Spitfire K9817 Build

[Lewis - A2A]

Get some pics and videos please guys I know i'm not alone in wanting to see the latest in action!

[Killratio]

Lewis,

As soon as I have the U/C pump fitted I'll make a video. I made the internal switching and the cylinder that triggers the Switch today. Between tomorrow and Sunday I am hoping to have he whole thing finished and then get it ready and fitted next weekend. A lot will depend on what is waiting for me when I get back to the office on Monday.

ASAP on the video though!

D

[Killratio]

Latest progress photos.

I got caught up on other things, so this is a bit longer process than I had hoped it would be.

The main handle has been completed. I elected to ditch the PVC pipe outer as it was bunching up and just didn't look right.
Instead I used 2 aluminium outer pipes, long length at the top, short at the base and cut and slotted aluminium rings to cover the bend.
This was then filed down, sanded and covered in a good layer of car bog, which was then sanded to a smooth, even diameter. A lot of
messing about but well worth it in the end.

I have also remade the smaller handle... well, actually turned it down so that a standard aluminium pipe section would fit over it, then bogged,
filed and sanded the frame and handle (pictures of that bit later).




You can also see from the comparison below, of how much the top cylinder, pushrod and mount assembly has changed the look of the front!

[Lewis - A2A]

Nice! How will you integrate into the sim?, it looks amazing

[Killratio]

G'day Lewis,

The top cylinder piston will rest against a "break to make " limit switch. As the handle is moved forward the piston will move off the limit, breaking the connection and the switch will close and the signal be sent to " pump ". That signal will remain active until the stroke is completed on the pump handle and that, if pumped at a normal speed, will be about the time it takes the in sim pump handke to move through one stroke (hence the need for the break to make circuit.)

The bottom cylinder, the "real" one, has a heavy spring inserted in the rear, giving resistence to the pump handle and holding it upright when at rest. Mimicking the hydraulics nicely.

The valve handle will probably have the locking pin wires run forward to a pulley, looping back and mounted on the front bulkhead. Attached to the pulley will be a cam which will close another limit switch when the gear position is selected as down.

That switch will send a "down" offset when closed and an "up" offset on opening. This will mean that the joystick button allocated will only be on when the gear is down...leaving the system less loaded during flight.

Wiring will therefore be able to be run as per the real unit's "up light" circuit switch which is mounted on the rear and operated by a tyne which comes off the locking pin lever and engages when gear is in the raised position. THAT switch in sim will actually not be needed and the wiring will run in through the side of a fake switch into the rear of the unit and on to the "pump" limit switch.....see, simple


A LOT of planning and designing and about 30 individual parts make up the pump assembly!

[Killratio]

The basic layout:

[Gypsy Baron]

That is absolutely amazing Darryl!

You must have the patience of a saint to get through the planning, building,
integrating and testing phases of every system you have put into your cockpit!

And the detail is extraordinary!

-=GB=-

[Killratio]

That is absolutely amazing Darryl!

You must have the patience of a saint to get through the planning, building,
integrating and testing phases of every system

Thanks Paul, very much appreciated. I must admit, I've never before been accused of either Sainthood OR patience.

And for anybody who doesn't know, the whole project would have been quite impossible for me without Paul's extremely patient and
accommodating help with the macro and LUA files!! Without these, the sim would have been a "dead" shell with a functioning
joystick, rudders, throttle, Airscrew control and Mixture.

Instead, approximately 95% of the Accusim functions are active and every single gauge (save for the Flaps and Top Tank Fuel gauges,
which I don't have physically) is represented and functional. The entire aircraft can be flown from startup to shutdown without touching a
keyboard or mouse.

One who also deserves a large measure of credit is Scott . . . without whose commitment to Accusim and endless patience with my mumblings
and insane requests during design and beta of the WOP III Spit, much of the motivation for the depth of design and detail in Moody Blue, would
have been missing!

In fact I could not have done this without a good number of people, far too many to risk listing, lest I forget someone but you all have my most
ardent thanks!



On the 5 boards/fora where the Spitfire project resides, it has now had just over 365,000 views and just under 2,000 comments. So obviously there
are a few people either interested in the Sim . . . or just how crazy I am??

Darryl

[Killratio]

A little more progress.

The main handle knob, polymer undercoat, three coats of black gloss and three coats of clear gloss. Currently set aside to harden for three days. It is finished to a very high sheen which unfortunately doesn't show in the photo.



The completed U/C Cock valve handle and frame.




Finally, the completed main handle attached to the old Anson Pump with the machined piston that will trip the limit switch attached to the scratch built extra frame for the top cylinder.



Next job is to finish paintng the top guide and then get the Raise/Lower lettering enamelled and baked.

[Lewis - A2A]

nice job, lets see how your arm muscles improve pumping that thing up and down when its integrated

cheers,
Lewis

[Killratio]

Yep Lewis,

Luckily, after all of the bending, filing, sanding and screw driving I've had to do in the last month, I already look like one of those crabs with one small and one massive claw!

Mechanism wise the only thing left to work out now is the final length of that top piston, as THAT will determine the TIME that the switch is active during the pump action.

The longer the piston, the longer it will stay on the limit switch and the shorter the period that the pump in sim is actually moving, as that is programmed to "pump" while the simulator "offset" is "on" rather than to move one stroke each button press.

That in turn depends on how far back in the pump body I can mount the switch and the length of "stroke" that translates through the pump handle (which has to stay clear of the instrument panel at the forward extent of its travel) once it is fitted in the cockpit.

THAT can be controlled by adding washers in behind the large spring I've put in the main cylinder, which reduce the travel of the top of the main handle by a ratio about 5:1.

The pump has to be mounted so the top of the handle has enough travel to move the cylinder off the switch for about 1 second at a time and the travel time for the stroke is also roughly 1 to 1 1/2 seconds.

Finally, the pump has to be mounted correctly so that I bang my knuckles on the cockpit wall or oxygen line if I am not careful (realism is paramount!) (Which reminds me, Ron, your hands are bigger than mine, please send me your measurements so I can make sure you will bang your knuckles on every pump )

Oh..and then there are the 15 pumps to raise the undercarriage but 30 to lower it! So if my physical pump does not match that, it will be wrong.. even if I am probably the only person on earth who would notice (What IDIOT got THAT feature implemented in the programming??? )

Too easy eh? I'M SO CONFUSED!!!!!!

https://youtu.be/pXw7LYWNi5E?t=24s

[Lewis - A2A]

LMAO!

[Killratio]

Well, a long hard and sometimes nightmarish road but finally tonight we have got from this:






To this:








Final test fit of all the painted parts of the main pump. I still have to do the mounting brackets, the
cockpit wall plate, the locking pin control wires and bend some clock spring to make the various holders and limit stops etc. Also still need to do the pipework. But for now I am just happy that it has come out "close to" the real thing!

Been on it since 1700 and it is now 2340 .... bed time!!


(Oh, I accidentally started planning the replacement of the wood frame with Ali today )

[Redglyph]

First time I see this thread. This is absolutely stunning, great work!

[Killratio]

Thank you very much for the kind words. I'm glad you enjoyed looking at her.

Darryl