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Replacement Throttle Quadrant for RV-8?

HawkinSF

Member
Don't care for the standard throttle assembly for the RV-8, just looks and feels kind of weak and cheap. I've seen numerous photos of upgraded units, wondering if anyone knows who might be selling them?

James Hawkins
 
just a thought...

If I was doing again, I wouldn't use the de luxe unit either. I'd use vernier adjusters for pitch and mixture and have a scout round for a nice solid single lever quadrant - or even make it myself out of something more solid than the deluxe unit uses.

Chris
 
got 'em here

Don't care for the standard throttle assembly for the RV-8, just looks and feels kind of weak and cheap. I've seen numerous photos of upgraded units, wondering if anyone knows who might be selling them?

James Hawkins

I produce a nice repro version of the WW2 style -- actuator movement specs are set up for the normal air,fuel & gov requirements on our planes.

http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/803/quadrant.jpg
http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/9342/quadrant2.jpg

Carry on!
Mark
 
Nothing feels like ...

You could always use one of these ...

throttle.jpg


Nothing feels quite like an F-16 throttle in the hand ... heheh ...:D
 
Don,
Where can I get one? I have a toy one for my computer, but I'd rather keep it for flight simming.
 
I know what you mean, Chris. On the "Show Planes" fastback plane they show a photo of just that, but they don't sell a quadrant. I thought maybe someone did, guess we'll have to build it... Thanks for the reply.

jh
 
Don,
Where can I get one? I have a toy one for my computer, but I'd rather keep it for flight simming.

I found it on eBay many years ago. I haven't seen one recently though. I have a spare, but have promised it to someone else. If he changes his mind, I'll post it in the VAF classifieds.
 
Infinity has been "Workign on that" since before the Val's first flight over four years ago.....makes me wonder how hard they are working!

Don - if you excess your extra, let me know - that would look pretty cool in the -3! ;)
 
Will Marks F1 quadrant mount with the same screw pattern?

Wow, Mark, that looks like a much better quadrant than even the 'delux' one. The delux one from Vans still isn't stiff enough, too much rubbing stick-tion where the levers come through the guide. And for some reason, the friction adjustment won't make all the levers have the same resistance.

So, if it would fit in as a retrofit, I would be interested in one of yours,

Steve.

I produce a nice repro version of the WW2 style -- actuator movement specs are set up for the normal air,fuel & gov requirements on our planes.

http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/803/quadrant.jpg
http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/9342/quadrant2.jpg

Carry on!
Mark
 
Thrustmaster HOTAS Cougar


For those interested, it's a Thrustmaster HOTAS Cougar. Amazon has them for $190. Can be found on eBay too. They are well constructed aluminum. I have the stick and throttle tucked away, planning on using them the same way.
 
For those interested, it's a Thrustmaster HOTAS Cougar. Amazon has them for $190. Can be found on eBay too. They are well constructed aluminum. I have the stick and throttle tucked away, planning on using them the same way.

Nope. Sorry, you lose. :D

It's not a Thrustmaster Cougar. This is the real thing. F-16 throttle control unit.

However, depending on how sturdy the Thrustmaster unit is, it may work just dandy. The only button that I connected from this is the SPD BRK button -- I use it to actuate my flaps. I had enough buttons on the matching stick grip to run everything else that I wanted to control.
 
FYI - A good friend was watching his grandson play some fighter plane game on his PC when he realized the would never press the buttons that many times in the life of his plane. So, he bought a Microsoft joy stick took it apart, ran the wires out the end and then filled it with epoxy and micro balloons to hold a threaded rod end in it. He then mounted that in his Velocity. He was right, the joy stick and Velocity out lived him. :(
 
Identical

Nope. Sorry, you lose. :D

It's not a Thrustmaster Cougar. This is the real thing. F-16 throttle control unit.

However, depending on how sturdy the Thrustmaster unit is, it may work just dandy. The only button that I connected from this is the SPD BRK button -- I use it to actuate my flaps. I had enough buttons on the matching stick grip to run everything else that I wanted to control.

the real thing is much cooler :D

I'll post pics of the thrustmaster when I get home.
 
PM sent

Wow, Mark, that looks like a much better quadrant than even the 'delux' one. The delux one from Vans still isn't stiff enough, too much rubbing stick-tion where the levers come through the guide. And for some reason, the friction adjustment won't make all the levers have the same resistance.

So, if it would fit in as a retrofit, I would be interested in one of yours,

Steve.

PM sent. Of course, anything can be retrofit with enough labor and $$$!:D The #10 c/s attach fastener pattern is ~2 9/16" W x 2 11/16" H

$265 ea.

Our lever guides are delrin; the levers are SS; the friction lock is a SS spring. Very smooth action, the friction setting STAYS SET; and it won't corrode when used in formation (sweaty hands, ya know). I put a dab of light machine oil on the throttle lever (just a bit less friction) so formation work is easier.

Carry on!
Mark
PS Smokey's setup (single lever + 2 verniers) is a good one too, esp for fine mix adjustments -- BTW didja notice those rear rudder pedals? That's using your head for more than a hat-rack!;)
 
Here's a better picture of the throttle in N8RV. Since I had to lower the mounting to accomodate the size of the throttle lever, I had a row of rivets to cover ...

throttle-1.jpg


throttle2.jpg
 
I can toss in a thumbs up for Mark's throttle quadrant--I have one in my -8 and it is one of the things I would do again in a heartbeat. It looks good and works very smoothly.
 
Mark,

Why did you put the levers in that order ?

Normally, the prop sits next to the throttle and the mixture is furthest away.

Looks a very nice unit - may yet be tempted....... :rolleyes:
 
Mark,

Why did you put the levers in that order ?

Normally, the prop sits next to the throttle and the mixture is furthest away.

Looks a very nice unit - may yet be tempted....... :rolleyes:

I don't see a reason why the balls for mixture and prop couldn't be easily swapped putting the mixture on the outside.
 
Mark- How wide (thick) is the unit? What is the current price? Are they on your website?

1 7/8" wide; you can order direct thru my email:

f1boss (at) gmail dot com.

Carry on!
Mark
PS the shots with the knobs misplaced are in error - the knobs are placed correctly. I sent one to Fatboy for test fitting of his throttle lever knob - have not heard if it fits or not. I hope it does!

Carry on!
Mark
 
FatBoy meets F1Boss

throttle-quadrant-fatboy.jpg


Hey guys,

I've talked Mark into letting me sell his quadrants. They are soooooper smooooth, to say the least. No sticking whatsoever, and same pressure throughout the travel range. All 3 levers are identical in sensitivity. Drive down the tension nut where you want and throw your tension knob out the window. Mark testifies that no amount of vibration is causing slippage.

See my site for details -- I take the FatBoy grip, rework his throttle lever, and voila, you have the "FatBoss1". Keep going through Mark of course if you don't want the throttle grip on steroids, switches and all that, but I have to say, this is a quality product for sure. More pics/info at my site:

http://www.fatboythrottles.com

Flyeyes -- Just wondering how you mounted this in your 8? I'll post notes and other folks' install stories for reference on the site. Doesn't look too difficult, as it drops in clean, just need to tweak the attach hole placement a little.

Take care all -- Andy
 
throttle-quadrant-fatboy.jpg


(snip)
Flyeyes -- Just wondering how you mounted this in your 8? I'll post notes and other folks' install stories for reference on the site. Doesn't look too difficult, as it drops in clean, just need to tweak the attach hole placement a little.

Take care all -- Andy

Mine isn't standard, as I have relatively short arms, and don't like the stock throttle position. Mine is moved back and inboard a bit, and I would do it exactly the same way again.

here and

here

I'm very interested in your grip--would it be a drop-in replacement for my current throttle lever?
 
Yes, we have a couple options: you can use your existing lever, make the bends the way you want and screw through to my grip. Or, just ship it to me and I'll attach for you with nutplates attached for easy service/removal. The ones I sell online that are stand alone come with cold roll steel levers pre bent to the 45 degree attitude, 5/8th wide, 1/8th thick and plenty of length vs. yours, where the lever end wraps around the drum axle.

I like the way you have leaned your quadrant inboard, this is nice ergonomically, and as well, you have plenty of outboard room away from the cockpit side.

Call for more details if you want or check out the site and go to "Throttle Grips" for information/ordering/switches, etc.

Thanks for the interest -- Andy
 
Good question -- throttle quadrant grip: my preferred way to both sell/make this and what I am going to do in the RR is use a coil cord. Some guys (Steve Formhals) prefer to use a straight cord -- see the following link for a picture of his routing, but I also like the look of a coil cord. To each his own though.

http://www.fatboythrottles.com/throttle_quadrant_pictures.php

The key is to make sure it is anchored well from both the grip end as well as where it is going to grip/exit your console. McMaster/Carr sells several different cable grip/disconnects. If you are getting both a 4way and push button and want the coil cord, I will wire the switches at the cap, tie off the cord at the grip base and you can route/anchor from there.

The other link below is a shot of an RR build in FL -- he has a beautiful military/utility look going throughout his interior -- so the coil cord aesthetically is perfect here, but more importantly, it is designed to give/go with the throttle movement. There might not be enough outboard space in the RVs for this style grip, however, you can easily go forward or aft.

Flight Grip: A lot easier here, as I pass up to 7 24 awg white tefzel conductors straight through the base of the grip which in an adaptor that slides into the stick -- the wires go through the adaptor straight into the inside of the stick tube.

Lots of options here and I am eager to help -- this stuff is interesting to me: how to really fine tune the mechanical/functional areas of a cockpit so they not only work great, but look "planned" and aesthetically appropriate.

-- Andy

http://www.fatboythrottles.com/images/DSCF2400.JPG
 
It appears that without redesigning the quadrant structure there is no way to run the switch wiring except externally. From an esthetic perspective it would sure be more appealing if the support arm of the throttle was designed with more mass (diameter) so that wiring could run inside of it in the same manner as a control stick. Perhaps due to fine products like yours switching controls will become more commonplace on throttle quadrants, and more esthetically pleasing designs will be developed. ;)
 
good point WM . . . I think any builder is on a never ending journey to tweak, twak and twok anything and everything having to do with an airplane. When you hit upon something that really nails something you've been at for a while, it sure is satisfying.

I'll keep you posted regarding wiring routes --

Andy
 
It appears that without redesigning the quadrant structure there is no way to run the switch wiring except externally. From an esthetic perspective it would sure be more appealing if the support arm of the throttle was designed with more mass (diameter) so that wiring could run inside of it in the same manner as a control stick. Perhaps due to fine products like yours switching controls will become more commonplace on throttle quadrants, and more esthetically pleasing designs will be developed. ;)

What I am planning to do for the PTT on our throttle is to run a single wire down the inside of the grip then along the front of the lever "bar", with heat shrink around the bar to hold it there. I'll use the "bar" itself as the ground. PTT is just grounding a wire so this should make a virtually invisible wire. Won't work for a more complex set of wiring, of course, but for PTT alone, well....I'll let you know!;)

Paul
 
What I am planning to do for the PTT on our throttle is to run a single wire down the inside of the grip then along the front of the lever "bar", with heat shrink around the bar to hold it there. I'll use the "bar" itself as the ground. PTT is just grounding a wire so this should make a virtually invisible wire. Won't work for a more complex set of wiring, of course, but for PTT alone, well....I'll let you know!;)

Sounds like a nice neat way to address the problem. I assume that the tolerances are adequate to ad the shrink wrap without adversely affecting the action of the throttle movement.

Andy, are the tolerances on the FatBoss1 sufficient to use Paul's approach without affecting that smoooooth action?
 
run a single wire down the inside of the grip then along the front of the lever "bar", with heat shrink around the bar to hold it there.

A little finessing with a die grinder could put a groove deep enough in the edge of the lever to hide the wire. A bit of filler and you wouldn't know it was there.
 
You could also wire up using flexible circuit board tape or ribbon cable as used in computers etc, route this down the shaft, heatshrink over and then join a curly cord or straight cord out of sight further down near the axis of rotation.

Just a thought....
 
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You could also wire up using flexible circuit board tape or ribbon cable as used in computers etc, route this down the shaft, heatshrink over and then join a curly cord or straight cord out of sight further down near the axis of rotation.

Just a thought....

Oh, I LIKE that idea!
 
Hey HawkinSF have you taken a look ant the new DJM Manufacturing web site? We offer all different types of quadrants for the RV series. If you are looking for a curve top they will be under the RV-4 or if you are looking for a Flat top they are under the RV-8. And just to let everyone know we just upgraded the quadrants, all of them are now laser etch plus we are developing new AR type handles.

Here is the web site. djmmfg.com
 
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These are great ideas -- if the goal is to make the conduit "disappear", any one or a combination of the methods here should work. The gap in the fatboss1 (Mark's quadrant plus a FatBoy grip) at the cap, or top of the quadrant is exactly 3/16th. The lever is 1/8th. So you really have 1/32nd to play with in order to keep the conduit sides from hitting the delrin spacers at the cap slots for the lever. I'll attach a pic here. Using the leading edge of the throttle lever and wrapping the entire lever and conduit you could get it all to disappear. I'll try it this week and post. Also, there is nothing mechanical at this point, you are simply merging two components into one.

But again, confirm you don't have any chafing. With just a push button, you are probably good to go with wrapping only (2) 24 awg wires. However, using a 4way hat and a push button and/or using my coil cord, you are 1/64th past the 3/16th gap. This takes into account the neoprene conduit wrap apart of the coil cord. (7) separate 24 awg wires that are wrapped with heat shrink or something similar discussed here as a part of the lever might work though.

As the lever passes thru the cap slot you'll see that the lever is just touching the delrin spacer. This provides a super steady and smooth ride, but with a wrap job, might cause the new conduit to rub? Something to play around with as there is approximately 1/16th to play with on the inboard side -- see picture link here --

http://www.fatboythrottles.com/throttle_quadrant_pictures.php

throttle_quadrant_pictures.php


Please keep the ideas coming -- what about wireless? Maybe a little over the top?
 
Can do!

It appears that without redesigning the quadrant structure there is no way to run the switch wiring except externally. From an esthetic perspective it would sure be more appealing if the support arm of the throttle was designed with more mass (diameter) so that wiring could run inside of it in the same manner as a control stick. Perhaps due to fine products like yours switching controls will become more commonplace on throttle quadrants, and more esthetically pleasing designs will be developed. ;)

Hey Bill:

If you want one that hides the wire, I can build it, and Andy will put one of his most cool handles on it. You are asking for a very specialized unit, likely to cost 2x what the original cost. Send me a check and I'll get on it!

Carry on!
Mark
 
Hey Bill:

If you want one that hides the wire, I can build it, and Andy will put one of his most cool handles on it. You are asking for a very specialized unit, likely to cost 2x what the original cost. Send me a check and I'll get on it!

Mark, good to know this is an option. When I'm ready I'll reach out to you.
 
Got it!

Mark, good to know this is an option. When I'm ready I'll reach out to you.

Maybe by then I'll figure out some way to do it without spending what equates to a college tuition on the problem...I might be able to re-design the bolt retainer & keep the drum design...use wider spacers & longer stand-offs...but it will take a new lever design....I think...

In any case, a shoebox full of 20s & 50s ought to cover it.:eek:

Carry on!
Mark
 
I hid the wires on my throttle quadrant by milling a 3/16" square slot down the back side of the bar and pressed a square extrusion into it that I got from a hobby store. I can post a pic tonight.
 
Hey Bill:

If you want one that hides the wire, I can build it, and Andy will put one of his most cool handles on it. You are asking for a very specialized unit, likely to cost 2x what the original cost. Send me a check and I'll get on it!

Carry on!
Mark

Hey Mark -- I just removed the outboard delrin cap spacer. With the steel stiffness in the lever and without the spacer, the throttle lever moves exactly the same -- very smooth and very solid. Here is what I propose for folks wanting to hide the wiring.

1. for a left side mount fatboss1 throttle quadrant, detach the top outboard facing screws.
2. with just a little pressure, pull back the outboard throttle quadrant frame piece just enough to slide off one end of the outboard 1/8th thick delrin spacer. Slide the other end off and remove the delrin spacer.
3. insert (2) AN960-15 washers and (1) "L" version of the AN960-15, at each end. If you use (3) 960-15s the outboard frame bends slightly out.
4. cut out x inches of 1 inch shrink tubing and slide over the exposed grip end of the throttle lever.
5. slide through your conduit/wiring, and guide along the LE of the lever.
6. before heating it up, attach the grip back on the lever
7. with the grip on the lever, check to make sure everything is where you want it and heat it up -- should be nice and clean.

I have NOT done this, so be sure to give this a lot of testing. I have taken some pictures and uploaded to the fatboy site here to show the extra 1/8th inch gap, so without the delrin spacer you should have a 1/4 inch gap -- plenty of space for the coil cord conduit or 7 loose 24 awg wires, or other conduit to slide with the throttle lever staying clear of the delrin sides.

Pictures here:

http://www.fatboythrottles.com/throttle_quadrant_pictures.php

-- Andy
more info here: www.fatboythrottlequadrants.com
 
Aw ****

Hey Mark -- I just removed the outboard delrin cap spacer. With the steel stiffness in the lever and without the spacer, the throttle lever moves exactly the same -- very smooth and very solid. Here is what I propose for folks wanting to hide the wiring.

1. for a left side mount fatboss1 throttle quadrant, detach the top outboard facing screws.
2. with just a little pressure, pull back the outboard throttle quadrant frame piece just enough to slide off one end of the outboard 1/8th thick delrin spacer. Slide the other end off and remove the delrin spacer.
3. insert (2) AN960-15 washers and (1) "L" version of the AN960-15, at each end. If you use (3) 960-15s the outboard frame bends slightly out.
4. cut out x inches of 1 inch shrink tubing and slide over the exposed grip end of the throttle lever.
5. slide through your conduit/wiring, and guide along the LE of the lever.
6. before heating it up, attach the grip back on the lever
7. with the grip on the lever, check to make sure everything is where you want it and heat it up -- should be nice and clean.

I have NOT done this, so be sure to give this a lot of testing. I have taken some pictures and uploaded to the fatboy site here to show the extra 1/8th inch gap, so without the delrin spacer you should have a 1/4 inch gap -- plenty of space for the coil cord conduit or 7 loose 24 awg wires, or other conduit to slide with the throttle lever staying clear of the delrin sides.

Pictures here:

http://www.fatboythrottles.com/throttle_quadrant_pictures.php

-- Andy
more info here: www.fatboythrottlequadrants.com

Well, there goes my financing for my Corsair.:mad:

THANKS ANDY!!:rolleyes:

Carry on!
Mark
PS Just kidding - that's a good idea. I could actually make the right width spacers easy enough, but they STILL won't give enough profit for me to have that Corsair. I guess I'll settle for the Guillows version...
http://www.guillow.com/GuillowDetail.asp?prod=1004&SeriesId=25&FamilyId=1
 
ok Mark,

After careful Harvard bought FatBoss1 market analysis, it will take EXACTLY 24,193.54 throttle quadrants sold at a projected time frame of 48.38 years IF we sell 500 a year.

At our current rate of transactions, it will take 806.45 years.

I will see you in heaven in your F4U my friend!
 
wonderful...just wonderful.

I have heard good things come to those who wait, but....800 years is a bit outside of my patience quotient. I'm callin' Guillows today.:D

Carry on!
Mark
 
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