Skateboard Controller
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Skateboard is extremely interesting sports equipment. In a real life... But what about virtual space? Can we move on skateboard along the Formula 1 trace? Or slide across the ocean waves? It will be a truth when you connect your skate to computer as a new controller. So you we be able to control virtual "person" or "vehicle" by the habitual movements on skateboard.
The main idea is to convert the tilts of a skateboard to inputting signals. For a most of gaming software we can use arrow buttons on keyboard to control motion. So the simplest way is to connect arrow buttons to a skateboard. I suggest a way to convert tilts of a skateboard to switch contacts of arrow buttons. The core feature is a container with a ball moving inside it. When container tilting the ball touches the walls and the bottom of a container in appropriate areas. Those areas will be the contacts and ball will close the electrical circuit. One container can switch on one of two buttons ("forward"-"back" or "left"-"right"). So we can use two containers with a 45 degrees relative position to combine of two arrow pressing ("forward"+"right", "forward"+"left", "back"+"right", "back"+"left").
Materials and Tools
Materials:
- old skateboard - BOARD ONLY
- life preserver or similar inflatable ring (D_hole ~ 300 mm, D_body ~ 130 mm)
- cable (2-wire, 4 pieces x 3 m or 1 ethernet (8-wire) cable x 3 m)
- rope (D = 4 mm, 2 pieces x 1 m)
- piece of cloth (size 350x350 mm, 2 items)
- keyboard (for a small conversion)
- switcher body (2 items)
- switcher cover (2 items)
- plane bottom contact (4 items)
- plane side contact (4 items)
- steel ball (D = 6 mm, 2 items)
- screw (4x10 mm, 8 items)
Tools:
- office knife
- screw drivers set
- soldering tool
- thin rasp (needle file)
- drills set
- pliers
- scissors
- ruler
- awl
- pencil
- 3d-printer to make "Switcher Body" and "Switcher Cover"
Assembly
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Assembly according to animated sequence.
Usage
Start your favorite game on computer. Climb on skateboard controller and lean forward a bit. Try to stay on a virtual track and win the race!
P.S.
Of course, you can modify this project using any wireless solution you like.