Fanatec clubsport wheelbase losing centre position again :(

[Tony Winslade]

I recently bought the fanatec clubsport wheelbase and formula rim.....really nice bit of kit.
Straight away I noticed that it was losing its centre position within a couple of minutes use and I was having to hold the wheel slightly to the left or right to keep vehicle straight.....so I went through the centering procedure and straight away it loses it....
Had the wheel sent back to fanatec and repaired but after a week the problem is back and very persistent.....
I'm beginning to wonder if this is an ongoing problem that won't go away....do the belts have a tendency to slip through quick oversteer adjustments and strong ffb?
For the amount of money I have spent on this bit of kit, I expect a top end performance and not have to make sacrifices while using it.....I find it quite ironic that other wheels at less than quarter of the price never had a problem ....very frustrated and beginning to lose faith with fanatec clubsport wheelbase

 

[Tony Winslade]

Well I should update as it has been a while....
After a few ignored emails to Fanatec (my last being quite an angry one )
I finally got a reply with an apology for not replying sooner due to a new system being installed at Fanatec and they were unable to answer any emails....I will just have to take their word on that one .
Anyway they agreed to replace the Wheelbase with a completely new one (I refused to have my current one repaired AGAIN as it didn't fix the problem last time round)
I got the new Wheelbase and I'm happy to say it's perfect...I installed driver and firmware, calibrated it and I haven't had to look back since. I have given it a thorough testing over the last few weeks. doing several 30 and 40 lap races and it's been flawless...I have not had to recalibrate it once.
I'm convinced that my first Wheelbase was just a bad one and it was the needle in the haystack (just bad luck I got that particular model).
Anyway...I very happy with it now, all I need to do, is vastly improve my driving skills

 

[RaceNut]

Well I should update as it has been a while....
After a few ignored emails to Fanatec (my last being quite an angry one )
I finally got a reply with an apology for not replying sooner due to a new system being installed at Fanatec and they were unable to answer any emails....I will just have to take their word on that one .
Anyway they agreed to replace the Wheelbase with a completely new one (I refused to have my current one repaired AGAIN as it didn't fix the problem last time round)
I got the new Wheelbase and I'm happy to say it's perfect...I installed driver and firmware, calibrated it and I haven't had to look back since. I have given it a thorough testing over the last few weeks. doing several 30 and 40 lap races and it's been flawless...I have not had to recalibrate it once.
I'm convinced that my first Wheelbase was just a bad one and it was the needle in the haystack (just bad luck I got that particular model).
Anyway...I very happy with it now, all I need to do, is vastly improve my driving skills

That's great to hear - I hope you thoroughly enjoy it. Thanks for sharing the news.

 

[Brian McManus]

I have having the exact same problem as yours on the left side except my calibration is worse.
After a couple laps it gets bad.
I had my wheel base send away not long ago for new motors and there been a weird noise out of it like something is broken or cracked since i got it back.
But this calibration problem started about 3 weeks ago.

Im using the lastest drivers & firmware.

 

[Tony Winslade]

I have having the exact same problem as yours on the left side except my calibration is worse.
After a couple laps it gets bad.
I had my wheel base send away not long ago for new motors and there been a weird noise out of it like something is broken or cracked since i got it back.
But this calibration problem started about 3 weeks ago.

Im using the lastest drivers & firmware.

If the problem is still happening after it has been repaired I would advise you contact Fanatec again and insist on a brand new wheelbase in exchange and refuse to have your current one repaired again...it was the only way I felt satisfied that would solve the issue for me and I have to say...it did !

 

[Brian McManus]

I emailed them tuesday evening so i am waiting on a reply.
I pretty much want a new base now.
Its already been sent to england for motors and a psu and they will probably want me to send over again.
I will mail them again and see what they say.

 

[Brian McManus]

So i replaced the optical sensor and made sure everything was clean.
I noticed when i took off bottom plate from the base it had a build up of rubber on it ,il attach a picture below.
Is that normal ?
I tested and it was ok for abit and it started to lean to right off centre.
Il have to get to fanatec monday morning.

 

[Tony Winslade]

That is odd if you ask me but I couldn't give you an honest answer.

Speak to this guy on gtplanet...he's a bit of a guru when it comes to Fanatec CSW and I'm sure he'll have an answer for you.

This is a link to his post, people ask him questions there and he'll get back to you.

http://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threa...ate-february-2014.274631/page-51#post-9476736

 

[eKretz]

Hi Brian, someone pointed me to your post here. The rubber dust is normal, it comes from belt wear. It will be much more pronounced if your belts are slipping and/or you have had your wheel a long time.

If your wheel is losing center there are a few things you can try but you'll most likely need to avail yourself of the warranty. First thing to do is check your encoder wheel - take a look at the black lines as you slowly spin it around and make sure there are no smudges or rubber dust etc. on the surface. If this looks good you could also have contaminants (like rubber dust) in the sensor. The sensor contains 1 or 2 LEDs that shine through the wheel and 2 photodiodes that detect the light on the opposite side. As the black bars go by, they block the light from the LED. The photodiode detects the light or dark and sends a signal to the microcontroller. If there's any dirt or scratches, or if the sensor is dirty, or an LED is dim, etc. the micro won't get the signals perfect, especially if the wheel is moving very fast or erratically (like when going over kerbs, etc.) So you can try removing the sensor and cleaning it with a bit of soft tissue and rubbing alcohol or if you're not comfortable with that level of mechanical work you can try just blowing it out with compressed air.

Some guys have reported having it start to work again by moving the sensor slightly to try to get closer or farther from the encoder wheel a little bit. If you try anything that involves unscrewing the sensor be sure to check for proper clearances when you reassemble so the encoder wheel doesn't rub the sensor or it may scrape off the lines.

 

[Brian McManus]

@Tony Winslade Thanks for pointing me to eKretz.

@eKretz ,
Thanks for the reply,
I have it since they first released the csw base ,it has been sent back to fanatec last november for motors so i assume they would of tighten up the belt as well.
When i replaced the optical sensor
I blew everything out with compressed air ,also the optical sensor it close to the disk.
I will open the wheel back up and clean the disk with a alcohol
wipe and check the led's.
Before i replaced the optical sensor there was no marks and scrapes on the disk so that should be ok il double check it to be sure.

Thanks for you're help .

 

[eKretz]

The belt should have no effect on losing center. Dean is correct about that. If you're losing center the problem is either the encoder wheel, an LED or the photodiode.

 

[Tony Winslade]

@brian mac I'm glad you are getting some positive advice mate....lets hope you can get to the bottom of this problem and sorted.

 

[2Air]

@eKretz, i have the same problem now.
Can you tell me where i can find the led's, diodes and sensors maybe with a pic or so?
I'd love to explore this option if it means my csw is fixed

thx

 

[airmikey]

I'm out guys my wheel is off centered again ill come to you guys earlier to help with this problem