# Pedal Options for conversions



## RupertWild (Nov 20, 2009)

I am so frigging appalled at the lack of options for conversions. 

I can't go hall effect, so I'm left with what? Throttle to pot switch, or industrial foot pedal.

I realize I'm not going to make any friends here with this post, but I don't give a shite, someone has to slap everyone in the face and say what the fuck!?

So I submit to you all, what the hell are we doing about pedals for our conversions?

I further submit to you my findings from looking at flight simulator and video game pedals and the best one I've come across is the Logitech G27. The pedals on it are genius. They have little shocks in them to give them the physical resistance we're used to in a "normal" car and they're quite adaptable. There are tons of articles out there from "gamers" that have opened the pedal unit on these G27's up and mounted them six ways from Sunday. 

So why shouldn't I use them? They are the slickest thing I've seen. Even if they are supposed to be for a video game system. They are plenty stout. And frankly what we have available is horse shit, absolute horse shit.

There are many areas where we have a deficit in the Electric Vehicle Conversion world. This is one I'm just not going to remain quiet about.

An all in one pedal unit is all I'm asking for. I've had to go to the video game world to find it. I think I have, but I'm open to suggestions.


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## RupertWild (Nov 20, 2009)

Apologies for the language, but seriously what the hell is going on with pedals for us? Beyond frustrated with this situation.


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## EVfun (Mar 14, 2010)

What is wrong with using the pedal that came in the car? Hooking that up to a forklift pot box is the usual way of handling the throttle. I prefer to build a mechanical linkage and attach the pot box to the firewall.


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## Tesseract (Sep 27, 2008)

I'm scratching my head just like EVFun here.. what's wrong with the OEM pedal assembly??? Are you building a vehicle from scratch rather than converting one?


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## Woodsmith (Jun 5, 2008)

I'm planning on using the original throttle pedal and cable to the original throttle body from the ICE. It will even be mounted near where it was in the engine bay so the cable 'sees' the same thing.

The throttle body very nicely comes with a 6k pot which I will be experimenting with on my tractor to see if the controller is happy with it.


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## ngrimm (Oct 19, 2007)

Would this work? 

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-PB-6-Thrott...tem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5ad7920030

Or this if you don't have a pedal 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/New-...temZ120536817008QQptZLHQ5fDefaultDomainQ5f100


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## TigerNut (Dec 18, 2009)

RupertWild said:


> So why shouldn't I use them? They are the slickest thing I've seen. Even if they are supposed to be for a video game system. They are plenty stout. And frankly what we have available is horse shit, absolute horse shit.


Well. things that you will get when you buy a real pot box are:
Good bearings.
A sealed potentiometer.
Vibration proof connectors.
Materials that are expected to be used over a wide temperature range and that have a tolerance to typical automotive chemicals.

I can see where the G27 pedals have none of these. It may not bite you. But intermittent (or stuck) throttles suck. By the time you rebuild your G27 pedal with automotive grade parts, you'll be out just as much money as if you'd started with a real unit to begin with.


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## peggus (Feb 18, 2008)

I used a VW drive by wire pedal. It contains two pots, neither 5k though so you need to come up with a bit of an adapter circuit.

http://www.electric-lemon.com/files/images/opened_0.jpg


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## sunworksco (Sep 8, 2008)

This is built to military specs with 50,000,000 switch cycle life and corossion proof materials.http://sensing.honeywell.com/index.cfm/ci_id/140301/la_id/1/pr_id/128790.htm

http://www.potentiometers.com/HRS100.cfm
Regards,
John


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## meanderingthemaze (Jan 25, 2010)

While I don't share your frustration with the pedal situation (I'm using OEM pedals too), I do share the general frustration with the lack of diverse options that are available to the ICE car-modding industry. 

Lately I'm frustrated with lack of options for gauges with my setup. 

The way I understand it, the reason there are not as many options is because this market is not large enough to attract enough business entrepreneurs to create options for the myriad of different designs that we EV converters create.

We have to realize that we are ahead of our time. And that is not always easy. 

Now, if all the tens of thousands of people who are interested in EVs were to get organized on the level of Plug In America or something like that, we would have a louder voice, but since most people do this as a hobby I don't see a lot of motivation to get anything like that going. (Although I wish it weren't true). Talk about frustration, if I buy a NEW EV, I can get a combined $12,500 back in rebates from state and federal govts. But if I convert, I can get 10% of the cost or $2000 (whichever is less) from the state. How is that fair? Both new and converted EVs run off batteries, have zero emissions. What's the big diff?!?! The big diff is that the big autmakers have a strong lobby to influence legislation and we have no influence.

Best of luck


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## sunworksco (Sep 8, 2008)

You can use a PC Tablet or I-Pad with an application for your own custom graphics guages.There are software web-sites that will sell you the software programs for the graphics.They even produce antique guage graphics.Make it bluetooth so it is easily removable.The pc tablet can data log your complete drive-train.You can also buy a component that will create a heads-up windshield display coupled to the pc.
Regards,
John


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## meanderingthemaze (Jan 25, 2010)

I'd love to find out more about that. I would imagine that the software would have to be compatible with the controller. I actually prefer seeing the needle, much easier to read than digital displays. Not as light sensitive either.


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## sunworksco (Sep 8, 2008)

They offer analog style needle guage graphics.I like analog,too.
Regards,
John


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## sunworksco (Sep 8, 2008)

Here are a couple of examples.
Regards,
John

Nvidia digital LCD graphics


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## Thaniel (May 25, 2008)

I'm not a big fan of Pot boxes myself. Having experienced worn out pots on other equiptment. Granted the ones for the cars may be more durrable. You state:



RupertWild said:


> I can't go hall effect, so I'm left with what? Throttle to pot switch, or industrial foot pedal.


Can't go hall effect? Sure you can. Might not want to for some reason but it can be done. I think hall effect is a great way to go. My install:









While the g27 pedals might be cool throttle pedals don't need trick resistance as brake or clutch pedals would on a simulator. Real throttles are only attached to a spring loaded throttle plate. I see no advantage to go to a gamer piece of equipt.


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## sunworksco (Sep 8, 2008)

You can buy $2.00 potentiometers or $35.00 potentiometers.
The best are the Hall's Effect type.
They have 50,000,000 cycle life.
Regards,
John


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## RupertWild (Nov 20, 2009)

Thaniel - If you can show me documentation of how to get a Solectria controller to accept hall effect input I'd love to see it. Until then, note that I CAN NOT use hall effect pedals.

That's why I'm seeking alternatives here.


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## RupertWild (Nov 20, 2009)

As for why I'm not using the original Throttle pedal.

have you seen the setup for the spitfire? It's a physical bar that goes from the driver side over to the passenger. 

The mods I had to do to get my motor in and controller mounted have made it so the stock throttle pedal no longer has all the places it needs to thread through. It's not a cable unfortunately.


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## RupertWild (Nov 20, 2009)

ngrimm - Those are the pedals I'm talking about. If I was putting together a dentists chair I'd be stoked. I'm building a car though. These industrial pedals just aren't doing it for me. The one you showed is a little sleaker than the main design that seems to be out there, but still. 

Even a hall effects unit with potentiometers instead of hall effects would be a great start.


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## Woodsmith (Jun 5, 2008)

RupertWild said:


> As for why I'm not using the original Throttle pedal.
> 
> have you seen the setup for the spitfire? It's a physical bar that goes from the driver side over to the passenger.
> 
> The mods I had to do to get my motor in and controller mounted have made it so the stock throttle pedal no longer has all the places it needs to thread through. It's not a cable unfortunately.


Why not just keep what is left of the pedal and the first bush or pivot point in the footwell and then on the cut off cross bar fix a lever that pulls on a cable?

Or you could just hinge the pedal from the top of the foot well and let it hang with return springs fitted. A cable and sleeve could be passed through the firewall and connected to the push part of the pedal. The core of the cable would be anchored and the pedal would push the cable sleeve.

But then why have a cable? Just have a short lever crank to pull on a lever crank on the pot that just sits on top of the firewall.

On a Land Rover conversion I did, the replacement engine and gearbox used a cable clutch. I removed the hydraulic clutch master cylinder and then extended the clutch pedal beyond the pivot so that it could pull instead of push. I then fitted a cable to the extension.


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## RupertWild (Nov 20, 2009)

Do people just assume I'm trying to make my life difficult by wanting an all in one unit?

Fella's, bottom left. See that accelerator pedal? It's all one link. Goes through the firewall, then around and through the whole where the tranny used to be, then up and out over the other side of the firewall. It's a pain in my arse. I'm not modifying it, I want an all in one solution, it's really not too much to ask in this day and age.

I appreciate all the mods people have done, read my project blog, I've done plenty. On this, however, I do not want to have to mess about. I want plug in controls that do the job we need them to do. Not EVERY conversion should have to be a complete fabrication every step of the way.

http://www.automotiveartistry.com/blog/?page_id=293


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## sunworksco (Sep 8, 2008)

Rupert,
Why not use a potentiometer as an accelerator pedal hinge pin rather than use a cable or linkage operated potentiometer?
Most electronic speed controls will interface with a potentiometer.
Regards,
John


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## Woodsmith (Jun 5, 2008)

RupertWild said:


> Do people just assume I'm trying to make my life difficult by wanting an all in one unit?
> 
> I appreciate all the mods people have done, read my project blog, I've done plenty. On this, however, I do not want to have to mess about. I want plug in controls that do the job we need them to do. Not EVERY conversion should have to be a complete fabrication every step of the way.
> 
> http://www.automotiveartistry.com/blog/?page_id=293


I am not assuming that you are trying to make your life difficult, to the contrary, I think you are trying to make your life simpler.

But, I would like to make my life simpler and just get a fully built up, warrented, all electric drive and transmission unit that would drop straight into my MR2 without any body or mounting mods. And doesn't cost a fortune.

It doesn't exist. Or if it did it would be too expensive.

Unfortunately, that is the nature of the game. You are rebuilding everything else and adapting for a motor and batteries. Why such a concern over the throttle pedal?

You didn't start off asking 'Why can't I find an old donor car that has a built in motor and battery mount?'. 
You got a car you wanted and converted it despite the fact that 1960's technology _could have_ produced a Spitfire with a motor and batteries.


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## Duncan (Dec 8, 2008)

Hi Guys

During the recent Toyota bunfight over sticking throttles they were messing about (extra shim) with what I thought were rather tasty looking pedals with built in pots

Is it worth while trying to get one of them??


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## sunworksco (Sep 8, 2008)

*http://www.mavriteglobal.com/footcontrols.htm
 *


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## RupertWild (Nov 20, 2009)

Cheers Duncan and sunworks, information I can use there.

Do you have a link to the toyota pot jobs?

Woodsmith - are you fecking kidding me mate? A pedal. I'm asking for an all in one pedal. Not the impossible, to drop a motor and tranny that's universal. A pedal. Your posting here has hindered the process, not helped it. Do me a favour.


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## RupertWild (Nov 20, 2009)

Man, nice find on the fc200a. 

See this is what I'm looking for here. There have GOT to be some established units that exist for other applications.

In posting this message originally what I was hoping to find were a handful of resourceful sunworkco's that could offer the rest of us some options for all in one pedal units. 

Good on you. If anyone else resourceful has come across a unit that's made for something else (like this fc200a unit and the logitech g27) that we can assess please do speak up.


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## EVfun (Mar 14, 2010)

Duncan said:


> Hi Guys
> During the recent Toyota bunfight over sticking throttles they were messing about (extra shim) with what I thought were rather tasty looking pedals with built in pots
> Is it worth while trying to get one of them??


I think the Toyotas use an inductive pickup. Both the Zilla and WarP Drive offer inductive throttle pedals as complete assemblies ready to install. 

Forklift throttle systems would be the biggest user of resistive all in one throttles based on a 0-5k ohm input (made popular by the Curtis controller used in so many forklifts.) You may also want to look toward golf cart parts as many of them use Curtis controller too.


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