DIY Ferrari 2011 Wheel

[William Geuze]

At this point in time I'm in the research phase for my future DIY project. I have never done anything like this, and I'm certainly no handy man. You think this sounds weird? Wait till you read what I want to do...

In short, this is what I want to build:

Features:
Leo Bodnar SLI-Pro
Shifter paddles
Clutch paddles
Hall effect sensors for clutch (Allegro A1302)
Microswitches for shifters (???)
12 rotary switches
3 regular switches
10 (knitter) pushbuttons (only if I can strike a deal)
Quick release
2 layers of Carbon fibre shell
glass fibre cast
rubber grips

I will create my own CAD drawings, guestimating measurements, with the help from some known sizes, and my own 3d model made for my 3D portfolio.

Estimated cost: €450,-

Yes, this might seem way out of my league for someone who has no experience with this stuff at all. Because it is. But I'm a stubborn bastard and I would love to do this. There isn't a single product on the market which suits me for an affordable price. Buying a Thrustmaster and adjusting that still sucks, since thats costs about 500 without the SLI-Pro and buttons added, and it basically is a plastic toy still..

For now, I have the following questions:
- According to Bodnars' website, the hall effect sensor can be connected directly to the SLI-pro, is this true?
- Is it expensive to have moulds routed/cnc-ed?
- Which microswitches for the shifters? What about the mounting, no idea how just yet.
- Is the quick release worth my money?
- Is it possible to route all wires through the steering wheel/colum into the steering wheel base?
- I will be in the market for a new steering wheel base, Im still using an old Momo Racing. second hand g27?

Any feedback, opinion, help etc, is much appreciated.


edit:
Before I forget, any plans, templates, files I create, will be free to use by the community Im just not responsible for any mistakes in them

 

[simracn]

Ask Leo about the barrels for the NKK buttons. has two sizes. The NKK also has a definite 'click' when pressed.

 

[William Geuze]

Yeah these ones do so as well, it feels really good

Those or not what I'm after either

edit:
To be more clear:

 

[simracn]

well ok then Mr picky LOL They do look sharp, but have no idea where to find those.

 

[William Geuze]

Haha, hey I'm building a replica not just another fancy pants wheel

Well if I have to I can always use a black nut and the small NKK guard, but it seems like the parts
used on the amalgam and real one are one piece parts. Thats a worry for later though!

Forgot to mention it, the base for the mould is on it's way to my doorstep! I'm so curious to whatrthe quality of it will be and how much work I need to put into it before it is ready to be turned into something I can line with fibreglass and carbon fibre!

 

[William Geuze]

I may have found a very affordable version of the Lifeline and Sparco quick releases, it is this one, it has similar specifications, but much cheaper. Anyone out here who has experience with this brand and model?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JJC-Quick-Release-Weld-On-Formula-Boss-1-Dia-Spigot-/270784742920


edit:
Oeh, the lifeline one is only 118 pounds Will be saving up for that then cause then I'll know for sure it's a quality product

 

[belldanndy]

I may have found a very affordable version of the Lifeline and Sparco quick releases, it is this one, it has similar specifications, but much cheaper. Anyone out here who has experience with this brand and model?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JJC-Quick-Release-Weld-On-Formula-Boss-1-Dia-Spigot-/270784742920


edit:
Oeh, the lifeline one is only 118 pounds Will be saving up for that then cause then I'll know for sure it's a quality product

The different is only 36.4 pounds, for me I will go for a more well known and race used brand!
Also, the Souriau connector is special make to fit the Lifeline QR.

 

[William Geuze]

I totally agree with you and will go for the Lifeline
Doesn't the connector come with the hub itself?

I've decided that I don't like the grips I made for the wheel, so I am going to redo them in a 3d modelling program. The base for the mold should have arrived by monday hopefully, and some other supplies are on the way as well. After this round of expenses, need to save some money again for next month

A quick question, would it be advisable to give the mold 1 or 2 coats of primer when it is done? The thing will be a combination of MDF, filler and 3d printed parts*, so I'm worried these different materials will react differently to a mold release agent.

*
For example:
The base will be routed out of MDF
the diff and chrg round parts will printed
the grips will be printed each in two halves

The two halves thing will be very handy when it comes to lining the mold with carbon and glassfiber I think, cause it will be very hard to do a concave shape with a mold The top part will be attached to the MDF base, and the other part will be cast seperately. This last part will also have a pushbutton mounted on it, and I have yet to design a way to hold the button in place, and make the inside of it accessable incase it needs replacing. I already have an idea but it's not in the assembly or drawings yet. The grips in their entirety will first travel to 3Dsmax in order to smooth them out and include the thumb indentations.

**
Come to think of it, it will probably be quite easy to create a mold for the rubber on the grips as well based on the new grips, but I will have to do some testing to figure that out. That will be much later though! Basically, I'm thinking of making a mold with the desired thickness of the rubber, making the shape hollow and cutting it in half. When I apply rubber to the wheel, I stick these molds on there and apply some pressure so the rubber gets pressed on there tight and without cracks, holes or thin areas. This will work great, in theory of course..


Edit:
A colleague who is helping me out from time to time gave me very good advice on the pushbutton guards.
I can just take on of these,

stick it into a milling machine, and mill out the center and outer bit to a smooth circle, leave 1mm of six sided material left as the nut, and presto! A homemade guard as used on the actual wheel, in a very cheap manner! Only have to anodize the material, or will use black POM or ABS . Measurements will be based off of the standard knitter brass guard so they will fit perfectly. I'll do the drawings for it tonight. If somebody else wants to give it a try, I'll upload the production sheet when I have it
Low cost and custom, I like it

 

[belldanndy]

I totally agree with you and will go for the Lifeline
Doesn't the connector come with the hub itself?

I afraid the connector is not include, but you can order it with the Lifeline QR.
Part number: 410-200-001 Formula Car with 8 pin electrical contact.
I think it will cost 100 pounds more! Or you can made your own.

 

[William Geuze]

Oh man that sucks, but to be honest, thats just another month or two of saving, atleast the wheel can be put to use, and the wire from the sli-f1 kept outside of the wheel shaft

I really hope I can keep the costs below 1000 euro's, but it's proving quite a challenge this way

 

[belldanndy]

Oh man that sucks, but to be honest, thats just another month or two of saving, atleast the wheel can be put to use, and the wire from the sli-f1 kept outside of the wheel shaft

I really hope I can keep the costs below 1000 euro's, but it's proving quite a challenge this way

But it will look a bit odd, with the wire handing out (like the earily version of the Roso Wheel). Also, it will waste the function of the quick release! To be accurate replica of the real wheel, I will definitely go with the wire installed.

 

[William Geuze]

I know, but that will probably have to wait until more money is in the bank

Problem is, I do need to buy a new desktop as well probably. So if that is the case, that'll have priority above this project, financially... I hope we can patch the old thing up, otherwise I'm screwed!

 

[belldanndy]

No, I mean you can use that on the prototype to save cost, but when it's looking promising and I want to go for it, I will definitely use the build-in wiring.

 

[William Geuze]

Oh yes sure thing and I will want to do the same anyway

Good news, this was in the mail!

It's exactly what my plans say it should be, I do wish I gave one part a bit more thickness, but right now I'm sticking with this cause I think it is dang sexy

 

[belldanndy]

Oh yes sure thing and I will want to do the same anyway

Good news, this was in the mail!

It's exactly what my plans say it should be, I do wish I gave one part a bit more thickness, but right now I'm sticking with this cause I think it is dang sexy

Wow, things start coming out from 3D to real product! Looks promising, good for you!!

 

[William Geuze]

Thanks, awesome right?

 

[Fred Owen]

This does look fantastic ! I can't wait to see the finished product

 

[William Geuze]

Thanks!

My other package.arrived this morning. I think i ordered wrong tumble switches and encoders, but for the prototype it will be fine, ive only ordered 1 or 2 each

 

[Fred Owen]

You've certainly inspired me... maybe I'll be doing one of my own ! I could do with a new wheel

 

[William Geuze]

Simple site is online
http://wgeuze.nl/f1wheel/

 

[William Geuze]

A slight change of plans, I worked on the mold a bit yesterday, and adding the grips to it has concerned me, it's almost impossible to do properly out of one piece if you're not an F1 engineer

I will do the grips in 2 halves seperately from the main body of the front panel. This has a couple of advantages in my opinion, please correct me if I'm wrong:
- less room for error, don't need to throw away an entire cast when the grips dont work out
- I can literally bolt them on, and reinforce the joints
- If needed, I can glue in an aluminium framework for the grips, and use that to bolt the front panel to the wheel frame. This is something worth considering as it will reduce any flex big time. The only downside is, it will cost more, but to be honest, I will make that piece simple so it should only cost 10 euros or something.

I would really like opinions/feedback on this because as usual, I'm out of my comfort zone