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Geddon

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I searched and didn’t see that much talk about wheels people like to use with Naomi hardware. I’ve seen mitsu’s video where he demos a few, but I’m curious what anyone else has gotten working. I see a pretty cheap Ferrari 458 Xbox one wheel local to me so I might start with that one.
 
Most arcade drivers just need something with a 5K pot... doesn't even need to be a wheel.

I mean if you want to get technical you don't even need that so much as you need an analog signal between 0 and 5V. I've actually played driving games with the Sega IR guns (point to left of screen to turn left, point to right of screen to turn right). it's all dumb analog signals.

Now Force Feedback, that's something else altogether.
 
Well I actually want to play the games with something half decent.
 
Watching this thread... I'd love to get a solution for driving games...
 
Well I actually want to play the games with something half decent.
The "best solution" really depends on what it is your bolting this wheel to. What works in a candy cab doesn't work on your couch which doesn't work in a dedicated driving rig.
 
Well I actually want to play the games with something half decent.
The "best solution" really depends on what it is your bolting this wheel to. What works in a candy cab doesn't work on your couch which doesn't work in a dedicated driving rig.
I have a height adjustable table that should work pretty well. So those types that clamp on a table which seems like most wheels.
 
Bump but since this is relevant to me, I may as well contribute. I mod these all the time to a DB15 Cable which is connected to my Model 3 driving games + nem's Sega 4-to-2way shifter adapter, but it seems to use similar connection to all those JVS systems.

So far I have modded two wheels successfully WITHOUT cutting or molesting any of the original wiring harnesses, and this is a special message to anybody out there doing these mods -- NEVER, AND I MEAN NEVER, EVER, CUT ANY CONNECTORS OR WIRES OFF UNLESS YOU REALLY REALLY NEED TO!! It will save you headaches aplenty if you ever need to do maintenance on your wheel (replacing/adjusting pots, etc.) Take some time to inspect how the wheel was originally set up. Try to get measurements of the original cables if the potentiometers do not use enough wires to accomodate for arcade use. Obviously you will need to replace the main console connector with your own cable, but as long as you wire it the way it was originally set up, you're golden. That's the key idea for all of this -- patience.

- Thrustmaster Sprint (branded under NASCAR in US). Has the "hand pedals" instead of paddle shifters to change gears, but I love them! It only uses 4 buttons, but all I did for this one is move some wires around and ran a new ground wire from the buttons directly to the pots, then soldered them back to the pass-through board and connected all those wires and the pots to my DB15 connector. Dismantle the foot pedals, remove the pots and throw the rest away though, because I've used them before modding it and they are tiny. After cleaning the wheel and replacing the bungee cord, on top of adjusting the pots, it's been my go-to wheel and rock solid. It may not have many buttons but it's the build quality and stability that counts for me, baby! Usually I stick to the default view on most games so view change isn't 100% necessary in my opinion.

- Interact V-Thunder. PS2 wheel, just like the "Roadstar" wheel Mitsurugi-W and one other guy modded to JVS. One of the best wheels I've ever converted with responsive pots, and it's also great for test setups because it has a lot of buttons you can wire to the 12-pin connector (you will need to isolate the button pads for this to work), and uses both foot pedals and the paddles for gas and brake. The pedals--I've used them also, they are generic and too sensitive. Maybe one day I'll hook up a wheel with pedals the same way I did these two.

The next wheel I want to mod is this one here, that awbacon wired for Hyper Neo Geo 64 (Road's Edge):
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQFtUnxEXm4&list=PLM_XSfT9OiQRvXSqh9HVJm_Rh_6DeR3xy&index=2
. The steering pot needed to be replaced but it looks like it has a 4-pin connector for pedals, which is perfect for arcade use. He used different pedals in the video, though.

DO NOT BUY THE FOLLOWING WHEELS. THEY SUCK! THEY'RE POORLY BUILT or will not work well.
- Thrustmaster NASCAR Compact. Paddles broke within the month after I modded it. You can break them off within less than a second.
- Thrustmaster Grand Prix 1. The potentiometers are so old and the buttons are oddly placed. And to top this off, the original connector only has 5 wires and a telephone cord, while the connector is a 6-pin Mini DIN one. I haven't found a way to replace the pots in these or find a replacement cable.
- Mad Catz MC2 (any). Some models are easier to mod than others but it is so bulky and takes up room. No table clamp either. The handles are known for eventually coming apart.

I actively use the following tools for my mods:
- Soldering iron
- Brass copper or a sponge (for tinning your soldering iron tip)
- Kester brand solder
- Solder scraper kit (for scratching off PCB copper)
- Heat shrink tubing (optional but recommended depending on situation)
- Solder seal connectors
- Gorilla Double-sided Clear Tape or Hot glue. In the long term, I prefer using the Gorilla clear tape over hot glue.
- Box cutter or exacto knife (for isolating button pads)
- Wire strippers that support up to 30AWG wires
- High quality scissors that can cut wires or a wire cutter
- DB15 Cables (at least 6.5 feet or more)
- A DB15 breakout board of some kind that will plug into the I/O or filter board of whatever game you choose. I currently use the screw terminal kind.
- 24, 26, 28, and 30 AWG of wire. I would strongly suggest using 30awg for things like padhacking or re-routing buttons to a connector.
- A small flathead screwdriver bit
- Phillips screwdrivers of varying size (I would even recommend one of the smallest Phillips screwdrivers possible)
- Desoldering gun (optional but highly recommended) or braid.
- Any wheel that uses pots and buttons
- Various JST or Dupont connectors with 2.54mm pitch
... and a multimeter. If you aren't using a multimeter, I will ignore you! :P

It is also good idea to remove all components (resistors, caps, etc) from the internal motherboard of your wheel. Don't desolder the connectors themselves, though. I use a Hakko FR-301 (110V) with a transformer, and I tin my tip using copper and clean the tube from time to time.

If you need to help hooking a pots-based wheel to your driving PCB, don't hesitate to ask me. I'd like to do a modding service at some point :)
 
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