[simpits-tech] What's on the workbench...

Tue, 23 Apr 2002 11:07:10 -0500

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Just spent a week ripping my old garage off the house (60+ year old house
was heated by coal at one time so the garage floor was wood and had a 4'
crawl space underneath. By now the joists, etc were so rotten the thought of
putting any vehicle in there - much less my pit - was absolutely
frightning!)

Oh, sorry, you want to know what's on the workbench! 

Well, a few weeks ago I connected a crude throttle cable (choke cable
connected to a 2" slider wired to one of the joystick axis) and a flap
switch (DPDT momentary toggle wired to 2 joystick buttons). Now I can
actually do a full circuit from Meigs without leaning over the pit to play
with the keyboard. (VFR only mind you)

A couple weeks ago I got a VSI up and working. Same paradigm as my airspeed,
hobby servo strapped in place of the brass bellows. Seems to have a smoother
response, but still needs some tweaking to get the display consistent.
Haven't mounted yet as I need to trim the hole in the dash.

A month or so ago I received a stepper motor X-Y Plotter package from Ferrit
Electronics (http://www.ferrettronics.com). A couple weeks ago I picked up
the additional components (resistors, diodes, etc) to wire up the
controller. This has been sitting on the bench feeling neglected for a while
now and is next on the todo list. The 2 steppers will drive my DG and
altimeter (which has yet to be constructed). The former I had up and running
via cannabalized parts connected to my parallel port, but I think this will
be more effecient and scalable as I can add 3 more stepper controllers to
the package - which runs off the serial line.

The goal for this year is to have a basic cluster of gauges (airspeed,
attitude, altitude, turn-coordinator, direction gyro and rate of climb)
functioning and to have the basic controls working smoothly (yoke, throttle,
flaps, rudder and toe brakes). I figure I'm about 40 hours of construction
time away from completion of this milestone. Unfortunately at a real time
rate of less then 1 hour / week it will be a challenge to complete before
Christmas...

That's about it for me at the moment.

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Just spent a week ripping my old garage off the house =
(60+ year old house was heated by coal at one time so the garage floor =
was wood and had a 4' crawl space underneath. By now the joists, etc =
were so rotten the thought of putting any vehicle in there - much less =
my pit - was absolutely frightning!)

Oh, sorry, you want to know what's on the workbench! =

Well, a few weeks ago I connected a crude throttle =
cable (choke cable connected to a 2&quot; slider wired to one of the =
joystick axis) and a flap switch (DPDT momentary toggle wired to 2 =
joystick buttons). Now I can actually do a full circuit from Meigs =
without leaning over the pit to play with the keyboard. (VFR only mind =
you)

A couple weeks ago I got a VSI up and working. Same =
paradigm as my airspeed, hobby servo strapped in place of the brass =
bellows. Seems to have a smoother response, but still needs some =
tweaking to get the display consistent. Haven't mounted yet as I need =
to trim the hole in the dash.

A month or so ago I received a stepper motor X-Y =
Plotter package from Ferrit Electronics (<A =
HREF=3D"http://www.ferrettronics.com" =
TARGET=3D"_blank">http://www.ferrettronics.com</A>). A couple weeks ago =
I picked up the additional components (resistors, diodes, etc) to wire =
up the controller. This has been sitting on the bench feeling neglected =
for a while now and is next on the todo list. The 2 steppers will drive =
my DG and altimeter (which has yet to be constructed). The former I had =
up and running via cannabalized parts connected to my parallel port, =
but I think this will be more effecient and scalable as I can add 3 =
more stepper controllers to the package - which runs off the serial =
line.

The goal for this year is to have a basic cluster of =
gauges (airspeed, attitude, altitude, turn-coordinator, direction gyro =
and rate of climb) functioning and to have the basic controls working =
smoothly (yoke, throttle, flaps, rudder and toe brakes). I figure I'm =
about 40 hours of construction time away from completion of this =
milestone. Unfortunately at a real time rate of less then 1 hour / week =
it will be a challenge to complete before Christmas...

<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>That's about it for me at the moment.</FONT>
</P>

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