Race Technology

Any suggestions for a steering wheel angle sensor/potentiometer for use on a production-based car? I compete in SCCA Improved Touring and I run with the stock steering column and supports.

Thanks!

Your best bet is to use something like this:

http://www.race-technology.com/WebPage2/Products/Sensors/SteeringAngle.html

You can try using the "pot and band" soultion, but the chances are that your steering column in enclosed within another column. The pot and band will also require fabricating the necessary brackets and ensuring the band does not slip.

The string potentiometer suggested simply fixes to the bulkhead and the end of the wire attaches to a steering arm or similar.

Let us know how you get on.

Yep, I saw that one, but it's pricey at US$280 (almost a third the price of the unit itself). I'm sure there's a clever, yet less expensive, way of doing this...

If you have a nice round boss on your steering wheel hub then you can just use a multi-turn potentiometer via a suitable drive pulley (when I last saw this technique used by Lotus Engineering, they simply had a small plastic disc of the right size with an elastic band wrapped around it for friction) in contact with the hub.

There is also a Sharp IR distance measuring probe which could work although I'm not too sure of the update rate - I've used one of these although I'm not sure they'd be too great measuring in a hostile environment and the output is distinctly non-linear. Take a look at http://www.sharpsma.com/sensors/ for more details.

Greg,

I would look into a Vishay Spectrol Precision Potentiometer. The are very cheap and accurate.

The can be sourced from Allied Electronic.

I would look into the Model 533.

Small Round Belt pulleys (for use with o-ring belts) can be found on McMaster-Carr, again very cheap.

The key of a rotary set-up is getting you ratio correct so you can get maximum travel out of your pot.

I typically can do the whole set-up for under $30.

If you have any more questions you can get a hold of me @ ekm24@drexel.edu[/url]

Hello
I use this http://www.elfa.se/pdf/64/06484208.pdf for trottle and steering and they have worked great so far. Use some care when washing your car.
A small home made belt pully for steering and a piece of rubber hose to connect it to trottle shaft.
I use the 6187 model with 1/4" shaft, price is aprox

What resistance range are you guys using with your DIY SPS pots?

Cheers

TT

Hello,

I have decided to use a steering wheel angle sensor. Since the RT sensor is expensive for me, I want to buy a pot and implement the whole system on my own.

I just want to ask if anyone has managed to set up the whole thing(including the equations in the software) in order to be able to see in the software whether the steering wheel is steered left or right.

Any info on the above would be appreciated. It will help me understand the final details of how to do it as well as choosing the right pot for the job.

Thanks.