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Combination Analog and 360
Minwah:
My apologies, I did not realise you could get continuously rotating pots...
But the key to a lot of 360degree wheel games is being able to freely spin the wheel. A pot usually gives resistance, so you can't actually SPIN the wheel, just turn it (does that make sense?).
This is definately a great idea, but IMO you need to somehow disengage the pot for 360 games as Beley says. Not sure how to go about that easily :(
Ben:
Well, I was thinking of something along the lines of this pot
The torque is rated at .003Ncm or .005in-Lbs. On a 10 inch diameter wheel, that would equate to .001 lbs of force resistance at the outside edge of the wheel. I suspect it would spin pretty well. Being rated for 100 million cycles, it should last.
Now that one isn't perfect, because it's only rated for about 1.5 revolutions per second. I suspect you'd want something a bit more substantial then that. Ideally, you'd also want a pot with an electrical angle of 270
Xiaou2:
I think the wear or a full circle pot - especially after playing a game like supersprint, would kill it Very fast! heh
It would be better to use some sort of gear on the main shaft... and a movable platform that engages both the pot (with a smaller gear), and the stopper assembly, all in one shot.
I had started on a plan for this just for kicks.... but was having trouble figuring out the best and safest way to engage the thing without the possibility of the pot being in the wrong positioning - thus breaking the thing.
My idea also kept the stopper bar on the main shaft - as the 'stopper bumpers' themselves, are moved into and out of place, on the same platform that the pot/gear assembly ride on.
Maybe that will give you some ideas. My time has been pretty limited, as Im working on a large project currently.
Ben:
Heh, I know I don't play games as much as some, but I really can't see going over the 100 million cycle mark any time soon. If the pot could stay engaged all the time, it would be a heck of a lot less complicated. Even if you do hit 100 million cycles, you'd have gotten your moneys worth ;) These kind of pots are used as industrial sensors on rotating equipment, so they're extremely long lasting. I think a low-torque, long life pot really would be able to stand up to the abuse. The trick is finding the right one.
I had been debating which stopping mechanism would be better. I had thought about having the bumpers move in and out, but then I was thinking it might be easier to have a spring loaded pin that dropped down into a 270 degree groove on the steering wheel shaft. It'd work kind of like a ball point pen, one press would drop it down and one press would bring it back up. I'll have to think about the design and see what's out there that could easily be rigged up.
Ben
Minwah:
Since you are planning to use a continuous pot, you don't really need the stopping mechanism (I mean the pots won't break by over-turning)...not 100% arcade true maybe but it would work. Are you planning on having springs to centre the wheel?