Right Console

Unlike the Left Console which has 100% custom panels, the Right Console has 5 custom panels, and 1 off the shelf panel. The off the shelf panel is a Saitek Radio Panel which made no sense to build myself. It was too wide though, so I did major surgery on it with a table saw and an Arduino Uno, so I guess it counts as “customized“.

This console also has fewer panels than the Left Console to make room for the joystick and the pilot’s arm. Side stick joystick location was just personal preference and really easy to secure.

For the custom panels, the general construction technique is 1/8″ acrylic routed on my homemade CNC, spray painted black, then text engraved on the CNC. Backlit with white LEDs, and loaded with switches and stuff. I don’t have a laser table, but that would have probably been the easier way to go, especially for the text engraving.

Right Side Overview

Radios

I did all the woodworking long before deciding to use a Saitek Radio Panel, so unfortunately it was too wide. Solved that with a table saw. Disassembled the panel, removed the two rotary switches on the left, and cut off the left 1.5″ of the case. Trimmed the scrap plastic and epoxied it back together. It fits now.

Removed a chunk and epoxied the edge back on
Barely visible seam and it fits!

Replaced the rotary switches with GPIOs coming from an Arduino Uno. That Uno selects what each radio is displaying (COM1, COM2, VOR1, VOR2, XPNDR, etc.) by grounding the correct line on the Saitek PCB, in the same way that the rotary switch used to do. The Uno doesn’t have enough GPIOs, so I grabbed a 74HC138 3-8 decoder from the junk box and used that to drive some of the lines. I only need two lines grounded at a time to replace both rotary switches, so by dedicating the GPIOs to one group and the ‘HC138 outputs to the other group, this works fine.

The Uno is controlled by the user via the encoders on the MODE/TUNE custom panel on the upper right. Character LCD display responds to encoder knob inputs. Maybe overkill, but it made things fit and looks sort of cool.

Added Uno and 3D printed bracket to back of Saitek
Uno, ‘HC138, encoders, LCD, and LCD backpack
It works!

Sim Controls, Fuel Selector, Boost Pumps, Pitot Heat, and Fuel Shutoff

This is in the back corner behind the pilot’s elbow, out of the way. Put there since it’s stuff you don’t need to access often.

Fuel selector is low cost 3 position rotary industrial switch off Amazon. Handle is 3D printed and just a press fit. Fuel shutoff is a pull switch from Pep Boys auto parts. Standard toggles and pushbuttons for the rest.