements are being made so that the 12 volt motor mount will be spring loaded. Thus the drive pinion) will be held in
mesh by that spring pressure so that gear backlash will be minimal.

I fitted a rough cardboard panel so that I would get an idea of what the exterior view of of the console...

View of the "rough cardboard exterior panel".

Underneath view of the rough panel.
I had made a decision regarding the width of my console, and had finally cut to length, the light metal channel on which
these are mounted. It is 350 mm long. The undercarriage control lever is seen clamped to the right hand end.
I have left a space between the throttles and undercarriage lever for a "flap" lever.

THE NEXT PAGE IN THIS SERIES IS "MORE CONSOLE".

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