Drive by wire

[red928]

With the advent of drive by wire accelerator sensors, maybe we could splice into that and have a throttle "wheel" or attenuator on the dash or thereabouts that would allow very minute throttle plate adjustments without using one's foot, which can be tiresome over a long period. Just brainstorming here.....

[brother]

I've been thinking about that too, since one is generally capable of finer hand movements than foot movements. Something like this maybe, but not quite. So far that gadget is all I've found, googling drive by wire hand controls. Good luck; I hope you find something. If you do, please let us know; I'll do the same.
-jon

[PILL]

Offroaders have been using hand throttles on even non drive by wire cars for a while now. It's really nice to have the throttle done by hand so your feet can handle the brake and clutch while you are throttling.

Find a 4x4 forum and search for hand throttle topics. They are actually supposed to be really easy to set up.

[nissynis]

Yeah, it can't be that hard to do -- I had a paraplegic neighbor who had hand controls installed in his minivan.

[brother]

Originally Posted by nissynis

Yeah, it can't be that hard to do -- I had a paraplegic neighbor who had hand controls installed in his minivan.

Yeah, but expensive as h-e-double-toothpicks, going by what I'm finding. Having found that out, a DIY solution looks attractive, something like a slot car controller. My guess is that the OP had a DIY in mind too. Unfortunately the DBW gas pedal is more complicated than just a single potentiometer. And even if it was just a single pot, I can't get past the controller wires tangling up in the steering wheel.

I've seen where the offroaders use hand throttles, but I think they're mechanical, not DBW.

'Course if all you want is poor-man's cruise control, then a stick of the proper length looks pretty good. My thinking was finer throttle control though. Maybe it's not that big a deal; just a thought.

[hobbit]

In modern throttle-by-wire, it's slightly more difficult to do
a mechanical linkage since, well, there's no mechanical linkage
to the throttle itself and the pedal tends to simply connect
right into the moral equivalent of a pot box. For the Prius,
for example, one would want an electronic circuit to simulate
the pair of voltages into the ECU that's normally produced by the
go-pedal's pair of Hall-effect sensors that determine pedal angle.
That's fraught with peril, of course, since a defect in said
circuit that pulls either input high would make the "unintended
zoom" and obviously several safety interlocks are needed.
.
_H*

[pcs0snq]

The Honda Fit TBW has issues. Lots of lag in the throttle response making the shift odd feeling. Honda was litigated (and lost) over the one in the Civic. The rummer is the add the lag in a way to help it make the EPA ratings they wanted. It's not too bad when Eco short shifting but when shifting in a more normal power band you have to count one -thousand for the RPM's to fall off or the RPM's are so off the car jerks.

[brother]

Well... dadgum! Complicated indeed.

It appears as if mechanical would work, as basjoos and others at ecomodder.com have done this. Also a lot of driving aids for disabled people are simply pedal extensions. If you press the pedal, whether with your foot or with a stick, the car will go.

This type of solution might work for the OP, but not what I had in mind. Ah well...

[brother]

I guess the solution might be to buy a gas pedal assembly and reverse-engineer it, or hack it to work another way. Further interest in this idea will be determined by how much the part costs.

[pdw]

Originally Posted by red928

With the advent of drive by wire accelerator sensors, maybe we could splice into that and have a throttle "wheel" or attenuator on the dash or thereabouts that would allow very minute throttle plate adjustments without using one's foot, which can be tiresome over a long period. Just brainstorming here.....

Most volks will have caught exactly what you mean ....

A small air pressured piston to clasp the throttle cable position ... made for easy cancellation via touching the brake or gaspedal or the same button that activates. BUT THEN ... to stimulate the desired "minute adjustments" to the throttle plate, .... place a device to nudge the exposed portion of the throttle cable-wire there (near its lock-position at the throttle body) ... preferrably a device that is controlled by a suitably-placed interior knob for ease of access and turning (ie from armest).