Really need some help with dimensions

Hello all, let me start off by saying I have no experience with autocad and could really use some help with this project I am undertaking. I am in the process of building a throttle quadrant for my flight simulator. I have downloaded the plans from a person that used autocad to make the parts needed but I have no idea what he is talking about when it comes to what he is saying to do. If someone could help me out with this I would be very appreciative. I will post his directions and the autocad file. I am just at a loss and frustrated.

Here are the directions he posted:

Hi guys

I've posted a full set of autocad drawings for a 767 throttle. If you don't have Autocad then download a free viewer from the interweb and use it to put the dimensions on the drawings. The drawings are drawn full scale and all dimensions are there but you need to put them on the drawings yourself.

767 throttle ver 7.dwg

Anybody please

You're trying to build a homemade joystick to use in Flight Simulator? Good luck with that. I've never been any good at Flight Simulator, never been able to land the planes very often (if I can find the airport at all once I am in the air )

Those plans are pretty average in my opinion. The author is saying that you can add the dimensions onto his geometry to get the actual sizes you should build the thing (i.e. just annotating what he has drawn there). Although in his example, the entire control plate/size will only be 27cm x 22cm total which seems too small to me for someone to manufacture that by hand given the complexity/small size of some of the components shown there.

Type dimalign in AutoCad and you can then click between two points (the length of an object you want to know the distance) and it will label whatever that length is.

Trooper,

Welcome to the forum!

What are you wanting to do with this file?

The author of the file has set up the file well. It appears all you need to do is to dimension the parts, pieces, holes, etc. that you want/need dimensioned.

If you are using Autocad, as your profile suggests, you can simply use the DIM command or select the icon representing dimensioning.

There are lots of youtube videos and tutorials showing 'how to' when it comes to dimensions.

The author is also talking about a viewer that is available from Autodesk (parent company of Autocad) that can also be used to dimension and print the file you attached.

Hope this helps.

Thank you for your reply. I am starting to get an idea now. Seems like it will be a lot of work. What do you think someone would charge to do this. I just dont have the skills in autocad or the time (in the Army). My job takes a lot of my time.

what i would really like to be able to do would be to print actual siz.e templates of the parts and then I could machene them. My brother knows autocad and has degrees from ITT but just dosent have the time.

If you want to print out full sized templates, what sized printer do you have?

The whole drawing, at full size, would cover an area of approximately 2500mm x 2500mm, or about 8ft by 8ft.

You would have to pick out the bits you wanted, and to give you an idea of how much you could get on an A4, the picture shows an A4 sheet amongst the details.

If you want to print out full sized templates, what sized printer do you have?

 

The whole drawing, at full size, would cover an area of approximately 2500mm x 2500mm, or about 8ft by 8ft.

 

You would have to pick out the bits you wanted, and to give you an idea of how much you could get on an A4, the picture shows an A4 sheet amongst the details.

Unfortunatly I do not have access to a large printer. All I have is my home printer. It is a Canon MG5220 that can print up to regular letter paper. I would be willing to use my home printer to print it out but cant figure out how to using autocad. Or I would just pay someone to print it out.

Take the file to your local reprographics business and tell them what you need. They'll print the drawing for you.

Take the file to your local reprographics business and tell them what you need. They'll print the drawing for you.

I would love to but there are none in the area that I know of unless office depot, or staples does it

I think for you to tackle this in AutoCAD would be tricky. Perhaps the best way forward would be to get a PDF file which would have been prepared (by A.N. Other?)at a scale of 1 to 1, so that with your printer, you could open it in Acrobat Reader (I presume that you do have that), zoom into a detail that you want to print, and then on the printing dialogue page, you would choose to print the View at No Page Scaling, and you should get a full size print of that particular detail.

I can't get my PDF printer to accept a paper size of 2700 x 2400mm, so maybe, the details need to be suffled round to sit nicely on some standard sheet sizes. It is important to produce PDF files for the proper scaling size, otherwise the resolution of the lines goes awry.

It does make a difference that we don't know which part of the world you are. You could be two miles down the road from me, or off in Australia. It is helpful to fill in the Location part of your details.

I think for you to tackle this in AutoCAD would be tricky. Perhaps the best way forward would be to get a PDF file which would have been prepared (by A.N. Other?)at a scale of 1 to 1, so that with your printer, you could open it in Acrobat Reader (I presume that you do have that), zoom into a detail that you want to print, and then on the printing dialogue page, you would choose to print the View at No Page Scaling, and you should get a full size print of that particular detail.

 

I can't get my PDF printer to accept a paper size of 2700 x 2400mm, so maybe, the details need to be suffled round to sit nicely on some standard sheet sizes. It is important to produce PDF files for the proper scaling size, otherwise the resolution of the lines goes awry.

 

It does make a difference that we don't know which part of the world you are. You could be two miles down the road from me, or off in Australia. It is helpful to fill in the Location part of your details.

Sorry about that. I have updated with my location. I have found a place that can print the file but they do not accept DWG files. So is there a way that I can convert it to PDF using autocad or another device?

Most of the places in this link are either in OKC or Wichita Falls, but you might be able to arrange to email them the files and have them mail the full size prints back to you if you didn't want to drive. Its about 50 miles to Wichita Falls from Lawton, and 80 or so to OKC. You could call them and see.

http://yellowpages.aol.com/blueprinting/ok/lawton/?invocationType=localCatPick.search

Out of that list, I'd probably start with Hudson Blueprint. Don't know anything about them, but if they use the word "blue print" in the company name, they can surely print a dwg file.

I have found a place that can print the file but they do not accept DWG files.

Can you find out what is the largest sheet that they can print?

So is there a way that I can convert it to PDF using autocad or another device?

In AutoCAD there is a printer output which produces a PDF, so yes, you can produce it, but it might take a bit of application.

Perhaps some kind sole, with the odd ten minutes to spare, could produce the PDF, once you know what size of paper is available.

Can you find out what is the largest sheet that they can print?

 

 

 

 

In AutoCAD there is a printer output which produces a PDF, so yes, you can produce it, but it might take a bit of application.

 

Perhaps some kind sole, with the odd ten minutes to spare, could produce the PDF, once you know what size of paper is available.

Hi, according to there website the max size they can print is 24"x36". If some nice sole could convert it for me so all I have to do is load my memory stick and have them print it all out they would be my hero for a day

If some nice sole could convert it for me so all I have to do is load my memory stick and have them print it all out they would be my hero for a day

I was waiting to see if there were any nice soles over in your vicinity. I usually work in metric, so the imperial drawings are foreign to my ken.

I've been away from my cad computer for most of the day. If nobody else does it for you, I will do it for you sometime tomorrow.

The drawing is in metric. Were you expecting to have it dimensioned in imperial units?

Looks like you would need between eight and ten "D" size (24x36) sheets to fit all the parts on depending on how you lay them out so they could be adequately dimensioned.

There seem to be two requests here. One to dimension the components, and the other to print out some full scale templates that can be used to machine some of the components.

The full size printing would not need to be dimensioned? or am I getting confused.

(I certainly can't spell souls in my previous posts - must have been feeling low)