SIMUCUBE Direct Drive Wheel With Electronics Integrated Into The Motor

[Deleted member 197115]

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/thre...electronics-integrated-into-the-motor.386410/
April 3rd official announcement
https://www.simucu.be/

 

[EsxPaul]

Perfect! Thanks for that!

What are you doing for steering wheels right now?

I'm using the Fanatec McLaren with SRM adapter.

As you might know, the original SC2 qr system had some oversights in its design which means you can only mount 70mm pattern wheels from the front side.

That doesn't work out too well as the SRM only allows 3 bolts to pass alongside it from the front side whereas if you could mount it from the back, you could get all 6 bolts in there.

Both parts are threaded so it's a pain in the backside trying to get the threads synchronised. Ideally, you would drill out the adapter plate threads and mount into the SRM adapter threading from the backside.

To be fair to GD, they have redesigned the qr and are will send them out to the original buyers as well as including them in future kits (once they have them in hand). I'm still not totally happy with the redesigned part but will give it a try.
An alternative option is the SC2 qr adapter from Martin Ascher, which seems to cover all the bases and is quite inexpensive.

 

[anton_Chez]

I wouldn't be using Raceroom to test FFB settings and especially a new wheelbase such as the SC2. That title is notorious for being very difficult to tune for direct drive wheels. A much more intuitive and reliable test would be with rF2 and iRacing. I like Raceroom but the FFB settings and amount of options they give you make it difficult to get a 'correct' feeling.

I'm happy with mine now as a small Mige user but yeah definitely try something else to test your wheel base out on. AMS is also right up there with rF2 in just getting to the driving.

 

[RCHeliguy]

Is the SRM adapter a USB cable?
How do you get the shift and clutch to work on the McLaren GT3 rim with that?

 

[anton_Chez]

The adapter has a coiled USB cable. That removes the need for all rims to have to cable.

 

[Furnace Inferno]

I wouldn't be using Raceroom to test FFB settings and especially a new wheelbase such as the SC2. That title is notorious for being very difficult to tune for direct drive wheels. A much more intuitive and reliable test would be with rF2 and iRacing. I like Raceroom but the FFB settings and amount of options they give you make it difficult to get a 'correct' feeling.

I'm happy with mine now as a small Mige user but yeah definitely try something else to test your wheel base out on. AMS is also right up there with rF2 in just getting to the driving.

AMS out of the box isn’t great for DD because they’ve compressed all the feedback effects for low powered wheels and it ends up giving way too too strong feedback and a ton of clipping. With ini tweaks to remove those boosts sure but no VR is a bummer.

 

[EsxPaul]

@anton_Chez Cheers for the advice mate.

I tend to put more hours into R3E than anything else so I thought I'd try to crack that title first. Having spent an hour or so getting nowhere fast, I think I'll take your tip and come back to it once I have a better understanding of the SC2. There's so many ffb effect sliders in Raceroom that I ended up chasing my tail.

@RCHeliguy The SRM adapter I use stays permanently attached to the McLaren rim and converts only that one rim to usb. The shifters and clutch work as they normally would:

https://www.simracingmachines.com/webshop/fanatec-mclaren-gt3-wheel-conversion-kit

There is also a converter that SC1 users can attach directly to the motor hub and converts that to a Fanatec base side qr. With this you have a usb cable attached from the motor hub to the PC and can then interchange Fanatec rims without having to convert any of them. I believe this is what Anton is referring to:

https://www.simracingmachines.com/webshop/custom-made-fanatec-conversion-kit

 

[RCHeliguy]

All this effort to get wheels to work is a pretty good amount of PITA compared to just popping a rim on and tightening a ring.

It looks like a number of standards, bolt patterns and then you still end up running a coiled USB cable unless you anti up and get all new BT steering wheels.

 

[anton_Chez]

Well, you can always get a Fanatec base and just use whatever they give you.

OR, you can have choice.

Handy, huh?

 

[RCHeliguy]

I get it. Convenience often comes at the expense of choice and is a matter of personal priorities, but if you spend all of your time in VR exactly how many rims actually impact your driving experience?

I've seen some beautiful wheels out there, but only a small handful are wireless, the rest require cables which I don't want, and my existing wheels would require cables. So I'd be looking at buying all new BT rims even though I like the rims I have.

It's all priorities, but by the time you order all your conversion kits and new rims, the price of the wheelbase is eclipsed pretty quickly.

Getting over personal feelings about companies, how much of a difference to you really think there is in what you would actually feel while driving. I get that the Sim Cube 2 is a pretty looking chunk of metal. No doubt that it has a very elegant look to it, but are people buying it on principle alone because they don't like Fanatec?

I consider myself pretty sensitized to luxury items and like "nice things", but if the Fanatec DD wheels prove to be reliable over time, I'm not sure the elegant look is more important to me than convenience. Once again personal preferences.

 

[EsxPaul]

Well, I've been a bit stubborn and put another hour or so into R3E, only this time I had a good base to start from by using files kindly provided by a user on the GD forum.

Still some tuning to get through before it's completely to my liking but I can now feel the awesome potential of the SC2. After just 2 hours of tinkering I have no doubt in my mind that this is going to have been a worthwhile upgrade

 

[anton_Chez]

I have 3 rims. A round rally type, a GT / Supercar type with flat bottom and a Vantage replica (new GT3 / Formula type) rim that's yet to arrive. They all feel different, with different shapes and grips and offer a purpose different to each other. I try to match the in game car with what's in my hands. With the 3 types of rim I own, I can pretty much do this for every car.

Also, VR or not, the rims feel different, handle different, weigh different amounts. You don't stare at your rim most of the time while driving on screens, either. Some people stick to one rim. I drive a variety of cars and try to replicate the authentic experience. I drive V8's with a sequential (and a V8 Supercar specifically machined gear knob), H pattern cars with exactly that, and paddles for whatever uses them. Same goes for clutch, heel toe, etc.

Some people have 10+ rims. It's a hobby. You build this kit over time. The great thing is there's usually a way to use pretty much whatever you want given some patience and a little or a lot of cash.

 

[anton_Chez]

For Raceroom, turn off all the effects at the bottom (canned effects). Use a maximum of 50% steering rack force and probably less. FWD cars feel very weird with more than 50% steering force coming from steering rack for whatever reason. I use some vertical load (25%) more lateral load (50%+) and a tiny bit of damping. Overall force at 40-45% with Simucube slider at 100% (12A for small Mige). Steering forces at 100%, too. I don't think there's anything else. Maybe under steer effect? I don't think I run that at all.

 

[RobertR1]

I get it. Convenience often comes at the expense of choice and is a matter of personal priorities, but if you spend all of your time in VR exactly how many rims actually impact your driving experience?

Getting over personal feelings about companies, how much of a difference to you really think there is in what you would actually feel while driving. I get that the Sim Cube 2 is a pretty looking chunk of metal. No doubt that it has a very elegant look to it, but are people buying it on principle alone because they don't like Fanatec?

There are many reasons people buy higher ends rims:
- Stiffness which leads to better force feedback
- Grip layout based on preference
- Quality of the buttons and the rotaries. Even more important in VR when you want to have the confidence that your input is processed with good feedback
- Quality of paddle shifters. Lot's of options on the size, stiffness, tactile feel from various vendors
- High quality components leading to longer life and resistant to wear. Does the wheel feel as stiff and buttons as crips on hours 500 as it did on hour 1? For custom high end wheels, yes,
- Mix and match. Want to build your own button box? sure. Then you can still add Martin Ascher paddle shifters and then a rim of your choice or any other combination you can come up with

Those wheels are also not tied to any system as they're an independent component. The steering wheel itself doesn't care what base it's attached you. You take wheel A and put it on an MiGe, Bodnar, Lenze, SC2, fanatec and whatever else comes around the corner.

 

[RCHeliguy]

Well, you can always get a Fanatec base and just use whatever they give you.

OR, you can have choice.

Handy, huh?

Technically Fanatec has that now too. So if you want any 3rd party rim except the new BT rims, you can still run a USB cable and put any rim on there that you want.

• Accepts all third-party rims using the 6x70mm or 3x50mm bolt pattern (e.g. Sparco, MOMO, OMP)
• Allows the use of third-party steering wheels with USB cables on all Fanatec bases (USB wheels must be connected separately to the PC)

 

[EsxPaul]

For Raceroom, turn off all the effects at the bottom (canned effects). Use a maximum of 50% steering rack force and probably less. FWD cars feel very weird with more than 50% steering force coming from steering rack for whatever reason. I use some vertical load (25%) more lateral load (50%+) and a tiny bit of damping. Overall force at 40-45% with Simucube slider at 100% (12A for small Mige). Steering forces at 100%, too. I don't think there's anything else. Maybe under steer effect? I don't think I run that at all.

Thanks. Reading your tips has confirmed I was on the right path with my earlier testing.

I had to get rid of all those canned effects at the bottom except for leaving a little bit of rumble for the kerbs.

Tried steering rack force at 100, 50 and 0 and I'm tending to find I prefer it closer towards the 100. I'll have a further play with that setting next time.

Other than that, I'm pretty close to what you have recommended apart from that one setting.

This is what I have so far:

 

[wajdi]

I raced Race Room for 3-4 days then deleted it from my steam library. The FFB with my DD system is simply bad . rfactor2 is 100 levels better with my DD and motion.

 

[RCHeliguy]

Question for you guys.

I've heard a number of people talk about games that are good with DD.

I've never heard someone say that a game was bad for a CS 2.5. In fact I've read a number of threads about people trying hard to get their DD wheels to feel as good in some games.

I understand the benefits of DD, but most people still consider the CS 2.5 to be really good, just not at the same level.

Does this match your personal experience?

 

[RaceNut]

Regarding RaceRoom FFB, if you notice any notchy feeling near center, it's usually caused by the "Steering Rack" forces. I turn this setting to zero but, others say that using 100% also solves the issue. I've been very happy with the FFB in RaceRoom for quite some time (SC1) but, the main trick is to achieve a proper balance between the Lateral and Vertical forces; those provide the fundamental effects and the rest of the settings are for adding more detail for those that want them. You also want to have the Direct-Input enabled as some of the FFB-effects rely on those.

 

[anton_Chez]

Direct drive wheels suffer from not being developed for in more casual games. It has nothing to do with the hardware simply the developer does not intend the title to be used with such hardware.

Which

is

WRONG.

It's still a steering device and thus should be at the VERY LEAST supported by the game, even if we need to tinker with Simucube or SimCommander settings to get it to feel 'correct' Nothing annoys me more than a driving title that simply does not support multiple direct input devices as standard. ESPECIALLY in 2019.

Re the CSW assessment, it's still not perfect regarding compatibility as I had issues with WRC games with it as well as SLRE, but it's probably the best wheel base that almost works on everything without much tinkering.

 

[anton_Chez]

I also used to run 100 Steering Rack, the only reason I don't anymore is because in league races we use a lot of the FWD touring cars and they felt AWFUL for some reason. I played with this setting and immediately the feeling got smoother, more progressive and a lot more natural to use. It felt very 'chunky' with the rack at 100, just as Dean suggests the notchy feeling.