rec.autos.simulators

Has anyone else been bit by a poorly calibrated gas pedal in ICR2? I'd
been screwing around trying different controller combinations, and
tonight settled back whence I started: a T1 wheel and CH pedals. After
two days of frustration, I figured I'd had enough and set down to the
business of making time. It appeared, after an hour of running at
Elkhart, that I'd permanently lost 3 seconds on my lap times. Top speed
on straights were down 20 mph, from 206 entering T1, down to 187 on a
"good" run. I switched chassis, engines, gear ratios, drove different
lines, killed some more wing, etc. This didn't change the top end one
tiny bit. (That in itself is an amazing result.)

On a lark, I recalibrated the controls, and short changed the pedal
movement on the pedals by about 5%. Top speed immediately climbed to 208
at the end of the front straight, and everyone else stopped honking at
me to get outa the way. Overall, I gained 2 mph by cutting the wings
and a slightly taller 6th gear (I think). The carousel is a bit more
twitchy for my having done so, but I'm glad I went through this
exercise.

I notice I'm getting a mild glitch near the bottom of movement for the
gas pedal. The Win95 joystick test program shows the position
value peaking some small distance before the end of throw, and then
dropping a few points when the pedal reaches bottom. The pedals are
relatively new, less than 2 months old. Is this a common problem for CH
pedals? BTW, is anybody using the CH pedals in car mode with ICR or NCR?
The brakes work, but gas doesn't for me. I'm stuck using airplane mode
for ICR.

Mike.

   How does anybody calibrate their throttle and breaks with the pedals
like they come out of the box?

   I didn't like the "no stops" on the T1 pedals.  I made the following
modifications to the back of the pedals as soon as I got them.

                               _____   <--------- Rollers stop here
                              /_____\
                              /_____\  <---- Feet from TM's rudder.
     -----------------------  /_____\
                            | ------- -------
                            ||       |       |
                            ||  1x1  |  1x1  |
                            ||       |       |
     ==========================================
                              This is a metal
                              ledge that is
                              behind the t1
                              pedals

   I velcored the 1x1s to the metal base that extends behind the pedals.
I used 2 1x1s, glued together, for stability.  They are long enough to
have a *** "pillar" for each pedal.

   This was build up over a period of trial and error, it is now 2" high
and is satisfactory.  If I had it to do over, I would purchase a single,
taller, *** foot.  And I would have glued the 1x1s to the plate that
extends behind the pedals.  If you have to use feet glued together, build
them up as a vertical stack.  I tried to angle them, and they came apart.

   For those unfamiliar with American lumber, a "1x1" is smaller than
one inch by one inch.

   This gives me consistent "Bottom" to the pedal movement, which helps
calibration.  Limiting the movement also should make life easier for the
springs.  I've never broken one.

===========================================================================
Larry "Dragon" Lindstrom                         Independent S/W Consultant

                           Portland, Ore. USA

     Reality, there's nothing else quite like it.  

I have the Pro Pedals and I use them in car mode. The way I calibrate them
is to press both pedals down before I go into the calibrate routine. Ease
them up slowly and don't let them bounce when you calibrate the other end.
I've found that if I jam them down, I frequently get a glitch that botches
the calibration.

Dave "davids" Sparks
Sequoia Motorsports