Parts from AliExpress arrived in 16 days. Prototype v. 3.0 which I hope will be close to the final version.
The actuator fits into the case but is a little too weak, so instead of running it at the rated 9V, I use 12V. Even with 12V it’s still on the weak side, so if I start trimming for bigger forces (bigger yoke pitch pressures/deflections) the mechanism may refuse to move. Just in case it will overheat and be destroyed, I ordered two from AliExpress. They are cheap.
I have also a stronger actuator, but it has two disadvantages:
- it’s a bit higher and may not fit into the case,
- it has smaller stroke (5.5 cm, versus 9 cm of the on I’m using now), smaller than the stroke of the Honeycomb Alpha (which is about 8.5 cm).
If my current actuator will quit at 12V, I will then experiment with the stronger, higher, shorter one.
I just completed the first flight test in the Comanche. It was worth the effort! Flying is much more like a real world (I’m a PPL(A) SEP(L) pilot)!
Pros:
- trimming is now an act of feel, I just apply the control pressure and then use the trim by feel, until I no longer feel the pressure (previously it was and act of thinking - so much trim added, so much movement of the yoke to the neutral position),
- yoke position now corresponds to speed, which triggers muscle memory and visual cues,
- I can hear and feel (slight vibration from the stepper motor) the trim working,
- in general - wow, so much more like in the real life!
Cons:
- trim indicator in the cockpit is not moving, I can judge initial takeoff trim setting by the yoke position (when airborne it doesn’t matter, I trim purely by feel),
- the mod will probably interfere with autopilots which may expect the yoke in the general spring-loaded neutral position, however both in real life and in the sim I fly manually only,
- some people noted that the trim behavior I’m looking for is characteristic for small GA planes only, according to them, the hydraulic systems (or fly by wire systems) in airliners actually keep the yoke in always-the-same neutral position. But in both real-life and in the sim I fly small GA planes only.
Additional hint: As there is no permanent neutral/zero position of the yoke pitch axis, the yoke response should be linear, so any response curve defined in the controls setting in the sim or in the external tools (I use Axis and Ohs) should be removed.