3D Printed DIY Helicopter Cyclic Build

[@StigBSivertsen]

You basically made cockpit building into art! 😊

[@helimech8152]

Thank you as always! Humbled.

[@388thalpha]

This video needs a Double Thumbs up button!

[@helimech8152]

Thank you, 1 more video to go with the final wiring and programming. Then hopefully get to improve my heli handling skills

[@mickd6942]

If only ikea did things like this , attach part red to part blue then bolt the assembly to part pink remembering to place part green in the middle , amazing build .

[@helimech8152]

Hello and Thank you. I think we might see a few different people come up with there variant or version soon.

[@joker_g7337]

Quite a bit of engineering work went into this design. Thanks! I had people ask me why I prefer to print my joystick models with resin instead of filament. Density and touch are much better with resin. I'm happy to see that I'm not the only one to print the grip in resin.

[@helimech8152]

Resin does make them feel like the real thing. Also so much eaier to finish and paint!

[@KeithRCmafia1967]

You are such an amazing engineer! Cheers from San Antonio Texas!

[@helimech8152]

Thank you and feeling humbled by your words.

[@KeithRCmafia1967]

@helimech8152 I'm really feeling humbled that you replied to me:) I use all Anycubic printers. I have a Kobra, 2 Kobra max printers, and my resin is a photon mono x2. I finally want to make the motorized 737 thrust quadrant. Are you going to do a final version with the trim wheels and all?

[@Timmandel]

I just started printing. I'm so excited.

[@helimech8152]

Good Luck! This was a fun project which is still be used daily.

[@hshah1903]

Multi colour is really cool and looks good

[@Bonbon1948]

Love your videos.

[@helimech8152]

Thank you!

[@80aj]

I mean, you're a friggen genius.... I wish I could get on your level. In the states I can't even find anybody with a resin printer for my g1000 build. Just impressive what you have built and shown.

[@Dutchie66]

What a joy to watch. So much attention to detail and tidy work with all the cable work.

[@RB0087]

Wow, this is really well done. I have browsed a few similar builds, and they mean well, but they're usually not very well thought out. This series is the exact opposite. Instead of thinking about the stuff that they didn't consider, I'm thinking "Why didn't I think of that!?"

[@alexrmr79]

An absolutely brilliant job. Thanks for sharing. Greetings from Spain.

[@helimech8152]

Hello Alex, and thank you

[@august6625]

I was *just* about to commit to getting some magnetic brakes for my 2-person side-by-side heli sim, but now I'm considering steppers as it would allow trimming. Thanks for the idea!

[@B747-4OO]

Excellent! Great job in planning and building, Karl! Watching your videos is always very educational! Looking forward to part 3! Best regards from Vienna! Hans

[@helimech8152]

Thank you as always! Kind regards, Karl

[@sinepilot]

I’m waiting for video #3 (the wiring & programming one) before deciding if this project is above my level. Once I’ve seen it and am satisfied I can do this myself, I’m throwing all my money at you for these files! Absolutely amazing and looks like a lot of fun!

[@rent2ownnz]

Here you go mate .... kzbin.info/www/bejne/emmyYX6Gdsx7n7s&t

[@nickfly9501]

Awesome

[@helimech8152]

Thank you

[@nathanwildthorn6919]

Wow! That entertaining and quite brilliant. Thank you so much!

[@helimech8152]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@micsky99]

Your videos are really inspiring and I particularly love this Heli series. I currently don't own any Printing equipment and am looking to get some soon. It would be great if you could do a vid on what equipment you used to make the collective and cyclic.

[@helimech8152]

Thank you Micsky, The two printers used were the creality CR10v3 & LD006. Will look at making a video of my equipment later on when its all up and running!

[@hydrolisk1792]

Very well done!! Nice job with the mechanical engineering mate!

[@helimech8152]

Thank You! A lot of thought went into these designs and quite a few prototypes before arriving on this version and even now, theres more that can be done....But not yet. Back to the 737!

[@hydrolisk1792]

@@helimech8152 We can always critique our own works LOL. Whilst others see it as perfect and awesome, we always see our own creations as revisions along the way. Keep up the good work and I'll be here waiting for you to upload part three :) And the half sim :)

[@rrs1912]

In one word: impressive!!!!

[@alainaubry5615]

I love this build! Thank you very much Karl 😃

[@helimech8152]

Awesome and thank you!

[@georgelucas9790]

Amazing work, and a great watch along, looking forward to having a go at printing and programming a set of controls.

[@helimech8152]

Go For it dude! Great to hear how it goes and let me know if you need any help!

[@PsicoPete]

I understand that cable lacing ties are inexpensive and always at hand, but if you'd cut some heat shrink tube it would be way faster and would probably stay in place for ever. Everything else is just jaw dropping nice.

[@helimech8152]

Thank you. Either way works, its what ever takes your fancy.

[@miket3445]

Fantastic effort Karl….hat goes off to ya! Mate if you get the AP to control the cyclic and collective then it’s game changer as the only alternative is to go for expensive (I mean tens of thousands of dollars plus more) devices like Brunner, CAE, etc…… Again we’ll done….. Mike T from Aus

[@helimech8152]

Hi Mike, Sam has been working on the autopilot, taking the ADI gyro offset figures and reversing them and feeding them back into the controls. The problem being, having a way of detecting pilot input to break the loop. Just like real aircraft i now need effort detectors or microswitches to tell the autopilot to stop fighting against the pilot. A problem for another day!

[@miket3445]

Hi Karl, not sure what you mean by ‘breaking the loop’? If you mean take manual control whilst upper modes engaged then normally you would just press the force trim button and manipulate the cyclic with AP engaged……only time I’ve done that if the AP is not doing something right (probably because I engaged, say the App mode too late, and need to quickly bank the helo. Once you let go of the force trim the AP FD will take over again and achieve last set settings (modes). If you mean the force required on the cyclic to disengage the AP….not sure as not something you normally do……it would be more of an emergency action to do that because you would just disengage the AP using the button on the cyclic. From memory it would require a fair bit of abrupt and large input to do it which most probably set you up for a U/A. Modern helos like the AW139 (which I’m rated on) fly with the Force trim always engaged and only time you release it (on the cyclic) is when coming in to land or T/O or hovering……and yes your thumb gets sore…….otherwise you just leave it on. Never disengage the pitch or roll channels. I wouldn’t worry about simulating disengaging the AP with abrupt pilot input. Mike T

[@MobiFlight]

Really cool Karl! Nice build, so much of your experience went into this!

[@helimech8152]

Thank you, and i think its my experience that hopefully makes this stand out for others to build.

[@Kalle1854]

Yeha, next video. love it.

[@helimech8152]

Thank you

[@asklapios]

You are amazing person

[@helimech8152]

Thank you and humbled.

[@cerrefe]

Amazing job...

[@helimech8152]

Thank you so much 😀

[@ardytkd]

excellent build. thanks for sharing and keeping us inspired by your work.

[@helimech8152]

Thank you, hopefully a lot more ideas to come!

[@awjvdheide]

I was not able to test your setup on the last FS Weekend. Are you plannig on going to FS Weekend 2024? Your explenation of build is like a symfonie to my mechanical engineer ears.😍😎👍

[@JerryWithStrings]

Your passion really shows in every video, amazing work!

[@MeppyMan]

I’ve just started diving into Arduino then I’ll start printing the collective. Love that you’ve done these and everything else you provide the community! Not having realising controls has put me off helicopters in flight sims… wish I could build all this today!

[@helimech8152]

Hi Mark, Thank you. Theres really not much arduino knowledge used. Its only really used to drive the steppers for the beep trim. However, these controls do the job, and for 3 printed parts, im hoping these can only get better as i refine the design.

[@MeppyMan]

@@helimech8152 cheers. Im keen to get familiar with Arduino anyway so I can setup switches and displays and eventually the Helionix. Have access to some printers next weekend so will start that learning curve and order from you in a few days.

[@garyfly8244]

❤❤ great video thanks for sharing

[@helimech8152]

Thank you

[@ingmarm8858]

So much awesome, cheers.

[@helimech8152]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@garysinger8247]

Purchased the plans, printing them up on my prusa mini, just needed to split a few of the STL files to print them on the small print bed. Splitting the parts with dovetails seems to be a pretty good setup, may need to buy a bigger 3d printer for the collective build though

[@SegginsProductions]

I know this is older, but I hope you see it. How do you go about splitting an stl? Do you need to convert it to a different file type or is there a program you can edit them directly?

[@joshkirkendall1909]

I love your work on this stuff, it made me finally pull the trigger on a CR-10 smart pro. I'm currently printing your builds for the cyclic, collective, interface unit, and twist throttle. Instead of the AW or Bell collective/cyclic, I printed and built AH-64 Apache collective and cyclic grips, I'm incredibly excited to assemble the final build once everything is delivered and printed! One question I have so far; can you share the link to the interface board you use on the front of the cyclic? I want to make sure it fits within the slot on the interface mount print, and I'm not seeing anything on the internet that looks very similar to what you have going on!

[@jessicahunt6569]

can you do a video on how to lace the wiring looms?

[@helimech8152]

Sure, I have just doenthis video on my patreon channel. I will try to create one for here. Thank you.

[@gaborilles4437]

Hi, Can I use this for other planes? or can it be converted into a straight stick? I would like to build one that would be good for several types of machines, great work, thank you. I hope there will be more videos of such constructions.

[@SimplePacman]

Amazing Work! What filament would you recommend for the base parts? I could imagine that it should be a stable filament... Ord did you print everything with a resin Printer?

[@aircoolednavigator2070]

How long til you make plans for the pedals available???

[@lukasthiele9538]

Amazing design! Are you planning on implementing the forcetrim on the rudderpedals as well? Thank you for your amazing work, you are really inspiring me to get back into flying digital helicopters.

[@helimech8152]

Hello, Rudder pedal trim is coming just to complete the set. But not for a little while yet as i really want to push on with the 737SS

[@fpvfishing2366]

another great build video! can i ask why you have used these Potentiometers over the rotary hall effect sensors for the collective? thanks

[@helimech8152]

Hello and sure, due to overwhelming response on the webaite, pots were preferred because of price. With each hall sensor costing 25 USD people wanted the cheaper option. So I changed the design to cater for the masses. I will also change the collective to a pot in the next few weeks.

[@fpvfishing2366]

@@helimech8152 makes sense, I would like to see the difference myself, I have 4x of the rotary Hall effect sensors from your collective. I will get a couple of the ones in this video that you recommend. Keep at it! Looking forward to the rudder pedals. Can I ask do you get a finer resolution with the Hall effect sensors over the traditional pots? Thanks

[@simonbaxter8001]

Nice build Karl. Just wondering why you didn't mount an Arduino in each of the new connector boxes, so the only cables coming out is USB and power? Makes it even more plug and play and tidier as far as cables go.

[@helimech8152]

Hello Simon, You certainly could have fitted the arduino in there. But not all the stepper drivers and cooling equipment that is coming up in the next video. My genral idea was to keep all the electrionic components in one place. Thats were the interface box comes in. Hopefully with one cale loom going to each of the controls.

[@simonbaxter8001]

@@helimech8152 Cheers Karl, I hadn't thought about the stepper drivers! ... although the small TMC modules on an arduino shield would nicely fit in a printed box.

[@JoeSmith-zv4ic]

Thankyou for this, I have purchase the parts needed (Ali Express came in at £120 for everything appose to ebay at £230) Will by the 3d Models next month. My question is, dose this cyclic move on game output? I have the H145 in msfs 2020 with it's excellent auto pilot . Will the collective and cyclic move as the auto pilot reconfigures? I'm having trouble regaining control when I switch auto pilot of and matching there the controls should be. I'm hoping that this set is the answer.

[@mytubehkjt]

Just fantastic. Have you done a fighter jet stick with FFB etc by any chance??

[@helimech8152]

Hello and thank you for the kind words. I have never worked on a fighter jet, just looked at them in awe. There a more the RAF side of life whereas I have only been Army. Perhaps one day!

[@helimech8152]

Yes, because its just a simple joystick seen to the the PC.

[@abdulkackmack]

Hey mate great videos. Where can I buy your plans and shopping lists for these units. Great work. Excited to try my hand at building these. Are you doing a rudder module also??

[@antoniocardonagarcia1978]

Hi! Love your work. Just a question when you try to realize a Yoke like for the cessna plane? Thanks for your effort 👏👏👏

[@mungo7136]

* Astonished * (not a big surprise, just once again 😄 ) Your shop claims "This design requires a print build of 300 x 300mm". Is it so or maybe you can mark parts (also for collective) that are over the size of the more common Ende3 bed? Because judging by your hands vs. parts size, I guess that maybe the tubes are the only over the smaller bed size and it is something that can be solved. You know, buying some 30-ish pound plans only to hit dead end in form of your 3D-printer is not tempting idea. On contrary - just let it be, not knowing that it is not a big deal is also not a good one especially as I like it guit a lot. One additional question as I guess you know the answer: Why helicopters use these goose necks? I do not see much of the difference in main control stick for planes and helicopters, yet planes tend to use straight one while helis very often used the curved one. Even if from the pictures in the end the control grip is exactly above the pivoting point.

[@helimech8152]

Hello Mungo, There are a lot of parts oversize in both systems not just the tube. The sidewall frames and bases, also the collective gear assembly. I made the choice early on to make the parts fit the bed of the 300 x 300. Eben this wasnt as big as i needed. I would have loved to go bigger, thus reducing the forces on the steppers even more. As for the gooseneck i actually dont know! It creating quite a debate here at work.

[@Montragon29]

That is a very inspiring build. I am in the proces of building a production ready anti-torque pedal unit with a similar mindset(being 3d printed for the most part). I have one question about the filaments used in the video, they look real shiny and a bit translucent which hints at PETG or ABS..Or is that all PLA? Keep up the amazing work!

[@stkk7186]

Do you plan on continuing the motorized 737 throttle quadrant? :)

[@helimech8152]

Yes, when i get to that stage of the new 737SS. I will revisit it, add all the new mods poeople have suggest over the last year and create a propper build guide to go with it.

[@PwiCleric]

WHat would the price of something like that be?

[@ImpendingJoker]

Just looked at the parts list for this just about all of the hardware are either out of stock or don't ship to the US. Either way it's a cool build.

[@helimech8152]

Hello, All my links are UK based. You need need to take that data and find local alternatives. Easily done, as i am already seeinf builds posted back to me from around the world.

[@robertrichtsmeier6645]

Would you consider having parts available for buyer assembly?

[@oldmang9962]

Amazing work, brilliant design. So want to look at building one. Are the STL files small enough to print on a Prusa 3S ? I love the way you put everything across with a smile, nothing seems to phase you, I wonder if there is an out take vide somewhere.... 🙂

[@helimech8152]

lol no out take video yet. I find sim building very relaxing and far less stressful than my real job. I dont need to worry about missing or breaking something in these videos, unlike on a real aircraft. So when i drop a screw in an awkward place during a video it usually makes me laugh, at work, there would be that feeling of dred!

[@fossve]

Damn, have to buy a 3D printer 😅

[@helimech8152]

Its an awesome tool for sim building! or creating repliaca aircraft parts.

[@pascalperrin-bonnet7119]

Le soufflet en TPU sa va être très très difficile a imprimer. Pour faire mes pneus de Monster truck j'ai bien galéré.

[@helimech8152]

Avez-vous une tête d'impression directe plutôt qu'un tube Bowden ? Cela fait une énorme différence.

[@pascalperrin-bonnet7119]

@@helimech8152 J'ai une Prusa MK3S mais elle se bouche tous le temps, je pense que les températures de buse sont la cause.

[@markalgie1794]

I have done all the printing and now to the wiring stage. Can I ask a simple question please? What size wire do you use? Thanks.

[@helimech8152]

I like to use 24 to 26AWG. The website has a blog post with the same wire I use. That might be a help.

[@beforever]

Has anyone got a Robinson style T bar modification for this?

[@imaprogaming]

how long did it take you to design the 3d models?????

[@Norman_Peterson]

with your competence and precision, if you created your own brand of flight peripherals production, and hotas you would make excellent earnings, for me you would become the first on the market. At your level I believe there is only 1 competitor, and you would easily beat him.

[@muzz00ka1]

Does anyone know of an alternative to LEOBODNAR BU0836A? I'm starting to source all the items for this amazing build, but the cost of this board and shipping to Australia is so expensive.

[@helimech8152]

Hello, you can use an arduino pro micro as a joystick card. Much cheaper. Theres a link under getting started on the website on how i did this.

[@muzz00ka1]

@@helimech8152 thank you so much! Can’t wait to get this build underway!

[@theopgamer4422]

Hii sir, I had been looking to build a a320 cockpit from months. I have completed mcp and pfd center pedestal.but need some help with overhead panel. do you know anyone whoo can help plz?

[@jaredauger6046]

Is there a way to print on a Ender 3 S1 Pro?

[@helimech8152]

I think there have been many mods now that have split the parts up. You can find them on Discord.

[@wowyummyyy]

L I K E 👍👍👍 👍👍👍😻😻😻 😻😻💟💟💟💟

[@AirCanada1086]

Just a small question but what 3D printer do you use?

[@helimech8152]

These were created on the CR10v3

[@AirCanada1086]

@@helimech8152 thanks!

[@blacknass1943]

you ar Like Got you creating from nothing.

[@IAMKingofkings1A]

Karl i like your work but when you get to wiring,, unless you are trying to cause house fires to you you wire l;ike a aircraft technition thats great but the people building them are not and even people with basic instruction and even electronic techs use colors for confirration and easy identification for repair and if wired uo a teck need to find the issue to you it make sence but people dont wire like aircraft techs even an auto electrician would be telling youe colour wires

[@TheLukemcdaniel]

I know it's cheaper to only use one color, but please, for the love of all, COLOR CODING IS A THING...

[@helimech8152]

Chuckle, gordy isnt it!

[@SegginsProductions]

Actually, in aviation, it really isn’t. Most of the time it’s just the white wire with labels. Now for a sim I get it, but stay organized and it shouldn’t matter too much.

[@tiseb97416]

Vidéo yoke ffb please m’y friend 🙏