Accelerator, Brake and Clutch Displays
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Lights, Neon, LEDs, HIDs
Forum Discription: Under Car Lighting, Strobe Lights, Fog Lights, Headlights, HIDs, DRL, Tail Lights, Brake Lights, Dashboard Lights, WigWag, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=81520
Printed Date: May 17, 2024 at 7:52 PM
Topic: Accelerator, Brake and Clutch Displays
Posted By: niroth
Subject: Accelerator, Brake and Clutch Displays
Date Posted: August 12, 2006 at 6:21 AM
G'Day Guys.
I've been reading the forums for a fair while now. Decided to get myself an account so that hopefully I can give something back. The forum has been a big help to me for a while now.
I have a question about some electronics, and I'm hoping someone here could give me some advice.
I'd like to make a LED based level gauge. Please bare with me as I'm not the best at explaining this one.
I would like to display the level of my accelerator, brake and clutch in a line of LEDs. Imagine a horizontal line of 20 leds. With the given pedal at rest, 0 of the LEDs will be lit; half depressed 10 of the LEDs will be lit; fully depressed all of the LEDs will be on. The LEDs will light up according to the level of depression of the pedal. I'd like to make this for the accelerator, brake and clutch.
I don't know where to start, or how to make this. Can someone please help me.
Wehave jaycar and DSE stores here in australia, https://www.jaycar.com.au and https://www.dse.com.au if that helps at all for the gear I have access to.
Thanks,
Jase
Replies:
Posted By: KPierson
Date Posted: August 12, 2006 at 9:24 AM
The problem I see right off of the bat is that the clutch and brake pedals can both be seen as 'digital' switches. The accelerator would be considered analog, but it is unlikely that the sensors are there to do what you want to do (unless you are DBW). That being said, the hardest part will be adding the sensors to give you the data you need. You would have to install a potentiometer of some sort that would vary its resistance based on how far the respective pedal is pushed. Once you have the sensor in place you can run an A/D converter and use a microcontroller to process the data and run the LEDs. ------------- Kevin Pierson
Posted By: niroth
Date Posted: August 13, 2006 at 4:56 PM
This is something that I've thought of myself. I can certainly look at making some sort of a setup but I don't know exactly what it is that I need to be connecting to the pedals. I am not well enough versed in electronics to just make up the circuit to do such a thing, and was wondering if anyone had or knew of such a device, controlled by as Kevin said, a pot. If I had the circuit working, I could quite easily put a gear on the end of the pot and a corresponding tooth set on the pedal.
So does anyone know how to make (read: can give diagrams and part numbers/componenet details) this device, or is there such a device already existing that has a LED display based on the position of a pot.
THanks Again,
Jase
Posted By: KPierson
Date Posted: August 13, 2006 at 7:33 PM
If i were going to do it I would use a microcontroller that has A/D inputs on it. You could send the sensor data directly to the microcontroller and write some code to process it. To control as many LEDs as you want to do you would most likely want to set up a matrix to minimize I/O usage. There really wouldn't be much of a circuit, the microcontroller and supporting components, and the LED matrix. Of course, the downside is you would have to know how to program the microcontroller. ------------- Kevin Pierson
Posted By: niroth
Date Posted: August 13, 2006 at 7:35 PM
Which unfortuantley I don't :(
Posted By: Custom_Jim
Date Posted: August 13, 2006 at 11:32 PM
This might work: https://www.dakotadigital.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=product/product_id=60/category_id=-1/home_id=-1/mode=prod/prd60.htm It would only give maybe 6-7 outputs for LED's and would require 3 units (one for each pedal). You might also be able to take one apart and disect it and see if it could be modified to give more outputs. I've put these in before on street rods and custom cars and once you get the linkage set you move it to a position and it learns that spot and illuminates and LED on the control box. You could tap into those LED's for your own display. Jim ------------- 1968 Chevy II Nova Garage Find 2012
1973 Nova Custom
1974 Spirit of America Nova
1973 Nova Pro-Street
Posted By: niroth
Date Posted: August 14, 2006 at 3:55 AM
Guys,
There is something that I've toyed with in the past, maybe you guys can give me a bit of a hand on the electronics side of things.
https://sound.westhost.com/project60.htm
This is a link to a design for a LED Based VU Meter. I'm wondering if the input can be adjusted to something more appropriate for my use. I imagine something like this could be used to control it. If so, it would be fairly easy to hook it up to the pedals.
You've been great so far, hopefully I can get some more help from you all.
Jase
Posted By: Ween
Date Posted: August 15, 2006 at 6:41 AM
hi, the vu meter uses a LM3915 which has a linear counterpart LM3914. i know you can cascade multiple 3914s or 15s to create a display with more range, two pieces would give 20 segments. searching LM3914 on google pulls up a link to the manufacturer of the IC. it shows various information you may find useful. does the "this" link refer to a particular item? mark
Posted By: niroth
Date Posted: August 15, 2006 at 4:54 PM
Sorry, I just realised the site uses Session IDs. IF you put R1980 into the search on the side you will see the part I was talking about.
Jase
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