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hrings
Posts: 136
I have build Karl's motorized Throttle and need help with the programming and the offsets to be used.
I am using P3D and PMDG 737.
Anyone able to help me out of this big problem
Message to me may be sent on mail henning@ringsvold.no
Best HenningR
2022-06-30 21:05
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chris7875
Posts: 1
I made also Karl“s Throttle and would appreciate if someone could help with the motorized parts. The inputs from the throttle are no problem, all managed, I have also managed the trim wheel indicator but now comes the big issue with the parking brake servo to release the brake (releasing is no problem but the servo doesnt go back) and of course the throttle levers and the speed brake lever.
2022-07-30 16:11
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mich.chr
Posts: 3
I have given this some thoughts myself since I'm building a PMDG 747-8 cockpit. Getting the inputs done are fairly simple but getting the output to drive the Throttle actuation during A/T operation is a bit tricky. To be honest I cant see a way through to do it with Mobiflight (MF) and Stepper motors - but maybe others can it. I'm pretty sure it can be done with a LUA script. I can however tell you what I did. What I did was getting this kit: https://cockpitbuilderswebstore.com/product/boeing-747-throttle-quadrant/ which I have build are currently integrating. The author is the greatest guy and he helped me getting into the intricacies of actuating and A/T. What I did was driving the throttle from a servo modified for relative movement control through an electromagnetic clutch. The servo is controlled from an open cockpit servo card https://www.opencockpits.com/catalog/servo-motors-card-p-42.html?language=en. A control loop is established via SIOC that provides the error signal that positions the throttle handle corresponding with the throttle commanded position. The same SIOC script also control the clutch so it is only engaged when A/T is active.
So...there you have it. Not exactly a MF solution but it still works.
If this were to be implemented via MF as I see it it would require a LUA script that compares the physical throttle position to the commanded, thereby generating an error message to the stepper motor. What originally stopped me from using MF(this was before LUA/MF scripting was possible) was the problem of calibrating the stepper. You can calibrate it once via the nice stepper calibration feature that is built into MF. However as I see it if you disconnect the A/T (i.e. de energized the stepper) then the calibration is lost and MF wouldn't know how to properly cue the stepper again necessitating a new calibration (which is of course not workable). The good thing about using a stepper is that you can - in principle - omit the electromagnetic clutch.
So...to sum up... not exactly a direct solution but a couple of ways to work through it have now been presented. This requires some learning curve. I learned how to code in SIOC because of this. Climbing the "SIOC mountain" requires some dedication but it can be mastered fairly quickly - even for people without prior or with little programming skills (like myself).
Best regards
Michael
2022-08-07 11:32
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