Hi all,
For almost a year now in my spare time, I've been working on a design for a modular throttle that is 3D printable. It has three axes for now, friction adjustment, adjustable detents, and the capability to swap out the faceplate, lever lengths (and soon lever type, e.g. rotational or linear motion), types of throttle handles, and hopefully the ability to be turned into a collective (as long as the design isn't compromised). I have modeled the current throttle, propeller, and mixture levers after one of the aircraft in which I have the most time in real life- the Diamond Da-40.
This being a modular design, I'd like to have more options available than just the boring Diamond setup. So I'll ask you guys, where do you get your information for dimensions of components? How about for a B8 stick grip or an F-86 throttle? Do you order the real thing off Ebay and use that to model the controls? Do you use images and estimate dimensions based on known sizes of objects in the image? Do you bug folks at museums to let you look at cockpits? I would very much appreciate it if I could be pointed in the right direction!
Thanks,
.30-06 Springfield