Single Boeing 737 Control Column design is now complete!
This is another design that I have been working on in the background and seems to be highly requested! Really pleased with how this can easily be created at home with a bit of time and effort. Utilising 3d printed parts, a PVC drain pipe and few bits of hardware.
This was great fun to design, every axis has bearing to prevent wear on the plastic parts and make the unit feel smooth. The linear actuator is the elevator electric trim moving the column about the pivot axis and be set up for autopilot movement. This also moves the force feel levers about the axis. So whatever position the control column is trimmed too, the force trim still operates around that set point.
In the above picture, I have removed the outer trim lever in purple, below this are the force trim tongues in green (the aft one also removed). They act on the blue part which is free to move about the central pivot point. Held in position by the linear actuator. The orange PVC pipe clamps allow a good grasp of the PVC pipe.
In this picture, the force feedback is set by 21 LB 2" springs. Up to 9 can be fitted to achieve your personal force. The current picture shows 4 at around 100LBs of force to move the column.
In the final Picture, this is how the unit fits into the floor. I still need to put adjustable control stops in to set the max movement of 12.5 degrees each way.
Next up for me to get the two 3d printers creating the prototype! The only downside side is that I need 12mm rod or threaded rod which if I order now, I can't see getting until January or early Feb. This is the downside to not thinking ahead!
I'll keep you updated as the parts come off the printer, as I guess some of you might wonder how this works!
Kind Regards Karl.
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