Additional info related to the article Hydraulic Fight Simulator from MAKE Magazine, Volume 12
First container assembly: the "Potential Energy Reserve"
|
Quantity |
Item |
Make/Model |
Source |
Comments |
|
2 |
Rugged rectangular plastic bucket 9"W x 11.5"D x 15"H |
ScoopAway 40 lb container |
Costco |
Second container is used as the catch bucket |
|
2 |
Plastic milk crate |
15.25"W x 13.5"D x 10.75" H Stacked for total height of 21". |
||
|
1 |
Brass ball valve with handle |
1/2" BALL VALVE Mueller/B & K Model: 107-703 |
Do it Best |
Do it Best SKU: 410640 |
|
1 |
Brass Coupling |
1X1/2 BRASS COUPLING Mueller/B & K Model: 454-053 |
Do it Best |
Do it Best SKU: 457698 Used to secure the brass ball valve |
|
1 |
Brass nipple |
1/2X1-1/2 RED BRS NIPPLE Mueller/B & K Model: 463-015 |
Do it Best |
Do it Best SKU: 409790 Used to connect the ball valve to the coupling |
|
1 |
Brass barb |
3/8IDX1/2MPT HOSE BARB Anderson Metals Corp Inc Model: 57001-0608 |
Do it Best |
Do it Best SKU: 419168 Connects the open end of the brass ball valve to the surgical tubing |
|
2 |
Fender washers |
2.25"DIA. |
One washer on the outside of the vessel, one washer on the inside of the vessel, sandwiched by the ball valve and the coupling |
|
|
1 |
Brass ¼" - ¼" barb hose fitting |
1/4" I.D. hose, 1/4" Male NPT thread Plews/Lubrimatic Model: 21123 Or Watts |
Do It Best or Home Depot |
Do it Best SKU: 578835 Potential Energy Reserve gauge assy. |
|
1 |
¼" Brass elbow |
1/4X1/4 90D ELBOW Anderson Metals Corp Inc Model: 54349-0404 |
Do It Best or Home Depot |
Do it Best SKU: 442526 Potential Energy Reserve gauge assy. |
|
1 |
Hose clamp |
Secures the clear plastic hose to the brass barb |
||
|
12.5" |
Clear plastic hose |
5/16" ID / ½" OD |
Serves as Potential Energy Reserve gauge |
|
|
1 |
Tie-wrap |
Secures the clear plastic hose to the top of the container |
||
|
1 |
Brass Coupling |
¼" BRASS COUPLING
|
Do it Best |
Used to back up the ¼" brass elbow |
Second container assembly: the "Kinetic Energy Reservoir"
|
Quantity |
Item |
Make/Model |
Source |
Comments |
|
1 |
One-quart Plexiglas measuring cup |
Camwear |
M & J Frank Inc. 29 Eagle Rock Ave. East Hanover, NJ 07936, 973-887-1040 |
The handle and flared pouring lip will be cut away |
|
1 |
Plexiglas tissue dispenser |
4 7/8 "x 4 7/8 "x 6 " |
The Container Store |
Discontinued. Use alternate with same dimensions. |
|
8 |
Brass ¼" - ¼" barb hose fitting |
1/4" I.D. hose, 1/4" Male NPT thread Plews/Lubrimatic Model: 21123 Or Watts |
Do It Best or Home Depot |
Do it Best SKU: 578835 |
|
3 |
¼" Brass elbow |
1/4X1/4 90D ELBOW Anderson Metals Corp Inc Model: 54349-0404 or Watts |
Do It Best or Home Depot |
Do it Best SKU: 442526 |
|
1 |
Brass ¼" male/male barb splicer |
Watts A-190 222 |
Home Depot |
Weights the surgical tubing from the Potential Energy Reserve |
|
12" |
Button thread |
Low kinetic energy float assembly |
||
|
5" |
1/6" piano wire |
Low kinetic energy float assembly |
||
|
5.25" |
1/8" square basswood |
Low kinetic energy float assembly |
||
|
1 |
12 volt power supply |
Thermaltake W0118RU |
Radio Shack |
350 watts (used to deliver 12v DC to lamp and solenoid switch) |
|
4 |
Corner braces |
3" |
Used to assemble the Azek Trim Board pieces into the frame |
|
|
2 |
Corner braces |
2" |
Control stick mount |
|
|
4 |
1" swivel Eye Pulleys |
National Mfg. Model: N223370 |
Do It Best |
Do it Best SKU: 237611 |
|
4 |
½" screw eyes |
Mated with the pulleys and mounted to allow raising and lowering the second container with the control stick |
||
|
12' |
Nylon twine |
Suspends, raises and lowers the second container |
||
|
1 |
¾" D x 16" L Dowel |
Control stick |
||
|
1 |
Aircraft plywood cam |
Disc - 1"D x 1/8" thick used as high-angle of attack cam at base of control stick. Requires forming to model aircraft behavior |
||
|
1 |
¾"w x 5" Strapping material |
Brass. Secures push-button valve |
||
|
1 |
Push-button valve |
Gilmour Group 311 TSC Telescoping Extra Reach watering wand |
Push-button valve is harvested from telescoping plant spray watering wand |
|
|
1 |
Solenoid valve |
ASCO Red Hat ¼ 2W NC 0647 RPLS 8262C90 INC PRFX FT, GS, R, T |
Asco |
12 volts DC. Other SKU information: T 138840 20451 |
|
3 |
White trim board |
Azek |
Nominal thickness: 1" (actual thickness: ¾") One: Nominal width: 12" (actual width: 11 ¼") x 33" One: Nominal width: 8" (actual width: 7 ¼") x 26" One: Nominal width: 8" (actual width: 7 ¼") x 6" |
|
|
1 |
4-Position Dual-Row Barrier Strip |
Radio Shack |
Model: 274-658 |
|
|
1 |
Red LED with Holder |
Red extra bright lamp assembly 12VDC, 60 mA |
Radio Shack |
Model: 272-331C |
|
1 |
SPDT Switch Without Roller |
Radio Shack |
Model: 275-016 Low kinetic energy float assembly |
|
|
1 |
1" Corner brace |
Used as LED mount |
||
|
24" |
Black hookup wire |
|||
|
24" |
Red hookup wire |
|||
|
6 |
Clear bumper pads |
1/2" CLR BUMPER PAD Faultless Caster Model: 22986 |
For under the second container assembly base. Do it Best SKU: 227285 |
|
|
2 |
Tie-wraps |
Guides and secures the surgical hose to the second container support rigging |
||
|
1 |
Styrofoam cube |
1" x 1" x 1.5" Closed cell foam. Low kinetic energy float assembly |
||
|
Plastic Cable Hold-downs |
Radio Shack |
Various sizes to secure wires and surgical tubing to the assembly. |
||
|
Wood or sheet metal screws |
Various sizes to secure corner braces, strapping material, barrier strip, hold-downs. |
|||
|
Washers |
Various sizes for strapping hold-downs, control stick spacing. |
|||
|
Nut/bolt combo |
Various sizes for control stick pivot on 2" corner braces, low kinetic energy float assembly attachment. |
|||
|
1 |
Brass swivel |
Do it Best |
Used to suspend second vessel |
Third container assembly: the "Potential Energy Reservoir"
|
Quantity |
Item |
Make/Model |
Source |
Comments |
|
1 |
Two-quart Plexiglas measuring cup |
Camwear |
M & J Frank Inc. 29 Eagle Rock Ave. East Hanover, NJ 07936, 973-887-1040
|
The handle and flared pouring lip will be cut away |
|
1 |
Plexiglas display container |
Plush Toy Display Cube, # 44100
|
The Container Store |
5-3/8" x 5-3/8" x 7-1/4" h |
|
1 |
Plexiglas food services container 7.25" max w x 7.25" max d x 7.25"h |
Cambro |
M & J Frank Inc. 29 Eagle Rock Ave. East Hanover, NJ 07936, 973-887-1040
|
Four quart. |
|
3 |
Brass ¼" - ¼" barb hose fitting |
1/4" I.D. hose, 1/4" Male NPT thread Plews/Lubrimatic Model: 21123 Or Watts |
Do It Best or Home Depot |
Do it Best SKU: 578835 |
|
8 |
Clear bumper pads |
3/8" CLR BUMPER PAD Faultless Caster Model: 22976 |
Do it Best |
For under the pedestal supporting the third container and the container itself Do it Best SKU: 230464 |
Materials, General
|
Quantity |
Item |
Make/Model |
Source |
Comments |
|
24 feet |
Surgical tubing |
Home Depot |
Made up of approximately 6 lengths, 4 feet each and various shorter pieces |
|
|
2 |
Underwater Epoxy |
PC-Products 2OZ PC-11 EPOXY PASTE Protective Coating Model: PC-11-2OZ |
DoItBest stores or www.doitbest.com |
Do it Best SKU: 357642 |
|
1 |
Gap-filling Cyanoacrylate glue |
Local model airplane shop |
Generic "Krazy Glue" in gap-filling viscosity |
|
|
12" |
Teflon pipe sealing tape |
Tools
I made the Fuel tank out of a plastic kitty litter container. At the bottom I added a metal lever-type spigot and a fuel gauge, which consisted of a brass elbow fitting connected to some clear tubing held up by a small hose clamp at the top. I sealed these connections (and all other metal-to-plastic joints in the project) with marine epoxy. To raise the fuel tank well above table level, I put it atop two plastic milk crates. Meanwhile I also put an unmodified kitty litter container on the floor, for the catch bucket.
The Kinetic reservoir is a 1 Quart plastic measuring cup inside a Plexiglas tissue dispenser box, and the Potential reservoir is a 2 Qt. measuring cup that sits in an open plastic container raised up on a Plexiglas display box. The Kinetic drag holes are 1/8" in diameter, spaced 5/8" apart, and the loss-of-lift holes in the Potential reservoir are 1/16" in diameter and 5/8" apart.
The reservoirs are connected at their bottoms by surgical tubing, which attaches to brass barb fittings that run horizontally into each measuring cup. Brass barbs also drain the drag hole outflows into the catch bucket, and the main reservoirs to the pushbutton and solenoid valves.
For the pulley system, I suspended the Kinetic reservoir by a nylon cord within a wooden frame and adjusted it so that the control stick would lift it entirely above or below the Potential reservoir.
For more information:
http://www.hydroflightsim.net
Contact David Simpson, dsimpson at hydroflightsim.net
I first learned about the US Civil Air Patrol (CAP) after 9/11. As a private pilot and long-time aviation enthusiast, I was thrilled to find out that it was possible to volunteer with the civilian component of the US Air Force. CAP's fifty-six thousand plus members--adult "Seniors" along with 27,000 "Cadets" (ages 12 to 21)--are best known for the search and rescue (SAR) and disaster relief missions they conduct with the world's largest fleet (535) of single-engine, piston aircraft. If a plane goes missing in the continental United States, CAP is mobilized to look for it. Since 9/11, CAP--a non-profit corporation--has been is expanding its role to include an increasing number of homeland security operations and exercises.
Among their bennies, Cadets are entitled to glider and powered orientation flights and can apply for flight training scholarships.
But perhaps the most MAKE-y thing about CAP is its Aerospace Education programs for Seniors, Cadets and the general public. If you like learning about or teaching about rockets, airplanes, space, navigation, instrumentation (and the list goes on), these programs will give you more than your share.
As the Aerospace Education Officer (AEO) for the Lone Eagle Composite Squadron in New Jersey, I've lead some off-beat sessions with the Cadets. We built a wind tunnel with parts from RadioShack, the Container Store, and a local model railroad shop. We reenacted the Apollo 13 "CO2 air scrubber" emergency with "CapComm" and "Odyssey" teams solving problems using electronic building block sets. Most recently, we staged a UAV SAREX (search and rescue exercise) with an R/C park flyer and a mini video camera strapped on transmitting live pictures. Fun!
Also, each year CAP sponsors the premier national aerospace education conference National Conference on Aviation and Space Education (NCASE). (visit: http://www.ncase.info/)
Civil Air Patrol was conceived in the late 1930s by New Jersey aviation advocate Gill Robb Wilson, who believed in general aviation's potential to supplement America's military operations. With the help of New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, the new Civil Air Patrol was established on December 1, 1941, just days before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.
CAP initially planned on performing liaison and reconnaissance flying only, but the civilian group's mission expanded when German submarines began to prey on American ships off the coast of the United States, and CAP planes began carrying bombs and depth charges. Since radio calls for military bombers were often unproductive, unarmed CAP fliers also dived in mock attacks, to force subs to break and run.
The CAP coastal patrol flew 24 million miles, found 173 submarines, attacked 57, hit 10 and sank two. By Presidential Executive Order, CAP became an auxiliary of the Army Air Forces in 1943. The U.S. Air Force was created as an independent armed service in 1947, and CAP was designated as its official civilian auxiliary the following year.
A German commander later confirmed that coastal U-boat operations were withdrawn from the United States "because of those damned little red and yellow airplanes." -- David Simpson To find a squadron near you, visit: http://cap.findlocation.com/