Fully printable analogue parking brake by MudBarf

Last crawled date: 3 years, 1 month ago

Analogue parking brake
A remix of Analog parking brake for driving simulations by HaraDaya - https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2286976
I liked his design, but I wanted it to be fully 3D printable (no bits of old coat-hangers or PVC pipe) and I wanted to get rid of the rubber band on the pawl, as I felt this would be very easy to achieve its job simply by putting a spring between the handbrake button (pushbutton.stl) and the handbrake lever (lever_mk3_reinforced_rubberband_hook.stl), inside the handle tube.
I could probably have deleted the hook on the side of the lever too, but I'd already printed it at that point.
So I made a really simple tube for the handle which combines with the existing parts. If I were to do it again, I'd make handle_end_piece.stl, PVC_adapter.stl and Handle_tube.stl into a single piece, and make it more realistic/ergonomic. But for now, this'll do.
HaraDaya used a bit of pipe because he was worried about strength - but printed with PLA, the handle seems as strong as the proverbial oxen. Don't know if the 3D printed nut and bolt will hold up over the long term, but I couldn't be bothered to wait for a bolt to come from an ebay seller, so I just made this. If it turns out to be too weak, I'll either redesign for a 7mm bolt instead of a 6mm, or just use a metal one. My handbrake will be used in driving simulations, not manic racing games, so it shouldn't get much abuse. The pushrod seems strong enough too.
If the tolerances are too tight, you might need to use some sandpaper to sand down bits that push together. I like a tight interference fit, with a touch of epoxy, to keep things strong.
When my arduino turns up, I'll know more about the durability.
I may update soon with some kind of cover.
BOM
2x M3 10mm screws (one can be longer if desired)
A rubber band (optional - I don't bother)
WH148 ≤10k potentiometer
Positive and negative leads
Arduino
Micro USB cable
Some epoxy