Paddleshift DIY

Mod Description

A few ways to make your own paddle shift and button shift steering wheel.

Mod Details

PremiumNo Difficulty Mod ID424 CreditEvilution Cost££30+ For Linkhttps://www.evilution.co.uk/mod/paddleshift-diy.htm Copy to Clipboard

Horn Buttonshift

This can only be used with the Smartkits or Smartarse Design paddle shift PCBs. Remove the steering wheel, take off the back panel of the steering wheel and pull the horn panel from the wheel as shown in the link previously. Turn the horn panel over.

You should see a metal bar running from one side to the other. Using a dremel and a cutting disc, cut out two 1cm sections of the bar as illustrated.

The centre part of the bar can now be unclipped, use some sand paper to clean up all four ends where you have cut the bar. Wrap the leg of one of the resistors around one end and the other resistor around the other. Solder if possible or tightly wrap the legs with insulating tape.

Push the bar back into the clips ensuring that the the 3300 Ohm is on the right. Slide a section of heatshrink over the resistor. Wrap the remaining resistor legs over the metal bars and solder (or insulating tape) into place.

Slide the heatshrink over the resistors and the soldered joints and heat it to shrink. The electrical connections should now be safe and secure, test them with a multimeter.

Refit the horn panel and the rear panel to the steering wheel and refit the wheel. You now need to fit the gearshift PCB (How2 coming soon) to make the wheel work.

The right horn button now changes up gear, the left changes down, centre is the horn.

Future Projects

Buttonshift

If you want buttonshift but want to keep your horn, no problem, we can add buttons.

The buttons are called tactile switches, these particular ones are 12mm square. They will simply be glued to the back of the steering wheel and the two wires will run between the panel and the leather. Further info and wiring coming soon.

Paddleshift

For a few days I have been pondering over an easy way to make and add paddles to the existing steering wheel. After a few ideas, diagrams and mock-ups I think I have it.

The design is very simple, the parts will be easy to source and the construction will be a breeze. The final design will utilise aerospace grade carbon fibre for the paddles.

Here are a few pictures from the very early prototype. The paddles are cut from Foamex just to work out the length, spacing, size and positioning of the final paddles.

Position is sorted…

and the shape of the paddles works visually.

A sheet of pre-preg carbon fibre sheet was bought from Ebay and a very basic paddle shape cut out.

Using a Dremmel with a sanding drum, the paddles were shaped. This creates a lot of dust.

Some small hinges were bought from a local DIY shop (in this case B&Q).

The hinges were riveted to the paddles with appropriate washers on the back.

Again, using rivets, the paddles are attached to the steering wheel.

Next up we need to add the switches, wiring and a bit of control to the floppy paddles.

Coming never. This is an old project that was never completed.