Thrustmaster TS-PC Issues

[Warren Dawes]

I'm hoping someone can help me.
I recently purchased a Thrustmaster TS-PC to replace my trusty G27. Unfortunately, it's turning into a frustrating experience.
When I first installed it, all went well and it was detected and calibrated as expected. I tested a few buttons and FFB's and all looked good. I then tried to use it in AC but while assigning the axes and buttons, it suddenly started calibrating again. I hopped out of AC, and disconnected and reconnected the wheel to my PC. After about 5 mins, it switched off, switched on again and calibrated again, without me touching it. After checking all connections, it just kept disconnecting and reconnecting.
So, I installed it to my other PC. Same problem, continually disconnecting all on it's own.

After contacting the distributor, we arranged for the unit to be returned. The distributor raised an RMA with Thrustmaster, who requested that the distributor test the unit. After testing, the distributor claimed it was working ok, and sent it back to me.

I've now received it back, and now things have gotten worse. I can't get any life out of it at all.
The wheel isn't detected after installing the driver. It is not detected in the Control Panel or the Firmware Updater. I've tried installing it to three different PC's (Win 7, Win 8.2, Win 10) but still it shows no sign of life. The power light never lights up at any time.
I've tried numerous actions, different power points, different USB slots, I've tried with newer and older driver software. Tried an alternate USB cable. Tried disconnecting / re-connecting the wheel to the base unit. Even tried the Thrustmaster FAQ option to wake up the wheel / update the firmware by holding the buttons 11 and 12 while connecting the USB.
Nothing I do gets it to show any signs of life.

My dilemma: The Distributor says he tested it as ok, for me it seems dead.

Has anyone here had similar experiences and can suggest what I might be doing wrong?

 

[RasmusP]

Thanks guys for the supportive words!
I really wanted to give the ts-pc a chance. Ordered a replacement, which like I said is worse..
Apart from the noise it creates it really makes me feel uncomfortable to hear the coils and capacitors sounding like they would explode and fry me at some point
Also both of the Ferrari rims make cracking sounds randomly while driving normally. The button box is a hard-plastic box that just cracks when sliiiiightly looked at from a wrong angle
Problem here: I feel the cracks in my hands! I could live with the sound...
I think the formula rim is better in this regard by the looks of it.

If I could tell Amazon to send me one from a completely different batch.. I might do it. Really don't want to spend more than for the ts-pc but I won't pay the same for the csl elite base with that awful optical sensor!
So talked myself into the v2.5 bundle...

Considering though that I planned to buy the csl elite pedals at some point since I think I won't have problems with the pots (my room is very clean, almost no dust). The bundle price about 699€ drops to 610 (89€ for the pedals separately bought). That's only 60€ more for a smoother base.

Anyway, I can "talk it pretty" for me but in the end that's fecking expensive and I really do hope that it delivers. Otherwise I'll go insane, lol

 

[Warren Dawes]

Ok, I bit the bullet and have ordered the Fanatec Clubsport Wheelbase v2.5 with the BMW Rim.

Here's hoping I'll be luckier with this one, but I'm feeling a lot more confident.

 

[RasmusP]

Ok, I bit the bullet and have ordered the Fanatec Clubsport Wheelbase v2.5 with the BMW Rim.

Here's hoping I'll be luckier with this one, but I'm feeling a lot more confident.

Meanwhile I'm refreshing that fanatec page a few times a day to check if an estimated delivery finally pops up
Let's see who gets his first hehe!

 

[nolive721]

Couple of horror stories indeed.

I have mentioned in my own thread that I decided to buy the TS PC wheel considering the price/performance ratio seems really nice from some official retailers in Japan

I am really curious to understand how the reviewers make their judgement because some praise the TS PC more than the CSL Elite and for others, its vice versa

Simracing Girl tested the TS PC and was not overwhelmed but she is clearly biased towards FANATEC as she is attending their events and even made promotional videos of their full product range so I cant take her words seriously

ISRTV preferred the TS PC whereas Gamermuscle seem to value the CSL elite more

What I believe is that at the end of the day, it comes to FFB as main driver for a Purchase keep and this is such a subjective and personal feel that nothing can replace the actual user perception.

Maybe I would regret it but then, if so, I will return the TM and think again what to do with this hobby then lol)

 

[Warren Dawes]

What I believe is that at the end of the day, it comes to FFB as main driver for a Purchase keep and this is such a subjective and personal feel that nothing can replace the actual user perception.

To be fair, when the TS-PC worked for me, it was quite good. Problem is, I only got about 60 mins of driving with it, because it continually failed to work, and that was across two wheels.
My reason for swapping to Fanatec was purely based on reliability and very poor service from Thrustmaster.

 

[nolive721]

got it.thanks. fingers crossed for mine then lol)

 

[RasmusP]

My little review about the ts-pc apart from the coil whine (some people might not hear it. The video is exaggerated due to the microphone pointing to the base from the side but I have sensitive ears!):
- you can feel the single teeth of the belt. Not a problem while driving, just not overwhelmingly awesome when turning the wheel while not driving.

- high resistance for free spinning. When you "throw" the wheel while not driving the wheel will turn like 45° and come to stand still

- the initial resistance or the resistance while continously active turning is low though! So you can't throw it and spin it with just the weight of the rim but you can definitely turn is quicker while grabbing it with both hands than any logitech wheel!!!

- no deadzone, no shaking. Strong, tight, detailed ffb. Pure awesomeness coming from the g27

- I drove F1 2018 at a local store's playseat demo with the csl elite and yeah, I'd say it's similar but the ts-pc is tighter and less "rubbery"/"spongy" / "sluggish" imo. Personal preference but I would choose the ts-pc!

- did about 6 hours with the first base. No issues whatsoever

- active fan cooling is a low noise, chilled warm airflow sound. Loud enough to make the coil whine stop being annoying, quiet enough to not be annoyed by the fans at all

Apart from the coil whine and the slight cracking noises of the Ferrari rim it's an absolute awesome wheel. I would never grab the csl elite base if it's any more expensive than the ts-pc! Only if it's clearly cheaper I'd consider it.

So I wish you great fun with yours! Hopefully coil whine won't be an issue and it will also show to be sturdy

 

[nolive721]

wifey sent me a message saying it has already arrived. I might unpack the thing and give it a try even without proper pedals just to get a sense of the FFB and check out for similar issues you had

 

[RasmusP]

wifey sent me a message saying it has already arrived. I might unpack the thing and give it a try even without proper pedals just to get a sense of the FFB and check out for similar issues you had

Coil whine is a tricky thing though. Silent at the beginning.. Then raising, vanishing again after some time.
So plug it in, wait for the fans to shut off and then let it stay like that for 1-2 hours.

 

[nolive721]

voila!

that bit here is exactly what I hated with the CSL Elite and hope NOT to find indeed with the TS PC,thanks so m

I drove F1 2018 at a local store's playseat demo with the csl elite and yeah, I'd say it's similar but the ts-pc is tighter and less "rubbery"/"spongy" / "sluggish" imo. Personal preference but I would choose the ts-pc!

 

[RasmusP]

v2.5 arrived!

- slight coil whine: high pitched, 100% consistent, no problem getting used to it. Shutting down after 30 seconds on desktop and the base has an on/off button so easily shut off between sessions

- the calibration on startup is slow and careful! Pleasant to look at instead of the mash/mash of the Logitechs and TMs...

- It's so smooth that it feels artificial for me, lol!

- the strength is brutal. Details are dry and hard. Clarity is awesome

- way more/better settings! Wheel weight adjustable on the fly (drift mode to negative values).

I love it so far

 

[thepharcyde]

v2.5 arrived!

- slight coil whine: high pitched, 100% consistent, no problem getting used to it. Shutting down after 30 seconds on desktop and the base has an on/off button so easily shut off between sessions

- the calibration on startup is slow and careful! Pleasant to look at instead of the mash/mash of the Logitechs and TMs...

- It's so smooth that it feels artificial for me, lol!

- the strength is brutal. Details are dry and hard. Clarity is awesome

- way more/better settings! Wheel weight adjustable on the fly (drift mode to negative values).

I love it so far

You lucky thing

 

[nolive721]

fair enough Rasmus but that is not really the same price point than the TS PC for me in Japan.

teh V2.5 base only is already 65,000JPY, 20,000JPY more than I paid for teh TS PC which actually comes with a wheel.

I had a quick go last night at setting things up and so far so good. the wheel rim suede feels really nice and the wheel itself is more responsive than the CSL Elite at 1st glance.

bare in mind I cant connect my CSR pedals so I have been racing with throttle/brake mapped to actual buttons on the wheel which is of course far from ideal.

Its true that the Fan is intrusive but I could not get the coil whine or chirping noise you were addressing to be honest so I can leave with that.
My 1080Ti running triple screen is somehow in the same dB range at ful blast so thats OK with me if it stays as it is.

I dont miss the CSL revstripe that much since I have Dashpanel running on a smartphone on the desk in front of the wheelbase. I have seen some DIY mod to attache the phone on the rim itself and I will certainly do that at some point

What I could miss on the CSL is the FFB tuning on the fly but since most of the Games I run allows this FFB tuning while in game, I dont see this as being such a big let down (at the notable exception of ACC, hopefully fixed soon)

regarding pedals to accomodate, FANATEC Tech support replied that I cant use my CSR with the USB Clubsport adaptor but I am still puzzled at why so.

The route I am thinking to take then would be to buy CSL elite (2pedals) and connect a stand alone to the PC.I know i will lose in resolution but I dont see this being that dramatic
I have then an upgrade path to get the FANATEC LC down the road

voila thats where my head is at but suggestions are welcome.

 

[super_gt]

The route I am thinking to take then would be to buy CSL elite (2pedals) and connect a stand alone to the PC.I know i will lose in resolution but I dont see this being that dramatic
I have then an upgrade path to get the FANATEC LC down the road

To connect CSL Elite (2pedals) to PC you need Clubsport USB adapter.
To connect CSL Elite LC pedals you do not need Clubsport USB adapter

 

[nolive721]

@Super-gt

I appreciate your comments but I know all that.its clear from FANATEC website

I was more talking about alternatives to FANATEC pedals although I dont think there are any better value for money in this price range

 

[Full_Ninja]

I recorded an audio of it yesterday and just threw it together with a photo in a phone video creator. Just listen to that sound. Fans are not spinning! I wonder how I can't find anything about coil whine on the web for this wheel...
Let's hope fanatec knows how to build electronics...

Wow that is loud. I can't even hear my ts-pc

 

[nolive721]

@Rasmus,

dont know how your v2.5 will sound eventually but my CSL Elite fan was actually quite loud to my ears.No coil whine though like your TS PC but slightly louder than my own TS PC fan.
and it was also taking few minutes after gaming for the motor to cool down and the fan stop spinning.

this pretty comparable to the CSL Elite but again I have no experience with the v2.5

 

[nolive721]

FANATEC sales came back to me and apologised about the product quality issues I had experienced saying they were prepared to accept a full refund.

But since the correct JP power cord finally turned up last night,I decided to spend couple of hours on my own testing the 2 wheels back and forth(oh joy cant remember last time I had that "luxury")

bare in mind that I cant test the TS PC with actual pedals since my CSR are obviously not compatible and I have not found a way to connect them directly to my PC just yet. Might even improve my experience with the TS PC once I get that sorted but for the time being, I had to map two buttons on the rim as throttle and brake

It worked in project Cars1 and 2, as well as RRE but could not get that running on the 2 other Sims I have namely AC and ACC and I have tried every I could think off

Anyway, my personal experience

Overall Build quality

Base
Both bases look and feel very sturdy with some metal on casing.I am not a big fan of the CSL front plate with this matrix like aesthetic.
With the TS PC, because the open wheeler design rim, I can see the wheel hub connection between rim and base which isnt great but I have an idea to fix that

Both desk mounting clamps are actually very similar but the FANATEC one leaves noticeable black marks on my white desk that are a pain to clean up

Rims
No doubt I like the TS PC one better.Its lighter, the suede feels nicer in the hands and the peddle shifter give me a very tactile quality feel type of click that I like better than the dull one from the CSL P1 rim (the P1 Elite is proven to be better I heard)

Features
CSL wins here because it has Rpm Leds on the base and on the rim itself with the addition of in Wheel tuning parameters its clearly a plus.
But I am planning to overcome the Leds bit bit stucking an old Android phone I have at the back of the Rim running some telemetry app.seen this being done by a YTer and it would not add a huge weight on the rim (like 100-120g) so i believe I can leave with that.and its not permanent using some velcro stripe to attach and detach it if I dont like it in the end
On wheel tuning is again is nice with the CSL but I feel you could get almost too much focused on that and not enjoying the game anymore. And some of the Sims I play do have this feature in game that you can alter on the fly so again, not a huge deal but yes advantage here to FANATEC

FFB feeling

there is cogging in the TS PC that dont appear for me to feel the same on the CSL.
I have been lucky enough to work for Continental in Germany in engine belt development, both front End drive (rib belts) and Primary drive (tooth belts) so obviously I am sensitive to these belts characteristics and performances
I understand that TM uses tooth belts on the TS PC and FANATEC rib belts on the CSL. The latter will certainly induces this feeling of rubbery/sluggish reaction I have with this wheel with continuous high friction
The TS PC feels more reactive but at the expense of micro stuttering during rotation
to that extent, catching oversteer has proven to be much better with the TS PC

I hear people suggesting the cogging is mainly coming from the motors but there is an influence from the belts here as well

both FFB are pretty strong and equal to my hands. the wheel calibration rotation speed is much ore aggressive on the TS PC!
I feel in PCars1&2 that there is better sense of road details with the CSL.But in RRE,its the opposite so my guess is that I would need to play much more with in game FFB settings to really conclude
But the TS PC is not bad at all and a clear upgrade from my old belt driven CSR wheel


Noise
I mentioned this but for me both fans are intrusive although could be covered by my PC fans noise or by Ingame sound.
the TS PC noise is a tiny bit higher and my experience shows that it needs a little bit more time to come to a stop after gaming session is finished like 2-3mins for the CSL but 3-4mins for the TS PC

voila thats a long write-up and I am realising that I am contaminating a Thread here so sorry to the OP.
From what it stands today, I am leaning towards keeping the TS PC but will completely decide over the week-end

 

[super_gt]

I understand that TM uses tooth belts on the TS PC and FANATEC rib belts on the CSL. The latter will certainly induces this feeling of rubbery/sluggish reaction I have with this wheel with continuous high friction

Here you can see the belts of the TS-PS Racer:
(skip ahead to 26:30)

This is the belt of the CSL Elite which single belt drive mechanism has very low friction:
(skip ahead to 23:00)

 

[nolive721]

just an update as I mentioned in my dedicated thread, the CSR pedals work as standalone on my PC with the use of the official FANATEC Clubsport adapter.

I have spent an hour in ACC last night and managed to shave almost 2s off the times I was making with the CSL Elite.
And I have managed to tune the in game FFB on PCARS1&2 to get the same feel if not better of the road details now with the TM

Not denying the features of the FANATEC but the TM suits much better my driving style so I am convinced I have made the right decision to keep it, and again sorry guys that you got issues with yours, to me its a great wheel

will certainly buy a more GT/Rally type add on Rim in the near future though because the quick shot I had at DIRT RALLy with the open wheeler type rim wasn't a great experience lol)