Hand Controls

[ripfast]

Hi all,

A mate of mine had a bad accident (not car) but has lost the use of his legs. Ive been trying to find hand controls to get his car converted but all i can seem to find is big lever systems.

Does anyone know if you can get like a 'flappy paddle' gearbox type arrangement that controls the accelerator and brake, using electrics and motors?

Cheers

[andrew_mx83]

placentajuan setup something like this for his mx83 a couple of years back, pretty sure there is a thread on here about it......

[ripfast]

cheers, i pm'ed him

[Sagluren]

i have also seen a few cars at the drags years ago with a motorbike throttle/brake system fitted

i have no idea where to get it fitted tho.


cheers

[wa5]

I "think" that the braking system must be mechanically operated... which is why most of these systems use a long lever with a fair bit of .... leverage.

[minimechanic]

here's placentajuan's thread..
http://www.toymods.net/forums/showthread.php?t=41120

[ripfast]

cheers guys all good info for me, i would like to have an accelerator tat was full electric.

[petergoudie]

Call a company called Mobility Industries (NSW)

[PlacentaJuan]

yea i made up a hand throttle, which just used a regular throttle cable and a spare butterfly that i had on the engine. it was only for burnouts and staging at the drags, i wouldnt use it on the road to drive normally or anything.

i saw a guy nearly 10 years ago who was driving around in a modified panel van (warren mcdonald i think i was you can google him) but im pretty sure it was the levers and stuff, which i guess would be a hassle if you like to drive for enjoyment rather than just getting from a-b.

im sure it would be easier now days especially with all the drive by wire and junk.

the throttle would be pretty easy, even if it wasnt DBW but the bnrake might be a bit tricky.

i remember the ariso had an electronic brake booster, maybe something like that could be adapted, depending on the mechanics of how it works from factory. (i cant remember if the pedal was mechanical or just went to a switch/sensor)

the next problem may be the legality of it all, if it was for race only then you dont have to worry obviously, but im sure that anything 'off the shelf'' would be engineered and approved etc.

personally i would not worry even if you want to drive it on the street; if you have a well set up car (not dodgy cables going through the window etc) and you are obviously crippled then the cops would have to be pretty hard up to hassle you.

tell your mate to grab a copy of 'amputees monthly' or whatever its called from his prosthetists and there are heaps of places that can modify cars, but i be aware that they are pretty restricted to what they can offer you and dont usually have the ability to provide anything beyond what has allready been approved by the RTA (like the levers)

also do some reasearch in america they have so many more cipples there and so much more support for stuff like this, and dont think that any doctors etc in australia will know anything you have to do ALL the reasearch yourself.

[ripfast]

cheers for that guys, ill keep researching.

[TheStitt]

Talk to Rolf-ACt on these forums or 1JZ rolla im sure they would have some info for you

[mullett]

Citroen used a powered, hydraulic braking system which required very minimal effort. I think it was the Citroen DS?

-RM

[Bananaman]

Anything including even a knob on the steering wheel is supposed to be engineered (in NSW, anyway) - bear this in mind if you want it legal. I broke my neck a few years back and after learning to walk again had to prove to an instructor and an assesor that i was ok to drive a car again (auto PS restricted to start with). These cars were equipped with just about every possible alternative of accesibility equipment as it was used for a variety of different people - was a lever system as people suggested, basically a push / pull setup. Push = stop, pull = go.

Depending on what he has done to himself, an amputee setup may not necessarily cater for him - given that someone who's lost a leg has full use of their hands. Someone who has broken their neck can lose full use of their legs and partial use of hands, meaning you may need something different to secure the hand. I'm gathering from what you're proposing that this isn't a problem for him though?

Zoom 138 or 139 (forget which) has a green s13 silvia with hideous wheels, that is set up for a paraplegic. I could probably scan the pics if it helps (am i allowed to post here?)

[big_zop]

Going on Bananamans post, there is another setup I have seen in a magazine (HPI) where are wheelchair bound person in Japan was hell bent on drifting so converted a manual JZX100 for use with just his two hands!

I cant search much at work, but there are a few videos of it including lots of information (in Japanese) about the operation of it - and one with Kazama who has a go of it as well. Though i dont know what might be available in English so it might be hard to find information on it, not to mention they might have different rules as well meaning some of the gear installed may not even be allowed here.

[Hiro]

Citroen used a powered, hydraulic braking system which required very minimal effort. I think it was the Citroen DS?

-RM

The DS had the mushroom instead of a brake pedal - weird system really. Pretty sure the GS had it too, there was basically no "travel" in the "pedal" (just a big button really), the harder you pushed the faster the car stopped.