Auto rapid on off USB output for game control.

[oldman]

Hi'
How easy is it to make a rabid on off variable output and insert it into a USB game controller so it could be used for things like ABS in sim racing or anti skid in air sims?

Anyone ever done it and any help would be great.

Is there a way to just cut a wire and insert a pulse switch or is it more complicated?

TIA.

 

[Ian Rogers]

Are you talking about a rapid fire facility?

If it were me I would rip out the guts put a pic18 in and program it to do what I wanted it to...
Microchip has a skeleton USB gamepad project in the library collection..

 

[oldman]

Are you talking about a rapid fire facility?

Thanks for replying.

I think its a bit more than that.
I want the brake pedal to act as a brake still i just want to add a rapid on off inline so the wheels don't lock up if the pedal is pressed real hard. so its like a electronic ABS.

cheers

 

[Ian Rogers]

If you are prepared to buy a good controller... Logitech do a good game pad ( can't remember the model) that allows you to program each button from an interface on the PC... Maybe you could find the driver and try it with your game pad..

 

[oldman]

It needs to be on the pedals and i think they use potentiometers reading a resistance value to determine the pedal position. interesting though tho about programing each button, i wonder if it would work using software then.

 

[oldman]

i found this on youtube but its in russian i think,
not sure on what hardware he has used but if it produces ABS effect then its a step in the right direction.

 

[oldman]

maybe i need to ask in a more technical forum for this sort of electronics.
any suggestions on a forum that would deal with this kind of request anyone??

 

[Ian Rogers]

Right!.. For starters, this isn't a bog standard game pad... The pedals connect to the pad through a wiring loom.

A simple 555 timer could be used to generate the ABS affect, but we would need to know what resources are available.. Have we a ground and power rail, or are the pedals just negatively / positively switched or have you + v and -v on a pot!!

If you said what control pad you have it would make it easier for people to help...

I made a game controller for MS plane sim... I tried to fly helicopters.... But I made my own via the sound card joystick interface..

 

[oldman]

Ok sorry, i will try and explain better with more info. i was unsure if this was the right place to ask no offence intended.

The controller is a g25 ffb wheel and here are the specs i found for the pedal pots.

Potentiometers, Variable Resistors
Family Rotary - Linear
Resistance 10.0KΩ
Power (Watts) 0.5W, 1/2W
Resistive Material Carbon
Rotation 300°
Package 23.83mm x 11.51mm

The g25 has its own power supply and also has a USB that needs to plug into a pc etc.. and the pedals plug into the wheel.

hope this helps.

 

[oldman]

here is the pot
https://www.thesimshop.com/images/G25_POT.jpg

 

[Dr_Doggy]

you are best to hack a controller with a POT or analog dial in it already, then the controller has driver already too, as soon as you talk about new controls you are talking about new drivers and instruction sets, im not sure, but fear pulsing may get choppy

so yes, its more complicated than that, also i dont think the guy in video made that foot pedal, those pedals come with the wheel, i think what he did do was added that little spinning thing in the middle:
**broken link removed**

easiest to go just spend the 100$

what you could also do is if you have access to the footpedals and scope you could trace signal going in to the wheel, then you could spin your circuit off that, cos we dont know if pedals sends analog signal, or analog signal encrypted in digital words

 

[Ian Rogers]

Ok sorry, i will try and explain better with more info. i was unsure if this was the right place to ask no offence intended.

No offense taken...

I just want to try and help... The more bodies we get on board, the better the chances of a result.

The "spinnything" can be a motorised pot... a micro switch connected to a small 5v motor... The little weight must pulse the signal... Something like this..

The circuitry for switching the motor on will be a simple comparator that monitors the pedal..

 

[oldman]

Hi guy's
wow thats mind blowing to me lol
I was kind of hoping that a rapid relay switch easy wiered into the brake pedal would do.
I have no knowledge on electrics and i'm out of my depth here, so maybe i should just pump the brakes manually and live with the lock ups

I might one day understand the procedure and give it a go but for now i'm going to leave it.

Thanks for your help and i will look into them "motorised pots" and maybe things might fall in place.

 

[Dr_Doggy]

also dont get me wrong, you and Ian have similar idea which could work , but really it depends on game,

for example, I have game on old atari called warlords, in this game you use analog paddles which define your pos on screen, but with a rapid fire, the guy would bounce from each edge of screen and never hold position anywhere in middle. Or in a racing game where a full press sends you in to driftmode

an example that would work: where breaking can be done buy rapid holding triangle button , or by rapid tapping

 

[oldman]

an example that would work: where breaking can be done buy rapid holding triangle button , or by rapid tapping

That's the annoying part about it, i could assign the brakes to a button on the wheel and rapid press it on/off and there's my ABS but in just 1 race your button pressing finger would hurt, also it does not feel very natural.
I could glue a button on the pedal lol, and that had crossed my mind.

 

[Ian Rogers]

Is the foot pedal an analogue signal or a button press??

If it is just a button you could just place an astable ( 555 ) timer in the place of the button..
If it is an analogue output, then you would need a 555, a transistor, a relay, a comparator and a few resistors..

I suspect its just a button!!