Eliminating throttle ratchet

[KrazyKyle]

Can anyone share their method of eliminating the throttle ratchet on a DX7 (or any other Xmtr, I guess) but still maintaining a degree of friction on the stick?
I'm just starting with heli's, and having a bit of trouble keeping constant altitude and controlling sink rate.

I flipped the metal strap so the "tooth" faces away from the serrated gimbal, then stuck a thin strip of plastic to the back of the strap to bridge the corners of the tooth. It's smoother, but still a bit too "ratchety" (is that even a word?). I don'twant to take the strap off and eliminate all friction ( I use it for my fixed-wing too).

Any ideas? Preferences?

[astroflyer]

a short piece of fuel tubing over the metal ratchet piece works just fine. you can tune the feel by the amount of tightening on the hold down screws.

[baldgeek]

I used a piece of plastic shaped the same as the metal strap and fitted between the metal strap and the serrated stick gimbal.

The plastic I used is the tough, clear stuff that is used to package all sorts of goods in nowadays - the stuff that's hard to get into. The metal strap is fitted in the standard way.

I can now tighten the strap as normal to adjust the stick friction and the plastic is thick enough that I have no ratchet feel to the throttle stick.

It's been like this for about 9 months with no problems.

[WayneBrown]

JR sells a smooth strap. takes all the ratchet out.

[wayneparrish]

I just made a new strap from 2024 T3 aluminum about .012 thick and that works great. Be sure to use a little Loc Tite on the screws as you don't want them rolling around on the PC board. If you can't get it worked out you can always buy JR's strap.

[KrazyKyle]

THanks, All! (Nova Scotia to New Zealand!)

I used some self-adhesive plastic that is sold for woodworkers to put on fences & guides. Works pretty well...It's smooth for the helis but tight enough for fixed-wing. A facing piece over the toothed "wheel" should make it buttery smooth.

Now I just need to repair form my first crash! (got cocky and tried a pirouette on my 8th flight...)