Aidan J. Fay
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FORCE FEEDBACK YOKE

One of the issues from my initial cockpit design was the joystick: it wasn't powerful, nor accurate enough. Plus, now that I wanted to create a Cessna 172 cockpit (because that's what I am learning to fly on), I realized that yokes, not joysticks are used in a Cessna 172. So, I needed to make a realistic yoke with powerful force feedback instead of my original joystick design..
Roll Mechanics
Early Version
Mechanics Without Electronics
Yoke Integrated

Objective:

To create a Force Feedback Yoke which would simulate control loading (stiffer controls at high speeds) and realistic elevator trim.

Materials:

MDF, Power Transmission Parts (Shafts, Couplings, Gears), Drawer Slides, Potentiometers, H-Bridge Speed Controllers, DC Motors, a real Cessna yoke and a used force feedback joystick.

How I Did It:

I started by looking on Ebay for Cessna 172 Yokes, eventually settling on a pair for $40.  The yokes had a diameter of 3/4 inch, so I looked for the appropriate power transmission parts online at  McMaster-Carr. Once the mechanical parts arrived, I constructed the frame out of wood and drilled the appropriate holes for the ball bearings. I then ordered the controllers, power supplies and motors after more research. Once the motors arrived, I found that high gear ratio in one of the gearboxes made the motor too stiff. I then opened the gearbox, rearranged it and cut down one of the gears. 
​
For the force feedback electronics, I disassembled an old force feedback joystick and decreased the power mix applied to it. I then connected the motor outputs to 2 separate H bridges, which were powered by two separate power supplies, which in turn output to the motors. I mounted one potentiometer on the gear rack and another to the roll axis.

​The potentiometers returned values both back to the force feedback controller in order to calculate the necessary motor values and to an Arduino Mega which could take a more accurate reading. I then found a used Cessna 172 yoke for a very affordable price and attached that yoke to aluminum shaft. The shaft had a large gear on one end which connected to another gear, which then connected to a gear box and RS550 motor. This “block” slid on drawer sliders for the pitch axis. The whole block was moved by a motor attached to a gearbox attached to a gear rack.

AUTO AMP
​CESSNA 172 SIM PIT
FORCE FEEDBACK YOKE​

​GLOVE WATCHMAN

HARRIER AV8B COCKPIT
MIT RESEARCH IN VR
momentary/toggle pedal
world war II sim pit

​CONTACT
MEDIA
MUSIC DEMO
TEDX TALK

COPYRIGHT © 2016-2020 AIDAN J. FAY
​ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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  • Home
  • Projects
    • Harrier AV8B Simulator
    • Glove Watchman
    • Momentary/Toggle Pedal
    • Cessna 172 Cockpit
    • Auto AMP
    • Force Feedback Yoke
    • MIT Research in VR
    • WWII Simpit
  • Media
    • TedX Talk
    • Music
  • ABOUT
  • Contact