Ridge Racer DLX steering sensor

[John Bennett]

Hi folks,
I don't suppose anyone happens to have a DLX Ridge Racer with photos of where the steering potentiometer sits and how it couples up to the mechanism (please)?
It's the type with the spring/damper arrangement inside - at least that's mostly still there on mine, I'm just missing any form of potentiometer coupling :-/

(yes, there is a fluorescent tube behind the dash!)

 

[Bods]

I was looking at this again the other day, steering mech looks quite different though, does 3 screen have FFB?

https://www.ukvac.com/forum/threads/ridge-racer-arcade-cab-dlx-restoration.59501/

 

[John Bennett]

Thanks @Bods .
And oh-well, looks like another thing that they decided to make different for 3-screen. Perhaps they fitted the same mechanism used in full-scale .
I may have to improvise. I'll try to see where a pot gear-wheel may have gone.

It's not got FFB, none of them do to my knowledge - that didn't come until Rave Racer.

 

[Bods]

Yeah that one looks quite complex to the dlx, The cast part looks just like the Happs ones with similar style stopper setup as In the SR3 and my cabs i'm just working on

that's a beefy looking spring in yours interesting setup, whats the Fuji part for? not something I've seen before

 

[John Bennett]

It's a damper. I think the steering goes left/right into a spring and the damper absorbs the energy so it doesn't bounce back and forth.

 

[Bods]

It's a damper. I think the steering goes left/right into a spring and the damper absorbs the energy so it doesn't bounce back and forth.

Wondered if it was, bit difficult to work out the whole mechanism from that photo though

So Arcade 1up version got a Rumble upgrade or was that for the other games but not the original

 

[John Bennett]

I'll get a better photo tomorrow as it's fairly interesting stuff .
I'm presuming the 1-up FFB is for Rave Racer and Ace Driver.

As well as nothing in the software for FFB on RR1/2, there isn't an I/O PCB to handle it.
I think the later games have a PCB talking over serial to do the FFB (similar to how FullScale has a PCB with serial to drive the speedo/tacho in the car - but no FFB).

 

[John Bennett]

It might also still be that there's mechanisms like mine out there in DLX's - the cabinet in the link above is somewhere between an SD and a DLX, going off the seat.

They did so many versions of the first RR!

 

[Bods]

It might also still be that there's mechanisms like mine out there in DLX's - the cabinet in the link above is somewhere between an SD and a DLX, going off the seat.

They did so many versions of the first RR!

I wondered that too, I'm not that well up on Ridge Racer but the Steering wheel on 3 Monitor looks much better, there seem to be DLX ones with same Wheel and then others with cheap happs type. Seat Bases vary with the metal bars around some and not others, Some with similar seat base as 3M but just plastic chair, others with same seat, Left and Right handed shifters, it's difficult to find decent photo's of them though to see the wheel properly.
Maybe also it depends where they were made to what Steering mech they got like USA Taito cabs didn't get original Taito ones like Japan and UK got



This is a proper DLX one then with same type wheel so that's what you need to see inside of. If I'd had the space I would have bought an Original RR but I've got quite a lot of driving cabs already, rebuilding my Twin Sega with PCs in currently and I have some 6 speed shifters from something to add along with clutch pedals so I'll be able to play RR1 in full with gears and found the resto thread interesting showing the Clutch pedal a switch but does yours or the below DLX have switched clutch or did that get better one with pot?

Some good stuff in link below anyway
https://www.resetera.com/threads/yo...t-most-of-the-entries-in-the-franchise.38817/

 

[Bods]

Interesting info

https://330mega.wordpress.com/2016/02/28/rave-racer-force-feedback-retrofit/

 

[John Bennett]

Here's a video:

I think I see where the potentiometer would've gone - on the geared-down left wheel. There's two threaded holes for a bracket there.

The big metal half-circle thing is an end-stop - you're not supposed to hit that as the spring/damper should get in the way.

 

[tb2000]

I've got a 33" Ridge Racer Deluxe cab same as in the flyers above in my storage, but can't get to it right now as it's blocked by a load of other stuff! To be honest I can't remember if it's still got the original steering wheel in it, someone had at some point converted the cab to run from a Playstation 2 by the looks of it so it's a bit hacked about. The gearstick has definitely been changed out for what I think is just an arcade style joystick with a gearstick gaiter on it and the panel where that normally is, is altered with extra buttons. Luckily i've got an original 6 speed shifter (although worn) I picked up years ago to go in and original pedals which have been converted to plug into USB (which will be helpful if my original boardsets have all gone bad and I have to put a PC in with emulation)! If I manage to get somewhere near it at some point soon i'll have a look at what mine's got inside.

 

[yoganuggy]

Clip of a ridge racer 2 / rave racer twin steering mechanism.

1st type is the spring. 2nd type is the motorised force feed back. Both have the pot mounted at the back of the steering column to a cog.

 

[Bods]

Here's a video:

I think I see where the potentiometer would've gone - on the geared-down left wheel. There's two threaded holes for a bracket there.

The big metal half-circle thing is an end-stop - you're not supposed to hit that as the spring/damper should get in the way.

Ah so it's more like Initial D steering degree of rotation not just 270 like most, forget what that was
The Happs ones the steering pot goes in the end of the wheel shaft so looks like that is same but it goes in the end of the geared down shaft with 1 screw going on flat of pot shaft and 2nd to double secure

 

[John Bennett]

Thanks everyone.
There's a loose grub screw in the back of the left gear, doing nothing, so it's all making sense. It's 180 degrees of rotation between bouncing off the spring, so perhaps 270 absolute max.
I though I saw screw holes, but they weren't. There's cable clamps next to it though (and a cutout in a plate that otherwise does nothing).
I'll look inside the machine next time I visit it (!) and see if the parts are lying inside the main box somewhere - I think the pot might be.

 

[Bods]

Manual there for RR with Steering rotation
https://www.gamesdatabase.org/Media/SYSTEM/Arcade//Manual/formated/Ridge_Racer_-_1993_-_Namco.pdf