Building a F1 steering wheel from scratch

[Proteu]

Hello!

I intend to build my own F1 steering wheel from scratch. I have a few important (beginner) questions:

1) Do I need to know a programming language (C++?!) to accomplish my project?

2) Which Arduino or Arduino-like board is recommended for a steering wheel that will contain:
- Double Clutch with Bite Point Finder
- Paddle Shifters
- Rev Lights
- LCD Display
- Leds that light up when specific buttons are activated
- Dozens of buttons of all kinds (basic and complex ones)

3) Which electronic parts should I buy for this project?

4) Would you recommend a comprehensive tutorial (for the electronics) that covers nearly everything I need to know?

Thanks in advance!!!

 

[Steve Bird]

Well, I'm looking at doing something similar at the moment and playing around.

For the electronic dash start off with SimHub.

I've been tinkering with Fusion 360 for my dash casing but there are also lots of £D Print patterns available on the net to use as a base for your project (Progress). Try here or here.

Arduino LED rev light guide here.

You don't even need to have a 3D printer as you can outsource your printing to local enthusiasts. Look here. You just upload your cad file and any local vendors will be shown with a price. I did it with my last dash and it was in my hands less than 12 hours later for 25 UK £.

I got a good 4.3" Nextion screen for 29 quid from BanGood as well and the controller cost me around £3.

There's lots out there and I've been hooked so far to the extent that I'm looking at buying a 3D printer to produce a few Porsche GT3 dashes for friends and family.

 

[Proteu]

Yes, SimHub is a masterpiece! Thanks for all the tips. I couldn't click on the links. They are not clickable.

The steering wheel is more or less based on Sauber's, not completely in terms of design, but in functionality.

ITENS
Itens needed for the electronics (I need guidance to complete the list):
- 23 Momentary Push Buttons (Are they the right type for the majority of common buttons we see on Sauber's steering wheel?)
- 05 Twelve Position Rotary Switches
- 04 Rotary Encoders (Thumb Dials)
- 02 shift paddles (Magnetic mechanism.)
- 02 clutch paddles (With master/slave circuit + potentiometer + knob for ajust bite point)
- 06 leds (light up when specific buttons are activated)
- Rev lights (This one: https://goo.gl/5G1RjJ)
- LCD (Nextion 4.3 TFT LCD Touchscreen: https://goo.gl/1NftwG)
- FIA flag leds (Any idea on how to make one?!)
- Board (Which one should I use?! Do I need more than one?)
- Wire
- Hot glue
- Superglue
- Solder
- Soldering Iron
- screws
- Neodymium magnets
- 02 micro lever switches

CLUTCH
See: [01:45] https://goo.gl/87Dh7S
Master/slave circuit + potentiometer: https://goo.gl/VQgcx7

IMPORTANT
- Essencially for Windows. [Mac, Linux, Xbox, Playstation, etc., is a plus.]
- Must work in a variety of racing simulators, such as Asseto Corsa, iRacing, rFactor, Project Cars, etc.