Making small supporting piece on each end of drive shaft with own bearings will make product last "forever", even making one supporting bed on end where belt drive is coming will make it lasting much longer.
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is the consensus that all CSR and CSW wheels will fail 100%?
Looks like those from down under(Australia / New Zealand) can FINALLY purchase Fanatec gear, if they haven't purchased TM or Logitech yet that is....
This sounds like an elegant, effective and relatively unexpensive solution,👍
I hope not, but even with 50% or what it might be, really difficult to evaluate at this point, a preventive solution would be welcome.
A 50% rate of failure? That sounds a bit high to me .
but even with 50% or what it might be, really difficult to evaluate at this point
this is a valid question, I would like to know what the consensus isis the consensus that all CSR and CSW wheels will fail 100%?
A 50% rate of failure? That sounds a bit high to me… Plus, a product that might need service such as a belt swap…would you classify that as periodic service or as a defect? The internet tends to magnify things like this, especially amongst enthusiast products. For instance many complain about certain digital SLRs. You might think they should be avoided like the plague. But in reality there is not anything like the level of problem compared to the internet image. It can be hard to reconcile such matters.
For Fanatec it seems to me that better parts availability might help them out. The motors are very inexpensive, so are the belts and other items that might act up. If they are not stocked then repairs are not possible, instead wheel swaps and shipping bad and replacement wheels all over increases. Hopefully with things like their new service plans things will improve. When my enthusiast gear goes down, I just fix it myself most of the time…this is so much easier and less headache provoking at times.
Another perception example might be the Chevrolet Corvette. Many car dealers find that the Corvette owners are way, way more picky than the owners of more common cars. Their service departments get many more complaints as a percentage of cars worked on than the average as to the service experience. I mean people get mad and write on the internet that they had the dealer do a tuneup and they found a fingerprint somewhere that wipes off in 5 seconds. But the car owner was so angry many letters were written. I'd just wipe off the fingerprint.
Fixing stuff yourself is easier and less of a headache then dealing with customer support of any company.
On your car comparison, note that racecars need tons of time and attention.
So with this you want to say that we should rebuild our equipment every race weekend, like teams do with their race cars?
That makes no sense, as our sim wheels will never see that kind of abuse. Hence I meant normal cars in my comparison.
All I am going to say is that MUCH conversation takes place regarding simulation products which never sees the light of day and for good reason.
Totally agree with you. 👍So with this you want to say that we should rebuild our equipment every race weekend, like teams do with their race cars?
That makes no sense, as our sim wheels will never see that kind of abuse. Hence I meant normal cars in my comparison.
I agree with you Logi, and I do not think Fanatec would disagree with you.
A SIM wheel, as sophisticated as it might be, is still a consumer product covered with a 2 year waranty, we should be able to expect reliabilty and trouble free usage.
Well where are the numbers, are they available? In the USA the Fana warranty is one year I think.
So with this you want to say that we should rebuild our equipment every race weekend, like teams do with their race cars?
That makes no sense, as our sim wheels will never see that kind of abuse. Hence I meant normal cars in my comparison.
No simply that fine tuning is part of the game. If someone wants a never adjust, or have any hassles of any kind with ever product…Fana, Thrust, and Logi may not satisfy such a person's needs. The higher end stuff is even more fiddley if it is like other enthusiast devices with which I've dealt.
The most reliable may be the much higher sales volume but way less capable toy-like wheels and pedals. I've bought and sold a few Msoft wheels that still work great within their narrow and lower limits even after kids and dogs had their way with them for years.
So for example if I open up an enthusiast product and see a poor soldering job on some item I will just fix that. I don't care for poor quality but it is way easier to do this than go through the whole RMA process then or later on, for me. On my new CSV2 pedals for instance, I don't like how the wiring is fairly exposed, so I will be wire tucking all of that as I continue to do mods to that device.
List of improvements made in the manufacturing process that will be a part of the final production wheels:
Depth of holes on the base-side of the quick-release has been reduced. This eliminates any play on the quick-release mechanism because metal balls now have less play.
Dimensions of the base-side part of the quick-release have been slightly reduced to make the rims slide on and off more easily.
Layout of the PCBA inside the BMW M3 GT2 rim has been changed so that paddle shifter does not hit one of the elements if moved closer to the rim.
A shorter cable is now being used to connect quick release pins to the main PCBA inside the CSW base. This solves the issue where the same cable would rub against the main PCBA and produce unwanted noises.
A fixture has been added in production to eliminate any BMW badge alignment issues on the BMW M3 GT2 rim.
Springs and switches inside paddle shifter mechanisms have been changed for higher reliability.
Metal screw inserts are now used for shifter paddle attachment - increased reliability.
Grease is now used for lubrication of paddle shifter mechanisms instead of oil. This prevents potential problems with squeaking.
Belt drive is now better aligned and with optimized inner friction of the drive system.
Sequence of LED shift lights on the BMW M3 GT2 rim has been changed to: YYY-RRR-BBB
Brightness of LED shift lights has been increased on both rims.
Type of Loctite on several screws has changed for easier disassembly.
Position sensor mount has been changed for better stability.
Due to problems with leaking in shipment, different bottles are now used for CSP V2 damper oil.
Fanatec products now available for pre-order in Australia http://au.fanatec.com/index.php?route=common/home
That's a whole different point. We were talking about the wear a car part has in a normal car versus the use in a computer pheripheral.
When a belt of that quality has a life expectancy of 3 years in a normal street car, it should not fail within 1 year in a computer pheripheral where the demands put upon the belt are actually lower. Whether you will be able to replace a belt yourself or would like to is beside the point. The fact that it wears out at least 3 times faster than it should indicates a flaw in the design.
Now if you start to make comparisons with a race car, then it even gets more absurd, because the demands put upon the belt in a race car differ greater when compared to the use in a computer pheripheral than it already did in comparison to a normal car.
So the point is that something should be done about this officially by Fanatec as a manufacturer to increase product life by fixing the belt and motor wear.
The rest of the construction is solid except for the CSW coping with Quick Release wobble issues. Which can easily be resolved by increasing the diameter of the QR hub back to the diameter of my beta wheel (without getting issues with current marketed rims). The only thing you might need to do is put a bit of grease on it so it will slide a bit easier (using white vaseline myself).
In this post you can read about the changes made by Fanatec to the CSW final production units (these changes were never tested by the community testers or beta testers).
Take note of the second line about the hub size reduction to make wheels slide on easier.
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?p=7285085#post7285085
These are the sizes measured on my beta unit and rims:
Bal sockets hub:
Left Up: 2.20 mm
Right Up: 2.20 mm
Left Down: 2.20 mm
Right Down: 2.20 mm
Mid Down: 2.20 mm
Hub remaining measurements:
Slit on top: 1.90 mm deep, width 6.10 mm, alignment cut-out (initial width) width 12.40 mm.
Hub Outside Diameter: 38.10 mm
Hub Inner Diameter: 31.13 mm
Hub Stop-Ring Diameter: 40.57 mm
F1 rim:
QR Inner Diameter: 38.15 mm
BMW rim:
QR Inner Diameter: 38.15 mm
ps. I do not post this with bad intend. I just hope Fanatec will fix this someday for the better of us all, including themselves. Cause the less wheels are returned with issues, the less money Fanatec will have to spend on support agents, deliveries and spare parts when under warranty.
Bear in mind that Fanatec is fine with a small amount of slip at the motor pulleys, it's right on the 911 blog. It is necessary given the design compromises chosen. If one tightens the motor belt to the point that it cannot slip, the motor binds. So getting rid of one problem raises another. They don't suggest that end users readjust the belts in general. Non-cogged belts used on cars slip a certain amount too, so do clutches that are in good shape I have data logged that many times.
Also, the expected life of parts will depend on the application. So you really cannot compare the life of Gates belts in a car with this very different device intended to have a certain amount of designed-in belt slip. If you want significantly better life, say triple (one versus three years, and one or two years past the product warranty period) then some design changes might be needed. That won't help someone very much with a wheel already. Since it may involve more parts being added to the device, and upgraded individual parts.
I don't care to wait, I just handle stuff then and there if it seems suspect to me and if I have a concern real or imagined I simply pick up some spares. For instance notice that the Elite/CSW wheels have way more heat sinking on the motors and motor controllers than the earlier wheels. Way more than double in fact, so it is not just a twin motor aspect. The heat mods I did to my CSR helped it quite a bit. I have a little box of inexpensive Fanatec spare parts on hand (belts, motors, load sensor). Done, and cheap.
I may be operating with much less information on product defects, returns, and failure than some are. Those that claim 50% failures are off as far as I know. Heck, I just pre-ordered a CSR-Elite earlier today coming out of the next batch of wheels. I'm not concerned and I'm eager to try out some different motors in it, and get some belts to add to my Fanatec spares box. Yeah I guess I will order the belts for it tomorrow, I'll have those before the wheel shows up lol.
Bear in mind that Fanatec is fine with a small amount of slip at the motor pulleys, it's right on the 911 blog. It is necessary given the design compromises chosen. If one tightens the motor belt to the point that it cannot slip, the motor binds. So getting rid of one problem raises another. They don't suggest that end users readjust the belts in general. Non-cogged belts used on cars slip a certain amount too, so do clutches that are in good shape I have data logged that many times.
Also, the expected life of parts will depend on the application. So you really cannot compare the life of Gates belts in a car with this very different device intended to have a certain amount of designed-in belt slip. If you want significantly better life, say triple (one versus three years, and one or two years past the product warranty period) then some design changes might be needed. That won't help someone very much with a wheel already. Since it may involve more parts being added to the device, and upgraded individual parts.
I don't care to wait, I just handle stuff then and there if it seems suspect to me and if I have a concern real or imagined I simply pick up some spares. For instance notice that the Elite/CSW wheels have way more heat sinking on the motors and motor controllers than the earlier wheels. Way more than double in fact, so it is not just a twin motor aspect. The heat mods I did to my CSR helped it quite a bit. I have a little box of inexpensive Fanatec spare parts on hand (belts, motors, load sensor). Done, and cheap.
I may be operating with much less information on product defects, returns, and failure than some are. Those that claim 50% failures are off as far as I know. Heck, I just pre-ordered a CSR-Elite earlier today coming out of the next batch of wheels. I'm not concerned and I'm eager to try out some different motors in it, and get some belts to add to my Fanatec spares box. Yeah I guess I will order the belts for it tomorrow, I'll have those before the wheel shows up lol.
speaking of belts.
we are still waiting for the info on the belt supplier
me lurker here an at f-wheel.com finally decided to post here.
Are you referring to that poster RacerX on f-wheel.com? I saw that a lot of his technical posts got deleted over there.
It seems kind strange to me, like he came from nowhere and giving some advice like some big player in the scene.
I got lots of good advice from posters here and f-wheel before, but I am not sure about some of this information from him.
Take about anything you read online with a grain of salt.
Point taken. Which means they will not do anything about it as it is "within their specifications". Though if a customer will be content with that remains to be seen. You know how people can get "this will be my last wheel from these guys" and all of that.
Most people just want to play a game for a few years with their toy.
Well, it's up to Fanatec to decide really what they intend to do with it. As is for the customers to decide what they want to do. As long as Fanatec keeps in mind that without a big enough and solid customer base, they simply can not keep on living.
Getting back on the parts involved needed to improve the product. This might not be a solution for the people with the wheels, but the people with wheels will have to RMA the product anyway to someone who will replace the belt if worn. So the guy might as well do a conversion of the wheel while he is at it. At least it's a possibility (again not the cheapest fix, but probably more durable in the long run).
So yeah, dunno. Wait and see I guess?
Talking about waiting... I have yet to recieve word from Fanatec CS on my mail from 18.01.2013 at 15:09:37. They have already watched the video on the 21st (Youtube Analytics), but no reply yet. Will give them a heads-up I guess.
It took them two weeks to get back to me. But I'd been too busy to chase them about it. And from what I can figure out they might have been waiting on new motors, as they first asked for the base for repair and now this week asked for the S/N to exchange to a new base with the new motors! I didn't keep a record of the S/N and couldn't give as the base was in transit.