Introduce Yourself Here

gerbasino · Jun 18, 2020

Ciao a tutti !

3thys24 · Jun 18, 2020

hey guys

badpixel · Jun 18, 2020

Hi all,

I'm not simracer, but as a child dreamed about trackall, VR, joysticks computer wheels, so bought used G29+shifter+stand for $200 year ago in mint condition and could not be more happy(especially with today prices that nearly doubled[or returned to stock). Used Thrustmaster stuff were also damn cheap, but Logitech stuff is the only that works on Linux.
I wanted also to learn my wife and kids(8yo daughter + 2yo son) proper car driving.

Now with work, family and kids I don't have time to play games at all, but still like playing with stuff(modding son's electrical bike/car, to add proper lighting indicators and police lights), and want to add light indicators and washers/lights switches to my G29 and dashboard, but I have some problems:

1) Turn light indicators - There are some ready-to-install sets, but they are pricey and not much info about them. I would prefer to have old-school(unlike in some modern cars, that works as buttons) switches, that stay switched, and wheel rotates back, they also they returns(switch off ) too.
While such used switched dismounted from cars are very cheap, I cannot find nowhere converters that would allow me to mount it to G29 axis (I need not only hub spacer, but adapters going trough original mechanism reseting switches position on wheel back-rotation, like in real car). Another concern is software (I guess that most games supports only pushbottons, not real switches)

2) Dashboard - I know it's easy to connect BMW e3x series, because they got direct, analog connection (working as voltmeters).
Not sure about old rotary odometers(I'm fan of them) if it's easy easy to break them by overflowing or something(and putting back to zero).
There's also not much code for new e4* series IBUS driven. Not sure if take them into consideration.
Generally it's easy to find cheap BMW dashboards with speedometer up to 240km/h and tachometer up to 7K. There are sometimes with speedometer at 260km/h, but usually scratched, in miles or something. And anything starting with 280KM/h or 8K RPMs isually BMW M3 and prices inflates to at least $200, it's not worth to buy for me :-/ 3rd party backplates are also not cheap.

3) Thrustmaster TM BT LED Display - I've recently bought one with flickering digit for $40 and fixed it easily. I wasn't even knowing it's Play Station 4 only, so started googling about reverse engineering it's protocol and found nothing. I know only it's disconnecting seconds after connection under windows 10. I hope it will be easier to do something with it under Linux, I'm using daily.
I'm thinking about posting images of it disassembled and my notes. Generally there are two PCB boards, one with leds, custom LED dispplays, 3 shift-registers and standard serial led driver, so it would be easy to connect it to arduino or even usb-to-serial converter and drive it directly.
The other PCB contains Cortex processor, Bluetooth chip, charging circuitry and standard 18650 Li-ION. Theres a place to solder 10pin Cortex Debug Connector and all needed surrounding circuitry is already in-place(at least on my board).
But because It's dumb Bluetooth LED driver, I hope that protocol is remote COM port and because it's supposed to work on wheel, where cables can be easily destroyed, I think it would be better to drive it wirelesly as designed (instead of connecting serial LED driver directly).
I guess it's disconnecting because it tries to connecto to some PS4 service. I know there's some documentation about PS4 BT services, but I wasn't able to find any implementation/emulation of it for linux/windows. If anybody got any clues, then please contact me.

Sorry if I went too much off-topic, but that's how chaotic I am, so it's probably best introduction of me ;-)

Bram Hengeveld · Jun 18, 2020

badpixel said:
Hi all,

I'm not simracer, but as a child dreamed about trackall, VR, joysticks computer wheels, so bought used G29+shifter+stand for $200 year ago in mint condition and could not be more happy(especially with today prices that nearly doubled[or returned to stock). Used Thrustmaster stuff were also damn cheap, but Logitech stuff is the only that works on Linux.
I wanted also to learn my wife and kids(8yo daughter + 2yo son) proper car driving.

Now with work, family and kids I don't have time to play games at all, but still like playing with stuff(modding son's electrical bike/car, to add proper lighting indicators and police lights), and want to add light indicators and washers/lights switches to my G29 and dashboard, but I have some problems:

1) Turn light indicators - There are some ready-to-install sets, but they are pricey and not much info about them. I would prefer to have old-school(unlike in some modern cars, that works as buttons) switches, that stay switched, and wheel rotates back, they also they returns(switch off ) too.
While such used switched dismounted from cars are very cheap, I cannot find nowhere converters that would allow me to mount it to G29 axis (I need not only hub spacer, but adapters going trough original mechanism reseting switches position on wheel back-rotation, like in real car). Another concern is software (I guess that most games supports only pushbottons, not real switches)

2) Dashboard - I know it's easy to connect BMW e3x series, because they got direct, analog connection (working as voltmeters).
Not sure about old rotary odometers(I'm fan of them) if it's easy easy to break them by overflowing or something(and putting back to zero).
There's also not much code for new e4* series IBUS driven. Not sure if take them into consideration.
Generally it's easy to find cheap BMW dashboards with speedometer up to 240km/h and tachometer up to 7K. There are sometimes with speedometer at 260km/h, but usually scratched, in miles or something. And anything starting with 280KM/h or 8K RPMs isually BMW M3 and prices inflates to at least $200, it's not worth to buy for me :-/ 3rd party backplates are also not cheap.

3) Thrustmaster TM BT LED Display - I've recently bought one with flickering digit for $40 and fixed it easily. I wasn't even knowing it's Play Station 4 only, so started googling about reverse engineering it's protocol and found nothing. I know only it's disconnecting seconds after connection under windows 10. I hope it will be easier to do something with it under Linux, I'm using daily.
I'm thinking about posting images of it disassembled and my notes. Generally there are two PCB boards, one with leds, custom LED dispplays, 3 shift-registers and standard serial led driver, so it would be easy to connect it to arduino or even usb-to-serial converter and drive it directly.
The other PCB contains Cortex processor, Bluetooth chip, charging circuitry and standard 18650 Li-ION. Theres a place to solder 10pin Cortex Debug Connector and all needed surrounding circuitry is already in-place(at least on my board).
But because It's dumb Bluetooth LED driver, I hope that protocol is remote COM port and because it's supposed to work on wheel, where cables can be easily destroyed, I think it would be better to drive it wirelesly as designed (instead of connecting serial LED driver directly).
I guess it's disconnecting because it tries to connecto to some PS4 service. I know there's some documentation about PS4 BT services, but I wasn't able to find any implementation/emulation of it for linux/windows. If anybody got any clues, then please contact me.

Sorry if I went too much off-topic, but that's how chaotic I am, so it's probably best introduction of me ;-)

Now that is a way to say Hi! Welcome!

lewly1 · Jun 18, 2020

ohiohunter52 · Jun 18, 2020

Hi guys
Doug from the usa we only turn left here so i hope to learn from everyone here how to drive safe turning left an right an have a lot fun with all drivers see on tracks soon

LPaixao · Jun 18, 2020

Hello. Nice to be here.

Conanhades · Jun 19, 2020

Hi folks,

Thanks for the add, nice o be here, thank you

Nuvolari Fan · Jun 19, 2020

Hi, very new to this, but excited to drive some custom tracks.

Cheers!

JLEl1es19 · Jun 19, 2020

hiiiiiii

kerell c · Jun 19, 2020

yo wassup

iAzo · Jun 19, 2020

love it thnks

MiroPVP · Jun 19, 2020

text.

specialist357 · Jun 19, 2020

hi all. looking forward to joining the DD fan base. i'm not sure what route to take yet. but i'm sure either way. it will be fun. see you all on the tracks.

Steve Ess · Jun 19, 2020

Hi, everyone. I'm just getting into racing & flying sims after years of mostly playing PC games - primarily RPGs and Action RPGs. So, I'd definitely fall into the noob category here.

In the past, I owned a 1965 Austin-Healey 3000 Mk III and a 1982 Alfa Romeo Spyder Veloce and was actually pretty decent at driving them close to their limits. Of course they were nothing like today's cars! So, lots to learn....

Back then, a broken left leg interrupted both my driving escapades and my pilot's license ground school training. As a result, I moved on with my career in aerospace export and have been a frustrated "race driver" and "pilot" ever since!

One day I sort of looked up from my RPG escapades and realized that my new PC was actually capable of running modern, high quality simulation software instead of just arcade-style racing and flying games. That sealed the deal.

I bought a HOTAS & rudder pedals for flight sims (mostly DCS World so far), a wheel & pedals for racing sims (mostly rFactor2 and Assetto Corsa so far) and IR head tracking. Nothing super fancy, just the basics.

Am really enjoying using sims to race and fly - without risk of any more broken bones!

Steve

papa125 · Jun 19, 2020

Hi everyone, I'm Jean-Marc and my English is very poor... that's why I didn't post until today

PK_661 · Jun 19, 2020

Hi all,
I live in the Wide Bay area of Queensland and am about to embark on a project to build a SFX-100 simulator motion system. So if anyone in Australia has done this, I would like to communicate with them. I am a mechanical engineer by education so may be able to offer some help to others too.