Would like to use my iPhone sensors to control the rear brake on my bicycle via Blynk

My ultimate aim is to use my iPhone sensors to control the rear brake on my bicycle via Blynk/Arduino and servo control.
The goal is a “flip proof wheelie controller” for my bike. I know I can fit stand alone gyro & accelerometer shields but the idea of using the Phone’s existing capabilities is neat!

Great for teaching kids how to wheelie

  1. phone on handlebar clamp, with bike stationary, calibrate level zero
  2. with bike stationary and rider, position bike in estimated “Balance point” calibrate balance point.
  3. when doing wheelies, phone sends sensor data to board which in turn modulates the rear brake to control the wheelie pitch and prevent rider from flipping backwards.
  4. adjustment of sensitivity and pitch angle controlled with slider interface on phone.
    5.Analysis of performance, adjustment recommendations and wheelie tips via screen message
    6 Encouragement via voice and messages on screen
  5. sharing of distance and smoothness achievements and milestones on web based social platform

is this too ambitious?

Cheers,
CraigA

I moved your question from a very old topic into your own current one…

Blynk does have Accelerometer and GPS widgets that pull data from your smartphone, but there is much more to the whole interface… your phone (App) is just one part of a group of requirements for proper Blynk application… including the Server and the MCU (arduino, ESP, etc) over a network (typically WiFi), so latency between all three might be an issue for something requiring such precision.

So, while what you are thinking about might be doable… it will be a big job and require some good programming on your part.

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

Yes, I never considered the latency thing, so local sensors it will be.

Blynk as a user adjustment interface, is however, very appealing…

@Gunner It would be better then for the application to use 4G internet from the phone, and for the connection between the phone and the MCU to use bluetooth … :slight_smile:

BT and BLE is functional, but still considered BETA and can be a bit flaky and have unreliable connectivity (between App and MCU), which is why I rarely promote it to new users. Also, not all widgets are supported (any that need server access… no list is avail yet).

Best I can say is, try it… your success with it may vary.

I’ve just bought a cheap 3D printer to at least make the case and mount brackets for the non loaded parts. Engineered bracket for 2nd rear mechanical caliper will be from aluminium.

hi!

i have quite a bit of experience with bikes, already designed / built some special recumbent bikes and all kind of other components for speciality bikes.

what you try to build, really needs realtime data processing and stability, so it must be done everything “in house”: all sensors should be hooked up directly to an mcu. also, you should consider what type of brakes you use. you will need a REALLY fast actuator…

anyway, this system will help you only in one direction (not falling backwards), you still have to learn how to balance yourself.