Thanks for the reply, I will also look closely at the DC-3 and Skyraider gauges.
F-111 build thread
- Thread starter legoman
- Start date
For working gauges, can you use pictures of gauges and work from there? In the attached picture the needle would need to be "blacked out" and some touchup behind.
Aircraft Spruce and Specialty have some great pictures of the gauges they sell ( example attached).
aircraftspruce.com
Aircraft Spruce and Specialty have some great pictures of the gauges they sell ( example attached).
aircraftspruce.com
Attachments
technoid
Well-known member
You're probably not interested but if you want the source for my Somethin' Special to get the gauges just ask.
grooveybf109e
Well-known member
Just curious but could any of you modelers make the turret spin on the tigers I uploaded and the gun mantle go up and down a little? Also I was wondering if it was possible to create a cockpit for the tank? If not it is ok.
legoman
Well-known member
you would need the original 3d files to separate the parts you wanted to animate and then place the pivots then re export it to realflight.
legoman
Well-known member
can you use pictures of gauges and work from there? yes you could but they can take up alot of room on the map and resizing them can make them messy/blurry. also finding a complete set of gauges that are similar pixel per inch (pixel per cm) for packing purposes with the ranges in rpm, airspeed, Units etc. at match the airplane.
grooveybf109e
Well-known member
How much is done on the f-111?
legoman
Well-known member
Uhhh.. see post 110 I have done some stuff since then it is small and may not be worth a full update. I have had increasing issues with my interlink DX. it was too the point if I was going to fly and tune aircraft. I was going to have to spend 30 min to a hour or more chasing the controller calibration. and that is kinda a mood killer.
Also I tend to get burned out on build it happens with every build. right now stuff to finish is the nose gear actuator/braces, cockpit detail (perhaps my least favorite part), EF-111 specific radomes/bumps/pods, and mapping/paint.
Edit and the tail skid
technoid
Well-known member
Yup.. I get burned out at the end of every build so I know the feeling well.
grooveybf109e
Well-known member
You guys should be burned out, with all the time, energy, work, and heart you put into your models, Thanks for the wonderful airplanes!!!
Sounds like KnifeEdge should send you a replacement Interlink DX free of charge, you of all people certainly deserve that courtesy.
MASSIVE amount of work done so far on the F-111, it is truly looking great, please keep adding those small steps to complete the model.
Sure I am anxious (as are many others) to get my thumbs on the control sticks and fly the F-111, but I am also very patient, knowing the complexity of making a model, especially the complex models Legoman makes. Thanks for all your great work.
legoman
Well-known member
I have a work around for the interlink of removing the springs that center the gimbal. I definitely do not recommend people irl even attept this it is super sketchy relearning how to fly crashes can and will happen. You do get used to it after a while. But i put my friend who is a aviation buff like me he cannot fly a trainer staight and level with out the springs and i could not when i first tried it a few years ago on my interlink elite
As far as a EF-111 beta I am still fine tuning the suspension. Since it is uhh unique and i may adjust the settings on it yet (soften the copression and stiffen the rebound). I may do a video but a minute of video is an hour+ of upload time
grooveybf109e
Well-known member
Sounds brutal, don't know how you do it.
technoid
Well-known member
I'm curious how are you adjusting the compression and rebound separately?
technoid
Well-known member
Oh I have another question. Do you feel the Interlink DX is broken or is it just too sensitive to centering like I've heard BrokeDad talk about too. I think he got some replacement parts for his.
legoman
Well-known member
I am trying to figure that out how to do it. I am using one of the flight controllers to detect when the plane is touching the ground and that tells a 'servo" to move the gear from hanging to landed or vise versa. and on takeoff the gear drops as fast as the "servo" lets it but on landing it squishes super slow and I can only imagine that is the flight controller doing some thing.
Do I feel The interlink dx is broken? No... 12o' and a few others says theirs is fine. but brokedad has concurred that his is doing someing thing similar to mine. I bought mine at my local hobby store got home plugged it in. the switch layout was a little strange made a custom layout to match the older interlinks so I did not have to edit a couple hundred avs. noticed after calibrating in rf the centering was not quite exact. move the stick one way it would center fine but move the stick the other way and it would be off a couple percent 2%. so I but a flat spot in the curve near the center point. recalibrating would some times switch which way the off center was based on which way the stick was moved and some times it would only be 1% but on both directions. no big deal a little dead band can fix that issue then it got worse and worse 3%, 4%, 5%, then 5% and it not centering in the other direction. and a couple days ago it was reading 10% with zero stick pressure. and through all of this you could watch the output dance around when the remote sitting still on the desk. I have tried different usb port thinking dirty port, electrical noise, etc. not the issue currently the right stick is the only one that has the issue aileron being the main offender. the rudder is still a little off but it has not gotten any worse.
so back to your question, Do I feel The interlink dx is broken? No. quality control issues possibly can not say for sure the sample size is way too small to be able to tell. I may have a lemon or I have issues with my computer some that I know about and some that I may not that may be causing my symtoms.
technoid
Well-known member
Okay thanks for the answers. You know.. telling the truth. I bought an Interlink DX and because I use RFX too and I'd have to switch controllers in and out I haven't used it so it's sitting in the closet brand new. I assume at some point I'll use it so that's why I'm asking about it. If your stick is off that much I'd say the pot is bad (dirty) and makes a poor contact so it floats around.
legoman
Well-known member
I did not notice this before I took the springs out but around the natural centered location the encoder/potentiometer which ever is in the interlink is reading values that jump erraticly positive and negative but past +/- 20-25% percent from center it is reading a smooth continuous values. I assume it is an encoder by the values that windows is reading in the calibration screen and what I have seen in the INI file. but there are only three wires going to the pot which would be power ground and signal? not a multi bit signal i guess it could be just a stream of values coming through the signal wire
but any way technoid do you have any recommended ideas for cleaning it with out having to take it apart more than taking off the back panel. I am assuming one of these sectors is dirty on the encoder
technoid
Well-known member
I would say it's a Pot (adjustable resistor) the three wires connect the full resistor (Outside 2) and the center is the wiper and that is sent to an Analog to Digital Converter which is how you get the digital stream. Normally to clean them you buy a spray can of electronics cleaner at places like HomeDepot and you just spray it inside any opening of the Pot. Keep the spray close and short so not to spray it everywhere. But electronics cleaner is safe so it won't hurt anything if it hits other things it's just best to keep the spray small and pointed at the hole. Some Pots have openings around the center where the wiper turns others by the three wires so just look at it close. I hope BrokeDad will chime in here I think he may have cleaned his (can't remember for sure).
The problem is it's almost impossible to get good quality Pots these days they're all made as cheap as possible. Here's a video you can watch to get a feel for cleaning a Pot. It's about a stereo amplifier but it will give you a good intro to cleaning a Pot.
Cleaning a Pot video
Link to electronics cleaner at homedepot
https://www.homedepot.com/p/CRC-11-oz-QD-Electronic-Cleaner-05103/205021975
Technoid Replied"The problem is it's almost impossible to get good quality Pots these days they're all made as cheap as possible. Here's a video you can watch to get a feel for cleaning a Pot. It's about a stereo amplifier but it will give you a good intro to cleaning a Pot."
I agree that the "foreign" parts have a quality control problem. Things seem to be either great are bad. Potentiometers can be temperature sensitive also.
Another thing that I believe is a problem is the solder they are using. I have fixed quite a few electronic problems just by re-soldering bad connections.. When I view some electronic boards under a microscope , the connections sometimes look cold soldered or sometimes the joints are cracked or did not flow correctly and the connections are inadequate.
If cleaning doesn't fix the problem, try re-soldering the connections involved. Use a good solder, not lead-free. The best solder I've used is a 63/37 Tin Lead mix available at good electronic distributors. 60/40 mix is standard and can be used, but the 63/37 is better at eliminating the possibility of cold solder connections. For good flow and cleaning, it's better to use a rosin core solder unless you are applying the rosin separately.
Good Luck !!!
I agree that the "foreign" parts have a quality control problem. Things seem to be either great are bad. Potentiometers can be temperature sensitive also.
Another thing that I believe is a problem is the solder they are using. I have fixed quite a few electronic problems just by re-soldering bad connections.. When I view some electronic boards under a microscope , the connections sometimes look cold soldered or sometimes the joints are cracked or did not flow correctly and the connections are inadequate.
If cleaning doesn't fix the problem, try re-soldering the connections involved. Use a good solder, not lead-free. The best solder I've used is a 63/37 Tin Lead mix available at good electronic distributors. 60/40 mix is standard and can be used, but the 63/37 is better at eliminating the possibility of cold solder connections. For good flow and cleaning, it's better to use a rosin core solder unless you are applying the rosin separately.
Good Luck !!!