Podium DD's VS Simucube 2's

[Darren Byrne]

Hi guys, the past while I was trying to find good comparisons between these two models of dd's. Has anyone tested both ? I understand that the software for these aren't complete yet but is there any clear winner here ? thanks.

 

[avenger82]

I wrote this comment on this video comment section:
" Good comprehensive info. FFB is subjective to some point, but pretty much everyone prefers SImucube 2. So I’m glad I chose SC2 Pro. BTW: Fanatec DD also use servo motors: https://fanatec.com/eu-en/racing-wheels-wheel-bases/wheel-bases/podium-wheel-base-dd2 "

but apparently he shadow banned me, because I only see it from my account.
I guess he doesn't like when someone points out he was wrong about something, which was surprising, because he seems like a nice guy and even said in this video he doesn't know much about electric motors..., along with many other disclaimers. I don't know much either about servo motors, but it seems to me like basic and important thing to put straight, before such misinformation spreads out.

With the amount of videos he puts out it's bout to happen (to say something incorrect), so I think instead of deleting such comments, it anything, authors should admit if they were indeed wrong about something.

 

[TedBrosby-]

I wrote this comment on this video comment section:
" Good comprehensive info. FFB is subjective to some point, but pretty much everyone prefers SImucube 2. So I’m glad I chose SC2 Pro. BTW: Fanatec DD also use servo motors: https://fanatec.com/eu-en/racing-wheels-wheel-bases/wheel-bases/podium-wheel-base-dd2 "

but apparently he shadow banned me, because I only see it from my account.
I guess he doesn't like when someone points out he was wrong about something, which was surprising, because he seems like a nice guy and even said in this video he doesn't know much about electric motors..., along with many other disclaimers. I don't know much either about servo motors, but it seems to me like basic and important thing to put straight, before such misinformation spreads out.

With the amount of videos he puts out it's bout to happen (to say something incorrect), so I think instead of deleting such comments, it anything, authors should admit if they were indeed wrong about something.

Will Ford isn’t a very good person. He likes to pat himself on the back a lot but I honesty don’t think he should be a YouTuber. He tried to jump on the bandwagon for 100% force feedback back when Jimmy Broadbent did it but he only set 100% in TrueDrive and didn’t show his in game settings at all, in his video he was making these over the top grimace reactions but his arms were barely struggling. I told him in a comment he might’ve set TrueDrive to 100% but not raised his FFB in game so not actually 32 Nm of torque and he snapped at me “I know how these settings work already, I’ve owned a Simucube for one year, do you own one?” Or something along those lines.

He has misinformation in almost all of his videos and when people bring it up he says “I know that already”. Like dude if you knew, why would you have it in your video?

 

[avenger82]

Will Ford isn’t a very good person. He likes to pat himself on the back a lot but I honesty don’t think he should be a YouTuber. He tried to jump on the bandwagon for 100% force feedback back when Jimmy Broadbent did it but he only set 100% in TrueDrive and didn’t show his in game settings at all, in his video he was making these over the top grimace reactions but his arms were barely struggling. I told him in a comment he might’ve set TrueDrive to 100% but not raised his FFB in game so not actually 32 Nm of torque and he snapped at me “I know how these settings work already, I’ve owned a Simucube for one year, do you own one?” Or something along those lines.

He has misinformation in almost all of his videos and when people bring it up he says “I know that already”. Like dude if you knew, why would you have it in your video?

For me it’s ok when a YouTuber has some misinformation, that’s understandable, but deleting / shadow banning comments that correct them is quite disappointing.

 

[RCHeliguy]

I actually watched this video just to see how he handled the differences between them. I think he did a reasonable job. I do think that it's not a complete blow out and there are reasons to pick either.

I am curious how many people who have a DD1 or DD2 wheelbases still use the rest of the Fanatec ecosystem. Since Fanatec has yet to flush out their podium level components, it seems that many of the DD users of all brands have at least upgraded their pedals which make much more of a difference on the track.

 

[Deleted member 197115]

I don't think he actually said Podium is not servo, it was more like "Podium outrunner motor is not as smooth as servo motors Simucube is using". At least that was in closing part, I haven't watched the whole video. But outrunner design can be just as smooth as inrunner, it's not a stepper motor, both are servos, not sure why he was picking on that.
But yeah, he is at the very bottom of the list of youtubers I'll be watching, too cocky and not all that knowledgeable.

 

[RCHeliguy]

I don't think he actually said Podium is not servo, it was more like "Podium outrunner motor is not as smooth as servo motors Simucube is using". At least that was in closing part, I haven't watched the whole video. But outrunner design can be as smooth as inrunner, it's not a stepper motor, both are servos, not sure why he is picking on that.
But yeah, he is at the very bottom of the list of youtubers I'll be watching, too cocky and not all that knowledgeable.

I made a comment a while ago about how he jumped onto the scene as a wannabe youtuber with lots of clickbait titles that implied his wife was going to kill him when she saw what he had purchased. I think the main issue is that he comes across as fake and seems like he has followed a play book as he got into this. I still think Gamermuscles, Jimmy Broadbent and Barry from SRG seem much more real in terms of their passion for this hobby.

 

[jamescarruthers]

To quote from Wikipedia:


In control engineering a servomechanism, sometimes shortened to servo, is an automatic device that uses error-sensing negative feedback to correct the action of a mechanism.

A servo isn’t a motor.

 

[Deleted member 197115]

To quote from Wikipedia:


In control engineering a servomechanism, sometimes shortened to servo, is an automatic device that uses error-sensing negative feedback to correct the action of a mechanism.

A servo isn’t a motor.

In this context it's servo motor as opposite of stepper.
The term is used interchangeably, servo can mean servo controller or servo motor.

 

[TedBrosby-]

Why is that?

I don't think he actually said Podium is not servo, it was more like "Podium outrunner motor is not as smooth as servo motors Simucube is using". At least that was in closing part, I haven't watched the whole video. But outrunner design can be just as smooth as inrunner, it's not a stepper motor, both are servos, not sure why he was picking on that.
But yeah, he is at the very bottom of the list of youtubers I'll be watching, too cocky and not all that knowledgeable.

I made a comment a while ago about how he jumped onto the scene as a wannabe youtuber with lots of clickbait titles that implied his wife was going to kill him when she saw what he had purchased. I think the main issue is that he comes across as fake and seems like he has followed a play book as he got into this. I still think Gamermuscles, Jimmy Broadbent and Barry from SRG seem much more real in terms of their passion for this hobby.

You guys should also check out Sim Racing Paddock and Sim Racing Corner.
I don’t dislike Will Ford as a person, but I wish he would stop painting himself as a technical expert on the level of Barry. He has almost 75k subscribers and already passed SRG (currently 71-72k).
If Boosted Media keeps growing, he could end up eclipsing SRG which would mean Barry might not receive as much equipment for review and hardware companies might prefer Will...
And Barry isn’t just better about hardware, he’s also a much better driver. I think it’s disingenuous for a sim racer who can’t heel-toe to be reviewing pedals and yet in his HE Ultimate vs ClubSport pedals review he didn’t touch the clutch once. You compare this to Barry who was mashing that clutch and heel toe in the Lotus 79 on Sebring and you know which is a more legitimate pedal review.
It’s just a bit sad for me that Boosted Media is the biggest YT channel for sim racers and literally every other channel with more than 20k subscribers has more knowledgeable and better drivers behind their channel.
I’m debating calling out Granite for not sending Barry an SC2 Ultimate to review. They gave Will Ford one for free but only sent Barry an SC2 Pro.

 

[jamescarruthers]

In this context it's servo motor as opposite of stepper.
The term is used interchangeably, servo can mean servo controller or servo motor.

It still doesn't mean anything?

The motors in a Simucube and Fanatec are different from each other but essentially the same (one is an outrunner and one is an inrunner (I believe)).

A stepper is a stepper motor — and works differently (but almost the same).

A "typical" servo motor most people are familiar with is one for radio-controlled stuff — which is a normal continuous brushed motor.

All force feedback wheels are servo.

I don't know of a force feedback wheel that is a stepper? (apart from a DIY one that I've seen) — but technically it would still be servo-controlled of some sort as it would need positional information in a feedback loop.

I guess the real thing is — why was a stepper motor even referenced in the first place? (the YouTuber's lack of knowledge I presume)

 

[RCHeliguy]

Since we've branched out a bit, here are my YouTuber thoughts.

Equipment:
Barry has actual track experience. While he comes off as having financial resources, he also comes off as semi or completely retired. He is so technical about everything including his tear downs of equipment that you are just grateful he has the resources to get a lot of the stuff he gets since it isn't all given to him.

Sim Racing / Real Racing:
What's interesting with Jimmy Broadbent is that he has been spending a bit more time off his sim actually driving like the Nordschleife in the BMW and racing with Karts. He is a good ambassador for sim racing in general and the fact he is bridging the gap between sim and reality actually helps sell the dream of many sim racers that they have learned the skills that could actually serve them in real racing.

Coaching:
I do like Driver 61 because of the cross over. Of course his channel is all about actual racing and coaching and not so much about equipment.

Sim Racing and just having a good time.
I don't watch Gamermuscles as much but he seems passionate, has a fun presentation style and is very likable. You want him to do well and maybe get a girl friend since he is frequently joking about sim racing and what women think of it.

I can't get on with Sim Racing Paddock. It's obvious that he has real passion for sim racing, but his presentation style and speech patterns just don't make me want to watch him. Sim Racing Corner never grabbed me either. Too much content on sims I don't use and lower end equipment I don't care about, but I could see how it might be perfect for some people. The guy at the SimPit is passionate about sim racing, but many of his videos feel like commercials to me. It feels like he is trying too hard, or maybe he is just intense.

Anyway, just my 2 cents.

 

[Neilski]

I don't know of a force feedback wheel that is a stepper? (apart from a DIY one that I've seen) — but technically it would still be servo-controlled of some sort as it would need positional information in a feedback loop.

I guess the real thing is — why was a stepper motor even referenced in the first place? (the YouTuber's lack of knowledge I presume)

I'm not sure which video referenced a stepper motor. However, the Accuforce wheel uses a stepper - see my post here (different thread) for why I concluded that. I'd entirely agree that it's still a "servo system", given the closed-loop feedback.

 

[Deleted member 197115]

I'm not sure which video referenced a stepper motor. However, the Accuforce wheel uses a stepper - see my post here (different thread) for why I concluded that. I'd entirely agree that it's still a "servo system", given the closed-loop feedback.

Simagic too.

 

[Deleted member 197115]

can't get on with Sim Racing Paddock. It's obvious that he has real passion for sim racing, but his presentation style and speech patterns just don't make me want to watch him.

Similar dislike for the guy here.
Out of curiosity checked Boosted Media channel, this guy is media spam machine, making 5 videos a week, starting from mental health and ending with RTX 3000 series announcement.
Barry for comparison does 1 or 2 per month, and that obviously shows in depth and quality of the material.

 

[Chrhun]

Similar dislike for the guy here.
Out of curiosity checked Boosted Media channel, this guy is media spam machine, making 5 videos a week, starting from mental health and ending with RTX 3000 series announcement.
Barry for comparison does 1 or 2 per month, and that obviously shows in depth and quality of the material.

I don't like his videos much either. He clearly makes his living from his videos, before simracing his videos were about computers and just gaming. I don't think he is really that much into simracing, he's just found a niche where he can make money by being active. Seems to be working well for him judging from the follower numbers.

 

[miker]

Wheel base randomly will not power on.
Submit RMA claim and get ghosted by support for weeks.
When they finally get a response, they're told to ship the wheel base at their own cost to Fanatec for a repair that could take weeks.

Just in the interest of fairness, I had this exact same issue about 6 weeks ago with my 1 year old DD1. I contacted fanatec with a video and they sent me a replacement power source that arrived within three days of me reporting the issue.

Not to say others have not had problems but my experience of their customer services was spot on

 

[TedBrosby-]

I’ve been assimilated.

 

[avenger82]

Anyone knows what is the actual maximum power consumption of SC 2 Pro?
I believe it’s less than 2x 280W.
Is it a good idea to connect the power supplies along with PC, monitor etc. to a cheap ($20 ) surge protection strip with grounded sockets?
Perhaps make sense to buy expensive surge protection (Type 3) strip with or something like automatic voltage regulator or UPS?
AFAIK my building has zero surge protection against lightning strike (except lightning rod/conductor) so even these more expensive options (strip, UPS) won’t help much in such case.

 

[d69morpwr]

Anyone knows what is the actual maximum power consumption of SC 2 Pro?
I believe it’s less than 2x 280W.
Is it a good idea to connect the power supplies along with PC, monitor etc. to a cheap ($20 ) surge protection strip with grounded sockets?
Perhaps make sense to buy expensive surge protection (Type 3) strip with or something like automatic voltage regulator or UPS?
AFAIK my building has zero surge protection against lightning strike (except lightning rod/conductor) so even these more expensive options (strip, UPS) won’t help much in such case.

It definitely wont hurt and for what we spend on this stuff is cheap insurance even buying a good surge protector.

 

[avenger82]

It definitely wont hurt and for what we spend on this stuff is cheap insurance even buying a good surge protector.

Unfortunately AFAIK good surge protection not an option for me, because it would require modernization of electrical installation/infrastructure in my building(Including installation of type 1 and 2 surge arresters/protectors SPD). It's not gonna happen anytime soon. Without it, best surge protection strip or even online UPS won't protect against near lightning strike.
However, I've read they can protect against other small surges. Of course UPS would be good for PC for other reasons(e.g. power outages) but it's quite expensive option.
I've read automatic voltage regulators (AVR) can protect against electrical installation failures(besides voltage stabilization). They are relatively cheap and don't require electrical installation modernization.

Edit : I know very little about SPDs etc., so perhaps replacement of electrical switchboard would be enough to be able to install (and reliability use ) Type 1+2 SPD. But from what I read , that without type 1+2+3 SPDs before sure protection strip it has no chase to protect against near lightning strike.