A couple of different rudder/brake pedal questions

There has been a lot of discussion on this forum about the position/angle of the rudder and brake pedals, how to avoid inadvertent braking, installation, etc.. However, I haven't seen anything regarding the following two issues. Your feedback, as always, is appreciated.

When I look at the plans, and some of the pictures posted on the forum, I see that the brake cylinder attach tab on the far left pedal on the pilot's side is lower than the attach tab for the pedal to its right. On my setup, they are reversed (the tab on the right is lower). I don't think this makes a difference, as the brake cylinders line up nicely relative to the cylinder attach brackets on the brake pedals. However, I would feel better if others indicated that they had a similar situation.

Also, since the rudder pedal assemblies rotate in the delrin blocks (not easily, but nonetheless....), what is preventing the entire assembly from rotating while in use? It seems that pressing the rudder pedal, or catching a toe under the pedal and pulling it back, might cause the entire assembly (for that pedal and its attached "sister" on the passenger side) to rotate out of position. I know this can't be happening, but can't figure out why it isn't. Can anybody enlighten me?

If you view the rudder pedals in their neutral position as an isosceles triangle, the base of this triangle would be the delrin block, while the vertical pedal legs would represent the triangle's sides. The angles of the base to both pedals are congruent. You want the bottom horizontal tubes of the rudder pedals to be aligned when in their neutral position. Once you have this reference, then the brake pedals would be fitted with the idea of keeping both brake pedals in roughly the same vertical plane, i.e., the tops of both pedals to be in line with each other. Normally the left brake pedal would end up slightly aft of its rudder pedal downtube, while the right brake pedal would end up parallel, or perhaps slightly forward of its supporting downtube. After all this is established, it's now time to locate where to drill the holes for the brake cylinders. The location of the holes will normally be slightly different for each brake pedal.
When the rudder pedals are hooked up to the rudder, pushing forward on one pedal will cause the other pedal to be pulled back by the cable system. Hope this helps.

Ron, thanks for the reply. My major in college way back when was Math, so I understood your description completely (how did you know!!).

I also understood how the attachment to the rudder would allow one pedal or move forward as the other moves back. I'm still a bit confused why the pedal assemlies (the bar the fits into the delrin blocks) does not rotate. I seems to me you could reach down there and rotate the bar in the delrin. As I said, I'm sure that can't happen, but I can't understand why not. Any enlightenment?

The bar does rotate, this is how you get rudder movement... The cable is attached to the bar, not the pedal itself. The pedal itself is just for the brake.

To use the rudder, you push on the bar, not the pedal.

If this is clear as mud, when you push on both bars/pedals at the same time, the rudder cables tighten and both of them will only go so far at the same time. Press on one harder than the other and one will go down and the other one will go up. Reach down and pull them and both can come up as the cable goes slack. Same thing happens if someone moves the rudder side to side when no one is pressing on the rudder pedals.

Thanks Brian. That answers my question. I've never tried to reach down and pull both pedals back in any aircraft I've flown because it never occurred to me. Now that I'm building and have a more intimate knowledge of how things work, I was just wondering if this was possible. Makes sense.

It is amazing how many more questions (and knowledge) one develops as a result of building an aircraft. From the mechanical to the electrical, I'm feeling I am in a much better position to be able to think my way through any emergency I may encounter while flying. I only hope, if that time would come, that I am in a position to have the time to think!