Brakes

• At the back of the rudder pedal stems there are brake master cylinders for the toe brakes. This is how I made mine. The cylinders incorporate the brake return spring. The switches that will send the braking signals to the sim will be mounted outside the cylinders.

• Here's the master cylinders installed. The actuator switches still haven't been mounted.

• The brake master cylinders with the switches attached and actuator plates completed.

Throttle Quadrant

• The throttle quad mechanisms. The frame is constructed from 10x25mm aluminium bar for rigidity. The levers are 3mm flat bar polished up to look nice. The pots are mounted as shown and connected by rods to the control levers. The levers on the pots are a design I borrowed from a shaft connector I found in a piece of electronic equipment I had. It's a clever, cheap and easy method to connect things to round shafts.

• I've started on the throttle quadrant knobs. These three prototypes were finished with a smooth surface then silicone moulds made from them. Then I cast the actual knobs in resin.  The coloured knobs are pigmented, not painted, so they will wear well.

Trim Controls

• I made some trim wheels from some 9mm acrylic I scrounged. The shape is not quite correct, so I will remake them.

Yoke HAT switches

• I've made my own HAT and trim switches for the yokes. I made the PCBs at home. They're not brilliant quality but they work OK. The vertical tactile switches are operated by the thumb lever (upper right in middle picture) I also made the panels that they mount on.

Magneto Switches

• The scrappy looking knob is only a mould plug. From this plug, I made a mould from moulding silicone. Then I cast the actual knobs in casting resin. The two collars sit below the knobs. See real ones here. Apart from the original plug, making cast parts with resin is an easy and fun process. The last pic in this row is the finished maggy switches. They mount to the panel with two screws. The knurled dress ring is just for show (to make it realistic). The spring returns the switch to the "both" position from the "start" position.

Landing Gear Switch

• This is the mechanism for the landing gear switch. This is  the first serious thing I have made with my new milling machine. The U shaped slot was cut with the part mounted to a rotary table on the mill. The switch lever moves through +-15 degrees to give a positive indication of gear up and gear down. The model wheel at the right will provide the mould for the wheel that will be cast onto the end of the lever. The lever has an internal spring that bears on the lever pivot and a pin that follows the slot on the mounting plate. The pin also retains the spring in the lever.