The Shop > Electronics & IC Programing

Electronic stabilization systems. aircraft el al! Link Trainer.

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John Hill:
We all know what a Link Trainer is (was?)  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Link_Trainer

The Link is a closed cockpit pilot trainer consisting of a simulation of a single seat aircraft mounted on a stand with movements in yaw, roll and pitch.  The student is under a hood and must guide his aircraft according to instruments and seat-of-pants.

We have one in our museum which is somewhat sacrosanct but we might make another for visitors to the museum to have a go in.

Making the plywood 'plane is no challenge and the mechanical movements should be easy enough.

Our project will require a closed loop system....  pilot inputs-aircraft movement-instrument indications-pilot input.    So, stick forward, 'craft pitches forward, speed indication increases, control sensitivity changes accordingly, instruments do their thing,  RPMs indicate, noise changes...... and so on.

Most of that is software (we we can manage) but tracking the attitude of the 'craft could be a pain involving all manner of electro mechanical do-dads and tangles of wires.

Now the gutz of the issue is how to practically sense 'craft attitude and model air aircraft gyros come to mind.  Comments regards the gyro systems available would be appreciated. :wave:

vtsteam:
Wish I could help -- I have a ton of RC model building and flying experience, but I've avoided gyros, because I love the skills required to fly without them. I also flew UL back in my Florida days.

I do have a drone quadcopter with gyros up the wazoo, but that's strictly a commercial black box robot videographer as far as I'm concerned. I have no idea what's inside, and don't care. It's totally boring to me as an RC aircraft, just useful for doing video. I do have a FAA commercial drone pilots license.

However, I would think there are commercial fight simulator programs with inputs and outputs -- and I'm not quite understanding the need for gyros anyway -- but maybe I'm not imagining this right. What about CNC scales on three axes, anyway -- wouldn't they give you attitude feedback?

John Hill:
Thanks and you may have the very information I am seeking!

I am not thinking of building a flying model and we do know a little about simulators having built one for our museum.

The general idea is that the project will be an enclosed cabin mounted for movement in pitch, yaw and roll.  That in itself does not seem too complicated to connect the 'stick' and rudder to the actuator machinery.

What I am looking for is a way to read the actual attitude of the cabin so as to adjust the instruments, sound effects and vibration in a realistic manner.  That is what I am thinking an electronic gyro unit might provide.

I suspect the outputs of the gyro are correction signals for the three axis,  is that right?   Is the nature of the outputs the same as used to drive model aircraft servos?  If so, for example if my controller program receives an 'up elevator' signal it could change the instruments and sound effects etc to reflect a nose down attitude.  Bear in mind that the movement of the cabin is controlled by the 'pilot' and this gyro system is used only to enhance the environment, instruments, noise, vibration.

I have no doubt there are commercially available systems including entire simulators and yes scales on the machine would be possible.  However this is 'Madmodders' site and does our culture not require us to use our initiative and, for example, modify and use stuff in ways the makers never imagined? :coffee:


One little gyro chip unit must be easier that physical sensors and connecting wires on the 'machine'?


Thanks
John   :beer:

PekkaNF:
I know one guy who build autopilot to sailboat. He used a cheap gyro/accelerometer card. It provided three axis attitude and rate information out in relatively easy to decode serial communication. I think he used standard arduino platform. Anyway his take was that cheapest ebay module was not good enough, specially on accelerometers, but next step up was allready dood enough. He was struggling a little with serial communication, because it was something like I2C and they are not ment for 7 metre distances. Needed misuse of cat6 cable and I think differential buffers. Can't remeber exactly, I was busy and he explains everything really fast. I could ask the card info if you are interested.

Accelerometers/gyros in consumer grade are cheap now because they are used cellphones, gamecontrollers etc.

John Hill:
Yes please, I would like the card info.

John

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