Tutorials

How to Build a DIY Logitech Pedals USB Adapter

The new Logitech racing wheels come in two parts: the wheel “base” which contains the steering wheel proper, and an add-on peripheral with gas, brake, and clutch pedals. This pedal peripheral is quite well built with a metal frame, aluminum pedal faces, and user swappable springs. It even has mounting points for hanging the pedals upside-down or attaching them to a sim racing rig. Despite these perks, the pedals cannot function on their own – they must be plugged into the wheel base in order to work over USB. If you want to use these pedals with a different wheel setup, you need some sort of USB adapter.

I’m going to show you you can how to build your own DIY USB adapter for these Logitech pedals in under 15 minutes using only a handful of parts. This is an easy project and requires absolutely no soldering.

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By Dave Madison, ago

How to Build a DIY Logitech Shifter USB Adapter

The Logitech Driving Force shifter is an awesome piece of kit. It’s small, stylish, robust, and inexpensive. But unfortunately it has one major drawback: it’s dumb! It has no “smart” electronics whatsoever, just a simple DB-9 connector that absolutely must be plugged into a Logitech wheel base unit in order to function. If you (like me) don’t happen to have a fancy Logitech racing wheel, you have to come up with some other way of connecting the shifter to your PC.

I’m going to show you you can how to build your own DIY adapter in under 15 minutes using only a handful of parts. This is an easy project and requires absolutely no soldering.

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By Dave Madison, ago

How to Use an RC Controller with an Arduino

Whether you’re modifying a remote controlled vehicle or creating something completely new, Arduino boards are a great way to expand the functionality of your RC receiver. Adding a microcontroller lets you program complex logic functions, sound effects, lighting animations, and more – all managed from the comfort of a wireless remote.

In this tutorial I’m going to show you how to connect a PWM-based RC receiver to an Arduino and read data from it using the Servo Input library.

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By Dave Madison, ago

How to Emulate an Xbox Controller with Arduino (XInput)

In my opinion, one of the more novel things you can do with an Arduino is put it to use as a custom game controller for your favorite games. Whether you’re retrofitting a Nerf gun, converting a rhythm controller to play an FPS game, or playing PUBG with a frying pan – using an Arduino makes it quick and easy to build your own custom controller.

In this tutorial, I’m going to show you how to program your own Arduino to emulate an Xbox controller using the ArduinoXInput library.

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By Dave Madison, ago

How to Control the LEDs on a Novation Launchkey Mini II

I picked up a Novation Launchkey Mini II controller last year when I was working with those musical floppy drives, and recently I fell down the rabbit hole of Launchpad LED performance videos. That got me thinking: is it possible to control the LEDs on a Launchkey Mini like you can on a Launchpad?

There’s surprisingly little information about this. Novation’s user guide for the Launchkey Mini has no mention of how to control the LEDs. There is some information available in a “programmer’s reference” manual for the Launchkey II (not the “Mini” version), but sadly the LED components don’t function the same way.

It required a bit of reverse engineering and the result isn’t quite as pretty, but I’ve figured out how to do it.

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By Dave Madison, ago

How to Use a Wii Nunchuk with an Arduino

When the Nintendo Wii was released in 2006, there was a lot of talk about their new weird control system. In place of a typical control pad, players would use a one-handed “remote” with infrared sensors and accelerometers in place of a joystick. For those games that required additional controls, players would use an accessory controller in their off-hand.

This ‘accessory’ controller is the Nunchuk. A strange, bean-shaped attachment with a joystick, two buttons, and a three-axis accelerometer. Although the Nunchuk had a lukewarm response when it was first released, it’s the perfect controller for makers who want to add some fine control to their projects.

In this tutorial I’m going to show you how to use a Wii Nunchuk with an Arduino: how to wire it, how to talk to it, and how to easily build programs using it and the NintendoExtensionCtrl library. Let’s get started!

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By Dave Madison, ago