Magnetic Switches - for $20 each!
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- čas přidán 28. 05. 2024
- I've wanted to add magnetic switches for a long time but I refused to pay the THOUSAND DOLLARS per switch for real ones, so I made my own on the cheap!
Here are the parts I used:
(As always, I have no financial interest or links to any of these sellers, I am only listing them to show what I used to build mine. Be sure to shop around to find the best price!)
DPST (ON)-OFF Toggle Switch -
www.ebay.com.au/itm/284470285...
12V Electromagnet-
www.aliexpress.com/item/32817...
4 Channel Mosfet-
www.aliexpress.com/item/10050...
Arduino Uno-
www.aliexpress.com/item/32838...
20mm x 1.6mm Aluminium Profile-
www.bunnings.com.au/metal-mat...
The Aluminium Bracket template is here-
thewarthogproject.com/magneti...
All my plans, panel files, and 3D printing .stls are free for download at thewarthogproject.com/downloads
And check out my Instagram at- / thewarthogproject
And Follow me on Twitch to see it live and/or ask questions in real time!
00:00 - Intro
00:53 - What are they?
01:59 - The Parts
03:38 - Modifying the Toggle Switch
09:50- Mounting the magnet
11:45 - Test
12:49 - The SAS Panel
15:45 - Ingame Testing
16:44 - Safety
17:55 - In the jet
19:56 - Shenannigans
Intro Music-
Darkling by Kevin MacLeod
Link: incompetech.filmmusic.io/song...
License: creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
Update- A few days short of 1 year later, two of the nails fell off as the bondic glue gave up. It was an easy fix, however I used a two part epoxy this time. They will never come off again.
You are a legend.
@@CAL1MBO he is for real
Makes sense. UV cure adhesive is tricky to cure where no light can reach it. If the sleeves were also transparent plastic you could probably make it work.
I have a suggestion. Suppose you use permanent magnets to hold the switches in the on position, but *counteract* them with electromagnetic windings when you want them to disengage. This would greatly reduce the current draw of the setup as well as eliminate the need for cooling. Instead of applying constant current to keep the switches engaged, you'd only need a short pulse to disengage them.
If that's the case, you don't need permanent magnets, just some self-lock switch + a disengage elecmag.
IRL jets use holding mechanism to make sure it'll always jump back to OFF as soon as the power was lost, but I have seen some low-end sim hardware for 737 use switches as what your suggestion is, my guess that type of switch is cheap anyway.
I was gonna suggest the same thing. Putting a permanent magnet on the backside of the coil might be enough to hold, then turn on the coil in opposite polarity to release.
Had the same thought. Essentially making a large latching relay.
For this use, permanent magnets are not a bad idea. But for anyone thinking about using this for other purposes, you need to consider the failure mode. This has a "fail-safe" mode, in that when power is lost, it returns to its off position. Using permanent magnets would create a "fail-secure" mode, which means the switches would remain on even in the event of a power failure, which may cause issues if something needs to be off when the power is first turned restored.
Might be easier to take apart a cheap china linear solenoid. Many of them are push pulls so if you swap out the mosfet for a motor controller chip, you could flick the switch on and off. Though not sure how much force you need to pull a switch though, 15 newtons dosn't seem enough and the cheap ones don't have a pull more than 10mm
Wow. The WAF (wife acceptance factor) of your hobby is nearing zero. You are my hero, great stuff as usual. Makes my pathetic sim-racing cockpit look pretty sad (I still love it even if my wife doesn't)
I do not have anything built yet. I just live vicariously through others and wonder what sort of face my wife will make if I buy the warthog hotas and throttle.
@@WarrenPostma In my experience, and not knowing your wife, I'd say at first she would look skeptical with a hint of disapproval but also some resignation like she's thinking "boys will be boys".
Once she learn what they cost, indignation and disbelief that you will waste so much money on kids toys.
When you tell her this is just a very small fraction of the cost of the cockpit you are going to build, it's going to be the sofa for a week at least.
Oh and if you try to hide the cost... Lets just say it's probably better she knows from the beginning rather than finding out the reason your kids university funds seems to have gone AWOL is because of your toys in the basement...
University has turned into expensive adult daycare anyways.
Just tell her he saved 20,000 by not buying the real switches... ouch
this comment section is definitely what i think how my girl looks at me when i tell her about anything related to the sim or real life 🤣🤣
oh no.... I was running out of inspiration in sim racing as I've gone as far as i've been able to find online re: DIY electronic tinkerers. Your complexity just blew that away haha looking forward to this rabbit hole
Why that sounds like:
Oh no, I thought I had done everything that can be done with my sim setup, now I have to reconsider everything... anyway, back to tinkering.
To me?
@@youkofoxy flight sim folks tend to do that to sim racing folks haha I'm big enough to admit that happily :)
Worth adding - a lot of the cheap mosfet boards don't have a back emf protection diode (should be one inside the mosfet but easy to blow out) - inductive loads like that magnet could have an appreciable pulse that the mosfets won't like.
Better the mosfets than the arduino!
Yeah diode every coil you ever use. Ever.
i did notes it either
OH, shit, I completely forgot about that part. This is actually a massive thing for this video yeah. For TWP: any transistor connected to an inductive load, like a motor, electromagnet, straight up inductor etc, will HAVE to have a diode connected to the source and drain pins, because inductors will store current during charge, then release all of that when the charge stops (electromagnet turns off, in this case), and that current will likely be going straight back to the mosfet as there's nothing else connected after the electromagnet, and the electromagnet IS the inductor, so it wont be sending the current to itself. And to the mosfet this will be a reverse current, which is what a diode would help redirect to protect the mosfet.
So the arduino isn't in any danger from this necessarily, but 1 diode per mosfet can still save TWP a lot of work down the line if a mosfet dies because of this.
The arduino does connect to the gate of the mosfet as well though, and one thing is important to note here. If the mosfet dies, the drain's leakage current to gate can increase a lot, so assuming the arduino has pins connected directly to gate, this EMF could end up reaching the arduino. I've even had mosfets straight up just short both drain and gate to source (ground) when they die, which in this case could mean the arduino pin drawing way too much current and the circuitry connected to that pin dying.
If the arduino is powered by a PC's USB, the PC's OS might actually detect the large current draw and shut off the USB though, but it can take a bit of time, and I wouldn't want to count on that.
Honestly though I would just use BJTs and a diode, that way anything that breaks will be extremely cheap. but i understand that TWP chose what he did.
Still really, really do need a diode though. Won't be hard to implement, just put it across drain and source, line facing the positive side, and you should be safe. Gate already seems to have resistors judging from the appearance of that board, so that one is okay at least. Diodes for gate can be a hassle sometimes because of voltage drop, and adding another resistor there would just make a voltage dividor which ends up being the same thing.
Would recommend looking into solenoid driver ic's. They limit the current after a set time. The hold current is much lower thus less heat
And if there was more metal at the bottom of the nail (ie a ferrous washer attached) it would need much less current to hold it since the cockpit design is not that it can be switched ON automatically. It just has to hold the switch in on position once it reaches it. In fact a permanent magnet and a small “off kick” solenoid would also work. It would only need power when tripping the switch off.
I was about to write exactly this.
Some of the aviation contactors I deal with even have extra coils that are only switched on when the contacts are open.
Could also potentially only turn the electromagnet on for a switch when that switch moves to the hold position, rather than always having them powered
Edit: just continued watching and he already does this 👌
@@StephenHoldaway he does that.
@@lexeindhoven i think he was more referring to have the switches on in the position they are least likely to be in all the time. SAS switches, for instance, are always on... so inverting the setup to hold them for SAS off and spring loading to SAS on week help because they won't be on except aircraft start... if course, he'd have to reset them to the off position every restart.
Ha, amazing work. Just when I think you are basically done you go and add another level of realism.
Dude.
You
Da
Man
Doing OZ ingenuity proud.
Regarding the electro magnets getting too hot, you can pwm modulate the powerdraw so it pulses on and off quickly with a mosfet and tune it so it will still hold the switch but use less power overall and thus not get as hot. Edit: I see below someone has suggested a dedicated solenoid IC and it would be an even better option. Another way to reduce power draw is to increase the surface of the part to hold, seeing as its a small rod it has a very small surface compared to the magnet, if you could have a flat wider surface you would need less power to hold it
I love the amount of work you have done on this project. Making all this public and open is awesome . I made a similar switch setup but I use a permanent magnet on the end of the nail. This magnet sticks to the electromagnet by default to hold the ON position. Simply pulsing the electromagnet in the same N/S polarity as the permanent magnet will push the magnet away. This means only a brief pulse is needed on the electromagnet.
The magnetic switches are like ASMR. So satisfying! Bravo!
If you put a small flat plate on the nail, free to "float" a bit so it self aligns to the magnet then you could use a much smaller/lower powered magnet eg a cannibalised relay coil . You can also get energise to release magnets but not sure if you can get them that small.
As you're using an Arduino to do the switchng I'd definately consider PWM-ing the solonoids. So for example pulse ON for 1 second to actuate then switch to percentage PWM to hold (you'll need to do a bit of trial & error so it feels right). As a benefit you can probably do away with the fan. NOTE don't even try PWMing without flywheel diodes though!!
You mean a flyback diode?
@@modmen. Yes same thing, different name. I personally prefer the term freewheeling as [to me] it describes the current path through the diode+coil while the mag field collapses.
Yeah makes sense. Wouldn't it just turn into a stepdown converter?
@@modmen. Yep that's basically it - add a bit of smoothing & regulation and you have a good old buck converter...
@@modmen. yeah I was bout to ask wtf a flywheel diode was. I Was like "great, just when you think you know your diodes..." is that a map makers fish? or whatever. red herring to weed out the unworthy. I find it hard to believe someone who knows electronics enough to suggest pwm and know inductive loads require a flyback diode. flywheel makes no sense and I might imagine one to be a backward flyback diode. it might help to think of the diode as a flyback arrestor. the flyback being when current to the coil stops flowing, the magnetic feild collapses, forcing current to move in the other direction burning out the FET/s
Man, this takes me back! In the early 90s the company I worked for did a startup simulator for the Harrier so they could practice procedures for hot and hung starts, etc. We got a cockpit built and installed instruments and displays. The two impossible tasks were barrel gauges and these switches. Both extremely expensive and impossible to find used. This was long before Internet and Ebay. We eventually subcontracted to have the gauges built for us. I don't know where we eventually found a start switch. Our engineering manager spent his weekends going round aircraft scrap yards, and aviation museums looking to buy one somewhere.
If you are worried about the magnets dieing, one standard technique with electro magnets is to lower the voltage. You might be surprised how low you can go.
Fantastic job!
Great stuff! You might want to look into using flyback diodes at the output since this is an inductive load, there will be massive voltage spikes at turn off time, those can damage the mosfet, putting a diode in parallel of the solenoid but in reverse polarity will prevent that
Sorry all- I fixed the broken links in the description!
Thanks :)
and the wall??? :D :D
Only big thing missing now is a mechanism to move the cockpit to simulate flying
Why do those switches cost 4k ?
You ever think about converting to a motion rig
Truly impressive! I love seeing your project cockpit develop over time and the ways you are finding to bring it to completion.
I've been following this series for years and you still amaze me with attention to detail and in house manufacturing. 👍👍
I think the sky jump would be to redirect air flow, from jets leaving the hanger, so not to wipe out people/vehicles passing behind. (Just my guess), super work.
I saw your comments on other videos years ago showing envy for these switches… awesome to see when you finally do it, you do it well. Nice work. Freaking awesome.
This is an insanely clever design. I've been thinking for a while about toggle switches that will actuate themselves and could never come up with a way to do it. Really dig this.
So inspiring as usual! I love how you find small fixed to everything.
I love the way the complexity of your solutions are increasing over time. Please keep it up! I'm looking to translate what you have done to Elite Dangerous.
Always loved those switches on the various aircraft that I've worked on. Of course the trick was figuring out which one clicked to off when you were running checks.
You may use permanent magnets for holding position and electromagnets just to release switches. It will reduce heating.
dude, the level of effort and workmanship and ingenuity is off the charts.
fuck me it's impressive.
Brilliant. Simple and elegant modification. Thanks for sharing!
i skipped through the video, but your genius knows no bounds. that is an excellent solution to a problem, and to be honest, i reckon you could sell those switches to like minded sim users. well done. bloody impressed. really nice job and solution for your needs.
Very cool build. Beautiful work!
What a great video! I’m impressed with the amount of dedication and tweeting you keep putting to your sim. Keep up the great work mate!
Beautiful! Great job man. Love the perfect interaction between game and hardware.
Brilliant, Have been trying to think how to handle this issue for a while, and had almost decided not to bother but will try this now.
Absolutely ingenious to a rookie like myself. I would love to have a go at building a simulator like this, but unfortunately, I don't have steady enough hands, only one decent eye (the spare one) and conceivably the years left to contemplate a project like this. My admiration and envy goes out to you for what you have shared, I even purchased a K40 to have a go at cutting some simpler panels myself, but what you have succeeded in building is massive. Congratulations to you, I hope you enjoy it.
I've seen a lot of stuff on "makter" youtube...woodworking, metal working, cars, off the wall vehicles, smart homes that feel like they're from the 22nd century, diy-ultralight airplanes, (ya'll know which channels I am talking about haha) but the quality of your work (I mean there is nothing bodged there) and dedication that you put into this project over this many years is something I've never come across. Not on YT, not in my private life, not in my professional life.
Keep it up!
Seriously impressive, nice work!
this is fantastic! amazing job on those switches!
Oh god, oh man... new to my freaky repertory 😉 What an impressive job you're doing!!
what a time to be alive... I am so happy that a man like you exists and I can be aware of your work
The mounting of the flush mounted switches look better than seeing the mounting threads and mounting nut. Wery cool build, thanks for the video and explanation.
What a wonderful project, and you explain so well each steps, thank you!
Amazing work, love catching up on this.
Great work! Very impressive results. The "ramp" is a jet deflector. People need to access the area between the rows of hangars without being barbequed.
I've been going pretty ham on my own sim cockpit. But nothing compared to this. This channel is like ASMR to me. It's so satisfying.
Jaw dropping. It must be so much fun to let nothing stand in your way. Well done!!!
An A-10 Haynes manual!?!!! 😃 THAT IS SO BAD ASS! 🤣 How do you change the blinker fluid? 🤣
For a long time , i`ve searched for the magnetic switch. Thank you for your knowledge-sharing.
Sir, this is absolutely brilliant!
Your videos are such an inspiration!
Daimn! I'm impressed. Great work and respect.
Being directed here having no experience in flight sim builds this all looks amazing to me, I admire your dedication to the craft thumbs up :D
You, sir... are a scholar and a gentleman. Thanks for sharing this. I plan to use this in my AV-8B cockpit... if and whenever I actually build it!
This is inspiring be to go back to designing the Mech Cockpit I theorized many moons ago!
Great Stuff. Always love the ideas you come up with.
One idea for "bulkier stuff" that might cause heat-problems:
If you need to hold stronger stuff you might be able to use a latch-mechanism with springs. Basically a car-door lock style lock that snaps in place when you flick it on but the clasp is controlled by a solenoid and can be retracted. This will prevent you from constantly powering the magnets. ANd if the clasp is a V-Shape you can still "unlock" it by just flicking the switch. Might mess with the feedback / feeling of the switch though.
Won’t turn them off when the power is lost though right?
Awesome work, as always!
Very clever solution to magnetic switches. Nice work. thanks for sharing bro.
This is insanely clever, I love it
I had no idea what a magnetic switch was but $20 sounded like a fair price so I had to watch! You build incredible stuff!
Cheeky bit of Tool playing in the background :P
Sick build tho man, remaking expensive things for cheap is my favourite!
Awesome build!
This is seriously, seriously impressive.
Mate, you’re a genius…love the video, the explanation and all round tutorial.
Wow, I stumbled onto this, while the switches in and of themselves are somewhat impressive, I find myself wondering more about the overall project than the damn switches!
Amazing!
Awesome! You just gave me some inspiration to do my own! Thanks for sharing!
First of all... BOMBASTIC Cockpit :D and really nice technique you are showing us, with the magnetic switches - really like this Project :D!
Wow first time seeing your channel. This project is next level.
I have to say this is impressive! First of your videos I have seen surly need to get up to speed on your project by watching more. Cheers!
Nice, thanks mate. You're a legend. I'll definitely have to use some of the panels as I keep adding to my cockpit. They still go with my X-55 HOTAS.
Really appreciated the TOOL in the background!
Just what I’ve been looking for. Bravo!
My F-14 pit will need (on) off (on) so I imagine I could make a double bracket with a magnet either side.
I was just thinking the same for the mosquito bomb bay, gear and flaps levers.
Great work! It’s really fantastic switches.
This is amazing. You have such a beautiful cockpit. :D
Just ordered some of those for some of my projects thanks for the helpful video
Great stuff, alot of work and dedication. Love ur style.
Well, the algorithm offers up another gem. This is wild! As an ex-RAAF avionics guy, this speaks to me. Obviously your simulator is the bomb, but I'm also super impress by your mad hacking skillz. I think I'll be here for a while ...
Awesome!
Yes, A10 warthog replacement part prices have just gone crazy😎
AMAZING work man! Truly impressive, to be honest. Keep it up 👌
Outstanding video...very clear and articulate. Thanks for making it!
Wow!
I was just looking for a button box for sim racing...... this is outstanding 👏
Good execution, thanks for the tutorial.
Outstanding work, as usual!
That's awesome! I wish this was posted last year when I still had my F-18 cockpit. Well, at least now I can make up some switches for something.
Hello, Warthog, how are you?
Very good this DIY solution, for magnetic switches, you as a Home Cockpit builder, always presents low cost solutions!
You are to be congratulated for the work done!
I'm your follower on Instagram and subscribed to your CZcams channel!
Take Care!
genius solution for us - the budget cockpit builders :) many thanks for the great idea!!
Pretty cool!
Thanks for sharing
Those "ramps", or "ski jumps", as you call them are Jet Blast Deflectors. When rapid response aircraft power up in those aircraft bays you want to allow people and vehicles to be able to move behind them without getting damaged, so the engine exhaust hits them and gets deflected upward. You see the same on aircraft carriers behind an aircraft that is about to take off.
-- US Air Force Veteran
Just a tip, Dremel rotary tool with a cut off wheel and other attachments would make some of the operations you did in the video easier/faster. Great content!
Incredible. Thanks so much for sharing
You’re a mad lad. Of the best sort. Two thumbs and two big toes up!
Talk about taking it to level 11. Kudos to you!!
OMG - WOW - DANG! Awesome. Great job sir! Fantastic!
Clicking a button in game and having it actually do something in real life is absolutely amazing!
Excellent work! I got lucky and found some original Honeywell toggles hiding in some A4 autopilot panels I bought. :D
splendid excellent work! Just one remark: make sure that the metal mounting base of the MOSFETs do *not* touch each other. Depending on the circuit design that may cause issues. The 2 MOSFETs in the middle are awfully close to each other ... Just love this idea!
Awesome!!! Thanks a lot :) Everybody loves magnetic switches.
my suggestion for extracting the key contact points by the right way at the beginning of the video is:
DO NOT hit it with a punction and a hammer... this could break the key body...
use the drill system right away, as he himself showed in the next step...
first remove the stitches with the drill and then drill the new holes!
I think if you already have an arduino board and if it is NOT so IMPORTANT to have a visual aspect of the key activated and held by the magnet, in that case I would use that same momentary contact key and leave it up to the arduino to undo this "contact" which is made by the magnet.
if you want visual information, you could use green led for "on" and red led for "off"
my sincere congratulations, your cockpit is AMAZiNG!!! ;)
I've heard of people using toggle switch style circuit breakers for this purpose, but this seems easy enough!
Wonderful work!
Dear lord. THAT is a impressive set up. WOW
Impressive! You make it look so easy to make my own cockpit.
Btw the link to the 4 channel mosfet is going to the magnets.
Thanks!
I don't know why I'm watching this or why it was recommended, but... Damn. Amazing work!