DIY pedals

gibbon75

Finally the day has come
I nearly gave up a couple of times (especially when Fanatec announced their pedals...),but after I put so much effort (and money...) into this project,I just had to finish it.
As I have access to many handtools,powertools (and the most important:bench drill!!) ,I decided to go down the metal/aluminum route.
I saw a thread about Hall sensors,so I thought it would be fun to experiment with those.Well,it wasn't fun at all I've struggled to find the proper size/strength magnets to get long pedal travel I prefer.The ones I ended up using a tad bit too strong,they stick to everything Thank God I've built my pod out of PVC tubing )
But I'm a happy camper now: the pedals are just fantastic
Now I can imagine how good can be the CST pedals...

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l129/gibbon75/pedal3.jpg

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l129/gibbon75/pedal2.jpg

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l129/gibbon75/pedal1.jpg

Webwing

gibbon75,

This post is not new but I found it on a search. I´m thinking of building similar pedals based on Todd´s plans.

I´d really like to know more about your project. I see you did not follow any of the standard designs. It looks awesome.

Congratulations!

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gibbon75

Since I've posted those pictures I've redesigned the pedals: I changed them to the GT style (overhang style).It suits my racing rig and my seating position better.I'll send you pictures later.
The magnets and the sensors are a fiddly thing,but IMHO it's totally worth it.You just have to play with them to find out the best position and distance to mount them.
If you never worked on projects like this before and have only limited tools,then my advice is to stick to Todd's guide.But I'd say the overhang style pedals are much more comfortable (and more natural) on the long run.

ps: I couldn't answer your PM,I think you are blocking incoming PMs, check your settings maybe.

Webwing

Thanks for the reply!

Yes the default settings for PM seem to be to only allow administrators. I changed that.

I guess you are right about the overhang/GT style. I was thinking of making something half way from the guide and Todds production model. I don´t have the tools to make the metal parts myself but could have the parts done for me without much trouble.

I noticed in Todds plan he uses the load cell perpendicular to the spring and being pressed by the spring directly. In later models, and your model also the load cell is parallel to the spring and goes under it. Any tips regarding this?

I was also curious about the feel of the break pedal. All three pedals use springs so they all should feel the same regardless of the fact that the break sends info to the game from the load cell. From what I´ve seen what is done to make the break feel differently is to add a piece of rubber like material at the end of the spring to create an incremental resistance feel. How did you sort that out?

Since you mentioned the Fanatec in your first post I must ask: With the Clubsport pedals at $200 is it still worth doing your own pedals? You´ll spend much more than that to make them. Not to mention the time.
I ask because I´m still pondering myself.

Again, thanks for the answers. Oh, and I look forward to the pictures of the pedal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

gibbon75

If you are enjoying building stuff with your own hand,then go ahead and build a set,as it is fun
But the Clubsport pedals are very good value and there are guides how to convert them to GT style.Plus Fanatec is about to release a fine tune kit,so you can tailor them to your own style/needs.

Now the biggest challenge is regarding the loadcell mounting is the hinge.
I've come up with something close to Todd's design,but I'm not 100% satisfied with it.
I'm moving into a new house,so I have to take my set apart anyway,so it is a good time to alter the hinge.

Brake resistance:Todd provided me the springs (same spec as his production pedal springs) and the one meant for the brake pedal is a lot stiffer than the other two.But you can pretension it later to your liking.

Webwing

gibbon75 wrote: »

If you are enjoying building stuff with your own hand,then go ahead and build a set,as it is fun
But the Clubsport pedals are very good value and there are guides how to convert them to GT style.Plus Fanatec is about to release a fine tune kit,so you can tailor them to your own style/needs

It´s tempting to just get the Fanatec pedals. However doing my own pedals can be a very rewarding trip!
I´ll do bit more research and see if I´ll be able not to just start but to actually finish the project. I´m still not sure if I`ll be up to it.

Now the biggest challenge is regarding the loadcell mounting is the hinge.
I've come up with something close to Todd's design,but I'm not 100% satisfied with it.
I'm moving into a new house,so I have to take my set apart anyway,so it is a good time to alter the hinge.

I have absolutely no idea on how to do this. Does the loadcell comes with some instructions on how best to use it?
What is exactly the problem with your design? I see you don´t actually use a hinge but connected the loadcell to the spring with a small L shaped piece of metal. Todds design seems very complex though with the hinge.

Brake resistance:Todd provided me the springs (same spec as his production pedal springs) and the one meant for the brake pedal is a lot stiffer than the other two.But you can pretension it later to your liking.

OK, I get it. I´ll see if I can get the springs from Todd also.

It´s a shame Race Sim Central is no more. There was a ton of info there. Too bad that now that I´m really about to start my project I can´t access the info there!

I´m curious to see how your new design looks like. Since you are moving you probably will not have much time for pictures but if/when you do, please post them here.

Thanks.

Webwing

You mention a thread about Hall sensors. Do you still have the link for it?

thanks.

Webwing

I just came across the picture below. Apparently Todd uses some kind of synthetic rubber material in the springs to get a different feel for the breaks.

gibbon75

That L piece was a temporary solution,just wanted to see if the flex of the aluminum was enough to bend the loadcell.Surprisingly it worked well enough.
There are no instructions with the loadcell,but you don't need any
Hall sensor: There was a long thread about them on RSC...I guess it is history now.But there are a few flightsim forums where you'll find enough info on the Hall sensors.

Webwing

gibbon75 wrote: »

That L piece was a temporary solution,just wanted to see if the flex of the aluminum was enough to bend the loadcell.Surprisingly it worked well enough.
There are no instructions with the loadcell,but you don't need any

Hm, yes I´ve been reading quite a bit about it. Seems straitforward. Although all seem simple until you actually do it!

Hall sensor: There was a long thread about them on RSC...I guess it is history now.But there are a few flightsim forums where you'll find enough info on the Hall sensors.

I can´t find anything really useful. I know I need the Hall sensor and even found some to buy locally. They´re quite cheap. But then I look at these small black box with 3 very long sticks coming out of it and don´t have a clue how I would go about using it. I know that you need to put it in a fixed base and the magnet in the part that will move.
I also know I need the a super magnet (neodymium). Where would I get one of those?
And they are all so tiny! :eek:

One thing I´m sure of, I´m definitely going to build this thing! It´s great to learn all this stuff!:D

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gibbon75

I've bought my magnets off Ebay. In my experience long square bars work the best (movement and resolution wise).