Handbrake analog axis & button?

[Spinelli]

I have a handbrake and the problem is that it simultaneously acts as both an axis and a button (actually 2 buttons).

Every time I map the hand brake to a game, the game recognizes it as a button rather than an axis. Like Dirt 4 for example. I also mapped it to AMS1 which I'm pretty sure supports a "true" handbrake (ie. 0-100% axis) yet even AMS1 reads it as a button.

Is there anyway I can cancel the button parts? Any tricks? Software? Etc.?

 

[Daniel R.]

What kind of handbrake is it?
What model?
Is the axis moving in the picture you attached? Is it also triggering the button while the axis moves?

If both (button and axis) are activated the same time, the button could be recognized a moment before the axis has a signal. Therefore the button is always chosen in game.

 

[Daniel R.]

I have a handbrake and the problem is that it simultaneously acts as both an axis and a button (actually 2 buttons).

Every time I map the hand brake to a game, the game recognizes it as a button rather than an axis. Like Dirt 4 for example. I also mapped it to AMS1 which I'm pretty sure supports a "true" handbrake (ie. 0-100% axis) yet even AMS1 reads it as a button.

Is there anyway I can cancel the button parts? Any tricks? Software? Etc.?

Watched the pic again, seems axis is on 50% and both buttons are "on"

That's the reason why you only have buttons ingame.

Something is wrong with the electronics of your handbrake.
Is it a DIY model?
Self made?
Arduino based?

 

[Spinelli]

I have a handbrake and the problem is that it simultaneously acts as both an axis and a button (actually 2 buttons).

Every time I map the hand brake to a game, the game recognizes it as a button rather than an axis. Like Dirt 4 for example. I also mapped it to AMS1 which I'm pretty sure supports a "true" handbrake (ie. 0-100% axis) yet even AMS1 reads it as a button.

Is there anyway I can cancel the button parts? Any tricks? Software? Etc.?

It's those inexpensive handbrakes very common on Amazon, AliExpress, and eBay.
The axis moves up and down just fine as I pull it but around 30 or so % of the way in, it registers button 1 as well, then around 10% or so later, button 2, they can also be a little eratic with regards to when they are un-pressed and re-pressed as the handbrake is moving throughout it's axis working range.

I thought for sure if I just move the handbrake a little so that the axis starts registering but before either of the button presses register, it would map in the game as an axis but for some reason the games don't recognize any input until the hand brake is pressed enough for either of the buttons to register (even though the axis registers fine in Windows, DXTweak2, and DiView) which doesn't make sense to me unless it's a game-problem with AMS1 & Dirt 4.

I'm pretty sure (but not 100% sure) these are Arduino based. Is there a way I can download some sort of Arduino software or firmware so I can literally just disable the 2 button presses? I searched all over the web to see if there's a way I could do this but through Windows (get Windows to completely ignore certain buttons of a controller) but couldn't find anything.

 

[Daniel R.]

First you have to determine if it's arduino based. I suggest it will be a arduino micro. But only disassembly and a picture of the board will tell.
Alternatively install Arduino RDE and check if there is an arduino board registered there.
If so, reprogramming should be possible.

What is also important to know is, if the handbrake is Loadcell based or hall sensor based o.e.

Do you have a link to a shop or could you upload a Pic of it?

 

[Daniel R.]

Just thought about it a bit.
Suggestion on how the handbrake you have works:
I think it's hall sensor based not loadcell based.
I also think it has no physical buttons in the mechanics that get activated. I think they do that via the program (called sketch in general) on the microcontroller (arduino o.e.).
So when a certain amount of lever travel is reached a button is "virtually" activated.
I think they have that implemented to be able for the user to use the handbrake in games that don't support a analog axis ingame.

If you have rfactor2 installed you could check the handbrake there, because I know that it supports buttons and analog axis.

I'm not sure on ams1 because it's Rfactor1 based, therefore pretty old and not sure if they have a analog axis on handbrake possible.
Same for Dirt 4. Never checked myself.

 

[Daniel R.]

There might be a demo of rfactor2 available. At least it was in the past.

 

[Spinelli]

Just thought about it a bit.
Suggestion on how the handbrake you have works:
I think it's hall sensor based not loadcell based.
I also think it has no physical buttons in the mechanics that get activated. I think they do that via the program (called sketch in general) on the microcontroller (arduino o.e.).
So when a certain amount of lever travel is reached a button is "virtually" activated.
I think they have that implemented to be able for the user to use the handbrake in games that don't support a analog axis ingame.

If you have rfactor2 installed you could check the handbrake there, because I know that it supports buttons and analog axis.

I'm not sure on ams1 because it's Rfactor1 based, therefore pretty old and not sure if they have a analog axis on handbrake possible.
Same for Dirt 4. Never checked myself.

Yes, it uses a hall sensor to measure the travel.

I'll try RF2 (I have most racing games/sims). It's taking ages to start up because it has to update or install over 160 packages, lol.

 

[Daniel R.]

Well, good luck

 

[Spinelli]

Just thought about it a bit.
Suggestion on how the handbrake you have works:
I think it's hall sensor based not loadcell based.
I also think it has no physical buttons in the mechanics that get activated. I think they do that via the program (called sketch in general) on the microcontroller (arduino o.e.).
So when a certain amount of lever travel is reached a button is "virtually" activated.
I think they have that implemented to be able for the user to use the handbrake in games that don't support a analog axis ingame.

If you have rfactor2 installed you could check the handbrake there, because I know that it supports buttons and analog axis.

I'm not sure on ams1 because it's Rfactor1 based, therefore pretty old and not sure if they have a analog axis on handbrake possible.
Same for Dirt 4. Never checked myself.

There might be a demo of rfactor2 available. At least it was in the past.

Just tested RF2 and it's also just registering it as a button but it's weird because the handbrake's axis is indeed registering in Windows, DXTweak2, DIView but the games are not picking it up. I'm making sure to move the handbrake so the axis registers but not the actual button. I even had RF2 in 1 monitor and DIView in another and could literally see the axis registering in DIView as I moved the handbrake yet RF2 would not detect it at all when trying to map it in the controls section...until I moved the handbrake far enough for a button to register.

If Windows / DXTweak2 / DIView is recognizing the 0-100% axis then it seems to me it's working fine. On the other hand, no games seem to be detecting the axis but, I repeat, the axis is detected just fine by Windows itself. How does that make any sense???

 

[Daniel R.]

No, it does not..
Hmm...

 

[Spinelli]

I was able to pretty much fix it. I knew there just had to be a way to make it work since the axis was successfully registering in Windows (and also confirmed with DXTweak2 & DIView). The following did the trick:

I adjusted the handbrake's preload almost all the way so that the handbrake's resting position is when it's registering around 70% in Windows. I then unplugged and replugged it back into my PC so that it would auto-calibrate with the new resting position as the 0% point. I then went to Windows controller and checked and by some sort of fluke, the handbrake now is able to be pressed all the way back registering 0-100% without any of the 2 buttons being registered. I knew from this point on it must surely work. I went into a few games (Dirt 4, RF2, AMS1, AC) and re-mapped the handbrake and, of course, it's now detected as an axis instead of a button in all the games.

In order to get the full throw of the handbrake back, I then adjusted the preload back to my original position, then disconnected & reconnected the handbrake from/to the PC. Once I did that, the 2 buttons of course started registering again but it doesn't seem to cause any problems in the games since those 2 buttons are not mapped to anything and the axis has already been mapped.

I wish we could reply to comments on Amazon because another person wrote in a review from just a week ago the exact same problem (although, funnily enough, not a single other review mentioned the issue). I'd love to show him this trick.

If Windows / DXTweak2 / DIView is recognizing the 0-100% axis then it seems to me it's working fine. On the other hand, no games seem to be detecting the axis but, I repeat, the axis is detected just fine by Windows itself. How does that make any sense???

I guess the problem is that games won't detect an axis when mapping controls if the axis is only registered until 20 or 30 % or so.

 

[Daniel R.]

Cool to hear you solved it!!

 

[Neilski]

I guess the problem is that games won't detect an axis when mapping controls if the axis is only registered until 20 or 30 % or so.

Yeah, very plausible.

On some games, you can directly edit the controls config file to patch in the axis you want (e.g. if stored as JSON/XML etc.), but I guess some will store the setup in a proprietary fashion.