This YouTuber Used an Arduino to Build an All-Metal Analog Gaming Handbrake

YouTuber VelociMech decided to build their own all-metal analog gaming handbrake.

Cameron Coward
4 years agoGaming / Sensors / Automotive

Most gamers want their racing sims to feel as lifelike as possible, and for the cars to handle realistically. Most of that comes down to the physics that were programmed into the game, but your controller setup also matters. It doesn’t matter if your virtual car’s traction is affected by heat, a gamepad still doesn’t feel like a real steering wheel or brake pedal. That’s why many gamers choose to purchase high-end racing controls. YouTuber VelociMech instead decided to build their own all-metal analog gaming handbrake.

While most racers don’t use the handbrake on a track, it is important for rally driving and drifting. The handbrake also isn’t just a binary switch; pulling the lever up slightly has a different effect than pulling it all the way up. As such, gamers who want a realistic experience need to have an analog handbrake—or at least multiple digital levels. VelociMech went with the first option, and built an analog handbrake entirely out of custom-fabricated metal parts. All of those metal parts are tube or sheet that was cut, drilled, and welded together.

To monitor the position of the handbrake, VelociMech used a KY-024 magnetic Hall effect sensor module. That can measure the strength of a magnetic field, which is created by a permanent magnet and is proportional to the distance between the magnet and the sensor. The Hall effect sensor module is monitored by an Arduino Pro Micro board. The Pro Micro is programmed to show up as a standard USB HID gamepad when it’s plugged into a computer, which makes it compatible with most racing games.

Cameron Coward
Writer for Hackster News. Proud husband and dog dad. Maker and serial hobbyist.
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