Simple Gauge

Hi.

Here is my home made wing level gauge which makes an excellent gauge for the Cessna 152.......

http://alexpilot.50g.com/winglevel%20gauge.jpg

This is a great addition if you cant afford the hefty 274 Euros that simkits want.

Until I can afford it, then this will do nicely.

Simple gauge =

1 piece of clear acrylic.
1 panel with a circle cut out with bank angles
1 circle disc with aeroplane legend
1 mini servo connected to servo card (just waiting for servo's to arrive).

Simple, does the job and affordable....

This gauge maybe cost around £5 to make which is the cost of a servo.

I had all the wood and paint and acrylic spare!

You can add a 'slip' display to the gauge with ease which will require another servo!

Vertical Speed and Tacho should be complete by xmas!

I thank Mike Powell for giving me some inspiration to make gauges!

Here is the picture if the gauge, I will indeed be making this again but with laser cut acrylic parts at some point....

http://alexpilot.50g.com/winglevel.jpg

Looking gooed Alex! the way you explain, it should not be that hard to give this a try!:)

Something bit off topic; How did you give the "rounded" look to your gauge cut-out? I assume you sanded them? did you do this by hand? are you also using 4mm MDF? It looks absolutely fantastic, kinda curious how you did this, it gives a really realistic look! :D

William.

Maybe a handheld top router ?

http://www.ikt.fi/images/bosgof2000ce_2.jpg

With a nice radius bit with a support bearig, then light sanding...

Hello....

Heres basically how to do the MIP:

Knowing the correct thickness of the wood for the MIP is crucial.

1.5mm - 2mm - Use this to make MIP's using medal or aluminium.

3 - 4mm - I originally used this for my first MIP in my Cessna 172, but not the best material to use as it is versatile, bendy and not that strong and not particularly good for holding heavy gauges, but excellent for fascias, small panels and templates.

5-6mm - Excellent for normal gauges with just the right hold, has a good level of support and excellent for smoothing corners, sanding and providing bevelled edges -This is what I used in my Cessna 152 MIP.

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I used 6mm mdf for my Cessna 152 MIP, its very easy to cut with the most basic of tools and provides a nice smooth finish.

I achieved the smooth curves, edging and rounded corners by sanding and sanding and sanding, I used a 'Hard' sandpaper to form the round all the edges then went over it with a 'fine' sandpaper.

To cut out any squares you would of thought that I would of drilled a hole then used a saw to cut them out, but I didn't that is way over the top. I just used a sharp stanley knife to cut them out because you will achieve a much straighter line in the long run. I just used a small square file to file the corners square and used a small flat file to create any special effects in the wood such as grooves and lines.

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I am in the process of painting the MIP white at the moment, I have just done one coat, I will sand it all down again and then apply another coat, and then start painting it the colour I want, Top half baige and bottom section brown, just like this:

http://www.flight1.com/images/152/c152-13.jpg

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As for the turn and slip gauge, this is just a dummy that will work and do the job for now, I have the parts being made for me out of acrylic which is laser cut and will also be a full turn and slip, once its done then I will take some pics of it on how I made it, or someone can have my prototype for free!

Anyway enough said for now.....

Speak soon....

Alex

Thanks for the elaborate answer Alex!

I now have a 4mm MDF plate, but I should be fine as I will cut the panel in three. One panel for the Main Six + VOR 1 & ADF, one panel for the radio's and one panel for the right side. I will make a wooden framework around this to hold everything in place, so it should be strong enough:)

Looks really good, you are making good progress!:)
will give the sanding a try when I have the cutouts ready!

William.

I will post a picture of my primed MIP soon, just as a little update!

Cheers.

Alex