Magnetic paddle mod F1 wheel; any experience?

[Navigator]

Hi guys,

Having a T300 wheel with a F1 add-on, I would like to upgrade the paddles.
Why? First off; the "click" is extremely loud and everyone in the house got used to the racing noise, but the clicking seems to be the real bugger.
Also; sometimes the right side doesn't click anymore. It does work, but the end seems to be near.

So, I remembered I once read about a "magnetic paddle mod" and looked for it. Found it too

First of; I don't see what's "magnetic" about it as you just get another micro-switch. It seems to me, they make it look like it's some sort of half conductor with "no moving parts" lets say; indestructible. But the switch is not.......
Okay, no problem, but now my "worries".

1)
Is anyone familiar with the site and/or company? Are they trustworthy?
I don't like ordering online and especially not that far away (yes, I'm getting old)

2)
If anyone has this mod; how do they "feel"? I mean; the pivot point in this wheel is in the center of the wheel and it seems to me, this one is WAY closer to the fingers; doesn't that feel really odd?

3)
Last one, again for people who use them I think: how do they "sit" in comparison to your fingers?
You can choose two options: long vertical or wide horizontal.
The shift paddle now, is -for my taste- a bit high but is doable.
So I thought I'dd take the vertical ones, but they also seem to fall back a bit and I would have to reach further.
They don't have a comparison on how they sit according to the original paddle.

That about it; if anyone has some experience, I would love to hear from you, thanks in advance!

 

[Navigator]

Sorry for kicking the topic up, but it had to be approved and by the time that was done, this one was at the bottom of the site already

 

[Insert Coin]

I'm using this mod on my F1 add-on wheel and I'm very happy with it. The feeling is much better and it is less noisy. I have bought several items at 3Drapit, no issues at all and swift deliveries. Highly recommended . I'm using type A paddles (carbon) which feel fine to me.

 

[Navigator]

Thank you mate, very nice of you!

 

[Insert Coin]

If you buy the mod: watch the instruction video twice before installation. The video isn't the best unfortunately: screws appear installed suddenly and there is nothing shown about adjusting the bolts which press the micro switches. I had to pause the video often while installing it or I'd miss to see what they did.

 

[Navigator]

Ah, thanks!
I watched that video already and you are so right; all happens pretty fast sometimes and it's not very clear.
Noticing that without even having the mod......says it all

But I just yesterday ordered it, type a (long vertical) with heavy duty and normal black.
There is no other carbon on my wheel anyway.

 

[Deleted member 1066209]

1)
Is anyone familiar with the site and/or company? Are they trustworthy?
I don't like ordering online and especially not that far away (yes, I'm getting old)

Yes, they're a reputable company provides great products at fair prices. I've ordered from them multiple times with great satisfaction. In fact, one of my orders was lost in transit (thanks UPS!) and they sent me a replacement soon after I contacted them.

2)
If anyone has this mod; how do they "feel"? I mean; the pivot point in this wheel is in the center of the wheel and it seems to me, this one is WAY closer to the fingers; doesn't that feel really odd?

They feel really good. I bought my F1 add-on on the secondhand market with the magnetic paddles installed by the previous owner, so I cannot compare them to Thrustmaster's original offering, but I have been pleased with their performance. The mechanism doesn't feel odd at all and I think Thrustmaster should have included the magnetic paddles from the factory.

3)
Last one, again for people who use them I think: how do they "sit" in comparison to your fingers?
You can choose two options: long vertical or wide horizontal.
The shift paddle now, is -for my taste- a bit high but is doable.
So I thought I'dd take the vertical ones, but they also seem to fall back a bit and I would have to reach further.
They don't have a comparison on how they sit according to the original paddle.

I have the long, vertical ones and they fit me well. The paddles are the perfect distance away; they're far enough to avoid accidental shifts, yet close enough for easy actuation.


I would like to add that these shifters do produce some noise when being used. When I've clicked off shifts rapidly, there is a fairly noisy click. If you take your time to shift gently, the noise is much quieter. Of course, in the heat of battle, you're not likely to remember to shift gently, so I have a suggestion that may be useful: place some soft tape between the magnet and the paddle to help soften the contacts and muffle the noise. I've had success with foam tape and duct tape. Another benefit of using tape is that the paddle shifters actually require less force to shift, which also helps in quicker shifting.

By the way, I've had a microswitch fail on me, so I suggest you buy some additional microswitches to keep handy in the event of their failure. They're inexpensive in cost, but will require complete disassembly of the wheel to replace.

One last thing: while I was disassembling the wheel for microswitch replacement, I noticed that the 3D-printed part - where the microswitch is screwed onto - had started to split apart, because (I presume) the previous owner had over-torqued the screw during installation. I'd like to suggest that you use as little force as possible in order to avoid the same situation. Luckily I was able to repair it with some superglue, but it's best to not need it at all.

Best of luck, and I hope you enjoy. That wheel has been extremely important during my simracing career.

 

[ao1977]

First of; I don't see what's "magnetic" about it as you just get another micro-switch. It seems to me, they make it look like it's some sort of half conductor with "no moving parts" lets say; indestructible. But the switch is not.......
Okay, no problem, but now my "worries".

Every magnetic shifter works like this. In earlier days, I thought the magnets themselves would act as a NC switch, but that assumption turned out wrong.

However, magnetic shifters mean, that instead of a spring as a resistance neodym magnets are used. They give a way more "snappy" feel in shifts compared to the rather soft travel of a spring.

Oh, and don't worry about the micro switches; as they are discrete parts they can easily be changed in case of a failure.

 

[Navigator]

Thanks for your input guys!
Learned a lot and have some very good advise; this can't go wrong now!

Can't wait till it's here! I'll report back.

 

[paokkerkir]

Thanks for your input guys!
Learned a lot and have some very good advise; this can't go wrong now!

Can't wait till it's here! I'll report back.

Keep in mind that since in the opening post you said this..

Why? First off; the "click" is extremely loud and everyone in the house got used to the racing noise, but the clicking seems to be the real bugger.

With the magnetic mod the click is double the volume. I love it, but it is louder.

 

[Navigator]

Thank you!
Before I got the feedback here that its louder, I was under the impression it was quiter......
So, I will have to do the tape trick as described.

 

[Insert Coin]

You can argue about the mod being quieter. The original paddles made bright and loud 'tick' sounds. The mod makes lower 'pock' sounds which I find much less annoying.

 

[Navigator]

Got it!
It's in there, but man.......
Nope, I wouldn't advise it.

The click btw, is indeed very different; on my wheel, the thing I hear the most is the endstop, when the edge of the "mechanism" is hitting the back of the wheelhouse.

But that was not the main problem.
1) The little plates to screw to the switch, had holes in them that were to small, making the screws to go in there, tighten themselves in the plate itself.
So, I had to turn it some more and one broke. It's still okay for now, but it's not real tight anymore.

2) The levers of the switches, hit an edge of the housing it has to go into; I had to mount them "the other way around" as shown in the video.

3) The endstop to touch the backplate of the wheel, had a nasty nudge on it, making the travel less than a mm on one side; grinder that away.

4) The mechanism itself, with the pivot and magnets, is almost 2 mm to thick and thus; that part of the wheel sicks out. I didn't want to close the wheel like that and I realise it has to be "clamped in" in order not to move, but I grinned some away so the total "stick out" was way less.

5) When closing the wheel back up, it didn't want to!
Problem is; the underside if the switches hit the circuitboard in the wheel!!
Closed it anyway, but I'm not happy with that.

The adjustment screws are not really for adjusting your shift; you have to set them just right with that little play of the paddle or it just doesn't click, or release.

It does work though!
It does feel nice too.
You may think I'm just an idiot that can't do stuff like this.
You may be right, some people did call me "idiot"
But; I'm an engineer for almost 40 years now; I do know how to screw some plastic **** in there

 

[Insert Coin]

Funny, I didn't have any of these problems with my kit. Maybe I was lucky .

 

[Navigator]

Did you pay enough attention?

 

[Deleted member 1066209]

But that was not the main problem.
1) The little plates to screw to the switch, had holes in them that were to small, making the screws to go in there, tighten themselves in the plate itself.
So, I had to turn it some more and one broke. It's still okay for now, but it's not real tight anymore.

That is unfortunate. Maybe you can contact them for a replacement?

 

[Navigator]

Thank you for the idea.
I did already but they have not responded yet.
I'll wait for a little while.

Wanted to write a review on their site too; people should know the "lesser things" too I think. For now; ALL the review are "perfect!"
Also, the reviews mention "faster shifting".........like they say on their site too, but lets be honest; if there is ONE thing that is nonsense, it's that.
But I'll wait how they respond to place a review.

 

[Navigator]

Well, they have not responded and so I'm stuck with a broken piece. It's n there for now, but for how long?
Funny thing is; when I had a question about the payment, they responded very quick!

So I left a review; it's "awaiting approval"..........wondering how this is going to turn out

 

[Navigator]

Okay, I do not recommend this mod for sure now.
They said they have send me the parts that broke; it's not in (yet).
But that's not the main problem!

I wrote a review, just a one star and I wrote why, the same as I wrote here.
Keep in mind they have 22 reviews and they are all 5 stars except from two of them: a one and a four star.
Now my review was "awaiting approval".........it's still not there.

And that; I deeply hold against them.
That is some nasty work, when lesser reviews just don't get in there.
Just; don't do that.........

 

[Paul McCluskey]

Where did you buy those?, I have just ordered mine from a company on etsy, coming from canada, ordered now lol