Completed Year 8 Project

Cardboard Gaming Steering Wheel

Low-cost physical controller for racing simulation

Early Engineering / Prototyping

Sensors Input mapping Cardboard prototyping Racing simulation

Cardboard gaming steering wheel — Cardboard steering-wheel prototype in use, with the physical wheel and pedal inputs controlling a racing game.

The story

This was one of my earliest proper builds. During COVID, my sister could not continue driving lessons, so I tried to make practice feel more realistic at home. I used cardboard, string, hot glue, and a game controller to build a steering wheel, pedals, and shifter for a racing simulator. It looked rough, but it worked.

Why I built it

The challenge was using whatever I had at home. I did not have proper sensors or a manufactured wheel, so I had to make the physical movement push the existing controller inputs in a repeatable way.

What I built

The wheel turned the joystick through a simple axle mechanism, while the pedals used string linkages to pull the controller triggers for acceleration and braking. It was not elegant, but it taught me that a prototype can be useful long before it looks polished.

What I did

Designed and built the physical controller structure
Built the wheel, pedals, and shifter from scrap materials and an Xbox-style controller
Mapped physical motion to game controls through mechanical linkages
Tested and refined responsiveness for gameplay

How I built it

Build flow

Physical input -> cardboard linkage -> controller stick/triggers -> racing sim.

How it works

Steering rotation and pedal movement are transferred through the cardboard frame into the game controller controls, letting the simulator read the build like an ordinary controller while the user interacts with a more realistic physical setup.

Hardware

Cardboard frame Game controller String linkages Pedals and shifter

Software

Game interface

What was hard

Achieving stable structural integrity with cardboard materials
Calibrating the mechanical travel so the controller inputs responded smoothly
Minimising input latency for playable experience

Input mapping diagram — Build reference

Physical input mechanism showing how steering and pedal actions were translated through the controller setup.

Click to inspect

Demos and build notes

Product demos

Gameplay demo of the cardboard racing controller, showing the physical steering wheel and pedal system being used to control an on-screen racing simulation.

Photos and notes

Mitul testing the cardboard steering wheel prototype — Early build-and-test setup: cardboard structure, wheel, pedal area, and controller integration tested during gameplay.

Cardboard steering wheel controller close-up — Close-up of the controller mechanism mounted into the cardboard frame, showing how the physical steering input connected to the game controls.

Cardboard racing controller being used — Product-in-use still from the demo video, showing the wheel and pedal interaction during racing simulation gameplay.

Results & impact

✓ Functional prototype playable in racing simulation
✓ First prize in the school Extended Learning Project competition
✓ Early demonstration of sensor integration and product thinking
✓ Foundation for later electronics and robotics projects

What I'd tell past me

Cardboard and string can solve a real problem - it doesn't have to look good to work
Getting the calibration right mattered more than how the thing looked

If I keep going

Rebuild it properly one day with 3D-printed parts, just to see how much better it'd feel

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