Fanatec Announcements: CSW V2 Reviews Out

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Thats nice (and interesting) to know, Logi. But what about sequential shifter support then? Doesn't it work anymore?

Never use sequential as it's too much hassle to put my TH8 into that mode. Though I reckon (not sure at all) that the sequential shifter might be tied to the paddle shifters software wise in the firmware in this case. Unless Fanatec found a different solution for it.
 
thank you for the information.

MadRR, I was probably completely daft and did not check the "combined wheel/pedal" option when initially setting up my gear! :dunce:

My wheel is hardmounted to my desk and real PITA to get to the CSW base plugs. This plugin sounds interesting? Do you have an more information or links?
thanks.

Yeah you can try checking that box and see if that makes it work. Like I said I've never hooked the wheel and pedals together on PC, but that box has to be there for a reason.

By plug in's I mean programs not something that actually plugs into your wheel itself. There are a couple out there. One is Stephane Turpin's from iracing. He has a plugin to make the abs vibrate on your pedals. Here's the link for that, http://members.iracing.com/jforum/posts/list/1477397.page. This is only going to work with iracing.

Also there is Fanaleds. It's a plugin that has your shift lights work, have your choice of gear, speed, fuel and I think 1 more option on your LED display screen on your wheel and they also have the option to have the wheel and pedals vibrate for abs and as well have the wheel rumble for upshifts. It also has the options for a couple more things. Here is the link for that, http://www.fanaleds.com. This works on several games and has different game profiles for each game.

I use both everytime I race. I still use Stephane's plug in for brake vibration even though there is one on the fanaleds. The one on fanaleds works fine but I was just used to Stephane's since I've been using it longer so I just stick with that.
 
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Thats nice (and interesting) to know, Logi. But what about sequential shifter support then? Doesn't it work anymore?

this is where you need a DSD Sequential/THR8S & BasherBoards SFA1 this is what i use with my CSW for GT5 so all works fine together 👍
 
Would be great to have feedback from anyone that has updated his CSR-Elite to FW 757, is it worth it?

I have updated mine and i love it in Forza 4 en Horizon. :)

Most comments on thomas blog are positive too

Yes it is worth it:tup:
 
Would be great to have feedback from anyone that has updated his CSR-Elite to FW 757, is it worth it?

I updated the firmware in my CSR Elite to 757 last night. I already had fw 756 and my only gripe was that I couldn't control the fans. According to Thomas they fixed the fan issues from fw 756. From his blog: "We have fixed the fan issue on FW 756 and released 757 for the CSR Elite wheel. There is no other change than that."

I don't know what that fix is, but I still can't control my fans. Here is from the update instructions which came with the firmware:

"Step 12
Test if the FW was successful. The wheel should show “---“ on the TUNING display.
Press and hold A+B buttons together. Then additionally press the 2 lower red buttons
on the wheel rim. You will now see the firmware version on the display and the fan
will be set to “OFF” which means that the fans are in temperature controlled mode
and not always fully running."

After turning the wheel on and it calibrates, it does show --- on the display. When I press and hold the A+B buttons, then press the lower 2 red buttons as instructed, I see the firmware version 757, but no fan options. It doesn't say On or OFF. I think I will have to go back to 721b. That is the last firmware I know of for the CSR Elite that gives you control of the fans.

I want my fans to be always On. I know too many people who have had the CSR Elite wheels overheat and the motors go bad. One person I know is now on his 4th CSR Elite wheel.
 
I want my fans to be always On. I know too many people who have had the CSR Elite wheels overheat and the motors go bad. One person I know is now on his 4th CSR Elite wheel.

Thank you for the feedback Troysloth, at this point I have FW722, which I understand is very similar to 721B, I also,for now,have the fan always on, the wheel runs cool and I drive with Earphone so it does not bother me.
I am also a little be worried about reliability, time will tell.
Everything else aside, I think this wheel is amazing, I love driving it and I am not going back to anything less. The immersion is above what I expected, just hope it stays that way.

I was curious about 757 mostly about the feeling in driving, in GT5, as how different does it feel from earlier version, particularely compare to 722, again in GT5, as at this point I have no time for other SIM/Game.
 
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Thank you for the feedback Troysloth, at this point I have FW722, which I understand is very similar to 712B, I also,for now,have the fan always on, the wheel runs cool and I drive with Earphone so it does not bother me.
I am also a little be worried about reliability, time will tell.

I was curious about 757 mostly about the feeling in driving, in GT5, as how different does it feel from earlier version, particularely compare to 722, again in GT5, as at this point I have no time for other SIM/Game.

Sorry I don't have a PS3 so no GT5. I hear it is a very good game though. I have xbox and play some Forza, but most of my sim racing is on the PC now.
 
I want my fans to be always On.


I haven't updated yet, but I thought that Thomas said that the fan control was removed a while ago to prevent overheating, (FW750 and above) Don't the fans stay on anymore with the new one ?
 
I updated from v750 to v757 without problem.

I am working on the Vettel Challenge in GT5 and keep track of progress by making ten runs and then averaging the times of the ten runs. I've been steadily improving my average time by about 3/4 s. I ran a ten lap set with v757 and it felt fine and I dropped my time by about 1 sec from last night.

Clearly the new software didn't hurt anything but the Vettel Challenge isn't a great event for evaluating feel because some much of it is just snap turns. Given that my times continued to improve I am happy with the update...
 
I updated from v750 to v757 without problem.

I am working on the Vettel Challenge in GT5 and keep track of progress by making ten runs and then averaging the times of the ten runs. I've been steadily improving my average time by about 3/4 s. I ran a ten lap set with v757 and it felt fine and I dropped my time by about 1 sec from last night.

Clearly the new software didn't hurt anything but the Vettel Challenge isn't a great event for evaluating feel because some much of it is just snap turns. Given that my times continued to improve I am happy with the update...

I haven't experienced it myself, but i've read more stories about people being faster on 757. 👍
 
You should scroll down Thomas's Blog a bit. It was released for GT2 a month a go and a bit later for CSR.

Thanks bumer. I completely missed that. :)

Must be the damn flu (finally getting over it). :yuck:

Please excuse that all, and yes, I do feel stupid. :dunce:
 
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Have any of you have belt slippage on their CSW or CSR Elite?

It seems like my belts are slipping no matter what. They got stretched and seem to have become smooth. There is still slip no matter how strong I adjust the tension of both belts. With the problem that you can't tighten them as strong as then the motor bearings will start to lock up under the stress of the load put on the axle.

That said I have this base since April last year (yes, still the beta wheel), so it says something about the life expectancy of the belts I suppose. Which would suck as you'd have to take apart the CSW to a great extend if you'd have to replace them. Or send the CSW to Fanatec ever 9 months to a year for repair because of a worn/smooth belt. Which wouldn't be something I would look forward to doing either.

Again, my base is still the Beta wheel base. So if no one else has issues with slippage in their final production wheels, then there is no cause for alarm. ;)

Maybe some Loctite 8005 will help in this case? Which is a anti-slip belt dressing.
 
What are the signs that would let you know you have belt slippage?

If you see the text on the belt move after turning the wheel. ;)

So for example if you boot the wheel the wheel will have a fixed center spring force set. If you then give jerking movements to the right or the left against the force of the motor you should slowly see the text move. With me this is around 1cm per time I turn the wheel.
Also you should feel the movement of the belts through the wheel, as there is a sudden drop of strength which quickly catches itself again. While not quickly appearant during gameplay, this will cause loss of feedback from for example thing FFB effects that depend on the jerky movements. Think here about things like road effects and even more so the kerb effects. Kerbs depend on a quick left/right movement. This effect will deminish and eventually go away because of the belt slippage due to belt wear or a too low tension.

Edit:
Found a good demo of this on youtube by a user having this issue. Notice how the text moves when he moves the wheel against the motor. Both belts slip, though the small one is slipping heavily. (I have almost equal slippage on both belts at the moment for some reason)

 
Have any of you have belt slippage on their CSW or CSR Elite?

It seems like my belts are slipping no matter what. They got stretched and seem to have become smooth. There is still slip no matter how strong I adjust the tension of both belts. With the problem that you can't tighten them as strong as then the motor bearings will start to lock up under the stress of the load put on the axle.

That said I have this base since April last year (yes, still the beta wheel), so it says something about the life expectancy of the belts I suppose. Which would suck as you'd have to take apart the CSW to a great extend if you'd have to replace them. Or send the CSW to Fanatec ever 9 months to a year for repair because of a worn/smooth belt. Which wouldn't be something I would look forward to doing either.

Again, my base is still the Beta wheel base. So if no one else has issues with slippage in their final production wheels, then there is no cause for alarm. ;)

Maybe some Loctite 8005 will help in this case? Which is a anti-slip belt dressing.

These things scare me, my father goes to Germany and my heart wants to buy the CSW but my reason chooses the T500. Does anyone know if they will correct these quality problems? (If already corrected)
 
These things scare me, my father goes to Germany and my heart wants to buy the CSW but my reason chooses the T500. Does anyone know if they will correct these quality problems? (If already corrected)

Those may not be quality problems per se. More like routine service. You know, like a car that needs tires, oil changes, and belts occasionally. Tuneups too: filters, spark plugs, and some adjustments. Not to mention washing and waxing.

The difference is that for a car, oil, tires and belts are all readily available and from multiple nearby sources at reasonable prices.

So just obtain the wear and tear items in advance and have them sitting on a shelf. You don't have to buy them just from Fanatec who may not stock them or who may occasionally run out. You buy them from their parts suppliers such as Gates and Optibelt. The necessary part numbers are right on the belts. I obtained belts for my CSR wheels locally, quickly, and quite inexpensively: no worries.

In the world of sims, it pays dividends to be flexible and a DIY type hobbyist.
 
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RacerXX, I have to stress though that for the removal of the belts you'll need to disassemble almost the entire CSW.


What needs to go is...

- electronics PCB
- motors
- sides and top glass for easy access and belt tensioning
- rear X assembly containing the rear bearing for the hub

Which leaves little of the wheel to further disassemble in the end.
So it might not be something an end-user would look forward to when you think about it. But sure, where there is a will there is a way.

Can I ask where you order those belts from? Would love some spares but google didn't present any results with the belt number.
If only they could be ordered in a Fanatec parts store.
 
RacerXX, I have to stress though that for the removal of the belts you'll need to disassemble almost the entire CSW.

Logi, I don't believe he even has one, his posts to-date refer to the standard CSR wheel both here at GTP, and over at f-wheel.com under the user name RacerX. Stan always seems to have a plan. :scared:
 
RacerXX, I have to stress though that for the removal of the belts you'll need to disassemble almost the entire CSW.


What needs to go is...

- electronics PCB
- motors
- sides and top glass for easy access and belt tensioning
- rear X assembly containing the rear bearing for the hub

Which leaves little of the wheel to further disassemble in the end.
So it might not be something an end-user would look forward to when you think about it. But sure, where there is a will there is a way.

Can I ask where you order those belts from? Would love some spares but google didn't present any results with the belt number.
If only they could be ordered in a Fanatec parts store.

I have two CSR wheels which use Gates 3mm pitch cogged belts. I obtained spares by emailing Gates the part number and then Gates hooked me up with a local source. Easy, cheap, fast. Same with Thrustmaster T500, they use 5mm pitch cogged belts, voila.

You can do the same for the CSR-Elite or CS wheels which use non-cogged belts. Simply look at the belts to get the part numbers and email the belt producer's sales department and they will get back to you quickly.

Sure to replace Elite or CSW belts you must open up the hood. However the adjusters are external and I advise keeping the belts properly tensioned at all times. Don't wait a year and then adjust them after months of belt slipping. Ignored chronic belt slipping leads to rubber hardening and degradation hence more slipping on non-cogged belts. Best to keep things fine tuned. It might be a good idea to use a belt dressing, however I would want to try that out first and I have CSR and not Elite wheels so I cannot experiment there.

The guy I bought my CSR wheels from was pretty hefty…the one with the damaged belt had been tooth-jumping for a long time and this had been ignored by the guy for the most part. The worn out teeth became smaller, more flexible and more prone to additional tooth jumping.

Below are the part numbers for CSR (and I think Porsche) belts…the 270 belt is the one that tooth jumps as it is loaded more heavily than the other. I also had some wider belts made which should be stronger, there is a hair more room for that at least on my wheel samples. The Gates part numbers break down as follows: 270-3GT-11…270 is the length in mm, 3 is the tooth pitch, GT is the belt series, and 11 is the width in mm. You can have custom widths made by your local supplier they simply slit a wider belt to the desired width.

IMG_0858_zpsf64be046.jpg


Okay so who has the part numbers handy for Elite / CSW wheels? I could review some wheel housing pics I suppose.
 
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