TH8RS, DSD, etc. to Fanatec Adapter - BasherBoards SFA1

  • Thread starter mrbasher
  • 366 comments
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thehawk05
It's going to be a 4" Hardbar made of Delrin. 1.5" in diameter. It will be drilled and tapped to fit directly on the TH8 shaft and counterbored to sit low. It'll look exactly like this

If I wanted spend more I could have it modeled directly off the one in my car which iI really like but the guy I'm getting it from already has a program to make the one in the pic but he's drilling and tapping it to my specs.
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That looks really nice. Even would make for a nice handbrake knob if you ever consider to use the TH8 as one.
I don't think I would personally prefer that shape for shifting, though I never used a knob like that.
 
It's an ideal shape IMO. The shape of the top allows to shift like its a round knob or thanks to the length you can hold it pistol grip style. I've had the knob shown in my previous post for 20 years.....it's the most comfortable and natural feeling shifter I've ever used. It's not surprising how popular that knob shape is amongst the racing crowd
 
rtc552
Nice knob. Do you think he might be open for orders ? Wouldn't mind having one myself.
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I'll post an update once I have received mine just to make sure the specs I came up with are met and that it's as nice as it looks in his sample pics. I mentioned to him that if this little project goes well that I would inform others about his work to direct some business his way as I'm sure some people would be interested in getting one themselves since there is NOTHING off shelf that fits the TH8 by actually screwing on.

He has several colors of the knob I posted (also a shorter 3" version) he also does the knob I'm getting in aluminum as well that would look really sharp (I chose delrin as I was worried the heavier aluminum version would dull the feel of the TH8 as it engages)

Aluminum 4" Hardbar

11c1f00ace22abf1621a81c5e3ef2f9a.jpg


3" Black Delrin and Aluminum Hardbar

ce7caefc91ea21dc420dfdf5da4bad7d.jpg

69db7788404a2ab6ac118e5e06edf6f9.jpg


He has numerous other designs including pieces that have engraved tops too.

round_w_flat_top_and_pattern.jpg

firebird2.jpg
 
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Nice. Thanks for responding, also thanks for the pictures. I am definitely interested in placing an order for one.I'll keep checking to see how yours turned out. Thanks again.
 
Received my SFA1 today (ordered Tuesday night, shipped Wednesday, received Friday), pretty quick from WA to MS via USPS First Class.

Very nice unit! Thanks mrbasher for the quality product and the quick shipment!!
 
I ordered my TH8RS shifter from Amazon UK 2 weeks ago. Still waiting for it. Tracking says it arrived in New York on the 23rd and was given to the US Postal Service. No more information after that. Doesn't surprise me though, USPS tracking is terrible. It will probably be delivered before there are any more tracking updates.

I have had the SFA-1 for over a week now waiting for the shifter so I can hook it up.

Edit: Just checked again and it says it has been delivered. I'll be home and trying it out in about 2 hours.
 
Got my SFA-1 today.

Unit looks great with excellent finish quality. Everything came packed very well and instruction sheet is well laid out and super easy to follow. All connections plug in nice and solid so no worries of plugs working loose and popping out

Installation is super easy and I was calibrated and up and running in minutes. Once the wheel is calibrated there's nothing to do but drive and enjoy.

All in all I'm very happy with my purchase and service from Mr.Basher and can't see anybody being at all disappointed buying any of his products if the SFA-1 is any indication of his other work and his excellent communication. He truly is an asset to the sim community.

10/10
 
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Just poured 2.5 hours into Forza Horizon with the SFA1 and the TH8RS. The SFA1 is idiot-proof and works perfectly. I don't know what else to say. It does exactly what it says on the tin and finally lets me use a real shifter with my consoles. Bravo.

If I had to nitpick, my only complaint is I wish the RJ11 PS/2 adapter (which also works perfectly) is sleeved in gray rubber which stands out among all the other tidy, black wiring.
 
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Thanks guys! I truly appreciate you coming back and letting us know how what you thought.

12thgear I completely agree on the cable. I've been looking for a source for black PS2 cables and have not been able to find a suitable one yet... White/beige/grey seem to be a PS2 "thing..." lol
 
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It was no different for me. I scoured all my local computer stores and all the popular online Canadian stores and none of them have black PS/2 cables......all of them only sold beige or grey. I managed to find a couple that sold black ones but they were 25ft and 50ft in length.
 
thehawk05
It was no different for me. I scoured all my local computer stores and all the popular online Canadian stores and none of them have black PS/2 cables......all of them only sold beige or grey. I managed to find a couple that sold black ones but they were 25ft and 50ft in length.
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I'm not sure if they are black, but try a store called Simulation1 on Denison and Steeles in Markham.

He says he is the official Fanatec Retailer in Canada, so he may get his PS/2 cables from Fanatec.
 
Nice! I will need to write the guy and see if he can give me a bulk discount of some kind or maybe he can tell me where he gets them...

Thanks :)
 
mrbasher
Nice! I will need to write the guy and see if he can give me a bulk discount of some kind or maybe he can tell me where he gets them...

Thanks :)
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mrbasher, the type of cable listed on eBay is available from Amazon and several other sources, here are a few:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005J1LEZK/?tag=gtplanet-20

This one has one male end and one female end (but if you are going to cut off one end that shouldn't matter) - http://www.buy.com/pr/product.aspx?sku=212640402

This site reduces prices if you buy in bulk - http://www.jameco.com/1/1/2763-ksb6b-6-foot-long-ps-2-6-pin-mini-din-male-male-cable.html
 
I recommend buying male cables in as they can be cut in half and then just terminated to RJ11.
 
Thank you NeoAgent.

The price is what concerns me the most (since I can't know the quality without one in my hand) Jameco looks like the best bet so far.

The reason why price is an issue is because essentially this has to be directly passed on to the consumer. That's fine, but I want to find the best deal I can on them, for the consumer. :)
 
12thgear
I recommend buying male cables in as they can be cut in half and then just terminated to RJ11.
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That is what I am currently doing. :) It's why I offer 2, 3 and 4 foot options. A 6 foot cable when cut into any of those, yields one of the other lengths. :)

I should have just purchased black ones to begin with... People probably wouldn't mind the price I suppose. Unfortunately, I have a bunch of the grey colored ones right now.

I'll see what I can do. :) I may offer these for individual sale on my site or something later.
 
Ok, I ordered some of the black cables from Jameco to take a look at. I also grabbed some hall effect sensors for umm... Something else I am working on. :P
 
Spagetti69
Hi Troy, did your shifter arrive mate? Any good?
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Ok, I received the shifter and tried it out last night. Quality is very good. Very well made and feels really solid.

The SFA-1 was flawless, I actually read the instructions which are very clear and concise by the way. Hooked it up and calibrated just like Basher instructed and it works like a charm. One thing to note, I wasn't able to calibrate it with the wheel in Xbox-360 mode, I had to connect to the PC. It is not a problem or concern, just letting everyone know.

Two things I don't like:

1. The shifting feels very loose. I found out from reading the manual this morning that I can tighten that up which I will try later.

2. The shaft is too long. I like a shorter throw on my shifter.
 
Just got my TH8RS, 12 days from UK to USA, no complaints.

First impressions: Very solid construction, shifting mechanism seems very positive.

Huge upgrade from the Fanatec shifter I had been using.

Time to dig out the SFA1, and figure out mounting to my 8020 "beast" mount.

Pictures to follow...
 
Troysloth
Two things I don't like:

1. The shifting feels very loose. I found out from reading the manual this morning that I can tighten that up which I will try later.

2. The shaft is too long. I like a shorter throw on my shifter.
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Don't tighten it too much as all you'll do is wear out the mechanism that simulates the engagement feel. The screw also does nothing for the side to side resistance either....only affects how it goes into gear. I find tightening it does nothing except make the shifter feel draggy going in and out of gear.

The mechanism inside the TH8 is very simple and not made of high quality steel.....it will wear out very easily if you're not careful.

As for the shaft there are tutorials on installing a shorter stick. I'm shortening my throw via the custom knob I have coming....it sits approximately 1" lower at the top than the stock ball. 1" doesn't sound like much but it changes the feel quite a bit.
 
mrbasher
Something interesting to note... In GT5, the 7 speed cars that I tested don't actually use a clutch "per say." The way you can tell this is that when you shift with the H shifter, there is no neutral. The gears still work as expected, but the clutch isn't necessary. I'm assuming this is because the game is just auto-clutching like the real car might. Out of curiosity and since I'd like to test it, does anyone know of any cars in GT5 that do NOT do this?
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Just found one using my new TH8 RS with SFA1, Amuse S2000 GTI Turbo Premium car. Neutral registers between gear shifts on its 7 speed transmission!

Great fun, using this car the new SuperCar seasonal with TH8! I do find the inter-gear resistance to be a bit lacking, but I am hesitant to go the tension screw route after what I have read about wear.

That being said, I will take it hands down over what I was using previously. Figured out a temporary mounting work around until I hard mount it.

My friends in Brazil who are Forza enthusiasts will go nuts with this. Awesome stuff Mr. Basher!

DSC06459_zps3a417019.jpg
 
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Hello,
i have a little probleme with SFA1, when i play pcars and rfactor 2, when i configure gears the second gear and seven gears is the same?
have you the same probleme?
 
Crow,

Don't configure 7th gear in the game.

Please do the following in those games to configure the gears:

Configure all the gears except 7th in the game.
Put the shifter in neutral.
Tell the game you want to configure the sequential upshift.
Put the shifter into 7th gear.

This should work. Please let us know if it does.
 
mrbasher
Crow,

Don't configure 7th gear in the game.

Please do the following in those games to configure the gears:

Configure all the gears except 7th in the game.
Put the shifter in neutral.
Tell the game you want to configure the sequential upshift.
Put the shifter into 7th gear.

This should work. Please let us know if it does.
Click to expand...

Just tried this. Couldn't get it to work for me. However not really a big deal, probably going to be using paddles on anything with 7 gears.
 
crow54
Hello,
i have a little probleme with SFA1, when i play pcars and rfactor 2, when i configure gears the second gear and seven gears is the same?
have you the same probleme?
Click to expand...

Since those are PC games why not just plug the shifter directly into the PC? You technically only need the SFA1 for consoles.
 
12thgear
Since those are PC games why not just plug the shifter directly into the PC? You technically only need the SFA1 for consoles.
Click to expand...

You are correct. Personally I switch back and forth between consoles and pc. The SFA1 comes in handy to overcome the 3 controller limitation of games like r factor and gtr2. a problem I racers don't have to deal with.
 

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