Heater Control Friction

[flyboy122]

HI All,

Winter is coming and it got me thinking about my heater again. Last fall my friendly IA looked at the crusty cable/arm interface on my plane and said, "Hey, I got a shiny new bug nut if you want it." Voila, a temperamental and impossible to adjust heater control was now smooth as silk. To smooth.....When I pull it out after a few minutes it eventually vibrates back closed. I fixed this last winter with a 100% PMA'd, TSO'd, STC'd spring clamp I bought at the local True Value airplane store. However I'm looking for a better solution. Is there a way to "add friction" to this control?

Thanks,
DEM

[hilltop170]

A/C Spruce sells rachet stop cables that fit the existing mount and connections but the knob only comes in red or black.

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/ ... kkey=66687

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Why not reinstall your old "bug nut".

What you are asking I think is how to adjust the friction on a Belden cable?

If this were my lawn mower, and the throttle keep creeping down I'd grab my trusty pliers and put an ever so small crimp in the cable. Not so much as the cable won't move, but enough it won't on its own.

Can't say what I'd do to a Belden cable in my airplane.

[blueldr]

If this is a Boden wire control, a slight kink in the housing and wire will put some friction on it to keep it from creeping.

[flyboy122]

Thanks guys. I thought about kinking the cable, but it's so smooth it feels like sacrilege. I was hoping for a more elegant solution, but oh well...need heat!

Those ratcheting cables are cool. Will have to keep those in mind for future projects.

DEM

[hilltop170]

Those ratcheting cables are cool. Will have to keep those in mind for future projects.

DEM

I have one on my carb heat, as recommended by George Horn. It has worked flawlessly and stays positioned without any slippage. I could paint the knob but haven't. As other cables wear out I will replace them with the ratchet cables.

[n2582d]

Click to Enlarge

[GAHorn]

The "Kink" is not made to the entire/outer housing... but to the inner, solid wire. A slight bend is all that is req'd.
Prior to installation, pull the inner cable out to the point of exposing the end of the solid shaft where the wire is crimped onto it. Slightly bend the solid wire at that point, and reinstall.