Handbrake

[Olijep]

So I brought a handbrake but they sent me a real hydraulic handbrake with master cylinder not with USB hall sensor so I'm looking to covert does anyone have such a handbrake and could look at what there is so I can try source the parts to convert

 

[Daniel R.]

So I brought a handbrake but they sent me a real hydraulic handbrake with master cylinder not with USB hall sensor so I'm looking to covert does anyone have such a handbrake and could look at what there is so I can try source the parts to convert

Helloooo,

Do you have a Pic of the handbrake?

There are three possibilities.
1. Hydraulic:
You need brake lines, a slave cylinder (pretty expensive) for the feedback via rubber springs. A pressure transducer between master and slave cylinder that you make work with a arduino micro or a teensy as microcontroller.
Never done it... so no experience. But I think it's manageable.

2. Loadcell:
You need a loadcell (a pretty firm one because of the lever ratios of the handbrake 100Kg and upwards). 1 HX711 amplifier board. A arduino micro or a teensy as microcontroller. Rubber springs of some sort for feedback mounted between main rod and Loadcell.
Built my own Loadcell pedals, so done that before (more or less).

3. Potentiometer or hall effect sensor:
Easiest/cheapest way. You just put rubber springs between lever and housing that compress when pulling the lever for a good lever feel.
You use a small linear potentiometer f. e. to sense the movement of the main rod.
And, of course a arduino micro or teensy as a microcontroller.
One downside to this is, that you just messure the main rod travel. The more you pull the higher the forces get and the smaller the displacement is. This gives you less precision under load. So I'm not sure if it is accurate enough.

A Loadcell or pressure transducer measure load or pressure. Even without more travel you still sense the "load". So the signal is still precise.

Your decision.

Cheers Dan

 

[stigs2cousin]

I think this will only make sense as a project, if you really want to build it yourself and the cost is not important.

You´ll need a minimum of hand tools , a soldering iron and a power drill for the fabrication part.

Then the parts which measure the amount of braking and the electronics to convert these measurements to an input the PC can work with.
You´ll need some kind of resitance against the pull, which could be a rubber/elastomere stack or just a steel spring.
Than you´ll have to fabricate a holder for the spring stack and find a way to measure the force or deflection of the springs.

Cheap chinese handbrakes use a steel spring and a potentiometer to measure the reach of the brake lever, but it doesn´t feel realistic at all.


Much better is the loadcell way like eg. Heusinkveld uses:

Handbrake Anthracite • Heusinkveld Advanced Simracing Products

The all new Heusinkveld Sim Handbrake is a versatile, pressure sensitive USB simulator handbrake using load cell technology.

heusinkveld.com

Even better (and even more expensive) are the hydraulic handbrakes Dan mentioned eg:

Simtag Hydraulic Simulator Handbrake

Lead Time 2-3 Weeks from purchase Utilising Motorsport proven products, the Simtag Hydraulic Handbrake provides the ultimate in realism and feel and is ideal for use in any rally or drift simulator. Ultimate realism for drift or rally sims Vertical or horizontal operation to suit various driving...

digital-motorsports.com

Her´s an article with an overview of the market:

The Best Sim Racing Handbrakes – Buyer’s Guide

To finish your near-perfect racing sim, get a handbrake! Take a look at our top sim racing handbrake picks in today's article...

simracingcockpit.com

To be frank, it will be more cost effective to buy a low end or medium tier handbrake if you don´t have all the tools and most of the materials already at home.

MFG Carsten