Shift paddles

BlownMGB-V8 · February 05, 2015, 01:39:23 PM

How about a little bit of Titanium?

Inside shot shows the location of the capacitive touch sensor card, the backing plate, and behind the card you can see the edge of the LED window:

Outside view of the LED window. They light up during the pulse output to the transmission controller.

Jim

Jim Stabe · February 05, 2015, 02:31:54 PM

Now that's pretty cool! How much movement does it take to make it shift?

BlownMGB-V8 · February 05, 2015, 02:59:53 PM

Less than zero. :-)

It can pick up a finger from 5-10 mm away. Even through gloves.

Jim

Moderator · February 05, 2015, 03:31:01 PM

You post the most interesting and thought-provoking things!

I think I understand the paddle design pretty well. (Fixed paddle position is so much simpler than having them move with the steering wheel. Apparently that decision drove you to make each paddle cover a wide angle.) However, I don't understand what you've posted about an LED window. Are you saying there's a display to tell the driver which gear they're in? Or to advise that a gearchange is recommended? Or...?

Moderator · February 05, 2015, 03:34:06 PM

5-10 mm away. Neato! But will sensitivity be easy to adjust? If it detects your hand when you reach for the turn signal stalk...

BlownMGB-V8 · February 05, 2015, 06:38:55 PM

The stalks are well outside of the paddles (which have a 9-1/4" outer diameter). Each paddle is connected to one sensor circuit. (Two circuits on one card.) Each sensor circuit outputs a grounding pulse when a touch is sensed. Each output has a board mounted LED that lights during the grounding pulse and the window allows you to see that the board is generating an output. Won't be very visible when driving unless you intentionally look at it but useful for troubleshooting if needed. Since the LEDs were there I installed a window for them made out of smoked plexiglass. The same stuff I'll have over the gear position readout.

Speaking of which, I have a 7 segment LED numerical readout and driver chip which I am embedding in the stock (modified) brake warning light and switch. The bezel isn't quite deep enough but the fit is good otherwise. It's an old bezel though and like most of them the silver is gone. I may paint it black. Anyway the indicator light is now an LED and is hooked to my WB-O2 sensor. I installed a micro tactile switch to replace the old contacts and have the button between the red lens and the 7 segment display. That is the calibration switch for the O2. Then the display sits on the right end of the bezel and I cut off the black rocker and squared it up to match nicely with the smoked window. Still some work to do to finish it up and connect the lead-out wires. I got an AMP CPC series 9 pin connector for it which should fit through the cutout with just a smidgen of dressing down of the back shell.

So yes, I will have a digital gear readout, 1 through 8, blue, with 0 for neutral and park and flashing for reverse. Maybe a flashing 9 or else zero, I haven't decided yet. Maybe a flashing 8. The display also has a separate lead for the decimal point, so I have another built-in LED indicator I can use for something else if I want to.

Jim

Charles · February 06, 2015, 12:08:29 AM

Jim, neat. Are you going to have false shifts when you get your fingers to close ? I would be forever shifting up and down because I am forever flexing my fingers.
You going to bring the car to Indy ? I think a lot of us would like to see/hear it.

charles

Dan B · February 06, 2015, 10:32:53 AM

Can you turn the paddle shifter off if you want to be lazy, or let someone clumsy like me drive? Also, using the 8 for reverse might be good... it has the elements there to make an R.. Is that possible? An 8 kinda looks like a B, for Backup

BlownMGB-V8 · February 06, 2015, 10:41:51 AM

My LE steering wheel is 14-1/4" diameter so that puts the paddle 2-1/2" inside the steering wheel and it's also set back about 2". It's a short reach for sure, but unless I have fingers flying off the back side of the wheel I'm not going to hit it and maybe not then. Right now I'm a little more concerned about the possibility of flashing the headlights getting the stalk close enough to trigger a downshift. But it might not be a problem as the stalk is not grounded.

I'm expecting to have the car back on the street shortly after the weather breaks but whether or not it's ready for Indy depends on more than just me so I can't make any guarantees yet. Still have a few issues to deal with but we'll see. It'll be there if possible.

Jim

BlownMGB-V8 · February 06, 2015, 10:47:08 AM

The car should run in standard Auto mode unless you touch the paddles. Then I think there is a time interval that can be set for manual mode that will time out whenever I set it to. There is also an input to select Auto or Manual mode but I haven't done anything with that yet. Might be handy for stop and go traffic. Maybe I should hook that up.

Jim

BlownMGB-V8 · February 08, 2015, 12:42:33 PM

Installed and tested:

Jim

Dan B · February 08, 2015, 12:44:54 PM

Cool! No problem with the dimmer switch?

BlownMGB-V8 · February 08, 2015, 02:11:32 PM

Nope. None at all.

Jim

cgill · February 10, 2015, 05:53:02 PM

Jim. That is amazing!

Dan B · February 10, 2015, 08:01:22 PM

I just want to play with them!

Charles · February 10, 2015, 09:30:17 PM

Dan , I am sure you are thinking about plying with the shifter while under power.
charles

Todd McCreary · February 11, 2015, 01:49:47 AM

capacitive touch sensor card

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW0B1sipLBI

people who play Tesla coils are normally more into heavy metal.

BlownMGB-V8 · February 12, 2015, 06:37:54 AM

Got a U-tube link for the tesla coil players?

Jim

MGBV8 · February 12, 2015, 10:06:55 AM

Or Southern Rock.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbLshnfu0wY

BlownMGB-V8 · February 12, 2015, 07:21:34 PM

Well ain't that sumthing.

Jim

Todd McCreary · February 13, 2015, 08:43:28 PM

Now, see, that's what I mean. The Southern Rock guys are so pansy, they aren't even on screen with the coil.

Heavy metal guys, on the other hand, will use their own bodies/musical instruments as grounds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPoomwdNZeY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FpjcOWwiI4

Jim,
You're plan with the paddles is just to actuate them with the back of your fingers? You're not actually going to try to grab them?

BlownMGB-V8 · February 14, 2015, 10:19:01 AM

Now that was cool! (except for the second link that opened up a background audio track lecturing about tesla coils that I couldn't seem to turn off, that wasn't so great)

Correct about the finger flick for shifting.

Jim

MGBV8 · February 14, 2015, 11:09:06 AM

I don't see actually playing the guitar with those gloves on.

BlownMGB-V8 · February 14, 2015, 12:20:23 PM

Hmmm.... maybe sliders built into the fingers on the neck and massive feedback??

Jim

Todd McCreary · February 15, 2015, 11:05:28 PM

I don't see actually playing the guitar with those gloves on.

If Milli Vanilli can lip sync, why can't ArcAttack?