rec.autos.simulators

The manual says I can but the computer says I can,t?

--
To reply, remove nosmeg from e-mail address.

Cheers,
Richard

BTW, there is an aeful lot of good press for this wheel but I should
point out another few problems:

1.  As said, latest versions don't have the dual axis switch

2.  Inside the steering tube, the shaft is connected to the pot with a
*** tube. My first wheel had this slipping all the time - losing
calibration. Supplier replaced the wheel without question.

3. My latest wheel has had the nut on the steering pot come loose. As
it was Xmas, i stipped and retightened the thing myself.

4. Pedal postioning is uncomfortable I find. There is an option to
preload the pedals to a lower position but this worsens problem 5
below.

5. Pedals have a max of about 45deg travel. The pots are connected on
a straight shaft so that they also only move 45 deg (unlike geared T2
pedals). This gives them little electrical travel under calibration
and fine control is more difficult. Although totally unreliable, my T2
pedals were much more sensitive in this respect.

Would I still but the wheel? I'm afraid the answer is no. A steel tube
does not necessarily mean quality. There is a lot of lateral play in
the wheel and both steering and pedal pots are difficult to replace
and poorly implemented. It is a little better than my T2 but, as I
paid 150 for it, I wish I had exercised patience and gone for a TSW.

Just my personal experiences - take them for what they're worth.

Regards

--
Neil Charlton      

http://www.racesimcentral.net/;
--

You will also have to recelebrate it under win95 if thats what you are
using.

8?)

* Peter *  8-)   Please remove asterix from address to email.

I had that problem as well, but just used a cable tie around the ***
tubing to make a firmer fit. No problems since.

It took me a long time to get used to the pedals but now I'm glad that I
did. I experimented with sloping the pedals and now have them mounted on
a board that is sloping forwards by about 5 degrees - just that small
difference makes them much more to my liking.

I suspect that depends a lot on driving style. I find the small travel of
the GP500/F1 Sim pedals far more to my liking than when I tried the TSW
ones - although that may be as much due to being what I'm used to. I
certainly find there is enough travel to be able to hold the correct
speed and appreciate being able to go very quickly from full to zero
throttle.

It does appear that the build quality has always been somewhat variable
with some (lucky me <g>) getting well made ones and others getting
lemons. From what I've heard, it does look like the quality has gone
downhill since it became the F1 Sim :(

The pedal pots are a PITA to replace, but the wheel ones are simple
enough.

My GP500 is certainly in a different ball park to a T2 - it's not been
problem free but I know that a T2 would never have lasted with the
punishment I have given the GP500 over the last 15 months ;-) A TSW
really is for life though - I expect I will need to replace the GP500
within a year or so and will probably get a TSW then. I have my
reservations though, when I tried a TSW earlier this year I wasn't keen
on the feel of the wheel and the gear change paddles were nowhere near as
nice as the GP500's.

Cheers,
Richard

Hi, which manual do you have? I have the UK version and I cant find any
mention of this anywhere.

You commented earlier in your post with not liking (possibly because
you weren't used to them) the TSW's pedals.  I personally think they're
the best part.  I've tried a couple of wheels (never an ECCI), but
I think the pedals are very good.  They are a VAST improvement over
the T2's pedals.  I'm not impressed with the NASCAR Pro/Formula One
pedals either....too little travel.  I made a small mod to my TSW...I
dropped a piece of heavy-duty *** hose behind the brake lever to
add some progressive resistance.

I've had to replace 1 pot, and had to replace the wiring for the
steering paddles (replacement provided by Trevor...my wheel was one
of the early models with paddle shifters, and there was a bit of a
design flaw), but I really can't see anything else going wrong with
the TSW unit.

--

Neil Yeatman          
Ajax, Ontario, CANADA

The manual has a section entitled: More Complicated Tuning - Brake &
Accelerator. This section describes the process of operating separate
axis for brake and accelerator, and tuning of the pedals to enable one
pedal to be *** over the other.

8-)

* Peter *  8-)   Please remove asterix from address to email.

The GP500's has just one paddle on a rocker arrangement - this is useful
when I've got a bottle of beer in one hand as I can change both up and
down with the other hand <vbg>

More seriously, it is basically a big piece of rectangular metal that
fits my hand size perfectly with all the fingers operating the paddle.
When I tried it, the TSW's shifters seemed a bit small and fiddly and
only seemed to accomodate one finger leaving me wondering what to do with
the others ;-) I think Trev also offers larger shifters now so that may
no longer be an issue.

The TSW design for the shifter contacts is a big plus over the GP500 one
though - no chance of those brass screws ever wearing down <g> The GP500
uses micro-switches which inevitably wear out - it's not too difficult to
solder in some new ones, but getting at them isn't particularly intuitive
:(

The TSW is certainly a fine product - I almost ended up tossing a coin
when trying to choose between the TSW & GP500. What swung it for the
latter was that it didn't mean having to order from abroad coupled with
Trev's refusal to accept a credit card (any chance of changing that
policy Trev? I'll be looking for a new wheel sometime and would much
rather pay by credit card <g>).

Cheers,
Richard