Homebrew Controllers

Does anyone have any decent plans for constructing your own home-built steering wheel and/or pedal set-ups for use with Nascar Racing? I've heard mention of home-built set-ups before, but can't find any links to plans. Thanks, Mike

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>Does anyone have any decent plans for constructing >your own home-built steering wheel and/or pedal >set-ups for use with Nascar Racing? >I've heard mention of home-built set-ups before, >but can't find any links to plans. >Thanks, >Mike

This is how I constructed mine. First I got a cheap joystick. Now for the hard part....I had a cheap wah pedal for a guitar. What I did was to go to Radio Shack and buy a 3x5 project box and 2 250Kohm potentiometers. Next I put one pot in the box and then rpalced the orignal pot in the wah pedal with the 250K. I then opened the joysick and took the wires from the varible resistors and hooked the corresponding X and Y axis to the steering wheel and pedal. Oh BTW, I also cut a Batman style steering wheel out of aluminiunm. I also screwed the project box to a piece of aluminium about the size of a piece of paper so I could place it under the keyboard for stabilitiy. I haven't had any problems with it and it works just as well as the commercial product my bud spent $160 for. The only real pain in the ass is you have to center both the pedal and wheel for when you want to do stuff like select tracks, playback, etc.......... Good Luck

I'm planning on building something soon, i'll have self centering steering and nutralizing gas/brake pedals (without touching anything it will all be centered) i'll post a schematic when i draw it... it will be built with joystick parts...

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>This is how I constructed mine. First I got a cheap joystick. Now for >the hard part....I had a cheap wah pedal for a guitar. What I did was >to go to Radio Shack and buy a 3x5 project box and 2 250Kohm >potentiometers. Next I put one pot in the box and then rpalced the >orignal pot in the wah pedal with the 250K. I then opened the joysick >and took the wires from the varible resistors and hooked the >corresponding X and Y axis to the steering wheel and pedal. Oh BTW, I >a

Thanks for the above info. I'm considering either building my own or upgrading my T1. I have been wondering what is the best kind of POTS to buy. As these seem to be the "heart" of the units. I does the Radio Shack ones work? Anybody else we any comments on components for a homebuilt wheel and pedal system? Thanks, Gerald

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>>This is how I constructed mine. First I got a cheap joystick. Now for >>the hard part....I had a cheap wah pedal for a guitar. What I did was >>to go to Radio Shack and buy a 3x5 project box and 2 250Kohm >>potentiometers. Next I put one pot in the box and then rpalced the >>orignal pot in the wah pedal with the 250K. I then opened the joysick >>and took the wires from the varible resistors and hooked the >>corresponding X and Y axis to the steering wheel and pedal. Oh BTW, I >>a >Thanks for the above info. I'm considering either building my own or >upgrading my T1. I have been wondering what is the best kind of POTS to >buy. As these seem to be the "heart" of the units. I does the Radio >Shack ones work? Anybody else we any comments on components for a >homebuilt wheel and pedal system? >Thanks, >Gerald

DON'T buy Radio Shack Pots for your wheel and pedal system. I made my own wheel/pedal combo and started out with a Radio Shack 100Kohm linear pot and it was impossible to drive! The reason is because the pot resistance was not linear over the full range (resistance was 0 for about the first 1/4 turn, and then linear from there on). I even tried a second one to make sure that the first one was not a fluke - it was exactly the same. I ended up going to an electronics surplus store and trying out a bunch of different pots. What to look for: Range should be in the 0 - 100 kohm to 0 - 200 kohm range. One turn The resistance MUST be linear over the full turn. Take an ohm-meter along with you and try them out. Its pretty obvious if a pot is truely linear. Demick

:>Thanks for the above info. I'm considering either building my own or :>upgrading my T1. I have been wondering what is the best kind of POTS to :>buy. As these seem to be the "heart" of the units. I does the Radio :>Shack ones work? Anybody else we any comments on components for a :>homebuilt wheel and pedal system? Haven't homebuilt the pedals but did the wheel w/shifter. I'm using 100Kohm pots but have heard that 150Kohm is best. Just make sure that the pots you get are LINEAR. I fouled that at first and wasted some bucks trying the wrong solutions when all I needed was a $1.50 Linear pot. I spent about $86-90 building my Wheel w/shifter. T2 is $99 at Comp City, I've heard. I lost on that deal :-) See Ya +----------------------------------+------------------------------------ | All the worlds a stage, | ("'-''-/").___..--''"'-._ | | and there's a comedy playing. | '6_ 6 ) '_. ( ).'-.__.') | | May as well enjoy the show. | (_Y_.) ._ ) '._ '. ''-..-' | | | _..'--'_..-_/ /--'_.' ,' | +----------------------------------+------------------------------------ | Go Earnhardt. #3 in 96, and 98, and 00 and....... ;-) | | Go Rusty. #2 in 97, and 99, and 01 and ....... ;-) | +------------------------------------------------------------------------

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> >This is how I constructed mine. First I got a cheap joystick. Now for > >the hard part....I had a cheap wah pedal for a guitar. What I did was > >to go to Radio Shack and buy a 3x5 project box and 2 250Kohm > >potentiometers. Next I put one pot in the box and then rpalced the > >orignal pot in the wah pedal with the 250K. I then opened the joysick > >and took the wires from the varible resistors and hooked the > >corresponding X and Y axis to the steering wheel and pedal. Oh BTW, I > >a > Thanks for the above info. I'm considering either building my own or > upgrading my T1. I have been wondering what is the best kind of POTS to > buy. As these seem to be the "heart" of the units. I does the Radio > Shack ones work? Anybody else we any comments on components for a > homebuilt wheel and pedal system? > Thanks, > Gerald

Hi Gerald, I think Thrustmaster is offering an upgrade package for the T1. See you on tuesday. Jimmy

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>> >This is how I constructed mine. First I got a cheap joystick. Now for >> >the hard part....I had a cheap wah pedal for a guitar. What I did was >> >to go to Radio Shack and buy a 3x5 project box and 2 250Kohm >> >potentiometers. Next I put one pot in the box and then rpalced the >> >orignal pot in the wah pedal with the 250K. I then opened the joysick >> >and took the wires from the varible resistors and hooked the >> >corresponding X and Y axis to the steering wheel and pedal. Oh BTW, I >> >a >> Thanks for the above info. I'm considering either building my own or >> upgrading my T1. I have been wondering what is the best kind of POTS

to

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>> buy. As these seem to be the "heart" of the units. I does the Radio >> Shack ones work? Anybody else we any comments on components for a >> homebuilt wheel and pedal system? >> Thanks, >> Gerald >Hi Gerald, > I think Thrustmaster is offering an upgrade package for the T1. See >you on tuesday. Jimmy

Nope just got an e-mail back from Thrustmaster stating that there was no upgrade.