rec.autos.simulators

Please post. It would be much appreciated. (My left arm hurts!)

Wilfred

IF you want to go fast in GP2 with T2 you will definately need those
F1 style Gear Changes(aka buttons on the steering wheel).
 I tried to run it with using the stick ( joystick A buttons 1,2). But
my lap times are getting worse, because i have to take one hand in
order to change the gear(its specially difficult when you have to
change the gear in the tight turn).
So right now i am using the Automatic, but i really want
to use manual transmission, its much more realistic and more fun.

Anybody can help me put buttons on the T2,
Please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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                        Gregory Alferov
                      Los Angeles, Ca. USA

                            ((()))
              IGN4/Miskatonic Motorsports (Netcar)    

A real easy mod is to add shifter buttons to the wheel. The factory
outboard shifter is OK for NASCAR and Indycar acing as that is the
type of shifter that the cars have to begin with, but for any F1 sim
(World Circuit and GP2), the shifter HAS to be on the wheel to have
that sense of realism that we all strive so hard to achieve! :-) The
wiring for the T2 is exactly the same as what I've presented for my
setup, and for our purposes the easiest way to do the mod is to deal
just with the colors of the wires that are present after you pull the
cover off of the wheel module rather than having to trace all of the
connections through the plug and all that. In other words, I've done
the legwork for you - all you have to do is to follow the
directions...

The way to start is to determine which type of switch you want to use.
I used a regular pushbutton type switch that had two terminals on the
back and was JUST the right size to fit into one of the holes on the
wheel spokes. I glued the switches into the wheel so that the head of
the switch was JUST poking out above the level of the spoke. You
should be able to find a pushbutton switch that will fit one or
another of the holes on the spokes... You may have to use a series
of washers, or lay a thin piece of plastic across the spokes (in the
same shape) and mount the switches to that-it will all depend upon the
style that you get... Once you have the switches, pull off the cover
of the wheel by removing the 6 phillips screws that hold it on from
the bottom. You will see a number of wires coming in from the joystick
cable, but the only ones we need to deal with are the yellow, red and
purple. The yellow wire is the common ground wire inputs to the
switches (pin 4). The red wire is button 1 output (pin2). The purple
wire is button 2 output (pin 6).

You will need to strip a small area of each of these 3 wires. These
wires are VERY thin and will not stand much strain - you may want to
melt the outside jacket with your soldering iron rather than cutting
it. Solder (or wrap and tape) a wire from each one that is long enough
to reach the switches with enough slack to allow for wheel movement. I
used some old RCA cable as it is nice and flexible, has two conductors
(center conductor and shield (the outer braid), which work well for
the two connections on each switch) and it looks good, too. Route the
wires out of the two threaded holes that are in the bottom of the
wheel housing (or if you use these threads to mount the wheel, then
drill a small hole in the housing, making sure that you do not
interfere with the mechanism of the steering shaft!) and bring them up
to the steering shaft. You can attach the wires to the wheel using
tape or wire ties but make sure you attach the wires to the wheel
firmly enough so that they will not move as the wheel turns and be
sure to add enough "strain relief" so that when you turn the wheel,
the wires are not pulling directly on the connections at the rear of
the switches. Connect the wires to the switches keeping in mind that
the side that gets the red wire will be button 1 and the side that
gets the purple wire will be button 2. The reason I mention this is to
make sure you understand that if you play a game that does not allow
remapping of the controls, then you should make sure that the buttons
that control upshifts and downshifts are on the correct side (I
personally upshift with my right). Anyway, connect one terminal of
each switch to the yellow wire and the other terminal to the red OR
the purple wire, not to both. Mount the switches to the spokes, move
the wheel around to make sure that there is no binding of either the
wires or the switches and you are done!

JEB in Vegas

Randy

: I'm kinda reluctant to add the buttons. Right now I'm enjoying
: the "macho" feel of the sports car effect of using the gear
: shift handle. I do agree that performance should definately go
: up with the shift buttons on the spokes. I'm undecided at this
: point.

I'm with you JEB on this one.  It reminds me of the good ole days when I
first got hooked by F1 racing.  It's a "lost" art in the F1 world.  At
least the Indy boys still do it the old fashioned way :-)

--
**************************** Michael E. Carver *************************
     Upside out, or inside down...False alarm the only game in town.

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Greg Hingerty

http://www.ozemail.com.au/~greghing

is the money for a steering wheel really worth it?  im running nascar and
am wondering whether or not i should get one...  send your comments to

Definitely! I was also not sure if I should get one.. But now I don't
think I could play
Nascar without it!

Regards,

                --- Cogito Ergo Sum ---              *

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