Introduction: Car Simulator Arduino Pedals

I have a on going project to build a car-simulator and one goal is to get the feeling like sitting in a real racing-car. With this instruction I explain how I have build my pedals to my car simulator. Of course you can buy stuff like this but I want to build it cheap. My pedals have gas, brake and clutch and use a Arduino (Windows native drivers) to connect to usb port.

Hope I can inspire you with my building and I meet you on a trackday in Project Cars!

Step 1: Parts You Will Need to Buy or Get From Scrapyard

1. Arduino Pro Micro

You can use any of board based on ATmega32U4

2. Usb cable between Arduino board and computer.

3. 3 piece Slide Potentiometer 5kohm.

4. 3 cheap styling pedals for cars.

5. Spring

6. Some metall to build pedal construction in

7. Nuts, bolts and cables to potentiometer

8. Project Cars or another car simulator you like.

Step 2: Welding Potentiometer and Arduino Together.

Connect Gas to A0, Brake to A1 and Clutch to A2.

Connect each potentiometer to +5v and GND

See draft.

Step 3: Programming Arduino and Test

For this you need to download MHeironimus/ArduinoJoystickLibrary Version 1.0 and JensArduinoCarPedals from Github.

Install libary and open jenswsArduinoPedal project.

Download it to your Arduino board and connect to your gaming computer.

Go to Controlpanel/Hardware and sound/Devices and printer.

If everything is correct you now see your arduino board as a joypad.

Right click on your Arduino board and choose Game control Settings

After you choose your Arduino board you can go to tab test and test your potentiometer.

It is important that you use Version 1.0 of MHeironmius Joystick libary

Step 4: Building Pedal Construction

I build my pedal construction in steel and welding it together. One tricky part was to find spring with correct feeling. You have to test what you like. I also fond that 100mm from bottom to center of pedal was a good length for my foot.

I show some pics how i have done to give you idea how you can build yours.

Step 5: Install Potentiometer on to Pedal Construction.

I have choose to mount my potentiometer in back of pedal console.

When I press on a pedal potentiometer go from 0 to 5kohm.

It may be a better solution to mount direct on pedal?

Step 6: Settings in Project Cars

Start Project Cars and go to Options/Controls/Edit assignments

Choose Throttle and press on gas pedal.

Do the same with Brake and Clutch

Step 7: Test Run in Project Cars

If you have done everything correct you now have som nice pedals to you car simulator.

Probably I gona build version 2,0 of my pedals.

I'm not 100% satisfied with the feeling in my pedals.

Maybe i rebuild brake to hydraulic and try different springs on gas and clutch.