Logitech (Saitek) Throttle Quadrant Modifications

thingiverse

This project involves two modifications to the Logitech (Saitek) Throttle Quadrant used with the X-Plane flight simulator. The first modification adds custom levers, while the second adds stops and releases for lever travel arcs. The design may not be useful to many people, but it could inspire others to create their own modifications. In this case, the throttle quadrants are located under a keyboard tray, so the levers had to be kept short, about the same length as the unaltered quadrant. To achieve this, I cut back the existing levers by 3/4" before installing the custom levers over them. Additionally, I shaved down the ridges on the existing levers to allow the new ones to slide smoothly. If the new levers feel loose when attached to the existing levers or if the knobs are loose when attached to the new levers, you can use tape strips on the flat surfaces to secure a tighter grip. When using two quadrants and numbering the levers from left to right as 1 to 6, levers 1, 3, 4, and 6 will require the files labeled "Lever01," while levers 2 and 5 will need the files labeled "Lever02." The second modification requires custom levers. To add stops along the lever arcs, each quadrant receives a shield with grooves at the desired stop points. Each lever also gets a stop and release mechanism. Levers 1, 2, and 3 will use parts labeled "Body01a," "Body01b," "Release01," and "Stop." Levers 4, 5, and 6 will use parts labeled "Body02a," "Body02b," "Release02," and "Stop." Refer to the attached images for placement details. I combined the body parts using CA (hot glue) and Crazy Glue. Printing the bodies as one piece might have been possible, but I wanted a smooth finish for the stop and spring, and didn't want to deal with bridging material in such a small space. For the springs, I cut 3/4" lengths from cheap ball point pens. The little axles on the body and stop were made slightly longer to allow for melting of the ends. Using a heat gun, I heated up an Exacto knife blade and pressed it onto the axle ends to secure everything together. This system was designed with the AirFoil Labs King Air 350 in mind. Initially, I considered creating custom shields for each aircraft, but that seemed too much work. I believe the current shields can be used for other aircraft while adjusting control settings within X-Plane's control profiling feature to match desired positions at existing grooves. All stop and release parts were made with 100% fill. The custom levers and shields had 15-20% fill, although the shields' thinness (1/8") likely resulted in near 100% fill anyway. I created the design in Sketchup, and attached files are included. One final note: I found the built-in stops at the bottom of the lever arcs on the throttle quadrants to be somewhat loose. To address this, I added my own stops to the shields, tightening them up. https://youtu.be/E3fKQiv7e9c