Landing Gear switch

[Chibawang]

Sorry sweinhart, I was only trying to help. Flim and I will continue this in PM.

 

I can confirm that the handle is still bent, it's just hard to tell at that angle.

 

Deadman, do you have the real thing? In alot of photos it appears to be glowing green when the gear are up, but it's hard to tell if that's just the floodlights or not.

[Deadman]

Yes I have the landing gear panel it is just missing the flaps gauge.

 

I am not sure of the photos your talking about you can pm me a link or if there in the Modern guide just let me know witch page and pic your looking at.

 

The panel I have the handle is with red lenses and the landing gear lights are three green.

 

Page 1-27 of TO 1A-10A-1 describes the Landing gear positions indicator and warning system.

[y2kiah]

How to bend a piece of aluminum:

Step 1) Score metal at intended crease (optional)

Step 2) Lay metal on table, overhang edge at crease

Step 3) Clamp metal to table

Step 4) Apply force

 

Now figure out how to bore the hole to run the led wires, or make the thing out of 2 pieces and glue together...

[CyBerkut]

Or...

 

- Select the appropriate diameter sized metal tubing

- Thread the desired wiring through it with some excess left over on each end.

- Carefully squeeze the tubing down nearly flat in a vise.

- Bend the (now) essentially flat piece to the desired angle.

- Solder/attach wiring, etc. as desired.

[Deadman]

"- Carefully squeeze the tubing down nearly flat in a vise.

- Bend the (now) essentially flat piece to the desired angle.'

 

This may work for some items but for the Landing gear handle it would be inaccurate the arm of the handel is not flat.

it would all so take away from the strength of the rectangular tubing used for the Arm.

[Chibawang]

Yes I have the landing gear panel it is just missing the flaps gauge.

 

I am not sure of the photos your talking about you can pm me a link or if there in the Modern guide just let me know witch page and pic your looking at.

 

The panel I have the handle is with red lenses and the landing gear lights are three green.

 

Page 1-27 of TO 1A-10A-1 describes the Landing gear positions indicator and warning system.

 

Thanks for the clarification DM. I thought that was the case, but it was hard to be sure without the real thing in front of me. The picture(s) I was thinking of are from the Air Force simulator, wherein all the NV Green lights are on in a dark enviroment, so the transparent gear handle was glowing bright green.

 

Merry Christmas everybody!

[rocketeer]

sweinhart, have you checked out this site yet?

http://aviationsimulationgroup.com/SwitchTops.aspx

It is an F-16 landing light gear. Looks similar to the A-10's to me.

The landing gear top is $20 painted. I suppose it can be put over a normal toggle switch, and I hope the three jewels lights can be connected to a power source and lighted up like LEDs.

[Oakes]

"- Carefully squeeze the tubing down nearly flat in a vise.

- Bend the (now) essentially flat piece to the desired angle.'

 

This may work for some items but for the Landing gear handle it would be inaccurate the arm of the handel is not flat.

it would all so take away from the strength of the rectangular tubing used for the Arm.

 

Fill the tube with water, plug both ends, put it in the freezer for a couple of hours and then do the bend (the ice will prevent the tube from collapsing at the bend).

 

/Oakes

[Chibawang]

sweinhart, have you checked out this site yet?

http://aviationsimulationgroup.com/SwitchTops.aspx

It is an F-16 landing light gear. Looks similar to the A-10's to me.

The landing gear top is $20 painted. I suppose it can be put over a normal toggle switch, and I hope the three jewels lights can be connected to a power source and lighted up like LEDs.

 

The real switch top doesn't light up, they're just reflective jewels. The AVS replica is a plastic casting with the parts where the jewels would be painted white.

[rocketeer]

Oh, ok, pardon my ignorance. So besides being reflective, what does it do, I suppose by its name it's supposed to turn on landing lights? Do you flick it like a toggle or is it a push/pull switch?

[Chibawang]

Yea, it's just a regular 3 position toggle that turns on landing or taxi lights.

[HitchHikingFlatlander]

The Landing gear box on the above site is cool but $925? And it doesn't even mention if its USB or not?

[talisman]

To be honest - most of the good barring the panels and the seats where all a little under par.

The switch covers for example are all well and good, but they do have a rather unfinished look to them. How much more would it cost to run a piece of sand paper over them. Frankly they look crap.

 

The flat ones (non locking) are just as bad. The casting process needs to be looked at before i start throwing money at them. The asking price for the toggle cap is in fact 2/3 of the price of the original switch.

 

"and you do not have the hassle of pulling out on the switch while changing the position"

Isnt that the point? If im not looking for realism - why not just use regular toggles for $5 each?

Edited January 23, 2010 by talisman

[aap_flanker]

To be honest - most of the good barring the panels and the seats where all a little under par.

The switch covers for example are all well and good, but they do have a rather unfinished look to them. How much more would it cost to run a piece of sand paper over them. Frankly they look crap.

 

The flat ones (non locking) are just as bad. The casting process needs to be looked at before i start throwing money at them. The asking price for the toggle cap is in fact 2/3 of the price of the original switch.

 

"and you do not have the hassle of pulling out on the switch while changing the position"

 

Isnt that the point? If im not looking for realism - why not just use regular toggles for $5 each?

 

lol xD

I got one like this, is from a broken a320 landing gear switch :pilotfly:

[Deadman]

Well i think it would b fairly expensive The landing gear leaver is built in to the panel witch needs to be fairly well built you have to pull out on the lever before you move its position and it lights up Red.Then you have several switches one magnetically held in place and a solenoid Incorporated in the Down-lock override button. The three position light switch and the push bottom at the bottom.Plus the landing gear position lights and flaps indicator.Even just the lever lit handle and over ride switch would be fairly expensive.I would not be surprised to see these complete panels priced higher than the F-16 landing gear levers that Dunk makes ($900.00) price range. I am not sure of the exact price.A fairly complex piece of equipment.

 

 

I don't mean to get anyone's hopes up, so please don't throw PMs at me, but my uncle personally owns a machine shop where they make things like doors for airliners, all those huge small-house like metal carvers that run through thousands of lines of code to create parts for various machines. I'm not sure what sort of price range he'd want to charge for something like a custom A-10C gear lever, but I could ask him

[sweinhart3]

I made a design in Alibre for the landing gear. I guessed at the length. I did not incorporate a push button or light as it would add more complexity with little benefit. I think it will be pretty simple to make and the lever action will require you to pull it out to move it up or down. I didnt show it but simply add a couple springs on the ends and your switch and I think it'll be golden.

Gear.pdf

[Avilator]

Well, here's the dimensions for the knob, from Everyspec.

EDIT: I'm not sure if the A-10 uses the large or small one.

Gear Handle.PDF

[Deadman]

That is not the landing gear handle for he A-10. I can check on the diameter against the real one o let you know if it is even close.

[sweinhart3]

The poor man's A-10C handle. It will be reinforced with fiberglass and then painted.

[Avilator]

The poor man's A-10C handle. It will be reinforced with fiberglass and then painted.

 

That's one way to get it done.:)

[HitchHikingFlatlander]

Looking good man! Awesome stuff!

[sweinhart3]

Got it all fiberglassed today. If that document is anything what the real A10 uses then I made the dang thing 1/2" too big around. Too late now; Im not gonna redo it. Materials cost me $50. Still should be better than using the keyboard but it not being according to spec is gonna bug the crap out of me.

[Kneeling Warrior]

I have just run across this thread so I will post some things to answer some of the questions about the Landing Gear Box and Switch top.

The 925.00 price is for the all Metal Version, it is a bit over kill for hobbyist.

We make these for companies that provide simulators for the military both foreign and domestic.

You see when the simulator is not your own you tend to not be as careful and for that reason the Resin version is not recommended for commercial use.

Now the Landing Light switch top is made of resin in white and all but the jewels are painted silver.

The one pictured is the old type made from a replica, our new version is made from a mold of the real part, and the base is a small amount larger for mounting purposes.

The jewels do not light up in the real part; they are just plastic drops of resin.

Dead man is right the Gear Box is very complicated and is not USB but it is not needed to be.

The G press switch is set up through a board like the Xkeys matrix.

Then the light in the handle is connected to a Light output Board.

The Thumb button activates the solenoid to unlock the Gear Handle.

[Oakes]

Does anybody have a close up of the nob on the Landing Gear Handle itself, I'm trying to figure out how the lenses and light etc are incorporated into the round knob, or is the entire knob made out of a transparent material?

 

What is the little round extrusion on top of the knob for, is this a button...?

 

The Thumb button activates the solenoid to unlock the Gear Handle.

I'm assuming this is the Downlock override button (marked with Yellow stripes) or...?

 

/Oakes

[Avilator]

Does anybody have a close up of the nob on the Landing Gear Handle itself, I'm trying to figure out how the lenses and light etc are incorporated into the round knob, or is the entire knob made out of a transparent material?

 

What is the little round extrusion on top of the knob for, is this a button...?

 

I'm assuming this is the Downlock override button (marked with Yellow stripes) or...?

 

/Oakes

 

The entire knob is transparent. There are some videos floating around that show this. The handle lights up and the alarm sounds during the extend/retract sequence. I have no idea what the little round extrusion is for. Yes, Kneeling Warrior is referring to the Downlock Override. AFAIK, that is non-functional in the simulation.