Thread: How rotate concentric rods and lock in 2 different positions.

Originally Posted by Stustoys

It's ugly, but hopefully you get the idea.

Can't weld one up it wont stop raining and I'm limited to welding outside ATM.

Thanks Stu. Thats worth considering.
Not sure how far I will be able to bend the pedal back, due to limited room. I won't know until I try it.
I was thinking it would be 45° or 90° at the most.

thanks for the mock up and pic!

Steve

I finally had a chance to get back to this today.
Stu's idea has been rolling around in my head and I think I can get it to work.
Its the first time I have been confident I can......

Started making the hinge today. Have to 'guess' how much offset I need in order for th pedal to fold out the way.
Prepared to scrap it and make another if I have to.

I bored some 10mm rod with a 3mm hole and cit into 13mm lengths.
mig welded one tab to each pivot.

Will drill a 12mm hole in each plate so the pedal rod fits in the tab before I weld it in place.

Going to scribe lines on thepedal rod so I can re-align the ends before I weld.
Will also fit a offset spring on one side to hold the pedel up or down, soits solid.
Steve


https://photos.app.goo.gl/gyggCsv7HXfErpuM6

https://photos.app.goo.gl/gvTupdyzBj34rxA4A

https://photos.app.goo.gl/VEJyZyVdFY3P51im7

https://photos.app.goo.gl/hyRCtEuaWt7summc7

https://photos.app.goo.gl/bsfQLhGYPwvryicv7

Hi Guys,
Did a bit more yesterday and today.
Finally got a mock up done to see if its going to work. Still have to fit it to the car for final fit, but looks good.
Hinged pedal is only 5mm further away from the brake pedal than stock. No one will notice. notice.
Uploaded a vid to U-tube if your interested.

NOTE: Its just tacked together at this stage.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/s1BDscJmtKhc8HEi6

https://photos.app.goo.gl/GV8Z5bMUizXp2rVb6

https://youtu.be/Qumvim9bz3U

Next step is to test fit in car, then fit spring pins, fully weld and then pain.

Steve

I discovered today, I had made a tactical error. I welded the spring pins on fully, before I did a proper test fit IN the car.....doh.

The pedal sweeps too far to the right and hits the kick panel. Probably gone too far to save it , so will probably have to fab another pedal.
I have a spare arm so I can use that and fit it to the same body.

Will orientate the hinge so it pivots vertically, instead of trying to be smart....lol

I job for next weekend now.....

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Y67HUXThoE4Wff4a6

Steve

Well that's a pity.
Just how close is it to working as is?
(bearing in mind it hard to judge distance and angles from here, and I cant see how far it got in your last photo)
By making a hinge a little more complex and it will move the bottom of the pedal towards the driver and towards the center of a car as you fold it.
If you picture replacing the two two pieces of flat black bar you used with two pieces of angle iron, the pedal on one side and the hinge on the other. The pedal will move about twice the length of the the side the pivot it mounted on.
Ok that makes even less sense to me than my last effort, so good luck trying to work that out lol (I'll add a pic once I work out how to knock up a mock up)

I also wonder if it would be better to cut one of your 10mm dia pivots in half so your 3mm bolt is in double sheer.(ok perhaps I'm over thinking things now)

Does this help? lol

Originally Posted by Stustoys

Does this help? lol

Yes, thanks Stuart. Great help.
I'll have to look a this.
Now, the pedal moves to the 2 o'clock postion, and it clears the body nicely but I then I discovered the kick board is too close and the pedal contacts it before reaching full extent.
New plan is to pivot the pedal to the 12 o'clock position so it rests on top of the body. I am thinking the offset from the hinge I am using now will work for me again with the second attempt. Will have to see.

Will try just a direction change first and see how that goes. If that doesn't work, I'll have to look at a differnt hinge, like you have shown.

Steve

Originally Posted by Stustoys

I also wonder if it would be better to cut one of your 10mm dia pivots in half so your 3mm bolt is in double sheer.(ok perhaps I'm over thinking things now)

Sorry, I missed this bit. Not sure what you mean. Can you elaborate?

Steve

Like this. It is a little trickier to make but should be stronger.

But now that I look at it, unlike yours, tightening the bolt wont do much* and going to four pieces as per the second photo so you can get that adjustment back seems a little over the top.


*if you are using the tightness of the bolt to give some drag?

Ok, that makes sense, thanks.

Not sure my MIG skills are up to spot welding 3 or 4 hinge parts....lol. Hinge is only 25mm wide at this stage.
No reason why I can't go wider, so thats an option.

I am experimenting with bolt tightness at the moment but have not made any conclusions yet.
Will keep it in mind. Can get back to it tomorrow.

Steve

Originally Posted by Sterob

I've bought a couple of pedals from other models. They have differnt connectors on them, the alignment is different, the mounting is different and the pedal is on the opposite side......
Was going to make a adapter up to see if they will work, but not done that yet, as I haven't confirmed the pin outs.

Steve,
even if you could get the connectors to match, it's highly likely the car wouldn't recognise the pedal on power-up. I don't know how old the car is, but modern German cars (I have a 2014 VW) do a self test on power-up. If the ECU doesn't recognise the part, it's a no-go. My entire reverse camera and park assist system was disabled because one of the beepers had failed. I reckon a part as critical as an accelerator pedal is likely to get a fairly rigorous diagnostic test.

Originally Posted by jack620

Steve,
even if you could get the connectors to match, it's highly likely the car wouldn't recognise the pedal on power-up. I don't know how old the car is, but modern German cars (I have a 2014 VW) do a self test on power-up. If the ECU doesn't recognise the part, it's a no-go. My entire reverse camera and park assist system was disabled because one of the beepers had failed. I reckon a part as critical as an accelerator pedal is likely to get a fairly rigorous diagnostic test.

Yes, that was one of my fears, hence I haven't finished the adapter to test it.
Car is 2006 A6.

Steve

Hi Guys,

My wife's KIA has a battery voltage sensor ! If the battery is below 10 volts, the car won't start. Jumping it across a fully charged one and it starts OK. They also use a lot of optical sensors as well, boot lid, clutch pedal, doors, just to name a few.

Did a bit more today, after doing the wifes jobs.....
Looked at modifying the same pedal, but it was too much of a hassle to re-join, cut and weld again. Not enough room, so decided to use another pedal I had.
Now, I haven't got another complete pedal but have a collection of parts to assemble one.....Worst case is buy another one on Ebay. Surprisingly. they are not that rare...weird....lol

Anyway, this looks pretty good. Pedal folds cleanly in the car. Will test clearance for my right foot tomorrow.

Thinking of adding a tab to the plug to make it easier to move between pedals. Now is is quite difficult to disconnect from a pedal. easpecially as its in an awkward spot.
It will still lock in, I will just be able to un-lock it without seeing it.

Pedal flex it due to only having ONE fastener holding the pedal in for the test.

Steve

https://youtu.be/nQVVmVhDoH4

HI Guys,
I think I'm done with the fabricating. It looks pretty good but we will see.....

The idea is when wifey wants to drive, I disconnect the cable from the LH pedal and plug into the RH pedal and flip it down.
Sounds easy, but in practice its very hard to reach the connector, even when I sit on the ground! Its dark and there is very little room.....


Considering making a switching loom up sp I can electrically select either pedal. Just need to source a 6 pole, double throw switch or relay.
Ive heard that being done before so not expecting problems, as long as soldering and the contacts are good quality. I already have the right connectors.

Will see if I can get it approved for use now. ( not looking forward to that....)

Steve

https://photos.app.goo.gl/1wjZ5152iiMeT2KT8