CSL Elite load cell question - deadzone

A_S · Feb 15, 2018

Hi,

I bought a CSL elite load cell brake earlier this week and after initially finding it impossible to press more than 25% i've adjusted the settings and got a nice balance.

However, now the white sponge is so loose that even resting my foot on the pedal I get around 20% brake action and I can't rest my foot on the pedal at all without applying significant pressure???

Is this normal? It can't surely? it looks like I am going to have to set a 20% deadzone to be sure, as I dont want to even have the throttle/brake/clutch trace up on my screen while racing, let alone having to watch it every 5 seconds to ensure I'm not "dragging" on the brakes?

Rather confused at the moment. The manual is no help and really badly structured.

Thanks
Andy

GoPhastVGS · Feb 16, 2018

That DOES seem a bit much...

Are you sure that you've got all the rubber donuts in place? i.e. not missing one of them.

FWIW I did have to add a little dead zone at rest, as I was getting, I'd guess 2 to 3 % 'drag'. The return spring could a little stronger/longer, not a lot, but a little bit. IMHO.

A_S · Feb 16, 2018

thanks,

I do have all 5 rubber donuts in place and the white foam.

I am a bit baffled, so I've raised a ticket with Fanatec and I've just taken this video to show them. As soon as I rest my foot at its natural angle on the pedal, it goes straight down to the full compression on the foam. I need to have the ball of my foot on the pedal in order to allow me to apply sufficient pressure.

salva374 · Feb 18, 2018

Off topic:

I bought 15 days ago my fanatec pedal LC.
Perfectly installed and work, but I noticed brake pedal have a very little lateral movement, clutch and throttle pedal are stable.

did you noticed it or is my pedal issue?

James Robertson · Feb 18, 2018

I have my pedals connected via usb, when i go into the game controller properties I can adjust the sensitivity so that when i rest my foot on the pedal it doesn't register until hitting a pre set amount of actuation.

GoPhastVGS · Feb 18, 2018

A_S
I hope Fanatec offers some insight....

salva374
Not sure what you are referring to but, 'lateral' to me, means side-to-side play, wobble or looseness. You do not want a lot. Smooth not binding, no wobble. If A LOT is what you have, then I'd have to say that is NOT normal and there is an issue with your brake pedal.

James Robertson
Your screenshot shows the maximum setting. The profile properties does not have a minimum setting AKAIK. You are at the other end of the range than what A_S and I have run up against.

I ended up adding dead zones in Assetto Corsa controls for both LOW and the High end settings. Just the sweet spot. One thing that I am planning on doing is to add another "white sponge like" spacer of just regular foam. Perhaps that will help the return spring a bit more further/stronger. If it works (or not) I'll post.

GoPhastVGS · Feb 18, 2018

Okay, so I have added 3 correct size (diameter) flat washers in the elastomer stack. Seemed to have returned to off better, BUT, It did not make any difference what-so-ever. Removed them.

There is a slight off-set to the pivot bracket that holds the whole stack together. Make sure that is set to make stack 'longer', rather than 'shorter'.

Sorry James, I didn't see, or recognize that you are using "Manual Settings" (Mine was not).
The Pedals Properties, there is a check box for "Enable Manual mode (Auto-Calibration deactivated!)". Checked it, at the activation boxes there are now "set min" at the bottom and the top has "set max".

I rested my foot on the brake, not enough to be 'riding it', set minimum. And it seems to have kept it. Have not tested it in-game, as I "Hover" rather than "Ride the Brake".

Try that. It seems to working a treat.

A_S · Feb 18, 2018

Thanks - I am still waiting for a reply from Fanatec. so far I've set about a 20% deadzone in the Fanatec software. It seems to work ok in game and I have much more feel than without the loadcell pedal but my concern is that i'm loosing even more feel by having 20% of the range not in play...

I will let you know what Fanatec say when I get a response.

In terms of the pivot bracket - I will have a look - do you mean the retaining arms are off centre, and if you put it on back to front it makes the stack length longer?

edit: I've had a look and I did have it on the short end, but even so it has not made a difference to the initial travel as the problem seems to be the return springing or the sponge compression.

Thanks

Eddie Ellis · Feb 19, 2018

Just remove the white spacer and replace it with one #85 black spacer. I don't use two feet, so it wasn't an issue for me.
I think Inside Sim Racing did the swap on their Youtube review. If your still confused look at the video.

Stan Marlow · Feb 19, 2018

I can confirm a bit of lateral movement of the brake pedal
I also have to set minimum to rest my foot on it.
I have the softest rings and max at 50 because I am using a wheel stand so not very stable.

A_S · Feb 19, 2018

Thanks,

Fanatec replied but just say the same, set a dead zone - i will ask them if i loose any feel by setting it at 20%.

I will also try putting in an 85 spacer - however i am dead sure that the manual said not to mix and match - but it is a very difficult read... (as most fanatec manuals seem to be..!)

Edit: It is just a warning:

IMPORTANT: The elastomer springs must not be compressed more than 40% of their length so do not put more load on them than listed in table! If mixing brake springs with different hardness on the brake rod the maximum load is defined by the spring with lowest shore value!

Ideally I'd like to get another 65 - is there somewhere I can buy these - Can't see any replacements on the fanatec website

Eddie Ellis · Feb 19, 2018

You have to get replacement elastomers from Fanatec if you want a super accurate measurement. A professional skate board shop may have them, but they are not testing durometer on the same test stand as Fanatec. So you would have to buy soft or extra soft and guess. I'd just use the 85 as the white foam is fully bottomed at mid- travel anyways.

WhippyVan · Feb 23, 2018

skate board bushings are a bigger OD, you will be able to buy different shore durometer rated urethane bushing from a skate shop and will probably list their rated DU, and no fanatec do not have some special rig to measure the urethane bushings before they mark them or some super special urethane mix for the bushings they buy from some supplier in china..

Eddie Ellis · Feb 23, 2018

WhippyVan said:
skate board bushings are a bigger OD, you will be able to buy different shore durometer rated urethane bushing from a skate shop and will probably list their rated DU, and no fanatec do not have some special rig to measure the urethane bushings before they mark them or some super special urethane mix for the bushings they buy from some supplier in china..

The outer diameter of the bushings won't matter on the CSL loadcell stack. Even if it did, there are many brands and sizes of skateboard trucks. I'm too old to follow the skateboard scene any more, but some of the small kids are riding a new type of small skateboard. I think in my area they call them penny-boards or something like that. These are usually a smaller, cheap board and not what I rode half-pipe with 25 years ago. I did see some places rating durometer when I did a quick search. Some things in this world are not exact. Durometer testing or rubber items and tire pressure are two of them. Each is dependent on using the same gauge to test them. It is not unusual to have good tire gauges vary by 2 psi in the same brand and up to 4 psi with different brands. Real life racers know this and durometer testers are the same, but worse. https://www.muirskate.com/longboard-guide/bushings/intro/

Back to the OP, I have been running with one #85 OEM bushing for a week. It doesn't change the need for a dead band setting in the game for people who leave a foot on the brake. I do like the F1 style brake feel and I was happy to be able to increase my BrF setting to 030 from 020. It feels like I have more control when trail braking.