FIRST HURDLE FIRST FALTER.
The Bunderson is constantly submerged in dirt dust mud grass water and shyte of all kinds. It's a haven for vibration and takes massive G force impact from both jump landing and other competitor or unmovable object impact.
Second caveat. I'm by no means an EE and have had little experience in sensor equipment.
DOWN TO BUSINESS.
Sensor requirements.
WHEEL SPEED SENSORS
Currently looking at mounted Hall sensors, these do appear very expensive so might have to create my own mounting or possibly use WSS from ABS units (depending on price)
STEERING ANGLE SENSOR
Looking at using something from a standard car. I've yet to discover one, so have no idea about the electronics that control standard steering angle sensors. Hopefully nothing more complex than a multiturn or geared precision pot.
REAR TRAILING ARM ANGLE AND DIRECTION SENSOR. (Complete)
In order to assure correct gas and valving rates I need to discover the angle of each rear trailing arm, and record its progress through its travel.
Okay best I describe the situation first. Trailing arm, an A arm that pivot points are placed east west in the rear of the car. Only one arm is required per wheel as the axle housing is solid mounted to the arm. The Bunderson arms are designed to take heavy impact, huge lateral loads and are MASSIVE. The mounts are heavily gusseted and the pivots are made from 55mm tubing with steel and nylon inserts finally pivoting around a large molly bolt.
As I will be damaging and replacing these sensors often I was hoping to keep the price of the sensors to about $80us each. Not a lot of money which rules out a majority of linear pots.
I had originally thought of using sealed rotary pots, however they will require a arm lever in order to be actuated. These arms will only introduce some form of lever error and will also be susceptible to damage.
Yo-yo pots are simply too expensive.
Hall effect sensors. Gearwheel sensors will be fouled quickly. And I have to develop some form of reference.
If I use a slide past sensor I have up to an inch of travel which given a 45 degree change in inclination of the trailing arm will suit fine... HOWEVER.. the face gap between the hall sensor and the magnet must be kept at very fine tolerances. I just don't know if that?s possible when the trailing arm is experiencing such high lateral forces.
Does anyone else have a low cost sensor they could recommend for measuring angularity and direction?
Check out ford TPS sensors, they will probably hold up as long as they aren't crushed. Good mount points.
Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't all TPS sensors rotary pots? Did some basic searching on the web and it appears Ford actually called them TPP, throttle position potentiometers. Very good idea, however I'm a bit worried about the leverage used to actuate the pot. (see 4th paragraph)
I've purchased a couple of Radio Control servos. With some minor modification, mounting and leverage they should make reasonable suspension movement sensors.