Hi all!
As I'm a big fan of Rally Sims, I decided to build my own sequential shifter to accompany my G27 setup.
I wanted it to be relatively simple to build, but aesthetics were a priority. I wanted it to look professional-ish and as it is one of my first real builds in a long time, the mechanics had to be very simple.
After some research I stumbled on a ready made seq. shifter mechanism. Ideal, because I didn't want to engineer my own! It's made by Suzo Happ and was perfect for this project. And although their site didn''t let me buy it straightforwardly (yes), after some email exchanges, I could get my hands on one.
https://na.suzohapp.com/products/driving_controls/50-8110-00
But, the shifter didn't come with any housing. As I wanted it to look good, I didn't want to build one out of wood. And, because my tool shed is non-existent, I couldn't make one out of metal myself. I had to find something off the shelf.
After hours of searching I found an excellent solution at aliexpress; an aluminium case used for vacuum tube transformers in amplifier builds. It was a only a tad bigger than I was looking for, but still very usable. They provide different colors including black, but I went with silver.
It originally comes with only one topplate, but for an extra 5 bucks they would add another plate and some screws.
https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/GD-P...048.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.365c4c4dXqykU7
Now, the Suzo Happ shifter has no control board so I had to find my own solution. I opted to go for a Pro Micro as it is very cheap and would provide me some future proofing if I wanted to add stuff later.
I've since made an expansion on my code that includes logic for an analog handbrake. But, for the code savy amongst you, you can simply delete all that and use this code for your own project:
https://github.com/mohragk/Shifter_Handbrake_DIY/tree/master/New_Handbrake_update
Because I don't have a proper racing seat (and room for one) to mount my gear, I wanted to add a clamp to simply clamp the shifter to my desk.
This item was a lot harder to find then one might expect.. I've spend hours browsing for clamps that would be easy to use, but none of them are flat enough to attach to my case housing.
Eventually I found the perfect clamp from a company that installs acoustic panels in offices. They didn't have a webshop or anything and would initially only sell me a pair for a cool 70 euros.. A bit pricey. But some further inquiry resulted in a used one they had laying around for a more reasonable 10 euros.
Now in the meantime I've found an alternative that is pretty much the same thing as I ended up with. It's used for microphones and I'm sure you can source something similar to this:
https://www.thomann.de/nl/km_237_sw.htm
After all the part hunting, it was time to build!
I wish I made a build log of some sort, but I didn't. Delivery delays made me very impatient to finish the damn thing. I did make a test drive video of the finished product though.
I'm very pleased with the end result. The shifter feels pretty good and very sturdy. I might modify the mechanism to have a stiffer spring, but for now it's more than good enough.
Next stop: analog handbrake!
As I'm a big fan of Rally Sims, I decided to build my own sequential shifter to accompany my G27 setup.
I wanted it to be relatively simple to build, but aesthetics were a priority. I wanted it to look professional-ish and as it is one of my first real builds in a long time, the mechanics had to be very simple.
After some research I stumbled on a ready made seq. shifter mechanism. Ideal, because I didn't want to engineer my own! It's made by Suzo Happ and was perfect for this project. And although their site didn''t let me buy it straightforwardly (yes), after some email exchanges, I could get my hands on one.
https://na.suzohapp.com/products/driving_controls/50-8110-00
But, the shifter didn't come with any housing. As I wanted it to look good, I didn't want to build one out of wood. And, because my tool shed is non-existent, I couldn't make one out of metal myself. I had to find something off the shelf.
After hours of searching I found an excellent solution at aliexpress; an aluminium case used for vacuum tube transformers in amplifier builds. It was a only a tad bigger than I was looking for, but still very usable. They provide different colors including black, but I went with silver.
It originally comes with only one topplate, but for an extra 5 bucks they would add another plate and some screws.
https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/GD-P...048.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.365c4c4dXqykU7
Now, the Suzo Happ shifter has no control board so I had to find my own solution. I opted to go for a Pro Micro as it is very cheap and would provide me some future proofing if I wanted to add stuff later.
I've since made an expansion on my code that includes logic for an analog handbrake. But, for the code savy amongst you, you can simply delete all that and use this code for your own project:
https://github.com/mohragk/Shifter_Handbrake_DIY/tree/master/New_Handbrake_update
Because I don't have a proper racing seat (and room for one) to mount my gear, I wanted to add a clamp to simply clamp the shifter to my desk.
This item was a lot harder to find then one might expect.. I've spend hours browsing for clamps that would be easy to use, but none of them are flat enough to attach to my case housing.
Eventually I found the perfect clamp from a company that installs acoustic panels in offices. They didn't have a webshop or anything and would initially only sell me a pair for a cool 70 euros.. A bit pricey. But some further inquiry resulted in a used one they had laying around for a more reasonable 10 euros.
Now in the meantime I've found an alternative that is pretty much the same thing as I ended up with. It's used for microphones and I'm sure you can source something similar to this:
https://www.thomann.de/nl/km_237_sw.htm
After all the part hunting, it was time to build!
I wish I made a build log of some sort, but I didn't. Delivery delays made me very impatient to finish the damn thing. I did make a test drive video of the finished product though.
I'm very pleased with the end result. The shifter feels pretty good and very sturdy. I might modify the mechanism to have a stiffer spring, but for now it's more than good enough.
Next stop: analog handbrake!
