Need help with making shifter

[(FIN)Eza]

Okay so I decided to make one by myself because it's the only cheap way. Now I'm asking about all help what you guys know, how-to-build urls etc etc, what is best material and how to do wiring etc, maybe use gamepad?






Eza

[-=Macky=-]

Depends what you're after - I look forward to any suggestions towards an H-style shifter, I'm using a Microswitched Joystick - have a look at my recent thread.....


http://www.lfsforum.net/showthread.php?t=2598

[(FIN)Eza]

Yup been thinking that too but I think I need real shifter, not joystick (yup I have MS's ffb2 joystick and neva use it but it never can be like real shifter :D ). I'm after 6+1 H-shifter.




Eza

[atledreier]

I made one a while back, and still use it. Bought the cheapest USB gamepad i could find with 8 buttons. As a bonus, the pad had 2 axis too, adn I plan to make a handbrake sometime soon. Took it apart, checked the wiring and made sure all the buttons responded by a simple short. They all did. Soldered wires to all the positive leads on the buttons, and soldered the negative (common) lead to the shaft of the shifter.
I made a gate out of wood, and attached springs from old floppydiscs in each gate, and soldered the wires from each button to a spring. When I drop the shaft into a gate, it makes contact with the spring, shorting the circuit for that button, and the pad will generate a keypress. Then it's just a matter of refining the gate and spring positions to fit your style and make the whole thing work well. I'll get some pictures later today if you're interested. It's really simple, looks prototypish, but it works like a charm, and it's very fun to race with. I have an old wheel that I use the throttle pedal as a clutch, and a DFP to steer. I have never been this close to trackday!


Edit: Pictures. The first one is an overview, the second show the underside of the plate. Among all that hot glue yo can see the springs and wires going to them.

[(FIN)Eza]

Now we talking about :nod: That was my idea too to use some cheap gamepad because I'm not _that_ good with electronics that I can make wirings and stuff from the beginning :) You seemed to use wood with box, I'm thinking to use aluminium or something like that.

First step is to get some materials and that gamepad..

How's software, I assume you are using gamepad's drivers etc or window's default stuff?





Eza

[AndyC]

Ok, how much room you got? The one I made is the most simplest yet (i feel) the most natural way of making a shifter. Picture this: -

It comes from the floor to whatever height you want. It involves a few pieces of wood, a longish metal shaft, spring, gamepad and 6/7 switches.

In basic terms you have a square piece of wood at the bottom with a hole in the middle, place the metal shaft in here. Then get 4 pieces of wood and cut them to the size of however high you want the shifter, these are your uprights.

Then make an exact copy of the wood on the floor but this time cut out the shifter pattern. Put a small nut on the shaft then place a spring ontop to stop it falling, then put a smallish metal plate ontop of the spring, making sure its bigger than your width in the shifter pattern. Then place the piece of wood ontop and screw it down. Make sure everything moves smoothly and the spring keeps the shaft in place.

Now take off the top piece and dismantle a gamepad. Wire everything up as stated in an earlier post and connect the other end onto a push switch (must have a leaver). Now glue/nail these onto the bottom on the wood so that the lever just pops out enough past the shifter space so that when the shaft is in the 'gear' the leaver is being pushed in. Place the wood ontop and get all the wires out of the way to the side. Connect the gamepad up and there you go!

Simple and easy to do takes about 2 hours (if you know how to solder) I just made it quickly and now planning to make a much neater version soonish.

If you want pictures just say but i'm in work at the moment.

[(FIN)Eza]

sounds interesting, pics pics when you can :nod:








Eza

[(FIN)Eza]

Hmm just a thought, how about old pc case? I don't mean some small one, I mean big one :) maybe building wiring etc top of it and then modding it to be heavy or pin it somehow. Maybe not so good idea tho.. just one mad thought :D






Eza

[atledreier]

I used wood cause it's quick and easy to work with. This is only a prototype anyway, but it works so well I might just use it. I don't look at it when I race anyway. :shy:

[(FIN)Eza]

Hehe, it's all about how good it is, not how bad outlook it has :smileypul

Thanks to Moonclaw, found one really nice url..

http://members.chello.nl/~a.hitman/shifter.htm (http://members.chello.nl/%7Ea.hitman/shifter.htm)





Eza

[atledreier]

I based my shifter loosely on Hitman's design too. Very helpful fellow! His gate design is very effective. I don't use his sytem of springs for centering, I found them unneeded, and besides I couldn't figure out his description, so... :really: Anyhow, have fun building and driving it, adn I suggest building it in wood first, to make sure everything fits and works before doing a final assembly. And remember metal is conductive.... ;)

[SladiVadi]

Here are some pics of my shifter. :D

[DratsaB]

damn, that looks hard-core SladiVadi, id love a shifter.

[(FIN)Eza]

Here are some pics of my shifter. :D


Are you ever try to break that thing? :D

That is quite impressive :smileypul






Eza

[SladiVadi]

Thank you! :huepfenic

I forgot to mention I used the Joywarrior IC by http://www.codemercs.com/. (http://www.codemercs.com/)

[varjsa-9]

Bought the cheapest USB gamepad i could find with 8 buttons. As a bonus, the pad had 2 axis too, adn I plan to make a handbrake sometime soon. Took it apart, checked the wiring and made sure all the buttons responded by a simple short. They all did. Soldered wires to all the positive leads on the buttons, and soldered the negative (common) lead to the shaft of the shifter.
Planning to buy one of these for my shifter. You wouldn't happen to remember the brand&model of the pad? The reason I'm asking: I need all buttons to share the same negative/positive lead.

I designed the shifter to work with my 6 button gameport pad, but found out that I would need to have separate +/- for each gear. And that's not acceptable, there's not enough patience built in me for that.

Thanks in forward :)

[atledreier]

It was a 'Rockfire USB Smarttraveller'

The axis on it are really low resolution, like 4bit or something, but it's ok for handbrake or clutch if you can adapt it mechanically. Or ever viewcontrol. Not that I need it with my TrackIR4 in the mail.. ;)

[varjsa-9]

It was a 'Rockfire USB Smarttraveller'

The axis on it are really low resolution, like 4bit or something, but it's ok for handbrake or clutch if you can adapt it mechanically. Or ever viewcontrol. Not that I need it with my TrackIR4 in the mail.. ;)
Thanks for this info.. though I was able to get my shifter working with the gameport pads cable and some diodes - very simple as a matter of fact.

I'll attach a pic, if someone if curious - also I think I've done my shifter a bit different than most of these do-it-yourself guys :)

Ps. casing is under construction..

[mrodgers]

...I'll attach a pic, if someone if curious - also I think I've done my shifter a bit different than most of these do-it-yourself guys :)...
I really really like that design. It lookes more like it would work more like a real shifter. I've been thinking of doing something really similar with pulling a shifter out of something in a junkyard somewhere. With the pivot above the gate like that, it looks like it would give a really good feel to it. Very nice!! And very simple as well.

[highbridge]

Here are my H shifter and pedal.

http://www.vesta.dti.ne.jp/~ktaka/DSCN0402.JPG
http://image.space.rakuten.co.jp/lg01/65/0000071165/51/img36757f2f2n99ls.jpeg
http://www.vesta.dti.ne.jp/~ktaka/hsifter_stroke.jpg
http://www.vesta.dti.ne.jp/~ktaka/DSCN0419.JPG


-------------------------------------------
HighBridge
My Japanese LFS HP.
http://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/highbridge200x
http://whrt.web.infoseek.co.jp
http://liveforspeed.jpn.ch

[atledreier]

Impressive! :nod:

[varjsa-9]

http://www.vesta.dti.ne.jp/%7Ektaka/DSCN0419.JPG


This looks interesting .. could you send a side view too ?

[highbridge]

This looks interesting .. could you send a side view too ?

Side view.

http://www.vesta.dti.ne.jp/%7Ektaka/DSCN0460.JPG
http://www.vesta.dti.ne.jp/%7Ektaka/DSCN0461.JPG

[GhostVE]

How about a force feedback joystick and FFShifter ?
http://forum.rscnet.org/showthread.php?t=214673