Sim Racing Rally/Drift Handbrake

Here is my DIY handbrake that I made for £0 with things I had l had lying around including an old Ikea wardrobe pole rubber bands and various electrical components from other projects, I have provided the F3d file as I made this to fit my desk and components perfectly so feel free to make any changes to make it work for you or just use it as inspiration or a starting point for your own design.

Bill of Materials (BOM)

• Main Handle: IKEA HJÄLPA Clothes Rail — An oval-profile steel rail that provides a more ergonomic grip than standard round tubing.
• Controller: ESP32-WROOM-32D — The "brain" of the project, providing high-speed Bluetooth LE connectivity.
• Sensor: AS5600 Magnetic Encoder — Provides contactless, wear-free 12-bit precision; only 4 pins (VCC, GND, SDA, SCL) are required for this build.
• Bearings: 2x 6800-2RS Deep Groove Ball Bearings — (10mm x 19mm x 5mm) High-quality carbon steel bearings for a smooth, play-free pivot.
• Primary Tension: Heavy Duty Rubber Band — Approximately 160mm long and 10mm wide; provides the main resistance and return force.
• Dampener/Bump Stop: Custom Rubber Stack — Created by cutting a standard rubber band into three pieces and gluing them together to soften the "return" impact.
• Grip: Electrician's Tape — Wrapped tightly around the rail for a slim, high-friction finish.
• Wiring: 4x Jumper Cables — Female-to-Female cables to connect the AS5600 to the ESP32.
• Structural Parts: 3D Printed PETG
• Clamp: 4 m5 screws and 12 mil long heatset inserts
• To hold the as5600 bracket: I use m3 screws with m3 heatset inserts and the as5600 is held using m3 screws threaded into the plastic

Wiring

• VCC → ESP32 3V3
• GND → ESP32 GND
• SDA → ESP32 GPIO 21
• SCL → ESP32 GPIO 22

For the code I had AI make it for me that connects the ESP 32 to the PC using Bluetooth as it doesn't have HID enabled on it. I would recommend using a different micro controller that does have HID but I haven't had an issue with the Bluetooth connection just yet. If you would like the code just drop a comment and i will send it over with the parts that you will need to change to fit your build