Paddle as shifter

Overview

When there is no shifter in the chassis and the only available controls are the paddles, the device can be configured to use the paddles as additional triggers that switch between transmission modes. Each paddle then serves two purposes: a short pull shifts a gear, and a long pull changes the transmission mode.

Prerequisites

  • Paddles connected to the device — either analog switch or digital inputs.
  • Each paddle wired to its own input pin.

Input configuration

Each paddle provides two functions:

  • Primary — short pull — upshift/downshift command.
  • Secondary — long pull — mode change trigger.

This is achieved by configuring two inputs on the same pin with different filtering parameters:

Parameter Primary input Secondary input
Enable filter On On
Delay 50 ms 500 ms
Hold 200 ms 200 ms

See Digital Input for a description of the filter parameters.

With this configuration the two inputs fire after a different amount of time has passed from the initial pull: a short pull fires only the primary input, while a long pull first fires the primary input (after 50 ms) and then the secondary input (after 500 ms). A long pull therefore always triggers both inputs — the mode table below is designed with this behaviour in mind.

The Delay of the secondary input can be adjusted to the driver's preference, but it should remain significantly longer than the Delay of the primary input. If it is set too short, an accidental pull of the paddle may change modes without a clear intention from the driver. Please also make sure the mode-change safety conditions (safety map) are configured, so an unintended trigger cannot cause an unexpected mode change.

Inputs should be assigned as follows:

Function Input
Drive Upshift secondary
Reverse Downshift secondary
Upshift Upshift primary
Downshift Downshift primary

Mode configuration

The device uses a state-machine table that lets you define how the modes change on activation of each assigned input. Modes are represented by columns, each row represents an input trigger, and each cell holds the new mode that is engaged when that input triggers in that mode:

Input Reverse Parking Neutral Drive Manual Sport
Drive Neutral Drive Drive Drive Drive Drive
Reverse Reverse Neutral Reverse Neutral Neutral Neutral
Upshift Neutral Parking Neutral Drive Manual Sport
Downshift Reverse Parking Neutral Drive Manual Sport
Other Reverse Parking Neutral Drive Manual Sport

How it works

In this example the Drive input (a long pull of the upshift paddle):

  • in Reverse switches to Neutral,
  • in every other mode switches to Drive.

The Reverse input (a long pull of the downshift paddle):

  • in Neutral switches to Reverse,
  • in Parking, Drive, Manual and Sport switches to Neutral.

The Upshift input (a short pull, also fired at the start of a long pull):

  • in Reverse switches to Neutral,
  • in every other mode leaves the mode unchanged.

Remember that a long pull fires the primary input first. Starting from Reverse, a single long pull of the upshift paddle therefore switches to Drive in two steps: the Upshift trigger first switches Reverse → Neutral, and the Drive trigger that follows switches Neutral → Drive. Switching from Drive to Reverse requires two long pulls of the downshift paddle: the first one switches Drive → Neutral, the second one Neutral → Reverse. This asymmetry is intentional — engaging Reverse should always require a deliberate, repeated action.

The Manual and Sport columns are shown for completeness — with only the four paddle triggers configured here they are never entered. To use them, add transitions (or an additional input, e.g. a mode button) that lead into these modes.

Troubleshooting

  • Modes change on a short pull: the secondary Delay is too short — increase it so only a deliberate long pull triggers a mode change.
  • A long pull does not change the mode: the paddle is released before the secondary Delay elapses — reduce the Delay or hold the paddle longer.
  • One pull shifts twice: raise the Hold value on the primary input to reject contact bounce.

Remarks

This is an example configuration. It is intended to showcase how the device works and how to set up the mode transitions. If desired, this configuration can be extended or modified to fit more complex scenarios.