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Author Topic: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers  (Read 52410 times)

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BadMouth

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Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« on: October 24, 2013, 11:08:26 pm »
Credit for nearly all this info goes to JollyWest. 
Most of it is from this thread: http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,121723.0.html
and his blog: http://arcadecabblog.wordpress.com/
I'm reposting the info here along with some of my own, so everything will be in one place.
(In the driving cab forum  ;)  )


The immersion PCB is a USB interface for use with Happ driving controls and force feedback systems.
ECCI was also using them in their high end pc racing wheels.
They are fairly hard to find.  Global VR is low on stock and from what I understand they will not sell you one unless you have a damaged one to return to them.
Description and part number on Global VR's service site is:
Steering PCB, Immersion, Single-Board Style (990-0040-01)
(no way to direct link, you'll have to search http://parts.globalvr.com/ )



I got mine used from ebay.  I paid $150 for the boards + wiring harness, but the wiring they sent turned out only to include the jumper cable for between the boards and the power input...and a bunch of junk audio stuff.  I thought I was getting all the connectors.

These cards were used in the following Global VR games:

Need for Speed GT
Need for Speed Underground
Need for Speed Carbon
NASCAR Racing (not to be confused with NASCAR Racing by SEGA)
Twisted - Nitro Stunt Racing

There seems to be many versions out there.  The new ones are a single PCB, while the ones Jolly West and I have found were two separate PCBs.  His has many more inputs than mine, but here is the pinout for mine:





I didn't bother trying to figure out what the connectors between the boards were.  If you happen to be missing the cable that connects them, I'd recommend ordering one from Global VR if they still have them.  If not, I'll try to explain how it's wired.
(I'm sure there is a better way to explain this and I'll probably revise it later, but it's late and I want to post the info while it's fresh in my memory)

The connector on the left side has the tabs facing up, the one on the right has them facing down:

When the connectors are held like this, the leftmost pins on each are connected:


The pins for the button and potentiometer connections are standard .1"
I did not have the original connectors, so I used some pre-crimped jumper cables from pololu for testing.

The main board is powered through the 24v input on the second board.  I assume the power input jack on the main board is used for testing or when the application doesn't have ffb.  I do not know the proper voltage for that input.

The buttons are matrixed and require diodes after them if you want all of them to work. (see manual)
If you go to the trouble, you'll have 12 buttons and the four directions on the hat switch.
If you only need 4 buttons, think of SCAN 1 as the ground and SENSE 1-4 as the buttons.
That will show up as buttons 1-4 on the game controller.

SCAN1 + SENSE1 = BUTTON 1
SCAN1 + SENSE2 = BUTTON 2
SCAN1 + SENSE3 = BUTTON 3
SCAN1 + SENSE4 = BUTTON 4

SCAN2 + SENSE1 = BUTTON 5
SCAN2 + SENSE2 = BUTTON 6
SCAN2 + SENSE3 = BUTTON 7
SCAN2 + SENSE4 = BUTTON 8

SCAN3 + SENSE1 = BUTTON 9
SCAN3 + SENSE2 = BUTTON 10
SCAN3 + SENSE3 = BUTTON 11
SCAN3 + SENSE4 = BUTTON 12

SCAN4 + SENSE1 = POV HAT UP
SCAN4 + SENSE2 = POV HAT RIGHT
SCAN4 + SENSE3 = POV HAT DOWN
SCAN4 + SENSE4 = POV HAT LEFT

Connecting SCAN ALL to any of the SENSE pins will activate all four buttons associated with that SENSE pin.

I did not do any testing with the "Force Disable" header.
The Force feedback tests in windows controller settings worked fine without having anything on that header connected.




« Last Edit: June 18, 2014, 09:51:39 am by BadMouth »

BadMouth

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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring and drivers
« Reply #1 on: October 24, 2013, 11:08:56 pm »
Here is how it shows up in Windows.  I don't think the option of having pedals separate works on the board I have.
The Z axis on screen behaves erratically if I try to use it.

There is a way to wire both brake and gas potentiometers to a single axis, but I want to test it out before posting a diagram.
I'm also curious if my board would support the z-axis if the connector was added where the board is drilled for it.

Pedals separate:


Pedals combined:






« Last Edit: October 25, 2013, 09:00:38 am by BadMouth »

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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #2 on: January 29, 2014, 08:46:36 pm »
This is some awesome info... I recently managed to pick up a a pair of these boards, the only question this thread hasn't answered is what to use for a power supply.  24V seems pretty uncommon, and I'd be concerned about getting a supply with enough Ampers to power the giant happ feedback motor.

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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #3 on: January 30, 2014, 09:05:34 am »
24V seems pretty uncommon, and I'd be concerned about getting a supply with enough Ampers to power the giant happ feedback motor.

Actually they're much easier to find now that people use them to build homemade cnc machines.
6 AMP is probably the bare minimum.  I'm using a 15A one.
Just search for 24v power supply on ebay or amazon.

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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring and drivers
« Reply #4 on: September 08, 2014, 03:06:15 am »


There is a way to wire both brake and gas potentiometers to a single axis, but I want to test it out before posting a diagram.
I'm also curious if my board would support the z-axis if the connector was added where the board is drilled for it.

Hello Badmouth

Did you test with the two pots on the same channel?
Did you find out if the board would work wired to the unfinished J2  Z axix?

Martin

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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring and drivers
« Reply #5 on: September 08, 2014, 09:41:31 am »
Hello Badmouth

Did you test with the two pots on the same channel?
Did you find out if the board would work wired to the unfinished J2  Z axix?

Martin

No, and I've sold the board.
The two pots on the same channel should work.

I'm unsure what parts would need installed to gain another axis.


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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #6 on: September 08, 2014, 10:41:02 am »
Thanks for the quick reply.

Martin

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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #7 on: December 15, 2014, 10:35:06 pm »
I was browsing Force Dynamics website after they posted that awesome full motion Outrun (cannonball) video.
They have a different Immersion driver available specifically for Windows 7 if anyone is interested in checking them out.
Please do post pics for comparison if it has any options not available in the xp drivers.

http://force-dynamics.com/support


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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #8 on: December 17, 2014, 09:32:43 am »
I was browsing Force Dynamics website after they posted that awesome full motion Outrun (cannonball) video.
They have a different Immersion driver available specifically for Windows 7 if anyone is interested in checking them out.
Please do post pics for comparison if it has any options not available in the xp drivers.

http://force-dynamics.com/support

If that is the same Immersion Board used on the Happ wheel and in the ECCI 7000 wheel, then they need to get rid of it altogether. It's slow and unresponsive. There are a few guys making much better FFB/motion boards out there, SimExperience being one of them. The Immersion board is a dinosaur now.

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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #9 on: December 17, 2014, 09:43:14 am »
If that is the same Immersion Board used on the Happ wheel and in the ECCI 7000 wheel, then they need to get rid of it altogether. It's slow and unresponsive. There are a few guys making much better FFB/motion boards out there, SimExperience being one of them. The Immersion board is a dinosaur now.

I don't see any wheel interface boards or wheels listed on the SimExperience website.

The motion is usually a separate interface altogether which uses physics data from the game.

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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #10 on: December 17, 2014, 05:38:45 pm »
Data on the board SE will be using hasn't been fully released yet, but they will be using their own proprietary custom built interface board for the AF wheel. Sadly I don't think it will be sold separately.

However, some guys are working on a new DIY project that everyone can get started on for direct drive wheels.

Quote
Quote from: Phillip Jansen van Rensburg
Hello Everyone,

Whilst waiting for a few big players to release their latest versions of Force Feedback Wheels (FFB), I decided to have a go at doing my own to tide me over.
 
Whilst hardware is important in such endeavours, especially when it comes to reliability and indestructability, even more important is the software and/or firmware to make it all work.

Before I continue, I would be amiss to say that if you want to invest in a direct-drive wheel, but are not the most hands-on diy type, please wait for the Accuforce or what will come soon after. This project is intended as a write up of my efforts, successes and failures, and to assist/guide any of you who had already decided to diy just because you can, and want to experience DD FFB now, even though it might not be as refined as an Accuforce, for example, might be.

Now onto this worklog.
 
My wheel will be based on work done in this field by Bernhard Berger (API)  and MMos (HID USB) both from Virtual Racing eV Forums

All credits to them for both the API and HID USB implementation of the soft- and Firmwares.

With that done, let us get to the hardware list for this exercise.

1 -> AC Servomotor

Motors generally used in the DIY versions are mostly sourced from AliExpress, Hangzhou Mige electric Co. is the manufacturer -> talk to Lisa Zhan (Chunjin Zhan) ->  http://www.aliexpress.com/store/100742
Get in touch with Lisa Zhan directly via email (hzmgdjzhan@gmail.com)

I have selected the MiGe 2.3kW version  -> 130ST-M15015 with 30NM peak torque->  http://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/6179659453.html

Using this will require a few minor changes to the controller settings, as the file provided by Bernhard is for the smaller 1kW motor. The 1kW version is more often used by most DIY’ers, and with its 10nM nominal and 20nM peak torque rating, should be sufficient for everyone! Unless you have a very sturdy racing frame, a nice 5-point harness and go to the gym for pretty extensive workouts, I would recommend the 1.0kW version, link below.

MiGe 1.0kW servo motor -> 130ST-M10010 with 20NM peak torque ->  http://www.aliexpress.com/item/PM-Servo-Motor/267482883.html

Below a photo of the massive motor I got, metric ruler for scale - I wasn't kidding about the 5-point harness, Boyz.....




2 -> Drive-lock

After all the cabling is done, and before your first drive, you will need to mount a wheel-rim to the Servo, trying to turn this thing by hand won't work during extensive gaming sessions - oops, sorry iRacers, racing sessions.....for that part, I have sourced a split-bush at 22mm id to marry the two -> http://www.beltingonline.com/drivelock-13-22x47-dl13-9694

You will still need to make an adapter plate to mate your wheel's mounting holes to the split-bush, I will post CAD files shortly of two options, a simple adapter plate, and a nice eye-pleasing hub - designed by moa....below a pic of the bush next to a small electronic board, this for use with the drive controller....





3 -> Argon Drive Controller

Onto the part that will act as a driver controller for the motor, again most commonly used and open source with custom firmware for this application, done by Granity in Tampere, Finland - the venerable Argon Drive Controller -> http://granitedevices.com/digital-servo-drive-argon

Edit: For the Argon drive, you will also need the little interface in the photo above this text, the one next to the split bush...this will allow you to flash the new drive core and IO firmware.....I important for this project.....

There are a smaller version sold by them too, the VSD-E, which will work fine for the smaller motor listed above - take note the 'smaller' motor will be on par with Leo's and Berney's consumer Servo Wheels, give or take a few ounces here and there...

A photo of the Servo Controller next to the HID USB interface controller, more on that below:



and the back side, where you can mount an optional heatsink with a fan to provide even better current capacity, but this will not be needed in almost all applications - I will fit a custom heatsink though.




4 -> HID USB Controller

If you only ever play iRacing then you can use the API version (by Bernhard) and you would not need this USB device – if however you also play other racing sims, it is advised to use this controller, the FW was developed by user MMos as mentioned before. This controller will be the interface between your pc racing sim of choice and the Argon or VSD-E drive controller.

STM32F4DISCOVERY -> http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en?KeyWords=497-11455-ND%20&WT.z_header=search_go

Anyway, I will be providing a layout schematic, as well as wiring diagram, and CAD files for the parts I design, feel free to use them for non-commercial purposes. Hopefully this exercise and many others like it, will bring an affordable solution to hardcore racers.

5 -> Enclosure

As I travel to Tokyo a lot, by mere chance I discovered someone at Akihabara Electrical Town selling some pretty decent enclosures, made by Takachi, I am using the MB-25 model for mine, also, the top and front plates I have designed is for this model.  I will post the CAD files for that soon.

Takachi Enclosures -> http://www.takachi-enclosure.com/data/p_02aluminum.html

6 -> Hub CAD Files:

To follow soon!

7 -> Schematic:

Please find here the link for a schematic I have made for the Argon drive, Discovery controllers and motor.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ug0y9gg80ctx7d3/Beano_Schematic_Argon_to_MiGe_ACAD%202010.pdf?dl=0

8 -> Tutorial

Please find below the download link for a comprehensive instruction manual, a big thanx to Martin Ascher for doing this, it saved me heaps of time!!

Please always link to the file or Martin's website to ensure everybody gets the latest version:
http://www.ascher-racing.com/OpenSimwheel

 direct link to file (9MB):
OpenSimwheel_Tutorial

Update:

Please find attached my SETTINGS files for both the 1KW (note overclocked to 25NM!!) and 2.3KW (30NM) MiGe motors, as well as Bernhard Bergers's settings file for the M10010 - I believe this one is for the standard current (to provide 20NM)

DISCLAIMER: I accept no responisibility for anyone doing a project based on this information, I provide the following as a worklog of my endeavours only, and as information only. Should you decide to use this information for any purpose, the RISK IS ENTIRELY YOURS. In any such an event you want to use this information, please make use of certified and qualified electrical and mechanical engineers to support you.

Also please note the legal implications wrt  patents should you set out to gain commercially from this exercise! I provide this information with the full intention that this is for personal use only, no more, no less.


Quote
Geek talk
Last night (17Nov2014) I met with Tero and Timo, the two main guys behind Granite Devices, who is of course responsible for bringing drives, like the VSD-160E, Argon and soon, ION, to us....

Two main points were up for discussion, i.e Argon and ION.

Argon: Tero and Timo was keen to explore the option of creating a smaller footprint firmware dedicated to ffb- based direct drive wheel applications. They will simplify the UI, as well as remove unneccesary parameters, for example, if we only use torque control, they could take away velocity and position modes. Also, parameters that can simply be calculated, will be done and hiddent from the UI view.

The new firmware will also have some other soft interlocks that will be selectable, something like preventing the wheel from exerting max force in an oscillatory fashion, like when you hit that damn wall after Eau du Rouge at Spa in the DW12 and the front wheels are caught at a bad angle, then the wheel will very violently do a few left-right movements, hanging off the wall there...so that can get quite scary...

The main idea is that if the drive encounters that behavior, it will be able to terminate the signal to the motor....of course, the degrees of rotation and interlock will be user selectable for those that will this added safety feature.

Tero will also look at the maximum the Argon current sensing circuit can accurately measure, his feeling is this limit is around 22A, and he will make a firmware available for is to drive the large MiGe and Lenze motors, for example, a bit harder. The drive stage can handle more current, no issues, but this circuit is the limitation on what maximum current we can drive on the output stage.

Another point, there is actually space inside the Argon drive to accept an add-on daughter board, should we wish to add the 'Discovery' inside the housing. Again, he will forward some schematics to me so we can explore this option, should we wish to....there are pins connection directly to the IO from that pad inside the Argon....

The last point on Argon was to create  an OEM version, by removing the external cover, this will reduce price by ~€15, Further do a custom reduced set firmware, superficially focussing in the DD wheel market, which could see a significantly reduced Argon price for our use. Tero and Timo will come back with more on this.

ION: I suspect most new wheel manufacturers, including larger commercial players that will want to dabble in direct-drive wheels, will want to use this little gem that's near release.

Tero confirmed the first prototypes are being delivered next week ( end of November) and he doesn't foresee any delays, the first commercial boards will be ready around the middle of December.

This is where things got really interesting. We discussed power stage and capabilities, and some here know the ION will be coming with a 10A driver stage. Well, after some brainstorming, Tero will be looking at making different versions of this, maybe something like basic, intermediate and advanced, not only in hardware capabilities, but also FW.

He agreed it will be relatively easy to use the full 8x PCI express-slot length (note, not electrically the same pin config!!) instead of the current 4x length, and could very easily have the output stage provide.....wait for it.....20A! Far out, that is better than the VSD-160E, and in par with Argon.

But, more to come :) I asked Tero if he would consider designing Argon to be used in let's say, cascade mode on the output, so you can chain a few devices together should you need more current...

Well, let's just say I was bowled over when Tero indicated, there will be selector on the pcb that will allow you to drive an external high-current driver...wow.....almost spill my beer all over the floor...

So in essence, Tero will produce a hig-current driver, probably in the 25-35A range, that we could buy off their webshop.....and that will be driven directly by ION, something I was dreaming about someone would do for us.....at the flu jpg of a do jumper, you can revert to onboard MOSFET driver, or add-on..

It gets better - Tero will also provide the information to any drive manufacturer (as well as us geeks) that will allow them to design their own external MOSFET driver stage, to suit whatever you want to do.

This to me was fantastic news.

To summarize, exciting things coming on both drives' front, but I cannot help to think the ION will redefine drive controllers for FFB wheels, and come at a much, much lower price-point than Argon.

The footprint of this controller is insanely small, it will more than adequately fill a pretty large gap in the current commercial drive portfolio.

I am madly excited, there are also small tidbit of other news I cannot share at this moment, but watch this space for more


Pretty fascinating discussion.

http://members.iracing.com/jforum/posts/list/3282974.page

Alternative German thread:

http://forum.virtualracing.org/showthread.php/90823-DIY-OpenSimwheel-NET-Selbermacher-Servo-Lenkrad

ECCI will will also be making their own controller since Immersion has discontinued their board.

http://members.iracing.com/jforum/posts/list/3289240.page

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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #11 on: October 15, 2015, 03:24:18 am »
Thanks for the detailed info BadMouth.  Most useful in understanding how the switch matrix works.

I have a Need For Speed Underground cabinet with the twin PCB setup like you had.  I tried soldering on connectors to the Z-axis on the PCB and hooked it up to the Throttle but no input was sent through this channel so probably not supported.  I found a guy in the US selling brand new single PCB replacement boards (part no. COEM-GCE-H2P5A-HF) on ebay.  I got one delivered for A$50.  I swapped it for the twin PCBs and it worked perfectly straight away.  No connector changes and has the same footprint as the old board.  It now sends through the X, Y & Z-axes and probably W-axis too (if I ever want to configure a clutch).

I've just got to figure out how to make the 6-speed shifter work now but it seems it will be hard to make it work for all games.

I'm running an I-PAC2 board for the front console buttons.

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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #12 on: October 15, 2015, 09:54:52 am »
Thanks for the comment Cobra64!

It prompted me to do s a search on eBay for these and there's a guy selling NEW boards for about $30 a piece: http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-Immersion-Touchsense-Force-Feedback-Electronic-Circuit-Boards-/221903305140?hash=item33aa77b9b4

I snagged 2 myself but there are quite a few remaining if anyone else is interested.

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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #13 on: October 15, 2015, 10:01:50 am »
Thanks for the comment Cobra64!

It prompted me to do s a search on eBay for these and there's a guy selling NEW boards for about $30 a piece: http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-Immersion-Touchsense-Force-Feedback-Electronic-Circuit-Boards-/221903305140?hash=item33aa77b9b4

I snagged 2 myself but there are quite a few remaining if anyone else is interested.

That is a crazy good deal.  Old used ones were going for $150 each not long ago.
I don't need them right now, but buying 2 anyway!

EDIT: Attached pics from ebay auction in case those part #'s come in handy for anyone later.
5 amp sounds a couple amps low to me, but I don't think Happ has changed their ffb motors.
I always wonder about those empty spots where more components could be soldered in.
My 2 piece board above has 4 transistors for the force feedback.  These have 2 and 2 empty spots.
I have to wonder if the older boards handled more current than these.
Again though, I don't think happ is using smaller motors nowadays.
« Last Edit: October 15, 2015, 10:16:47 am by BadMouth »

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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #14 on: October 15, 2015, 02:54:31 pm »
Ok now that these boards are in a reasonable price range.... what would the scratch builder need to get these running?

Obviously some pots, but what else.... a gearbox, a motor and a 24v power supply?

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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #15 on: October 15, 2015, 03:00:20 pm »
Ok now that these boards are in a reasonable price range.... what would the scratch builder need to get these running?

Obviously some pots, but what else.... a gearbox, a motor and a 24v power supply?

Original Happ active steering setup, 24v power supply, & pedals.
I guess 6A would be enough if the board only requires 5.
That's all you'd really need, but you could also blow money on the proper connectors if you wanted.
You'd also need a box of diodes for the button matrix if you wanted to have more than 4 inputs, but those are dirt cheap.



The original stuff used 5k pots.  I don't remember if these work of resistance or voltage.
If they work off voltage, the value of the pots wouldn't matter.



« Last Edit: October 15, 2015, 03:03:07 pm by BadMouth »

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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #16 on: October 15, 2015, 03:07:12 pm »
If you wanted to build your own, you'd probably need to get similar gearing for the effects to be correct.
I can measure the pulleys on mine if need be. 
Various motors have turned up over the years.
The current ones are labeled 90v, but I've seen some that said 36v.
(all of them received 24v from the arcade machine regardless of what they were rated for)


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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #17 on: October 15, 2015, 03:17:19 pm »
Well yeah the gears and gear ratio are what have me worried.  The newer happ assemblies just have the motor directly connected to the shaft via a belt and two gears correct?

Here is my thought on it......  Last year I built that optical wheel from tractor supply and they have all the bearings and shafts one would need.... I think I got enough parts to do three wheels for under 30 dollars and these are bearings meant to go on a tractor, so they are sturdy. 

So if a person could find a source for the gears and belt I don't think it would be much of a problem to do a wheel for around 100-150 bucks.  Shoot if shipping wasn't so much of an issue there are some gear boxes with motor on ebay right now in the 30-60 dollar range. 

Now that the quality of Logitech's stuff is starting to drop a bit, this might be a better entry level wheel.  I'm confident with some scrounging it could be done for under 200 at the most. 

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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #18 on: October 15, 2015, 03:41:42 pm »
The newer happ assemblies just have the motor directly connected to the shaft via a belt and two gears correct?

The steering shaft runs through the center of a big "gear" (around 3" IIRC) and then the motor has a small "gear" that's probably less than an inch.
They are connected via a belt with teeth on it.  The pot is mounted on the very end of the steering shaft, so that's 1:1.

I'm not sure you could get away with using a standard belt and pulleys.  Since the pot is connected directly to the steering shaft though, I can't see what could get messed up.
If it slips the only thing affected would be the feel of the ffb.  I'm not sure if a bike chain would introduce any weird feel to the steering.

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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #19 on: October 15, 2015, 08:39:17 pm »
I have a couple of SF Rush cabs. One Rush converted to RTR and a dedicated RTR. Steering a pedal guts should be the same.

I have read quite a bit in this subforum, but would like to confirm before I buy stuff. I have picked up a G27 and a Driving Force GT in preparation to maybe convert one or both of my cabs to pc based. I saw the threads about hacking the logitech kit in with the happ feedback, but saw that some were't big fans. I guess I am just trying to figure out which way to go, straight logitech, logitech hacked with happ, or happ with this board. Thoughts?

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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #20 on: October 15, 2015, 10:45:53 pm »
The newer happ assemblies just have the motor directly connected to the shaft via a belt and two gears correct?

The steering shaft runs through the center of a big "gear" (around 3" IIRC) and then the motor has a small "gear" that's probably less than an inch.
They are connected via a belt with teeth on it.  The pot is mounted on the very end of the steering shaft, so that's 1:1.

I'm not sure you could get away with using a standard belt and pulleys.  Since the pot is connected directly to the steering shaft though, I can't see what could get messed up.
If it slips the only thing affected would be the feel of the ffb.  I'm not sure if a bike chain would introduce any weird feel to the steering.


*edit*  (Stupid quotes)


Hmmmm.....

So it's a timing belt then.  You know what else uses giant motors and timing belts?  Washing machines.  What do you want to bet that the components of the happ wheels are largely washing machine parts? 

We need some part numbers to see if this stuff exists outside of the arcade industry. 
« Last Edit: October 16, 2015, 01:24:37 pm by Howard_Casto »

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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #21 on: October 16, 2015, 01:16:45 pm »
Still "more than 10" available for $29 + shipping if anyone missed the link in all the discussion.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-Immersion-Touchsense-Force-Feedback-Electronic-Circuit-Boards-/221903305140?hash=item33aa77b9b4

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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #22 on: October 16, 2015, 01:31:48 pm »
Like I was saying last night, we need some specs.... size and tooth count may be enough. 

Anything that runs on a notched belt is considered a timing gear.  They are used in washing machines (although not as much these days) and motor vehicles. 

Just a quick google search got me a close approximate:

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Cam-Gear-Timing-Gear-For-EVO-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-4G63-2PCS/32350477511.html

That's 30 for two, so it would probably be 15 bucks for the big gear .... the smaller one might be a bit harder to find.  I don't think the motor type is as crucial, so long as it meets or exceeds the specs of the one happ uses. 

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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #23 on: October 16, 2015, 02:34:45 pm »
The belt is $9 and the small pulley is $18 from Happ.  I don't see the big pulley in stock, but it's keyed for the original steering shaft anyway.

Personally I think you'll end up with more money (and a lot more time) in a homemade solution vs just buying a used Happ setup which this was designed for anyway.

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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #24 on: October 16, 2015, 03:17:04 pm »
Well the problem is the shipping.  I think there is a used assembly on ebay right now for 50 bucks, which is more than reasonable.  The shipping is 75 though, making it so expensive that it starts making more sense to just buy it from happ new. 

I think they are fairly reasonable on the assembly itself, but they are over-charging for that motor. 

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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #25 on: October 18, 2015, 05:41:03 am »
Thanks for the comment Cobra64!

It prompted me to do s a search on eBay for these and there's a guy selling NEW boards for about $30 a piece: http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-Immersion-Touchsense-Force-Feedback-Electronic-Circuit-Boards-/221903305140?hash=item33aa77b9b4

I snagged 2 myself but there are quite a few remaining if anyone else is interested.

Yeah, that's they guy I bought mine off.  He charges US$16 for postage with tracking - only took a week or so to arrive to Brisbane.
Just wanted to say that the red&black wires coming directly off the PCB (you can see it in the photos) is for disabling the force feedback.  Just leave it disconnected if you want FFB all the time.

As for the power it seems to drive my HAPP motor well.  I haven't run it continuously for very long but at 100% it gave me sore arms and certainly wouldn't want to drive one-handed.

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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #26 on: October 18, 2015, 02:12:02 pm »
I should pick one of these up. I have an Atomiswave cab. Uses Happ controls. Would I be able to hook this directly to the wheel and pedals and into a PC?
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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #27 on: October 18, 2015, 05:32:00 pm »
I ordered 2 hoping to do the same thing.

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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #28 on: October 18, 2015, 07:28:20 pm »
I'm thinking of getting a couple just to play around with.  I doubt we'll ever see them at that price again. 

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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #29 on: October 19, 2015, 03:20:46 am »
I should pick one of these up. I have an Atomiswave cab. Uses Happ controls. Would I be able to hook this directly to the wheel and pedals and into a PC?

As long as the wheel and pedals provide a potentiometer output you should be OK.  There are three wires going to each potentiometer (+3.3V, GND, and the output of the pot).  I don't think it would make much difference as to the pot size (mine are 5k) as the Immersion driver seems to be self calibrating once you operate the wheel and pedals between min & max positions.  The larger the ohm rating of the pot, the more sensitivity it would provide.

I just hooked the Immersion board up to a new PC I had, installed the Immersion drivers, plugged in the USB, and of course made the connections to the wheel and pedals.  It worked nicely without any trouble or messing around at all.  I've tried it with Mame games, Model 2 & Model 3 as well as latest Steam games and so far all games recognise the Immersion FFB.  They all provide force feedback and various effects during the game play.  Some Model3 games I had to invert the pedal outputs (in the game settings).  Just having a bit of trouble with button controls in Steam as I think it is only wanting to see buttons from the Immersion board.  Gamepad buttons sent from the iPac don't seem to work in game play even though they are recognised in the Options settings - quite odd!

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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #30 on: October 19, 2015, 06:55:02 am »
I should pick one of these up. I have an Atomiswave cab. Uses Happ controls. Would I be able to hook this directly to the wheel and pedals and into a PC?
Yup.  The Happ stuff is what it's designed for.  On cabs that didn't originally use this board, the connectors are probably different though.  So you'll be cutting wires or making your own adapter cable.
« Last Edit: October 19, 2015, 06:57:03 am by BadMouth »

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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #31 on: October 19, 2015, 09:30:49 am »
I should pick one of these up. I have an Atomiswave cab. Uses Happ controls. Would I be able to hook this directly to the wheel and pedals and into a PC?
Yup.  The Happ stuff is what it's designed for.  On cabs that didn't originally use this board, the connectors are probably different though.  So you'll be cutting wires or making your own adapter cable.
I'm not afraid of rolling my own! Thanks for the info, gonna get one today!
« Last Edit: October 19, 2015, 01:13:50 pm by yotsuya »
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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #32 on: October 19, 2015, 10:17:52 am »
I haven't found a pinout.  I assume it's pretty close to the old version.
Also assuming it uses the same driver attached to the first post in this thread.

The ENC inputs made me curious though as to whether it also supports an optical encoder input.
Found this brochure (attached).  It looks like it only supports that if ordered in a different configuration.
The configuration of this part # is the first one listed; One analog wheel & two analog pedals.

« Last Edit: October 19, 2015, 10:25:45 am by BadMouth »

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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #33 on: October 19, 2015, 12:41:42 pm »
I should pick one of these up. I have an Atomiswave cab. Uses Happ controls. Would I be able to hook this directly to the wheel and pedals and into a PC?

As long as the wheel and pedals provide a potentiometer output you should be OK.  There are three wires going to each potentiometer (+3.3V, GND, and the output of the pot).  I don't think it would make much difference as to the pot size (mine are 5k) as the Immersion driver seems to be self calibrating once you operate the wheel and pedals between min & max positions.  The larger the ohm rating of the pot, the more sensitivity it would provide.

I just hooked the Immersion board up to a new PC I had, installed the Immersion drivers, plugged in the USB, and of course made the connections to the wheel and pedals.  It worked nicely without any trouble or messing around at all.  I've tried it with Mame games, Model 2 & Model 3 as well as latest Steam games and so far all games recognise the Immersion FFB.  They all provide force feedback and various effects during the game play.  Some Model3 games I had to invert the pedal outputs (in the game settings).  Just having a bit of trouble with button controls in Steam as I think it is only wanting to see buttons from the Immersion board.  Gamepad buttons sent from the iPac don't seem to work in game play even though they are recognised in the Options settings - quite odd!

If that's the case, I wonder if it'd work with the older, "right angle" assemblies found on some of the cabinets?  The Instead of timing gears and a belt these have a transmission style junction with the motor parallel to the dash (to save space).  There are a lot of those on eBay right now. 

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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #34 on: October 19, 2015, 01:05:42 pm »
If that's the case, I wonder if it'd work with the older, "right angle" assemblies found on some of the cabinets?  The Instead of timing gears and a belt these have a transmission style junction with the motor parallel to the dash (to save space).  There are a lot of those on eBay right now.

Link?  I only remember Sega Model 1 ffb setups being that way.

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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #35 on: October 19, 2015, 01:11:29 pm »
Just bought one. I also have a spare motor. Should throw that up FS.
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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #37 on: October 19, 2015, 02:30:24 pm »
Yeah I think most of these are from virtua racing machines..... it looks like many of them are over though.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MOTORIZED-STEERING-wheel-ASSEMBLY-UNTESTED-arcade-video-game-part-C304-/151846780930?hash=item235ac60002:g:~coAAOSw9mFWHAuX

Then there are these (I think they might just be a rumble motor though)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MOTORIZED-STEERING-wheel-ASSEMBLY-UNTESTED-arcade-video-game-part-C304-/151846780930?hash=item235ac60002:g:~coAAOSw9mFWHAuX

Virtua Racing used a 120v AC motor like the model 2 stuff.  It won't work with the Immersion PCB.
Yeah, the link it to a shaker motor.
The happ setups are all nearly identical.  I think the overall bracket for SF Rush might be a little shorter, but it's still the same parts and gearing.

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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #38 on: October 19, 2015, 05:45:54 pm »
Received mine in the mail today, but I won't be able to mess with it for a few weeks.  For anyone else that gets one, you might want to put a 5A fuse on the 24v input just to play it safe. 

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Re: Immersion USB arcade PCB wiring pinout and drivers
« Reply #39 on: October 19, 2015, 05:59:28 pm »
Received mine in the mail today, but I won't be able to mess with it for a few weeks.  For anyone else that gets one, you might want to put a 5A fuse on the 24v input just to play it safe.

Did it come with anything other than the board?
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