Hey /diy/. I'm making a steering wheel and I have a pot similar to pic related, except it has a slotted tip that's about 1/16" deep. The steering wheel won't be too heavy thankfully. How do I get the strongest bond between the potmeter and wheel?
Example of the slotted shaft. It's made of aluminum. Forgive my ignorance cause I'm a virgin to this, but maybe I can weld it to a small metal bracket and screw the wheel on?
>>1017890
if the steering wheel is not being supported only by the shaft, sure.
>>1017892
[the construction of those pots is slightly tougher than tissue paper. With the leverage of a wheel welded to it, you'll shred it with minimal force.]
>>1017897
a bearing
attach bearing to dash
>>1017897
As far as mechanical support should be concerned, the pot should be little more than an afterthought. They're not made to take any sort of load beyond a small knob.
Make some kind of bracket that fully supports the wheel, then attach the pot to that.
Also, just FYI, you shouldn't really be using a pot for this. If it's just some random project that you don't plan on using regularly, that's fine, but it'll wear out fast with even moderate use. There are heavy-duty pots that would do better, but, really, this is a job for an optical encoder.
>>1017904
What about pic related? Not too heavy and seems good enough for a couple bucks. How do I mount bearings? The housing I've seen online looks heavy as fuck.
>>1017905
>this is a job for an optical encoder
Noted, I'll look into it. I'm only focused on the construction for now.
>>1017909
I don't know, maybe
depends on your requirements
As for mounting a bearing, you probably want a block mounted bearing
>>1017888
>>1017890
>>1017897
Don't fasten the wheel to the pot at all.
Fasten the wheel to the same sheet you fasten the pot to. Pic related.
I wouldnt connect the pot directly to the wheel, use something like a belt system so when the pot hits its limits the belt can just slip, it will keep you from breaking it under intense driving moments
For the bearings you could use something like skateboard or roller blade wheels and grind one side of the wheels flat, then drill a hole through them so you can screw them to a piece of wood or something you will be using for your base.
there's no need to re-invent the (steering) wheel. you can get game wheels at the thrift store for $4-$10 with all the engineering problems already solved for you.
>>1017995
You would be lucky to find a knockoff shovelware game at my local thrift shops let alone a steering wheel
>>1018005
Craigslist/ebay
>>1017888
Maybe the main Problem is, that OP should not use a potmeter.
A "incremental rotary encoder" can not be overwind.
OP here.
>>1017965
>>1017949
Both sound like great ideas. I was originally planning to use a bearing hub or something like pic related (could be pretty pricey).
>>1017995
>>1018009
That's no fun, anon.
>>1018011
See
>>1017909
One more thing, anons.
I have an Arduino UNO board which I plan to use with UNOJoy and an encoder. How many additional buttons can I add?
OP, find an old mouse and tear it apart for the optical encoder. Ball mice have two, there's one on scroll wheels too.
Definitely connect the wheel to whatever sensor indirectly, use either a belt or maybe some gears.
The problem with attaching the wheel directly to the pot is that with you reach the ends, you'll be putting a hell of a lot of force on the pot. Eventually, something will give, either the pot or whatever is holding the pot down. You can put in hard stops that prevent the pot from reaching its limits.
>>1017965
Arcade engineer here. Your correct with using a drive belt and bearings, but you will need to tweak the ration. Threaded rod also has another benefit, you can add a nut at either end and center to limit the rotation, done right it should take some abuse.
>>1017888 (OP)
Sheeeeeeiiit, let me show you my Arma 2 rig.
2 mice, one for normal use, one for the steering wheel
old broom handle
old box
old 5-gal bucket lid
Don't laugh, I put like 500 hours of game time on that thing.
