Gear Lever
3D-printed gear lever assembly with solenoid-held detents and CockpitConnect integration.
Overview
The gear lever is a 3D-printed assembly mounted to the left side of the center pedestal. It replicates the three-position (UP / OFF / DOWN) lever with realistic detent resistance.
Design
The lever body is printed in PETG for strength. The detent mechanism uses a spring-loaded ball bearing to hold each position with a satisfying click.
A magnetic reed switch at each detent position signals the pedestal ESP32. A Flow in CockpitConnect maps each position to the X-Plane 12 gear command.
Parts
| Part | Material | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lever body | PETG | 3 perimeters, 40% infill |
| Detent housing | PETG | Press-fit into pedestal |
| Reed switches | Generic NO | 3× per lever |
| Spring | 0.5mm wire, 8mm OD | Detent pressure |
| Magnet | 6×3mm neodymium | Mounted in lever tip |
Wiring
Three reed switches connect to GPIOs on the pedestal ESP32, set up as a rotary switch with one position per detent. The Flow sends sim/flight_controls/landing_gear_up or sim/flight_controls/landing_gear_down for the UP and DOWN positions, and the gear lights follow the gear datarefs in X-Plane 12.
Photos
Photos coming soon.