Cessna Style Retrofit Controls

thingiverse

Have you ever wanted real flight controls for your simulator but the prices are exorbitant? Gave up on trying to design a working Vernier controller? So did I. Well here is your solution! Now you can retrofit real throttle/mixture/prop controls directly in to your simulator with ease without spending over $300 for each knob. Simply print the body and the connector cap and put it together with a few M3 bolts. The circuit is up to you, but I hope this inspires you to finish it. I will add a link to my circuit board design and walkthrough once I get done. This project calls for ACS or McFarlane style controls which consists of a cable or wire inside a flexible shaft. The good news is that used, or old "junk" Cessna 172/182/etc controls with bad cables go for about $50-80 on [Ebay](https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=aircraft+control+cable). These are not repairable items, so mechanics generally toss the whole thing if the cable is damaged. This includes a sweet knob and Vernier adjustments as well as friction locks on some throttles. You will need to completely remove the button and wire core, then cut the case as close to the metal tube as possible. On some models, you will need to cut through the cable to separate the parts... HOWEVER CUT AT LEAST 6" BEYOND THE METAL CASE with the control fully extracted if this is the only way to separate the parts. You will want to end up with a clean outer casing, and the central shaft with wire/cable that extends well past 6" to ensure you have plenty to work with. A Dremel with a heavy duty cut-off wheel works best for this. Note: Vernier controls generally have a steel ball that will fall out when the core is pulled beyond a certain point. _Don't lose this odd-ball!_ This design provides a mechanism that allows you to connect an 80mm (bolt to bolt) [10K potentiometer](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07232HGS1) directly to the printed part with 2x M3x2 bolts, and facilitates attaching the throttle control to the potentiometer with 2 M3 set screws. _Update_: This design now includes a 10mm shaft design (vs 15 for an ACS Vernier control) which provides support for McFarlane friction locking throttles. Avoid cutting the copper tubes on these any more than just the tip with a tube cutter for best fit.