Wireless setup
The wireless setup is a new way to connect pedals that's simple to configure, requires the fewest cables and can also the the easiest way to connect your pedal(s). Requires any control board, although gilphilbert's PCBA is the easiest option due to it's pedal configuration switches. Wireless connectivity is possible due to a Wireless Controller that connects to the pedals and provides a Joystick device for Windows with each pedal represented by different axes.
The parts you will need are simply the pedal(s) and a wireless controller. The wireless controller (or Bridge) is a small device that plugs into your PC and provides a way for your PC to access the pedals over a wireless connection. The currently supported devices for the wireless controller are
- ESP32-S3-Dev-Kit
- WaveShare ESP32-S3 N8R8 module
- Custom USB dongle with ESP32S3 on board (in development)
Wireless is enabled on the Control Board once the pedal has been assigned a function (throttle, brake or clutch)
The V3, V4 and SpeedCrafter control boards can only have their pedal assignment over USB connection and require a pedal config to be sent to the pedal to enable wireless Once the pedal assignment is complete, please restart the pedal to enable wireless connectivity
Important
When using Software Pedal Assignment, is necessary to reapply the assignment over USB after every firmware update
gilphilbert's board has built-in hardware switches that set pedal assignment. The switch settings for each mode are printed on the back of the PCB but are also included below for reference.
Tip
Hardware Assignment only needs to be set once and will be retained after a firmware update. Hardware Assignment does not need to be changed or reapplied after a firmware update
Connect Bridge and Pedals vias usb with simhub plugin, then press the Enable Pairing Mode button to enable Pair mode on Pedals and Bridge.
Press the Boot button on the Pedal Control board and Bridge to enable the pairing mode.
Both of software or Hardware Pairing procedure only apply once to keep the mac address in EEPROM.
Please note, after pairing the restart is needed.
if you change the control board or add new device into pairing, please enable pairing procedure again.
Important
All devices should restart after pairing done.
- Plugin the Wireless Controller (whichever board you selected). For boards with two USB-C ports, make sure to plug both ports into your PC.
- Open the the SimHub DIY FFB Dashboard and enable Advanced Mode
- Open the Wireless tab in the advanced area below
- Connect to the COM port of the Wireless Controllaer (should display as a CH3434 Enhanced Serial Device)
- You can have the plugin automatically connect to the Wireless Controller when SimHub starts by enabling the "Auto Connect to Bridge" option
- Make sure you enable "Wireless Sync to Pedal" for each pedal that you have connected. Enabling this option will tell the plugin to connect to the pedal through the Wireless Controller and not directly to the pedal over serial.
The Wireless Controller creates a joystick controller with the following axes:
| Axis | Function |
|---|---|
| Rx | Brake |
| Ry | Clutch |
| Rz | Throttle |
| X | Rudder |
| Y | Rudder left brake |
| Z | Rudder right brake |
The joystick should appear automatically in various simulators, you just need to assign the axes to functions.
The wireless technology used for this feature is ESPNow, a capability of the ESP32 family of processors used in the control boards. You may see errors in the logs if the Wireless Controller isn't working, these are detailed below.
| Error Code | Description |
|---|---|
| 11 | Servo Tunning parameter is updated, restart servo |
| 12 | Servo lost connection |
| 101 | ESPNow config payload type error |
| 102 | ESPNow config version error |
| 103 | ESPNow config CRC error |
| 111 | ESPNow action payload type error |
| 112 | ESPNow action version error |
| 113 | ESPNow action CRC error |
| Color | Connected status |
|---|---|
| White | no Pedal connected |
| Red | Clutch connected |
| Orange | Brake connected |
| Cyan | Clutch and Brake connected |
| Yellow | Throttle connected |
| Blue | Clutch and Throttle connected |
| Green | Brake and Throttle connected |
| Purple | Clutch, Brake and Throttle connected |
| Flashing Red | Bridge in pairing mode |
| Color | Connected status |
|---|---|
| White | no Pedal connected |
| Red | Pedal connected |