Help scoping up project

Projects General Guidance
1

Hey. I've used Arduino and Make Controllers in the past to create a few simple inputs that controlled basic Flash games, but that was a while ago now and I could really do with some guidance on where to start with something I've been tasked with.

Essentially, I need to build 2 input devices that capture/replicate a user wheeling wheelchair wheels. The user will be seated and will rotate the rear wheels from a wheelchair. The wheels will be mounted to the seat but suspended from the floor (so the user and the chair stay in the same place, the wheels just rotate freely). The user will control linear movement (speed and direction) by rotating both wheels together but as an additional bonus I wish to investigate, rotating the wheels independently would also affect horizontal rotation.

2 rotary inputs I'm assuming. So my question is fourfold:

  1. do any of the libraries support an infinite rotating device? I assume I just need to get the value and compare it to the previous value to see if the user is wheeling forward or backwards and the difference between the values would determine the speed? Any difference in the left or right might give me the data I need to apply a small amount of horizontal control too? Is that about right? And is there a library/function that can capture this type of data?

  2. does anyone know of the best component to test this? I'll build a hand-sized version first, and then scale up to something more robust to actually capture the suspended wheelchair wheels rotation. So suggestions for a micro scale device and then something more industrial would be awesome.

  3. what Arduino board is best for this? I'm assuming even the most basic board could capture this data providing the correct input component is connected? Want to keep costs down while I build the proof of concept.

  4. can the Arduino be setup to replicate mouse or joystick axis so I can map the input to the game engine (Unreal Engine) I will be building this experience in?

Thanks in advance for any help.

2

Look at the Mechanum wheel.

3

Make sure you read the pinned post about how to get the most from the forum.

  1. Normal code, maybe Hall effect or reed relay or a motor used as a generator.
  2. See 1. plus Arduino, not really much difference, just bigger wheels.
  3. Any will work, I use a NANO a lot.
  4. No idea about this.
4

Hi @lord_faffington ,

basically rotary encoders are "endlessly" scrolling devices. You don't necessarily need a library for it but they usually provide information about rotation (left, right increments).

There are a number of boards that immediately support USB mouse or joystick emulation in combination with an appropriate library like this

https://github.com/MHeironimus/ArduinoJoystickLibrary/tree/master

See the GitHub documentation for compatible boards.

I just finished a few weeks ago a small application that connects an "old" analog steering wheel plus pedals via USB with a PC. Works like a charme with the built-in Win 11 joystick driver ...

Good luck!
ec2021

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Thanks for the help guys. You've given me plenty to get started. Appreciate it.

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