Aircraft Cable Control Systems

[Andy G]

Hi folks, I've been working on a cable control system for a large technic aircraft I've been building for the last few years. I'm interested to know if his kind of thing has been done before. The prototype replicates the real cable control systems of most non fly by wire commercial aircraft. The main advantage is it has very low friction, low backlash and can be finely adjusted.

The video thumbnail shows adjusting rig pins in red. These lock all moving parts in their correct relative positions so the cables can be tensioned. This is how cables are adjusted on real aircraft to ensure the control systems are properly set.

The video is here

Edited February 2, 2014 by Andy G

[JopieK]

Looks very nice, just like the real thing indeed!

[captainmib]

Good job on the controls. Got more to show?

[hysot]

Nice job!

The photo shows adjusting rig pins in red. These lock all moving parts in their correct relative positions so the cables can be tensioned. This is how cables are adjusted on real aircraft to ensure the control systems are properly set.

I can't see the photos. Am I the only one?

Edited February 1, 2014 by hysot

[BrianZ]

That's really cool. I'm going to keep that in the back of my mind for future solutions.

[Jody Meyer]

I do like the concept. I do a lot of RC .45 planes and instead of using push rods I use cables as well. same idea. which type of cable are you using or is it string?...fishing line also works. nice simple video.

[dhc6twinotter]

Nice setup!

You asked if anybody else has done a cable system, and I believe Marius Postma used cables on his dhc-6 Twin Otter.

[DrJB]

Neat. Reminds me of a visit I paid to DeHavilland in Toronto several years ago. There, I 'learned' that most aircrafts (i.e., Dash-8) had the typical hydraulic controls, but also a back-up system (with wires and pulleys) than ran above the ceiling, as a back-up system just in case the hydraulic system failed.

Edited February 3, 2014 by DrJB

[Andy G]

Small aircraft use the cable systems to drive the flight controls directly, larger aircraft use the cables to move a hydraulic selector valve near the flight control.

The twin otter project is amazing. But did he use push pull cables or string?

[Thirdwigg]

After building my Spitfire, I have found the strings work much better than a direct liftarm linkage. The strings with studs work very well for this application, as you can see in my WIP Typhoon here.

[Andy G]

After building my Spitfire, I have found the strings work much better than a direct liftarm linkage. The strings with studs work very well for this application, as you can see in my WIP Typhoon here.

Nice-yeah I think the system has lots of advantages-but the best is it replicates the real thing.

[Jeroen Ottens]

Nice system, it works like a charm.

It's really nice that you can pretension the system as well. Getting the play out of all the pivot points is a must have for more complex control systems is my experience.

In my F14 I used the lego flex system as cable system, but that really suffered from both the play in the pivot points and the friction of the bended flex cables in the tubes.

[DrJB]

Of course the challenge with cables is that they're very good at pulling, but cannot push. Thus, some 'smarts' are needed for bi-directional motion. Though, the nice thing is that cables can be pre-loaded, resulting in almost zero backlash ... Awaiting to see the final product of course, promises to be full of neat ideas.