Printable Version | Subscribe | Add to Favourites
New Topic New Poll New Reply
Author: Subject: Paddle Shift Rocker Design
Avoneer

posted on 11/6/07 at 08:36 PM Reply With Quote
Paddle Shift Rocker Design

Seen as my car has been labeled "buily by committee", I may as well carry on the trend:

One of the bits I'm currently least happy with is the look of my paddle shift rocker.

Before anyone asks, it has to be that big due to the length of lower arm I am using (the one that comes from the gearbox splines) to clear the prop etc.

Looking for a "good looking" rocker - shouldn't be hard with all the tallent on here.

Pat...

View User's Profile E-Mail User Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
Avoneer

posted on 11/6/07 at 08:36 PM Reply With Quote
Other side:
View User's Profile E-Mail User Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
StevieB

posted on 11/6/07 at 08:38 PM Reply With Quote
I actually think that looks very smart!
View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
Howlor

posted on 11/6/07 at 09:05 PM Reply With Quote
I agree. Why not just break the corners, vapour blast or grit blast to get a nice even surface finish. Other than that why not have it anodised.

Steve

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
Confused but excited.

posted on 11/6/07 at 09:07 PM Reply With Quote
So do I.
Just get the Dremel on the welds and polish it.

Sod it! Must learn to type faster.

[Edited on 11/6/07 by Confused but excited.]





Tell them about the bent treacle edges!

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
nick205

posted on 11/6/07 at 09:36 PM Reply With Quote
looks like the commitee says yes Pat
View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
Avoneer

posted on 11/6/07 at 09:39 PM Reply With Quote
Bugger!

Can I cut a triangle hole in the thich ali bracing triangle?

View User's Profile E-Mail User Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
Avoneer

posted on 11/6/07 at 09:41 PM Reply With Quote
Actually, that'll look worse.

Pat...

View User's Profile E-Mail User Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
JoelP

posted on 11/6/07 at 10:09 PM Reply With Quote
have you changed gear in anger yet pat? Loosk a bit spindly down the long leg, wouldnt be good for it to buckle! A triangle shape would've been better than an L. Looks well made though!
View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
Avoneer

posted on 11/6/07 at 10:38 PM Reply With Quote
The up and down is actually limited by the ST paddles which firmly stop at each extreme so the rocker can only go up or down and never hit anything.

The inner long leg does flex a bit if you push it, but not in operation.

Sketches of different designs welcome!

Pat...

P.S. Never changed gear whilst engine running, let alone in anger!

View User's Profile E-Mail User Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
StevieB

posted on 12/6/07 at 07:44 AM Reply With Quote
You could give it more support by using a piece of threaded bar with rose joints at each end and triangulate byattaching it to the redundant holes on each arm - should add strength but not much weight.
View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
Hammerhead

posted on 12/6/07 at 10:27 AM Reply With Quote
bolt some washers or a spacer to strengthen the long leg?

[Edited on 12/6/07 by Hammerhead] Rescued attachment thing.jpg
Rescued attachment thing.jpg

View User's Profile Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
Avoneer

posted on 12/6/07 at 11:07 AM Reply With Quote
Yeah, was gonna brace the empt holes.

Nice one StevieB - I like the idea of a "tie rod" between the top hole on the short arm and the empty hole on the long arm.

It would look "technical".

Pat...

View User's Profile E-Mail User Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
Howlor

posted on 12/6/07 at 11:45 AM Reply With Quote
Pat,

If you want technical. Why not take Steve's idea of the brace but make it from say two sheets of carbon fibre. Nicely shaped and bolt through all of the spare holes making up a triangle. this would add strength and look good.

Or just weld a top onto the long arm section. Before you weld it on you could have some text engraved or laser cut. This would box it in and add loads of strength.

Steve

[Edited on 12/6/07 by Howlor]

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
Peteff

posted on 12/6/07 at 11:48 AM Reply With Quote
Does the ratio work?

It looks like it should be the other way round for the leverage to change gear. The brace from top to front sounds like a good solution for flex.





yours, Pete

I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
ChrisGamlin

posted on 12/6/07 at 11:54 AM Reply With Quote
It looks the wrong ratio to me too but might just be beacuse everything has been elongated to get the lever prop clearance and therefore the ratio itself might be OK.

From what I remember of the ST blade linkage I used (on that very same engine) it was nearer 1:1 ratio on the pivot arm though, with maybe 10mm either way movement at the gear lever, and similar (on a small actuator arm) at the gearbox end.

[Edited on 12/6/07 by ChrisGamlin]






View User's Profile E-Mail User View All Posts By User U2U Member
ChrisGamlin

posted on 12/6/07 at 12:13 PM Reply With Quote
Thinking about it a neater solution maybe to make something similar to the STM linkage and mount it vertically on the engine cradle chassis rail or on the bulkhead in front of the drivers feet, this way you could run a conventional short actuator arm on the gearbox end because the mechanism would all be below the line of the prop.

Something like this....

Gear Linkage
Gear Linkage


Apologies for the crap 2 minute MS Paint job, but picture / thousand words etc






View User's Profile E-Mail User View All Posts By User U2U Member
Avoneer

posted on 12/6/07 at 07:08 PM Reply With Quote
Cheers chris, but I'm done with fabricating things!

The ratio is spot on.

The ST paddles have very little movement - 10mm ish.

When coupled to a bleeding long arm from the gearbox, it was the only way to do it.

Not the pretiest, but it works.

Pat...

View User's Profile E-Mail User Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
JoelP

posted on 12/6/07 at 07:16 PM Reply With Quote
i like the threaded rod idea.

This is the best i found via google, but ive seem much better designs posted on here:

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member

New Topic New Poll New Reply


go to top






Website design and SEO by Studio Montage

All content © 2001-16 LocostBuilders. Reproduction prohibited
Opinions expressed in public posts are those of the author and do not necessarily represent
the views of other users or any member of the LocostBuilders team.
Running XMB 1.8 Partagium [© 2002 XMB Group] on Apache under CentOS Linux
Founded, built and operated by ChrisW.