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#4245266 - 04/01/16 04:45 AM DIY Rudder Pedals  
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 5
Qamar Offline
Junior Member
Qamar  Offline
Junior Member

Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 5
I have created rudder pedals and want to share with community.
My name is Qamar Abbas and I am from Pakistan. By profession I am a software engineer, but I have some love for electronics.
I am using Saitek x52-Pro for die hard flight sim hobby. In DCS I fly more or less choppers. I was curious how choppers will feel with actual rudder pedals. I googled different pedals but due to limited stock and cost of the different pedals is beyond my reach. when you add shipping cost for Pakistan the price goes insane. OK enough talking



Parts Material
I R&D on different DIY rudder pedals and decided to start with simple design and made a rough design in blender get all the dimensions of different parts and made all the parts from wood. With my initial design I used bearings only on the main legs after some usage I added bearings in foot base hinges.



  1. Main Legs
  2. Pulley rotating potentiometer
  3. 2 main leg support springs which is normal centering mechanism not perfect but it works
  4. Brake pots
  5. 2 foot pedal springs
  6. Main leg stopping wood block
  7. Arduino

Electronics
Well for me electronics is a bit easier than mechanical part. I used Arduino UNO and uploaded Big Joystick firmware to convert Arduino to HID joystick. The firmware support 8 axis and 40 buttons. Below are parts I used in different phases.

Version 1 (used about week or two)
Above picture depicts first version
  • 1 Arduino UNO R3
  • 3 50k 270 degree rotating potentiometer with very low quality as I didn't find any good pots here on local shop


Revision 1 (Used about a month)
I found good quality 10k linear sliding potentiometer. I used it for the rudder axis.



  1. 10K Sliding Potentiometer.
  2. Hand is attached to pot and Main leg
  3. Hall sensor that is used for revision 2. This solution was not good because the response was not linear rather tapper.
  4. 10 x 10mm Rare Earth Neodymium Magnets


Revision 2
I was not happy with the brakes precision. One of the reason was I used 270 degree pots and the foot axis can't be rotated to 270 degrees. Due to this majority of the resolution of the brake axis is wasted which makes the axis very noisy and jerky. I didn't find limited rotating capable pot on local shops. To overcome this issue I R&D on hall sensors.
I ordered 5 pieces lot of A1324LUA-T from Aliexpress. Why I chose these hall sensors? because one of the [url="http://www.mycockpit.org/forums/content.php?r=88-Hall-Effects-Sensors-to-make-a-joystick"]Person[/url] used in his DIY rudder pedals, according to him these are very sensitive linear sensors but those were previous version and company stop producing those and replaced with A1324LUA-T. I also added ball bearing on feet base leg
  • 5 A1324LUA-T hall sensors from [url="http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-shipping-5pcs-lot-A1324LUA-T-A1324LUA-324-high-precision-Hall-element-new-original/32530015479.html"]here[/url]
  • 20pcs N50 Strong Small Block Cube 10mm x 10mm x 10mm Rare Earth Neodymium Magnet from [url="http://www.aliexpress.com/item/20pcs-N50-Strong-Small-Block-Cube-10mm-x-10mm-x-10mm-Rare-Earth-Neodymium-Magnet/1627765756.html"]here[/url]
  • 8 bearings used for foot base hinges




  1. Hall sensor with Rare Earth Neodymium Magnets. In the center you will see to wood blocks that I used to protect from accidently touching feets.
  2. ADS 1115 chip
  3. The center block is no more used. I will remove it in future
  4. Bearings that I used for feet hinges
  5. Bolts are used to control the main leg travel length. Same thing I done for feet but not shown in picture.


It makes things a lot different. It is no more jerky

Revision 3 (Above image has the R3 changes)
At that time I have grip on various things like Arduino and different chips and sensors. One of the limitation of the Arduino is it has 10bit ADC (Analog to digital converters). 10bit gives you 1023 resolution which is not bad but I want more precision. Well I contacted my friend Google and found some ADC 16 bit (Analog to digital converters). I came across a really nice chip ADS 1115 It has 4 channels means you can use 4 axis. I also make changes in mechanical parts. I put a wood block with two bolts to control main leg travel.
Round 3 wink
1) 1 16 Bit I2C ADS1115 Module ADC 4 channel with Pro Gain Amplifier for Arduino http://www.aliexpress.com/item/J34-Free-...2564528015.html
2) Wood block added to control main leg travel.

Well after round 3 the things are going very nicely. I get 15bit resolution on single ended using ADS1115. If you want 16 bit then you need differential mode of ADS1115 chip and you will be limited to two axis. I used 15bit as it give me 32768 resolution which is more than enough and which is more than MFG crosswind.

My Experience
When I used rudder pedals for the first time the experience was odd, one of the reason I was used to twisted rudders, 2nd I for the first time know the fact that when you push left rudder the heli/aircraft will turn to left while I was expecting it to turn right. I thought that it will be like motorcycle but it is opposite in air vehicles. Anyhow with the time it becomes more fun and I was getting used to it. It is pleasure to fly with actual rudder pedals more immersive.
With the revision 3 the precision is really good and hall sensor are perfect no noise no lag very precise.
One of the things I learned building my own pedals is it gives you confidence for future projects. I am now able to develop home cockpit and I can easily develop a simple joystick or wheel. I don't have tools to create precise parts but enough to start a small project.

Time and Cost
Well DIY rudders are cheap in terms of cost but it will eat a lot of your Weekends. If you get decent rudder pedals for 100-150usd on your local shops then DIY rudder pedals are not worth the time it takes to build. The whole thing cost less than 70usd with hall sensor and 15 bit resolutions.

  • Arduino UNO R3 $8
    from local shop You can get it for 2.5usd on Aliexpress but it takes time to ship)
  • 5 pieces lot hall sensors $6.5
  • 20 pieces lot 10mm X 10mm magnets for $14
  • ADS 1115 $2.90
  • Wood, bearings, Bolts, spring etc $20

And finally efforts and time $200 smile

My future plans
I am planning to paint it and your suggestion is most welcome.
If I get enough motivation I will spend time on mechanical. I will try to replace wood with Aluminum or something similar.

Limitations
The response time is 30 to 45ms, which you can blame Arduino as It is at max 16Mhz speed.
There is 1 ms delay to read a single axis.

Feel free if you want to create one of those and need my help :thumbup:.

Some development Images.
Click to reveal..









Thank You

Excuse my English skills frown


Win10, HP probook 4540s i7QM 2.2Ghz Ram 8GB, ATI Radian hd 7650,Switch to Opentrack (Download it from Here), PS3 Eye, Saitek x52-pro Joystick, DIY Rudder Pedals. Download working win10 saitek drivers version SST_Software_64_6_6_6_9 from Here
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#4245284 - 04/01/16 08:20 AM Re: DIY Rudder Pedals [Re: Qamar]  
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 7,033
komemiute Offline
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komemiute  Offline
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That is definitely an interesting setting...
Good luck in your future developments! biggrin


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#4245691 - 04/02/16 09:11 AM Re: DIY Rudder Pedals [Re: Qamar]  
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 274
mega_mozg_13 Offline
Member
mega_mozg_13  Offline
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Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 274
BELARUS, Minsk
Originally Posted By: Qamar

Limitations
The response time is 30 to 45ms, which you can blame Arduino as It is at max 16Mhz speed.
There is 1 ms delay to read a single axis.


try Arduino Leonardo/Micro/ProMicro with MMJOY2 firmware
http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3899105/MMJoy/MMjoy2_-_Build_your_own_#Post3899105

#4245710 - 04/02/16 10:33 AM Re: DIY Rudder Pedals [Re: Qamar]  
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 3,118
Brigstock Offline
Senior Member
Brigstock  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 3,118
London, England
Good first post Qamar, welcome to SimHQ smile

#4245819 - 04/02/16 05:59 PM Re: DIY Rudder Pedals [Re: Qamar]  
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 61
robv Offline
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robv  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 61
Netherlands
Well done!

Not too different from my build: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread...l=1#post3390210

#4246619 - 04/05/16 04:01 AM Re: DIY Rudder Pedals [Re: robv]  
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 5
Qamar Offline
Junior Member
Qamar  Offline
Junior Member

Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 5
Thank you guys. One question I don't get any email notification for new posts.

Originally Posted By: robv
Well done!

Not too different from my build: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread...l=1#post3390210


You have much better design better looking and used metal instead of ugly wood. Great work bro. I will not use wood in my next project


Win10, HP probook 4540s i7QM 2.2Ghz Ram 8GB, ATI Radian hd 7650,Switch to Opentrack (Download it from Here), PS3 Eye, Saitek x52-pro Joystick, DIY Rudder Pedals. Download working win10 saitek drivers version SST_Software_64_6_6_6_9 from Here
#4246622 - 04/05/16 04:05 AM Re: DIY Rudder Pedals [Re: mega_mozg_13]  
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 5
Qamar Offline
Junior Member
Qamar  Offline
Junior Member

Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 5
Originally Posted By: mega_mozg_13
Originally Posted By: Qamar

Limitations
The response time is 30 to 45ms, which you can blame Arduino as It is at max 16Mhz speed.
There is 1 ms delay to read a single axis.


try Arduino Leonardo/Micro/ProMicro with MMJOY2 firmware
http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3899105/MMJoy/MMjoy2_-_Build_your_own_#Post3899105


Leonardo is no more supported and has similar specs just it is by default HID. Well I have to explore other controllers.


Win10, HP probook 4540s i7QM 2.2Ghz Ram 8GB, ATI Radian hd 7650,Switch to Opentrack (Download it from Here), PS3 Eye, Saitek x52-pro Joystick, DIY Rudder Pedals. Download working win10 saitek drivers version SST_Software_64_6_6_6_9 from Here
#4246628 - 04/05/16 05:00 AM Re: DIY Rudder Pedals [Re: Qamar]  
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 1,527
WileECoyote Offline
Member
WileECoyote  Offline
Member

Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 1,527
Argentina
FYI, the Pro Micro is the same as the Leonardo, only in a smaller package, but same chip (ATMEGA32U4) so it should be ok. That or the Teensy, but Teensy is harder to find.

In any case, are those delays causing issues? Because at 1 millisecond... bah! I'm not that fast anyways. biggrin


When you're feeling sad, just remember that somewhere in the world, there's someone pushing a door that says "pull".
#4246803 - 04/05/16 05:07 PM Re: DIY Rudder Pedals [Re: Qamar]  
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 1,527
WileECoyote Offline
Member
WileECoyote  Offline
Member

Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 1,527
Argentina
DIY is a hundred times better than buying stuff. It hits that "successful tool-making homo sapiens" spot that we all have. biggrin

It's like the scene in cast away when Tom Hanks goes "I... I made fire!"


When you're feeling sad, just remember that somewhere in the world, there's someone pushing a door that says "pull".
#4248239 - 04/09/16 03:55 AM Re: DIY Rudder Pedals [Re: WileECoyote]  
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 5
Qamar Offline
Junior Member
Qamar  Offline
Junior Member

Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 5
Originally Posted By: WileECoyote
FYI, the Pro Micro is the same as the Leonardo, only in a smaller package, but same chip (ATMEGA32U4) so it should be ok. That or the Teensy, but Teensy is harder to find.

In any case, are those delays causing issues? Because at 1 millisecond... bah! I'm not that fast anyways. biggrin


Not at all no issue you can't feel that delay. It is impossible to judge that tiny delay other than benchmarking softwares. I used DIView software to see the frequency.

The experience is awesome. There is no go back to twisted rudders. As I said I used 16bit ADC chip, which give you resolution that is more than currently available rudder pedals in market. Bearings give you such a smooth response.


Win10, HP probook 4540s i7QM 2.2Ghz Ram 8GB, ATI Radian hd 7650,Switch to Opentrack (Download it from Here), PS3 Eye, Saitek x52-pro Joystick, DIY Rudder Pedals. Download working win10 saitek drivers version SST_Software_64_6_6_6_9 from Here
#4390847 - 11/22/17 04:32 AM Re: DIY Rudder Pedals [Re: Qamar]  
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 5
Qamar Offline
Junior Member
Qamar  Offline
Junior Member

Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 5
I have modified some mechanical parts, can be seen in the video


Win10, HP probook 4540s i7QM 2.2Ghz Ram 8GB, ATI Radian hd 7650,Switch to Opentrack (Download it from Here), PS3 Eye, Saitek x52-pro Joystick, DIY Rudder Pedals. Download working win10 saitek drivers version SST_Software_64_6_6_6_9 from Here

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