Hi there,
I would like to create a steering wheel for a simulator by using arduino and Unreal. I need a sensor to know in which angle the steering is at any time. Obviously the range of angels will be less than 180 degrees. What are the options I have to achieve this? For example, can I use a simple potentiometer? a rotary encoder (absolute not incremental) or something else?
Thank you in advance
Start testing a pot. It's easy to wire up and easy to read.
A quality pot is going to be cheaper than an absolute encoder of any decent resolution and easier to use.
A real steering wheel can rotate more than 360°. Your sim should be the same or are you just doing a limited sim?
A multi-turn potentiometer (Bourns or sim.)
FIY - A "regular" rotary encoder doesn't know where it starts... I just knows how far you've moved and in which direction. So you usually need to have a way of knowing (and the software knowing) where center/straight is.
A pot has "mechanical memory".
Thank you all for you response. I am wondering if the potentiometer will lose its quality and reliability with time.
I forget to mention that the simulation concerns two wheel vehicle (bicycle or e-scooter) and therefore the rotation degrees of the steering will be limited.
You mention for quality pot, do you have any suggestions? Beside pot and rotary encoder do I have any other alternatives?
Thank you for your reference. I understand that, but I think that an absolute rotary encoder will provide the exact position of the turn right?
Within the resolution of the absolute encoder. An 8 bit encoder (for 360°) would have about 1.4° per bit.
Sorry bad language. I mean that an absolute encoder will output its exact position (for my project, the exact angle) at any time, is that correct?
Moreover, since i do not need a sensor to monitor more than a half turn, are there any advantages by using rotary encoder instead a simple potentiometer? I am not sure (a have no experience) if the potentiometer retain its quality and reliability over time.
Yes, except that the angle is not "exact". See post #9.
This topic was automatically closed 180 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.