I’ve been running brake and throttle sensors on my daughter’s kart for a few years now, but I’ve been thinking about the proper way to calibrate the brake sensor. Currently, 0% is set when the pedal is all the way back, and basically the zero point. Lately, I’ve been wondering if I should possibly set the 0 point at the position just before the brake pads make contact with the disc and start actually working. I’m only thinking about this since in the current setting the pads don’t touch and start working until about 80%.
Good question. We use these sensors sometimes too. I think 0% is right when the pedal is not being moved and 100% at full pressure is the best way. It is not really good for her to be putting any pressure on the brake pedal when not breaking. I don’t think looking at the actual amount of pressure applied is the real data you are wanting to see. What you likely want to see is when she is braking. You can see this whether she is riding the brake or not. I am struggling with my boy right now in his dirt car with keeping some pressure on the breaks. Messing with making heal stop for him now so he can push against that instead of the pedal.
The one positive I see with it set as is, is I can tell when she is anticipating the braking zone. She doesn’t rest on the brake pedal, so that’s not really an issue.
When I first put on the sensors, we were in cadet and she was going through brake pads every other race. Come to find out, she was on the throttle 100% of the time, and braking where needed. Which then made me understand why we went through so many brake pads and why the brakes were always so hot.
I’m assuming you have a pedal position sensor and not a brake pressure sensor. I get the thought behind having it 0% just before the point of the pads touching. That’s just measuring the actual usable travel. But, depending on your brake system, that point may change as your pads wear down. Ie; pads touching at 0% now may wear into pads touching at 10% later.
Ideally a pressure sensor is the way to go. That’s the only true way of knowing how much braking is actually being done.
That was my thought as well, and one reason I’ve never changed it from 0% being all the way back with no pressure on it.
When I set it, I pull pretty hard on it to get the 100% as a point with full force. Granted it doesn’t replace the pressure sensor, but it can give an indication I believe.