Which Fanatec DD are you buying and why?

[White Hawk]

I couldn’t see this type of post anywhere and as I’m undecided on a DD1 or the PS4 version for extra compatibility right now thought I’d put this up, forgive me if it’s already been done.

 

[Petey Spangles]

Is it fairly common, a DD injury?

I don't know how common it is, but I was almost suffocated by a couple of heavy duty DD's once.
The emergency stop was poorly placed...

 

[RCHeliguy]

I assume that’s a key rather than software like on the Accuforce so you can use it on consoles? I wonder why they didn’t just have as a switch on unit itself or in the settings. Seems a bit odd to have an extra thing to plug in that you could potentially lose!

It is specifically for people to use existing wheels that are not rated for the full power of a direct drive wheel. By plugging it in you are acknowledging that you are using a wheel that is rated for full power AND they have some disclaimers saying that by inserting that key you are aware of the potential danger of injury etc..

 

[RCHeliguy]

I don't know how common it is, but I was almost suffocated by a couple of heavy duty DD's once.
The emergency stop was poorly placed...

You needed an easier to remember "safe word"

 

[Deleted member 197115]

Poor Shaun, jump to 59:00

 

[White Hawk]

I assume that’s a key rather than software like on the Accuforce so you can use it on consoles? I wonder why they didn’t just have as a switch on unit itself or in the settings. Seems a bit odd to have an extra thing to plug in that you could potentially lose!

Nothing to do with consoles, it’s a dongle that plugs in the back with a RJ12 connector on it to unlock the full torque of the base, it’s a safety feature, I think it’s a good idea as if a kid starts it up when you are not around it’s not going to potentially injure them as easily.

 

[grancab]

Poor Shaun, jump to 59:00

Shaun's fault... car was still hitting the barriers and he was looking for the keyboard not paying attention on the steering wheel. DD wheels are not toys and (note that I'm not a Fanatec fanboy) Fanatec do it in the right way by using the "torque" key to limit the force of their product.

 

[Deleted member 197115]

Beats me why they did not include killer switch with DD1, 20Nm peak torque can do some serious damage.
In Granity I could also set limit on acceleration rate to kill the power when it exceeded, wonder if they have feature like that in software/firmware.

 

[RaceNut]

I think I've decided that getting a direct drive wheel isn't worth the risk of injury. I know plenty of you are using these motors without any issues, but this is just a toy for amusement and while I like to go down a rabbit hole pretty far, one of the things I like about sim racing is that the possibility of injury is nil. I don't want myself or anyone else on my rig getting injured. Call me a wuss or whatever, but I think I'm cutting the cord on this idea.

I don't feel the risk is that great provided you do some due diligence in educating oneself about how to avoid the common hazards. Also most people are not likely to run these wheels (even DD1) at full power - at least, once they get passed the initial exploratory / discovery phase. I run my SimuCube at 40-50% strength in most cases and feel that any risk is easily worth the increased dynamics provided. Even if you run them at 20-30%, the quality of FFB will surely surpass any results using a main-stream wheel.

After some time, we tend to settle into our own comfort zone in regard to force levels, striking a balance between having informative FFB that provides the intensity we enjoy, without causing physical issues or excess risk. There's really not much risk involved although, manufactures are certainly wise to mitigate the risk on their side.

Perhaps you can find someone that has one near you and ask them for a test-drive. That should give you a better idea of the risk-vs reward aspect.

 

[RaceNut]

Shaun's fault... car was still hitting the barriers and he was looking for the keyboard not paying attention on the steering wheel. DD wheels are not toys and (note that I'm not a Fanatec fanboy) Fanatec do it in the right way by using the "torque" key to limit the force of their product.

Also, RaceRoom is known for having very strong contact forces but, a proper preset for the wheel should have that setting adjusted accordingly. If there is no preset for the Podium series yet (or other DD), I'd start with the AccuForce preset and build on that. Then, increase the contact effects from zero - gradually, until reaching a comfortable setting.

When in doubt with any title, it's worth asking other DD-wheel users for recommended settings to start with.

 

[RCHeliguy]

I just installed my Heusinkveld Sprint pedals, hand brake and sequential shifter and they are all excellent. Consider me a very happy customer. I'm very happy with my new P1 Cockpit and NLRv3 motion system. Overall everything is working really well. I play exclusively in VR and I'm enjoying the whole experience.

This is where things start to break down. I love Dirt Rally which is not known for it's incredible FFB. I'm just dabbling in PC2 right now, but I have a lot of trouble getting very excited about being on a track. This may change, but for the time being It seems boring as hell to me. The races feel too long. I don't want to stay seated until they are over. I average 0-3 hours a week on my rig and another 3-4 hours in VR not on my rig.

So I'm thinking that while everything else feels great and I'm enjoying my experience, I'm not sure a direct drive wheel is worth the trouble and potential injury. At this time it seems a poor match for my interests. If I get into track racing than my tune may change.

 

[Deleted member 197115]

Try FM7 or even FH4, seriously. The FFB is pretty good, especially on FM7 with EmuWheel.
Another not very serious title to try is Wreckfest, lost of fun with better than average FFB and physics.
Sad to see such a nice hardware not getting proper use.

 

[EsxPaul]

I'm just watching the SimPit live stream at the moment.

Shaun was saying that he needed to add an earth strap from the wheelbase to the PC, to help eliminate interference that was causing a buzzing sound.

 

[White Hawk]

I'm just watching the SimPit live stream at the moment.

Shaun was saying that he needed to add an earth strap from the wheelbase to the PC, to help eliminate interference that was causing a buzzing sound.

Has that been confirmed yet as I saw that he did that but he didn’t know at the time if it was actually the wheel base.

Plus the buzzing was changing with what was displaying on his screen which would suggest GPU into sound system like I had years ago.

 

[EsxPaul]

Has that been confirmed yet as I saw that he did that but he didn’t know at the time if it was actually the wheel base.

Plus the buzzing was changing with what was displaying on his screen which would suggest GPU into sound system like I had years ago.

I watched that earlier stream with the buzzing too. It definitely sounded like the GPU was rendering a really high frame rate while in the menus and nothing to do with the wheelbase.

I'll probably give today's stream a rewatch and listen again to Shaun's explanation as I don't want to get things out of context.

 

[EsxPaul]

Just rewatched that part of the stream for a bit more context.

The question to Shaun was: Did you fix the static on your mic?

 

[TheOneAndOnlyNikolaus]

perhaps we should change the poll to add:

• waiting for DD3 with build-in AirBag for safety reasons

 

[Mr Latte]

Looking forward to next video to see the software and how different developers have used the features that it offers and the wheel can support. I would expect "Braking" and "Peak RPM" would be possible scenarios but think some developers may have considered other things.

F1 could have an effect felt in the wheel, when KERS is implemented or when under the safety car.

BTW is it just me or does the PS4 wheel look better in peoples videos than it did from original images.
I am starting to become torn on aiming for PS4 version or DD2, not that I have played it but GT Sport just seems to keep improving. I really will be curious to see in reviews how enjoyable GT Sport may be with this wheel or if it really needs PC sims to feel at its best. Anyone else in this situation and undecided what version to consider getting?

I also expect the "key" is used for health safety reasons for E-Sport events (F1 - GT Sport) so that minors are restricted to the wheels reduced power. Much easier to have this "Key" option than some person needing to configure every console/pc in settings for such events. However also great for individual users who have kids use/visit as mentioned by some.

Lets not forget, one of the supposed major benefits of the Podium Series is to be the "Plug & Play" aspect. So for this to be a success, titles need to have very good settings for wheels already calibrated in-house and ready to go. Shifters, handbrakes, pedals all easily configured to users needs/preferences. How well this comes across will be interesting to see but Fanatec kinda needs simple options like a "D-Box" that gives the user control but are very simple to apply.

 

[RCHeliguy]

With regard to brakes and controls, I was very surprised at how easy it was to get all my Heusinkveld controls working. There is a simple tool that allows you to calibrate the pedal movements and even save different curves for different cars or conditions that you can't do with Fanatec pedals, but you just calibrate the pedals in this tool just like you do in the Fanatec properties config.

You download the application from the Heusinkveld website just like you download the driver from the Fanatec website. If anything it's easier since there is only one version to download.

In the games I've set up it was simple mapping of the controls no different than for the Fanatec pedals. Click to map and press the throttle. The same for the brake, clutch, handbrake and for the sequential shifter. Click press, click press, no difference at all.

Fanatec has the key selling point of having 1 USB cable for all its devices and all the PC specific configuration through a single properties click off the device driver, but I was very surprised at how simple this whole process was for installing all my new controls.

FWIW my CS 3.0 pedals have given me no problems and work as well as the day I got them and installed the Advance brake performance kit and stronger springs.

 

[RaceNut]

perhaps we should change the poll to add:

• waiting for DD3 with build-in AirBag for safety reasons

. . . and for even more realism, now with defective air-bags, just like real cars!

 

[evo1982]

Had my DD2 since Tuesday, excellent piece of kit imho, ive upgraded from CS V2.5