Main > Main Forum
Logitech Driving Force Pro... 270 or 360?: Pictures Added
<< < (3/4) > >>
Dmod:

--- Quote from: 2600 on July 19, 2007, 02:28:01 pm ---I'd like to see how they switch it from 200 to 900 as well.

--- End quote ---

I'll put some pics up tonight but basically, there's a plastic stop that mechanically shifts in when you're in 200 degree mode.  A fitting on the wheel rotates into the stop, and stops the motion.

For 900 degree mode, the stop comes back to allow full rotation of the wheel.  The shaft of the wheel is geared and fits into a geared plastic slider that travels in a track along the bottom of the chassis.  When the slider hits the end of the track on either end, the motion of the wheel stops.

It's a pretty clever design, which makes it challenging to decase the wheel and put it into a custom control panel.  I think it's a lot easier if you're willing to give up the 900 degree mode of operation.
Dmod:
The first pic shows the top of the chassis removed.  The force feedback motor is the metal cylinder.  It's attached to the wheel through a series of gears inside the narrow black chassis between the wheel and the cylinder.

At the bottom of the cylinder is the optical encoder wheel.  The second pic shows a close up of the encoder wheel.  It spins between two photodiodes which are wired back to the main interface board.

Beneath the large metal clip in the center you can see part of the white geared
slider, and to the right of the motor, you can see part of the track it slides in.   As you turn the wheel, the white part slides until it hits the end of the track.

To the far left is the socket where the gear shifter sits.  There are two black push switches on either side of the gear shift box which are pushed when the gear shift knob is tilted forward and backward.

Dmod:
Here's a picture with the large metal clip removed.  Here you can clearly see the mechanical parts of the wheel that control 200 and 900 degree mode.

The small brass gear in the middle slides the small white block in the center in and out.  When it's in, it makes contact with a black switch labelled SW1.  Notice that the large black hub on the steering wheel has a shape that makes contact with the block when the wheel is fully rotated.

The small gear at the end of the hub fits into the teeth on the white slider, causing it to slide back and forth as the wheel is turned.  When the white block is out, the wheel will turn the full 900 degrees by pushing the slider to the ends of the track.

There's  black wire that travels through the center of the gear into the main part of the wheel and ties into the interface board, presumably for the gamepad buttons on the face of the wheel.

Power for the force feedback motor is provided by a separate power cable.
u_rebelscum:
Thanks for the pics! :applaud:  Makes me almost want to get one just to look at the insides, but I already have too many wheels in different states of repair, and shouldn't spend the $$$ just for the wheel to get very little use.


--- Quote from: Dmod on July 19, 2007, 11:14:39 pm ---At the bottom of the cylinder is the optical encoder wheel.  The second pic shows a close up of the encoder wheel.  It spins between two photodiodes which are wired back to the main interface board.
--- End quote ---

With five wires attached to the board.  Hmm... makes me think there's three sensors (vs the normal two) and one of the three could be "index".  The index sensor, marking once per revolution, is very common in high(er) end optical encoder wheels used in areas such as such as astronomy and industry.   The only game I've seen an index in arcade games is the 720 controller, and not in any mouse/trackball, either PC or arcade.
It's hard to tell, but it don't look like the sensors are reading the gear teeth but something closer to the axle, correct?  Any more pics of the holes (or whatever) the photodiodes detect, and a closer pic of the photodiodes themselves?  If not, no worries. :cheers:


--- Quote from: Dmod on July 19, 2007, 11:32:45 pm ---Here's a picture with the large metal clip removed.  Here you can clearly see the mechanical parts of the wheel that control 200 and 900 degree mode....

--- End quote ---

Do the stops feel any different?  I only tested in the store awhile ago, and I think they felt the same solidness, but I wasn't really thinking about the mechanics behind the two settings so I wasn't looking at it at the time.  Pretty simple but effective way of doing it.
2600:

--- Quote from: u_rebelscum on July 20, 2007, 04:20:32 am ---
With five wires attached to the board.  Hmm... makes me think there's three sensors (vs the normal two) and one of the three could be "index".  The index sensor, marking once per revolution, is very common in high(er) end optical encoder wheels used in areas such as such as astronomy and industry.   The only game I've seen an index in arcade games is the 720 controller, and not in any mouse/trackball, either PC or arcade.
It's hard to tell, but it don't look like the sensors are reading the gear teeth but something closer to the axle, correct?  Any more pics of the holes (or whatever) the photodiodes detect, and a closer pic of the photodiodes themselves?  If not, no worries. :cheers:


--- End quote ---
Remember, There has to be and index channel.  Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to center.
Personally, I'd probably hack it so that it is a wheel and a mouse.
Navigation
Message Index
Next page
Previous page

Go to full version