Motorized trim control

FFair_Trim

Standalone firmware coming soon

Motorized trim wheel hardware for custom cockpits, currently compatible and working with FFair_Force.

Motorized trim wheel installed in a flight simulator cockpit

What it does

FFair_Trim is a motorized trim system for flight simulation cockpits. It keeps a physical trim wheel synchronized with the simulator and allows trim movement from cockpit controls, manual wheel input or FFair_Force integration.

Motorized wheel

A stepper motor drives the trim wheel so the physical position can follow simulator trim state.

Manual operation

The wheel can still be moved manually, preserving the expected cockpit interaction.

Yoke buttons

Trim up/down inputs can be wired to yoke buttons or a momentary down/off/up switch.

Saved limits

The system is designed around defined trim travel limits for repeatable and controlled movement.

Main workflow

Install the trim wheel

Mount the mechanical wheel, stepper motor, gears or transmission elements in the cockpit panel or console.

Wire the electronics

Connect the Teensy controller, stepper driver, motor, position reference and trim command inputs following the wiring guide.

Set travel limits

Define down and up limits so the motorized wheel stays inside the valid mechanical range.

Run with FFair_Force

Current operation is through FFair_Force, keeping the trim hardware integrated with the force feedback system.

Integration

FFair_Trim is currently compatible and working with FFair_Force. A downloadable standalone firmware version is planned so the trim wheel can later operate independently from the force feedback control unit.

Current mode

Works with FFair_Force as part of the force feedback cockpit hardware system.

Standalone mode

Coming soon as downloadable firmware for direct trim operation without FFair_Force.

MSFS

Designed for Microsoft Flight Simulator cockpit setups through the FFair ecosystem.

X-Plane 12

Designed for X-Plane 12 cockpit setups through the FFair ecosystem.

Hardware platform

Controller

Teensy 4.0 based controller for trim logic and motor command handling.

Motor

NEMA 23 dual-shaft stepper motor for physical trim wheel movement.

Driver

External stepper motor driver, such as a DM556 class driver, for motor power control.

Position and speed

Potentiometer-based references are used for trim position limits and speed selection.

Multimedia

Motorized trim wheel installed next to a simulator cockpit display

Cockpit installation

Stepper motor and printed trim mechanism

Stepper assembly

Motorized trim gear transmission on workbench

Gear transmission

Two stepper motor sizes compared for trim hardware

Motor comparison

Teensy controller board and setup buttons for trim limits

Controller and setup

Motorized trim wheel video thumbnail

Motorized trim wheel

Cessna 172/182 style motorized trim wheel demonstration.

Open on YouTube

Downloads

Current public documentation and planned firmware downloads for FFair_Trim.

Trim wiring guide Standalone firmware - Coming soon Example configuration - Coming soon

Support

Need help with trim hardware planning, wiring or FFair_Force integration?

Contact support ffairsystem@gmail.com