[simpits-tech] FTP down?

[John Miguez]

Matt, I am leaving for Houston in a few minutes, for a business trip.
When I get back I will email you some pictures of what I built.  I don't
know how to post pictures in here. 

BTW-I used drawer glides for the back and forth adjustment part.  They
work well.

John

-----Original Message-----
From: Matt Bailey [mailto:mattb at rtccom.net] 
Sent: Monday, January 24, 2005 9:20 PM
To: Simulator Cockpit tech list
Subject: Re: [simpits-tech] FTP down?

I'm pretty open to ideas right now. I've experimented with helo style 
("lever", pivots at base) pedals, and old fashioned rudder bar. Both
failed. 
I'm now leaning towards the cabinet-track idea, as it would allow plenty
of 
force on the pedals without much danger of structural problems. I worked
on a 
rudder bar assembly a bit tonight, and thought about picking up some
hardware 
tomorrow so I could build a box to mount the shaft, but I really don't
think 
this setup will be robust enough. It would be a shaft tapped into a
scrap of 
lumber, with the shaft going down into the base of the unit. I think the

mounts for the shaft would wear quickly (wood base), as would the point
where 
the bar connects to the shaft. I've seen a few examples of the slide
type and 
I think with some modifications it might be the best route for me to
take.

I've seen slide units that use a cable or wire of some sort to
interconnect 
the two pedals.....I think I'll pick up some old bike parts and use a
chain 
and some sprockets. This will allow me to smoothly interconnect the
pedals, 
connect them to a pot, and wouldn't require a lot of tension in the
system 
for a tight and precise feel.

I really don't like the pedals that sit almost flat on the floor, very 
unrealistic. I'll probably make a U-shaped structure for each pedal out
of 
wood, then close the U at the top with a piece of metal tubing. Then I
could 
mount a pedal vertically in this structure (or slight tilted up), and
have it 
rotate about the tubing for braking.

I'd like to explore the possibility of mounting a rudder bar on a shaft
with a 
sprocket on it, and mount pedals on the ends of the bars with sprockets
on 
their mount shafts. By running a chain to connect the two pedals and
center 
shaft, the pedals would always face forward as the bar moved. But I
don't 
really have suitable materials for this.

Rather frustrating....I don't have access to the tools and materials I
really 
need. A CNC shop would make this so much nicer! :) At least the rest of
the 
stuff is going ok...my PC-case joystick is working beautifully, the
throttle 
box works nice, and I've got a promising start on a simple gear/flaps/
parking-brake/tuning control panel. And I've got some stuff lined up for
a 
helo collective, with twist throttle.

	-Matt Bailey

On Monday 24 January 2005 21:06, John Miguez wrote:
> Matt,
>
> What are you looking for by way of rudder pedal ideas?  I have finish
> building my T-38 pedals.  The design could easily be used for other
> fighter jet types, with the notable exception of the F-16.
>
> John
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Matt Bailey [mailto:mattb at rtccom.net]
> Sent: Monday, January 24, 2005 5:43 PM
> To: Simulator Cockpit tech list
> Subject: [simpits-tech] FTP down?
>
> Hum, just tried accessing ftp.simpits.org and I'm getting no response.
I
> was
> thinking of the files section actually, but the FTP site might have
> something
> of interest too (looking for ideas for rudder pedals).
>
> 	-Matt Bailey