Thrustmaster Service

Just a note to publicly thank Thrustmaster for their excellent response to my scream for help. After having used my trusty T1 since new, and having gone through all the spare pedal springs I had been supplied with, I emailed them for help last week. Return email today advised that new springs were winging their way Down Under immediately! Now THAT is what I call "Service"!! Thank you, TM. -- BruceK VR #31, Pro. Division VRE Site is [link lost in import]

: Just a note to publicly thank Thrustmaster for their excellent response to : my scream for help. : After having used my trusty T1 since new, and having gone through all the : spare pedal springs I had been supplied with, I emailed them for help last : week. : Return email today advised that new springs were winging their way Down : Under immediately! : Now THAT is what I call "Service"!! Thank you, TM. : -- Yes, they do provide excellent service. However, I am posting to see if you have modified your pedals to limit their travel. I finally did that and only had one spring break since (it had already been stressed before I made the modifications). This was over a year ago. Of course, now that I have written this for all the world to see, my spring will go out on the last race of my current Championship run ;-) -- **************************** Michael E. Carver ************************* Upside out, or inside down...False alarm the only game in town. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=<[ /./. [- < ]>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Michael.... No, I haven't limited the travel but once I receive the replacement spring(s) I want to strip the assembly, modify the travel and make some other adjustments to the support "box" I use for the pedal assembly. Hopefully it will then give me another three years of useful life :-) Regards, bk

they are sending me a few extras; i was curious as to how you limited your pedal travel.... (and how you keep it from sliding across the floor.....) antracer

>> -- I have to agree-- my t2 was 6 m0s old and the gas spring broke >they are sending me a few extras; i was curious as to how you >limited your pedal travel.... (and how you keep it from sliding across >the floor.....) antracer I have a large book behind my pedals that is pushed up against the wall. This holds the pedals steady AND limits pedal travel. OK so every now and then I have to recalibrate cuz the book shifts slightly, but otherwise it works well. Dave Henrie

: > -- I have to agree-- my t2 was 6 m0s old and the gas spring broke : they are sending me a few extras; i was curious as to how you : limited your pedal travel.... (and how you keep it from sliding across : the floor.....) antracer : > I have a "wedge-shaped" strip of wood on the "back-porch" of my T1. I am not sure what the base of the T2 looks like. It comes up enough to block the pedal's bar from going all the way down. I don't do anything special to keep if from moving. I usually use my left foot to hold the base down. Though I it still travels abit while holding it to the floor. But with the T1 "rolllers" I just slide my foot up and slide it back. As a suggestion, if you have a carpetted floor you can try putting heavy duty velcro (the hooked) side on the bottom and this should hold it to your carpet. -- **************************** Michael E. Carver ************************* Upside out, or inside down...False alarm the only game in town. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=<[ /./. [- < ]>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

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> : > -- I have to agree-- my t2 was 6 m0s old and the gas spring broke > : they are sending me a few extras; i was curious as to how you > : limited your pedal travel.... (and how you keep it from sliding across > : the floor.....) antracer > : > > I have a "wedge-shaped" strip of wood on the "back-porch" of my T1. I > am not sure what the base of the T2 looks like. It comes up enough to > block the pedal's bar from going all the way down. I don't do anything > special to keep if from moving. I usually use my left foot to hold the > base down. Though I it still travels abit while holding it to the > floor. But with the T1 "rolllers" I just slide my foot up and slide it > back. > As a suggestion, if you have a carpetted floor you can try putting heavy > duty velcro (the hooked) side on the bottom and this should hold it to > your carpet. > -- > **************************** Michael E. Carver ************************* > Upside out, or inside down...False alarm the only game in town. > =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=<[ /./. [- < ]>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

The thrustmaster unit can be a real tease when it come to participating in driving action. I'm doing something about it. e-mail me in a month and I'll show you pics and stats of a controller that was designed and built by a Nascar, Formula on and WSC crew chief. This thing only needs wheels and 800 horses to pass Irvin, schumacher....etc. all for now. R. Hunt

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>> : > -- I have to agree-- my t2 was 6 m0s old and the gas spring broke >> : they are sending me a few extras; i was curious as to how you >> : limited your pedal travel.... (and how you keep it from sliding across >> : the floor.....) antracer >> : > >> I have a "wedge-shaped" strip of wood on the "back-porch" of my T1. I >> am not sure what the base of the T2 looks like. It comes up enough to >> block the pedal's bar from going all the way down. I don't do anything >> special to keep if from moving. I usually use my left foot to hold the >> base down. Though I it still travels abit while holding it to the >> floor. But with the T1 "rolllers" I just slide my foot up and slide it >> back. >> As a suggestion, if you have a carpetted floor you can try putting heavy >> duty velcro (the hooked) side on the bottom and this should hold it to >> your carpet.

What I did for the pedals slipping away from me was drill 4 holes and use screws/bolts. There's illustrations on my web page

... |> >> As a suggestion, if you have a carpetted floor you can try putting heavy |> >> duty velcro (the hooked) side on the bottom and this should hold it to |> >> your carpet. |> |> What I did for the pedals slipping away from me was drill 4 holes and |> use screws/bolts. There's illustrations on my web page And through a lucky guess, I found this web page at: http://www.wizvax.net/cmone/index.html -- IBM Microelectronics ICQ UIN: 216830 Burlington, VT Phone: (802) 769-7104 (tie 446)

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>... >|> >> As a suggestion, if you have a carpetted floor you can try putting heavy >|> >> duty velcro (the hooked) side on the bottom and this should hold it to >|> >> your carpet. >|> >|> What I did for the pedals slipping away from me was drill 4 holes and >|> use screws/bolts. There's illustrations on my web page >And through a lucky guess, I found this web page at: > http://www.wizvax.net/cmone/index.html

Lance, I appreciate you taking the time to check out my page... did you check out the qualifying note I have up using Hawaii? Again..... THANKS!

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>>> -- I have to agree-- my t2 was 6 m0s old and the gas spring broke >>they are sending me a few extras; i was curious as to how you >>limited your pedal travel.... (and how you keep it from sliding across >>the floor.....) antracer > I have a large book behind my pedals that is pushed up against the wall. > This holds the pedals steady AND limits pedal travel. OK so every now >and then I have to recalibrate cuz the book shifts slightly, but otherwise >it works well. >Dave Henrie

I use the book method too. Just out of curiosity, how thick is the book you are using? I'm using a 1 inch book, but I could probably find something thicker in my library of old university text books. As an aside, I've decided to switch permanently to an alternative "spring" for the gas pedal. I've got the original T-1, and am unsure how long Thrustmaster will keep sending springs, believe me, I've used a few....they always seem to break at the most surprising moment....in the heat of a race, in lots of traffic, never when you are just practicing. Several people have mentioned that the springs are too stiff, ie. not the same feel as a real gas pedal, so I reverted to my temporary fix I used when my first spring broke....I tied a short piece of shoelace around the roller bolt, and looped 3 quarter inch elastics through the lace and to the corner of the pedal unit. Not very professional looking, but gives a nice soft feel for the gas, retaining the stiffer spring for the brake. Anyone have ideas how such a modification could be moved inside the pedal unit? Later, Rick Martel

>>> -- I have to agree-- my t2 was 6 m0s old and the gas spring broke >>they are sending me a few extras; i was curious as to how you >>limited your pedal travel.... (and how you keep it from sliding across >>the floor.....) antracer The method I use to keep the pedals from sliding is by putting a piece of non-skid material under the pedals. This material can be purchased anywhere supplies for RV vehicles are sold. It is a material they use in motorhomes to line shelves with to keep things from sliding around during traveling. It works great!!

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>>>> -- I have to agree-- my t2 was 6 m0s old and the gas spring broke >>>they are sending me a few extras; i was curious as to how you >>>limited your pedal travel.... (and how you keep it from sliding across >>>the floor.....) antracer >The method I use to keep the pedals from sliding is by putting a piece >of non-skid material under the pedals. This material can be purchased >anywhere supplies for RV vehicles are sold. It is a material they use >in motorhomes to line shelves with to keep things from sliding around >during traveling. It works great!! >> I have a large book behind my pedals that is pushed up against the wall. >> This holds the pedals steady AND limits pedal travel. OK so every now >>and then I have to recalibrate cuz the book shifts slightly, but otherwise >>it works well. >>Dave Henrie

I've got an illustration (it's a picture) of what to do. If you have a rug, drill 4 screws and secure it with bolts. If you have a floor, call Thrustmaster and ask them to send you two strips of Dual-lock.... that's the stuff that came in strips with the T1 units (LIKE VELCRO), but much stronger.

Just get the CH flight pedals. They are solid (no wood, bolts, glue or velcro... you can take to another computer and just drop-em on the floor!), much less fatigue for both feet, and have the advantage of being independent controls on the b-joystick (i.e., they have separate y/x axis control, where the T2 pedals operate only on one joined axis.. this allows separte control of gas & brake at the same instant!)

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>>> : > -- I have to agree-- my t2 was 6 m0s old and the gas spring broke >>> : they are sending me a few extras; i was curious as to how you >>> : limited your pedal travel.... (and how you keep it from sliding across >>> : the floor.....) antracer >>> : > >>> I have a "wedge-shaped" strip of wood on the "back-porch" of my T1. I >>> am not sure what the base of the T2 looks like. It comes up enough to >>> block the pedal's bar from going all the way down. I don't do anything >>> special to keep if from moving. I usually use my left foot to hold the >>> base down. Though I it still travels abit while holding it to the >>> floor. But with the T1 "rolllers" I just slide my foot up and slide it >>> back. >>> As a suggestion, if you have a carpetted floor you can try putting heavy >>> duty velcro (the hooked) side on the bottom and this should hold it to >>> your carpet. >What I did for the pedals slipping away from me was drill 4 holes and >use screws/bolts. There's illustrations on my web page

The only problem that I have with the CH pedals is that some games (Like NFS) confuse the axis and I have to use the brake to accelerate and the gas pedal to brake.

>>> -- I have to agree-- my t2 was 6 m0s old and the gas spring broke >>they are sending me a few extras; i was curious as to how you >>limited your pedal travel.... (and how you keep it from sliding across >>the floor.....) antracer Between us, my brother and I have three T2's, and we've broken every brake and throttle spring in all of them. What I've done is modify the pedals internally to limit the travel: I pop-rivited a couple of small aluminum plates, about .120" in thickness overall, to the floor of the unit just under the pedals, between the tabs that support the pedal pivot bolts. This creates a new stop which lets the pedals go about 2/3 of the way back, compared to their original stock travel. This should help spring life, and it also makes the pedals much more realistic; the stock travel is way too long, in my opinion. I can respond much more quickly with brake or throttle adjustments while racing. I had to recalibrate my sims for the reduced travel, but they work great. Since we both like to left-foot brake while racing, holding the pedals down with the left foot doesn't work. We've both built wooden bases for the pedals. These are very simple, just a piece of plywood the width of the pedal base, but a couple of feet longer. We use 1" thick blocks of wood and bits of metal to anchor the pedals to the wooden base: blocks behind and ahead of the pedal base, with a couple of metal tabs screwed to the back of the front block, which hook over the front of the pedal base. It's easy to take the pedals out just by lifting up the back of the pedal base. The plywood is long enough to allow the driver to sit with the front legs of the chair on it, which holds it in place. Here's a sketch: (| \ <- T2 pedal unit \ ____ wood block topped by metal plate which _\ | hooks over front of pedals | - _ v _____ chair sits here __| - _ ____ | ->|__|_____________^|__|________________v___ | |__________________________________________| <-plywood | -wood block -- Alison Hine