i had an interesting conversation with a dissabled fella today,he used to race porkers and would like to get back into racing but at a lower level,he has a lot of people who would also like to return to or start racing but are dissabled.
the main problem he see,s is,operating the clutch so anyone have any ideas on how to solve the problem?
also,if he gets enough interest would the 750 MC likley be interested in putting on a series like they did for the locost?.

One of my neighbours has just had a conversion done on his camper so his wife can drive it , I think that may involve a hand operated clutch. I will be seeing him on Saturday and ask .Remind me if I don't get back to you,

you can have a switch on the gearlever that will control and actuator.

Downside with this will be the instant engagement and disengagement of the clutch.

That is how i would think it can be done.

Surely if you could adjust the operating voltage on it you could be able to adjust it.

[Edited on 13/3/12 by l0rd]

bike type clutch lever mounted on the wheel? or on the gear lever, squezze pull release, squeeze push release.
can't actually think of a way it couldn't work.

like this but different

Have seen bec's before with a bike clutch lever attached to the gear lever.

Maybe a device like a push bike brake but attached to the steering wheel. not sure of the pressure involved in moving a clutch but im sure it could be geared to make it easier.

I would think a button would be the simplest solution but as said above clutch control would not be so easy.

Also think about F1 they use a paddle system which could also work be it either cable or electronic.

I would be tempted to send a checky email to some of the F1 teams asking if they have any solutions, as I think they would share them if they had no direct link to there current car.

quote:

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Originally posted by l0rd
you can have a switch on the gearlever that will control and actuator.

Downside with this will be the instant engagement and disengagement of the clutch.

That is how i would think it can be done.

Surely if you could adjust the operating voltage on it you could be able to adjust it.

[Edited on 13/3/12 by l0rd]

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Paddle behind the steering wheel and a brake servo if it's hydraulic.

Much like the previous reply re. NSU RO80, we used to own a 1968 Semi automatic Beetle.

That had a manual clutch, first, second, low gear and reverse. On pushing the lever forward or back to get a gear it closed two contacts on the lever that operated a vacuum servo which engaged the clutch.

When I did my apprenticeship at Suzuki we had a Vitara that had a manual gearbox and that had been converted by fitting a push button on the gear knob that you pushed in with your thumb and that operated a vacuum servo that then operated a lever to control the clutch on the gearbox. The was a main switch on the dash that when switched over, would drop the original pedal down and you could use the switch on the lever. It was a odd experience but I am sure it was a delayed release of the clutch so no jolt in taking up drive.

AP the brake company makes a clutch master cylinder actuated by a electric switch. Think was used in some single seat cars. Saw it on the AP stand at Autosport show

I created a device for a disabled (ex-army) guy in a BEC Westfield, using a GSXR1000 clutch lever attached to the gearstick.
It worked very well, the guy had hands like a workshop vice, so we could cut the lever down to size without causing problems.
BEC's a great thing for this, mechanical paddles, all the usual things that guys with legs fit anyway - makes the whole car a universal package. The thumb accelerator was rather interesting (for me) to control, but he managed..... wouldn't suggest a frequent town centre location jaunt though.

Uni of Portsmouth Formula student car has clutch on the gear shifter

Next to the steering wheel

[Edited on 13/3/12 by vanepico]

radio controlled style joystick attached to lever operating electric servo?

Yep, they work very well with bike engines IMHO. We were doing it for yrs on a formula student car as shown above. Vid above shows it in action too. Work well on downshifts as you can get them to operate with the gear lever throw and even better with a flat-upshifter! Has the added benefit of allowing a two pedel setup - if I were to build an RGB or bike engine race car it is how I would do it anyway I think due to this

Not sure how much hassle it'd be on the road but I'm sure you'd get used to it eventually.

Hmm loughborough turned me down xD

I applied to do formula student, funny how only the guy running it's mates got on.....
This is the main reason I wanna make my own kitcar, to rub it in this guys f***** face! coming from a business degree, thinking 'hmm, I like F1 so i must be good at engineering'....

I think having the clutch on the front would probably just make me slower, cause you only have to clutch on downshift dont you? I don't think my hands would be big enough to pull the handle quick enough.

Hehe, keep on at them. I'm staggered they turn people away! We struggled to keep people onboard when they realised how much work was involved.

The way the clutch was setup meant that as you downshifted the clutch was automatically operated - takes a bit of getting used to mind, particularly with the two pedals. But it is quicker than three pedals I reckon.

It's a bit late in the year to do it, and my placement is next year so maybe my last year.
I can't believe how bad the bodywork was and how much of an afterthought the decals were on their car.

If you need any help on the formula student car, u2u me xD just need a birmingham to portsmouth travel card and i'm sorted!
Did you get it to cut the ignition when you shift? I'd love to have a go at a control system like that. Does your uni use arduino for the electronic systems?

Yup, the ignition cut load cell into the Motec ECU handled the upshifts (Yes - money was just thrown at that aspect!)

thanks for all the replies and ideas peeps,ill let ya know what happens

Any-one remember the pre-unit Triumph slick shift gearbox

tony

clutch lever up on the gear lever is a simple but effective and method

Ive had 2 bikes on the road with suicide shifts that used that method

one to be really clean I did as a twist clutch, but that took some getting used to, I rode with it, but was more of an exercise in minimalism than practicality

I used to race Karts a long way back and came up against a team with hand controls, they were fast
Also seen the switch on the gearlever.
I like the idea of the bike clutch lever on the gear lever and a pull for accelerator push for brake lever.
I also saw a Lola T222 on my airfield with hand controls and an air operated gearbox, geared for 232 mph, he did achieve 2 world records before he crashed at over 200mph.

OOo, now, theres a bloke who has just done this on a Escort Rally car, was on the Go MotorSports stand next to our car (also a disability car as it happened, but a 1l micra auto, so that wont help you) cant recall which club he was with but he had a squential box and a hand clutch on a lever off that, hydro as far as i recal, but not yet plumbed in.

I have a photo of it, if no one else does, which has the owners company name over the top of the windscreen.


Daniel.

Another similar one:


As said, very common. Not sure if road legal re IVA but that's another matter.

I've done a couple of conversions. Vacuum over hydraulic actuators. The vacuum pushes the hydraulic cylinder. Standard sort of disabled conversion. The vac gives a soft disengage/engage. Can be done purely with hydraulics, but requires a pump and accumulator. A bit too complicated. Vacuum just needs a simple vacuum tank for reliability and in case throttle is open.

I wouldn't like to be trying to actuate any car clutch with a bike lever, yet alone a competition clutch.

Cheers,
Nev.

quote:

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Originally posted by dhutchOOo, now, theres a bloke who has just done this on a Escort Rally car, was on the Go MotorSports stand next to our car (also a disability car as it happened, but a 1l micra auto, so that wont help you) cant recall which club he was with but he had a squential box and a hand clutch on a lever off that, hydro as far as i recal, but not yet plumbed in.
/quote]Try : http://cyclonemobility.com

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rusty nuts - 17/3/12 at 03:26 PM

Had a word with my neighbour today as his camper has a hand operated clutch fitted , the clutch pedal is still fitted and works but there is a switch to turn on the electric clutch and a press button on the gearlever to operate it . It was fitted by a company called SVS 2 miles from junction 29 of the M1 (Jon Ison country??) Not cheap but it works well . Tel 01246 824362 or the e mail address towingframes@hotmail.co.uk HTH

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