Platform For Driving Controller Foot Pedal

[Hannacek]

I have recently been working on a platform for the driving controller foot pedal. This is the third version I have made, and it works really good. I took a bunch of scrap pieces of particle board and screws I had lying around to make it. I found the foot pedal was very difficult to use without a hard surface and something to prevent it from slipping away. The platform is elevated about an inch off the ground, and the left foot is about 1 inch higher than that. I found it annoying when the driving module was on your lap, and your lap became slanted because the right foot is higher when on the pedal. So I built the left side of the platform about an inch higher to compensate for this. I also added a metal bar in the back to feed the foot pedal cable through so it doesn't get in your way. You can also use the metal bar as a handle to slide the platform under your couch when not in use. The driving controller is improved a lot with this platform. Has anyone else made something similar to this, to solve some of the problems with the driving controller?

Edited June 23, 2014 by Hannacek

[Ikrananka]

Very nice.

 

Why they had to make the spring in the foot pedal so strong is beyond me. In my view, the spring is half the problem - you have to press down so hard that inevitably the pedal slips away from you unless it is blocked from moving.

 

How about a mod that changes out the spring for one with less resistance?

[+Yurkie]

Eliminating the pedal from slipping probably makes the spring resistance feel about right. To bad it is not a variable speed control, instead of an on/off switch.

 

Nice work Hannacek.

[Ikrananka]

To bad it is not a variable speed control, instead of an on/off switch.

 

Something I've always been disappointed about. Plus, in my pedal it seems I have to press it ALL the way down for it to activate the switch. This combined with the strong spring has always made it hard to use in my opinion. That said, I'll now give it a go with something that braces the pedal and see how it feels.

[+Yurkie]

Having to push the pedal all the way down isn't such a bad thing, since in real life if you want to go fast you floor it.

[Ikrananka]

Having to push the pedal all the way down isn't such a bad thing, since in real life if you want to go fast you floor it.

 

Very true

[Hannacek]

The key for the spring is to position the pedal near the center of gravity of your foot, so enough of your body weight is on the pedal so that it is not difficult to push down all the way. If the pedal is a few inches too far away, you won't have much leverage, and it can be difficult to push down all the way. You need to find the right position so you have the correct amount of leverage to make it easy to push down. I found it varies between games. For Turbo, I position the pedal closer, because my foot will be down almost the entire game. But with Destructor, I position it a little further away, because you need to start and stop a lot in that game.