Joystick controlled go kart

[Wheeltron2000]

Hey anyone who reads this I'm 20 years old almost 21 I am handicapped I have Arthrogryposis (AMC) it impacts my legs and arms and hands severely to almost no movement but I've driven my electric wheelchair my whole life probably since i was 3 and I do just fine no crashing like I'm confident in driving a go kart as long as i have a Joystick and i would need the joystick to accelerate,brake,turn basically what it already does for my chair i can't do foot pedals or hand throttles can this be done just through drive by wire and maybe the joystick from my dead wheelchair and with what type of go kart can i do this with electric or can i do a gas motor one? if you feel interested i found a whole PDF file that talks about this topic maybe you can read it and help me try to understand a little more I think i sort of understand some things i was actually told i should come to this section of the forums I just want something I can get myself in trouble with

 

[EpsilonZero]

I think this is basically what you are trying to do, but with the controller on the kart. This also happens to be my exact frame.

 

[Wheeltron2000]

Do you think a kit like this can help in anyway

 

[EpsilonZero]

Most of that wouldn't be used and the rest wouldn't be usable until later in your project. I would start with figuring out how you will control the kart. You will need a joystick that can provide outputs to move the kart forward and backward, apply brakes, and turn the wheel. Electronic braking is relatively easy, but any form of manual braking is going to be more complicated and you definitely want a manual brake in case of power/controller failure.

A joystick that can output typical signals for hall effect would help.
Example Joystick

I expect you would probably need a strong servo motor to handle turning and maybe one to apply force for braking.
Arduino & Servo Motors

It can definitely be done, but this isn't really a simple project. You'll also need to fabricate parts to mount the servo motors and the joystick, which will require working with steel (cutting, welding likely). You'll probably need to do some Arduino/Raspberry Pi programming too.

Once you get the controls working on the bench, I'd think about the other kart parts.

 

[Wheeltron2000]

So can i get a fat servo motor is that the DC ones, to go fast? And with the microcontroller i have to make one? I understand i have to program it but I'm gonna have to build it and will I need two joysticks on that microcontroller or is it possible to program one joystick to accelerate and turn? I'll do more research on this but will i have to get two servo motors? Can i get this stuff off ebay is it smart to go on ebay? I'll get a test bench going too

 

[EpsilonZero]

The servos would just be to work manually operated controls like a brake and steering. The Arduino boards would be used to take inputs from your joystick and output signals (e.g., PWM) to control the servos. Low vs high speed turning needs to be accounted for as well so you don't wreck. You could probably use native signals from the joystick for throttle/brake but it just depends on the joystick outputs available. A single joystick could conceivably handle everything, though you may want to use some switches too to simplify things (e.g., forward/reverse).

You should know that this really is a more complicated project than a normal go-kart build and will require some somewhat broad specialized knowledge and skills to do everything. Be prepared to do a lot of research and planning before buying anything!

 

[Wheeltron2000]

I'm not doubting it'll be complicated but will it be too hard to do

 

[EpsilonZero]

I'm not doubting it'll be complicated but will it be too hard to do

That pretty much depends on you. Stuff like this has been done.

https://wheelchairtravel.org/new-world-records-fastest-electric-wheelchair-fastest-garbage-bin/

 

[Wheeltron2000]

You know I really appreciate your help I've started watching YouTube videos I'm definitely gonna get a test bench going with servos and joysticks the whole programming thing and everything i feel like i can do that I'm gonna start with normal servo motors on a test bench and then move to DC eventually in the future.. DC i should look at for speed right?those are more industrial?

 

[Wheeltron2000]

Oh and trust me man i know that guy I'd love to compete with him one day

 

[EpsilonZero]

I'm gonna start with normal servo motors on a test bench and then move to DC eventually in the future.. DC i should look at for speed right?those are more industrial?

The servo motors are DC; just very small with serious internal gearing to multiply torque, a limited range of motion (usually 180 degrees), and highly accurate positioning with an internal potentiometer. For your drive motor, I would go with a brushless variant like a PMAC or BLDC. Both run from DC power (that the controller turns into 3 phase AC), but the PMAC has a sinusoidal waveform and I think they run quieter. Either is fine and you would mainly be concerned with matching a controller that can output the correct waveform. Brushless motors are more efficient, don't require brush replacement, and can be reversed without needing an extra relay.