Making One's Own Wheel

I have read two posts here recently re making one's own wheel, but one indicated using a 50K Pot and the other a 100K Pot. Any suggestions/experience re which one to use? And is it really as simple as routing the correct pins from the joystick port through the pot and back? I assume one can attach the wheel directly to the pot or gear it up a little to allow greater travel in the steering wheel. All thoughts/ideas greatly appreciated and I think this group's followers may find discussion on this interesting. Thanks. -- -- Because you never get a third chance to make a second impression. Go Bears!

Quoted text (17 lines)

> I have read two posts here recently re making one's own wheel, but one > indicated using a 50K Pot and the other a 100K Pot. Any > suggestions/experience re which one to use? And is it really as simple as > routing the correct pins from the joystick port through the pot and > back? I assume one can attach the wheel directly to the pot or gear it > up a little to allow greater travel in the steering wheel. > All thoughts/ideas greatly appreciated and I think this group's followers > may find discussion on this interesting. > Thanks. > -- > -- Because you never get a third chance to make a second impression. > Go Bears!

I think any where in that range will do. I have seen puplished interfaces that used a 40K pot. I am using a 100K pot right now, one for steering, one for gas, and one for brakes. I plan on trying the 40K to see is there is a difference. I went to a local junk yard and got a gas and brake pedal from an old car and modified them to attach the pots. I made the steering wheel out of wood but I have a real one on the way. All works great. Got most of the stuff at Radio Shack but had to order the 15 pin connector from another vendor. I can post the pinout for the connector if you need it. T---

= I think any where in that range will do. I have seen puplished = interfaces that used a 40K pot. I am using a 100K pot right now, = one for steering, one for gas, and one for brakes. I plan on = trying the 40K to see is there is a difference. I went to a = local junk yard and got a gas and brake pedal from an old car and = modified them to attach the pots. I made the steering wheel out = of wood but I have a real one on the way. All works great. Got = most of the stuff at Radio Shack but had to order the 15 pin = connector from another vendor. I can post the pinout for the = connector if you need it. Yep. I use a 50K pot for steering and two 1 Meg pots for gas and brake. I only use about 1/10 of the travel on the gas and brake pots, so it works out to about 100k each. The joystick calibration takes care of a lot of your potential (nyuk, nyuk) problems. Jeff --

The value you use generally only affects the sensitivity of the steering. A low resistance pot produces a range of 0 to 60 in F1GP and a higher one around 0 to 180. Its a piece of cake to make your own controls/pedal/shifter. We built a 1:1 scale Williams F1***pit and fitted it with a wheel,pedals and paddle shift for our A-Level design project. Its a piece of cake. Jed

: I have read two posts here recently re making one's own wheel, but one : indicated using a 50K Pot and the other a 100K Pot. Any : suggestions/experience re which one to use? And is it really as simple as : routing the correct pins from the joystick port through the pot and : back? I assume one can attach the wheel directly to the pot or gear it : up a little to allow greater travel in the steering wheel. I've been tinkering with wheel/pedals that I built. I'm using a 100K pot and it's gear driven at about a 2:1 ratio (1/4 turn of the wheel gives a 1/2 turn on the pot). I'm not sure about direct wiring it. I used the PC board out of an old Suncom joystick. I'm also using 100K pots for throttle and brake. Two push buttons on the wheel handle up and down shifts. I use it with F1GP/WC, but it's a rough "development" model. Someday I'll build a better one. Incidentally, my fastest race lap at Montreal is with this unit. BTW, I've found that you don't need very much throw in the wheel. Mine is about 1/3 turn lock-to-lock and I may decrease that. I'm still working on the best way of giving it some "feel". Ditto for the pedals. I'd be interested in anyone else's "experiments" too. --Brian Ferguson | "When I'm racing, I'm alive. | LFRS '95-96 --Newmarket, ON, CAN | Everything else is just | Uranus-Nissan --

Please post along with any other wiring info you think might be useful for us. It seems to me that the next step is to convince Papyrus to write some tire slip angle information out to the ports so we can hook up a servo motor to the steering wheel and get road feel! I bet the people at Thrustmaster hate this newsgroup! Iowa Center for Emerging Manufacturing Technology Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 50011

Here is the pinout for the DB-15 dual gameport _________________ _________________ 8 \o o o o o o o o/ 1 1 \. . . . . . . ./ 8 15 \o o o o o o o/ 9 9 \. . . . . . ./ 15 Female Plug Male Plug Game card or MIDI Joystick/Wheel/etc. If you look close at the plug on the game card there should be small numbers by the holes. PIN DESCRIPTION 1 +5V DC 2 Joystick 1, Button 1 3 Joystick 1, X-Axis 4 Ground 5 Ground 6 Joystick 1, Y-Axis 7 Joystick 1, Button 2 8 +5V DC (*) 9 +5V DC 10 Joystick 2, Button 1 11 Joystick 2, X-Axis 12 Ground (*) 13 Joystick 2, Y-Axis 14 Joystick 2, Button 2 15 +5V DC (*) (*)Note pins 8,12,&15 Have different designations on a MIDI port so I would try to avoid using them. The center lead of the potentiometer gets connected to the pin indicated and an axis(i.e. pin 3,7,11, or 13). The other end of the pot gets connected to one of the pins at +5V. Buttons are inserted between a Button pin and one of the grounds(Ex. a button could be placed between pins 2 and 4) That should be a start! T---

I would be very interested in the plans to making one's own wheel. I have a couple of broken joysticks that I can ***ize for wiring so all I need to know is how to build the thing! Thanks a million! -- Proud owner of the best modem in the world: USRobotics 33.6k v.everything modem. -- *****The WINGMAN*****

: : I have read two posts here recently re making one's own wheel, but one : : indicated using a 50K Pot and the other a 100K Pot. Any : : suggestions/experience re which one to use? And is it really as simple as : : routing the correct pins from the joystick port through the pot and : : back? I assume one can attach the wheel directly to the pot or gear it : : up a little to allow greater travel in the steering wheel. : I've been tinkering with wheel/pedals that I built. I'm using a 100K : pot and it's gear driven at about a 2:1 ratio (1/4 turn of the wheel : gives a 1/2 turn on the pot). I'm not sure about direct wiring it. : I used the PC board out of an old Suncom joystick. I'm also using 100K : pots for throttle and brake. Two push buttons on the wheel handle : up and down shifts. I use it with F1GP/WC, but it's a rough : "development" model. Someday I'll build a better one. Incidentally, : my fastest race lap at Montreal is with this unit. : BTW, I've found that you don't need very much throw in the wheel. : Mine is about 1/3 turn lock-to-lock and I may decrease that. I'm still : working on the best way of giving it some "feel". Ditto for the pedals. : I'd be interested in anyone else's "experiments" too. : --Brian Ferguson | "When I'm racing, I'm alive. | LFRS '95-96 : --Newmarket, ON, CAN | Everything else is just | Uranus-Nissan You wheelers, one question. Are you using steering help in the game ? -- /*=------------------------------------------------------------------------=* 'All those moments, lost in time, like tears in rain.' Roy Batty, Bladerunner

: You wheelers, one question. Are you using steering help in the game ? I am. I haven't tried without it. I should also add that for serious racing I still use my joystick. The wheel/pedals are fun but I don't think they're the fastest way to go. Most of the "record holders" in fact use the keyboard in F1GP. --Brian Ferguson | "When I'm racing, I'm alive. | LFRS '95-96 --Newmarket, ON, CAN | Everything else is just | Uranus-Nissan --

: : You wheelers, one question. Are you using steering help in the game ? : I am. I haven't tried without it. I should also add that for serious : racing I still use my joystick. The wheel/pedals are fun but I don't : think they're the fastest way to go. In fact, using a keyboard forces you to use steering help. Because with a digital switch (such as a key on the keyboard) it is impossible for the game to know how much you want to turn right when you press the button for a right turn. The steering help does all the steering. You just tell it when to turn right, and the steering help adjusts the level of right steering. Now if you are using a analogue joystick or home built steering wheel, what's the point on using steering help? Then u could just as well have used a digital joystick or switches on the steering wheel instead of pots. : Most of the "record holders" in : fact use the keyboard in F1GP. Of course they do, since it's much easier to control the game with steering help and the best control to use with steering help are simple switches (key the keyboard). It's much harder (and much more realistic) to drive with an analogue steering control. (And hopefully much more fun as well ;) : --Brian Ferguson | "When I'm racing, I'm alive. | LFRS '95-96 : --Newmarket, ON, CAN | Everything else is just | Uranus-Nissan : -- /Linus Girdland

>: : You wheelers, one question. Are you using steering help in the game ? Can someone explain me what 'steering help' is and how can I get it? Thank you. Sebastian

: Can someone explain me what 'steering help' is and how can I get it? : Thank you. : Sebastian It's a default option in F1GP. It "pulls" the car in the direction of the turns. You can turn it off if you're a fan of "twitchy" cars. --Brian Ferguson | "When I'm racing, I'm alive. | LFRS '95-96 --Newmarket, ON, CAN | Everything else is just | Uranus-Nissan --