May the GT Force be with you...

[Morpheus XIII]

Well, I gotta hand it to them, Logitech's GT-Force force-feedback wheel is pretty amazing.

Of course, as in most cases, I get worse lap times since the DualShock doesn't require as much movement as the wheel does (i.e. jumping between opposite locks). I've also come to figure out that I need to make some adjustments to the suspension settings for when I use the wheel (I guess the wheel makes you drive differently) in order to maintain the same manuevering styles.

There is one thing about the wheel that I don't like: the paddle shifters (which really aren't paddles, but oversized buttons) can't be reached when your hands are at 10 and 2 'o clock, unless you stretch your pinkies. I may have a solution, but I want to know if you guys think it could work. I'll probably be building this in the next month or two, and if and when I get it working, I'll submit some pictures.

I've noticed that the DualShock controller continues to work (with limited capability) while you are driving with the GT-Force wheel. I've tested it and the shifter L2 and R2 buttons work. What if one were to get an extra DualShock1 (non analog L/R buttons), open the controller and remove the L2 and R2 buttons with connected wiring, and discard the rest of the controller? Then one could perhaps construct a shifting mechanism using raw metal pieces (rod, shift knob, recoil springs, various pieces for swiveling and casing) and place the L/R depressors where the bottom half of the rod can touch them?

I'll try to draw up a sketch and post it when I can. Happy shifting!

[Moppie]

Originally posted by Morpheus XIII
can't be reached when your hands are at 10 and 2 'o clock, unless you stretch your pinkies

Thats becuase in a race car you drive at 9 and 3. 10-2 is for old ladies and uneducated driving instructors.


I like what your thinking of doing with making a second shifter, very interesting. But what about just making the buttons on the back of the wheel a little bigger? use some plastic pieces and either glue to the back of the buttons, or just remove the bottons and use some small screws to mount them, then reinstall the buttons.

[Morpheus XIII]

I've always thought that most racecar drivers hold the wheel at 10 and 2 (except for F1 cars since their steering wheels are rectangles, or don't even have a top/bottom) Most rally racers hold 10 and 2, as do touring car drivers, from what I've seen on the web. Just check out the oh-so-fun onboard rally videos strewn about the Internet (actually, with the amount they have to turn the wheel, their hands seem to go from 10 and 2, to 5, 12, 9, 6, 2, 9, 8, 1, 10 and so on....

In any case, I prefer 10 and 2 because I'm used to holding the meaty "blister" grips in my own car, which are located exactly at 10 and 2. In cars that I've had before, there were no grips, so I naturally rested my hands at 9 and 3. The GT-Force has the blisters as well, so I tend to keep my hands there.

The first thing I thought of when I realized the paddles were too small was to tack on something like you said. That would be the easy and cheesy thing to do. The knob shifter seems like it will actually work too, which is why I'm going to give this a try. Also, Thrustmaster has made a force-feedback wheel which is supposed to work on the PS2 (but originally made for PCs) and it already comes with a sequential shifter. I don't want to feel like I got jipped by buying Logitech's wheel (both are $100) so that is further inspiration. Well, time to take a trip to the hardware store and see if I can find some raw parts!

[Moppie]

The local shop here has at least 3-4 differnt wheels that will work with the PS2, most have a sequential shifter.

But I like what your doing with the 2nd controler, it means you can mount it in a more convienent place.

[Morpheus XIII]

I've seen many wheel set-ups with sequential shifters, but are the wheels force-feedback? The only one I know of is the Thrustmaster NASCAR one I was referring to earlier.

[Moppie]

Yeah, most are force feed back. In fact its hard to find one here that isnt.

But then we get all sorts of crap out of Japan and the rest of Asia.

[Morpheus XIII]

Eh, the U.S. misses out again.