[AlexJ]

I've slowly been adding inputs to my data logger for my track R32, and today I finally got around to probing the factory steering angle sensor to see if that could be used.

The factory manual hicas diagnostics and wiring diagrams are fairly helpful; the sensor has two "angle" outputs 0-5v outputs and a third "centre" 0-5v output.

Sounds promising, sadly the two "angle" outputs aren't an analog voltage between 0-5v in proportion to steering angle they output alternating 0 or 5v as the angle changes, one output is alternates about twice the rate of the other. I guess the hicas brain counts the steps away from the dead center point on each of the two alternating outputs and determines the current position. I don't think the logger I have can be configured to use this.

So it looks like I'll be making something up. There seem to be a few ways;

1.Rotary potentiometers attached by pulleys or gears to the steering column

2.String pots either wound round the column or stretched between the rack and the tie rod ends.

3.Linear pots attached to the rack and the tie rod end.

You can buy "kits" for 1 and 2 from AIM and Race Technology for £100-£155 - but frankly they still need a lot of work to fit and are basically a £10 pot a generic bracket and a couple of pulleys.



So,

a)does anyone know something more about how to interpret the signal from the factory sensor that I'm missing that might allow be to use it with my logger?

b)what diy solutions have people come up with (doesn't have to be in a Skyline - I understand this is race car stuff and very few are raced seriously in the UK)?

 

[fourtoes]

Alex I did notice the whilst plugged into the blatz cable and viewing the hicas steering angle on the Nissan data scan GUI the feedback is very slow. But your welcome to borrow my cable if its any use to see this your self?

Bob

 

[AlexJ]

Lol i didn't think to use consult, i've got a cable so i'll have a look. Of course i need a linear 0-5v or variable resistance output to go to the logger.

What i was hoping to do was tap the output from the sensor itself but like i say that's a digital output and the hicas brain must translate that into the angle. The digital output is very sensitive and imediate but i guess the hicas unit may be slow turning that into an angle.

 

[CabbageMS]

Hi Alex, did you have any joy with this? What logger are you using? I have a dl1 which I'd like to hook up.

 

[AlexJ]

I have looked into this a bit more, the signal from the factory steering angle sensor looks like a quadrature or rotary encoder, you can buy ICs with dedicated signal processing for these signals which are fairly common, or you can get a microcontroller that you can progam to read the signal and put out a 0-5v signal proportional to the angle, or with a little more work output the signal onto a CAN bus (you can buy a CAN bus connector for the dl1 which will connect to a Link G4+ or similar modern ecu). At some point I'll have a got at it, I have a microcontroller waiting to play with, just a matter of time.

 

[dA_RoB]

I have looked into this a bit more, the signal from the factory steering angle sensor looks like a quadrature or rotary encoder, you can buy ICs with dedicated signal processing for these signals which are fairly common, or you can get a microcontroller that you can progam to read the signal and put out a 0-5v signal proportional to the angle, or with a little more work output the signal onto a CAN bus (you can buy a CAN bus connector for the dl1 which will connect to a Link G4+ or similar modern ecu). At some point I'll have a got at it, I have a microcontroller waiting to play with, just a matter of time.

Hi Alex,

Are there any news on this?

Thanks!

Cheers,
RoB

 

[AlexJ]

No progress yet, time has been in short supply recently. I'll get to it eventually though. I have a few weeks of leave coming in March there may be a chance for some quality car time then.