Mclaren F1 2020 Steering Wheel Semi-Replica V4

This was a dive into the deep end. Having not done something like it at all I first had to research how others approached building DIY Wheels.

I realized the bluepill was so we can run the FreeJoy Software (which is absolutely amazing. I am a Software Developer and thought I'm going to make my own but this is just all I needed. Incredible) and the pro micro runs simhub to control the LED's. The vocore is also controlled by simhub. All of them communicate via usb. A single usb cable is enough to power all of them (connected to a powered usb hub, pc connection cuts out).

I had to make some changes, which were:
1. I wanted rotary switches instead of rotary encoders in the front so I needed to enlarge the holes
2. I wanted the switches and axis to be able to plug into a board instead of direct soldering which makes it easier to replace them if anything breaks so I had to find room somehow
3. I wanted to be able to adjust the dual clutch with a potentiometer in the back so I had to cut a hole and room for the potentiometer and wire it in series to one of the clutches.
4. A usb hub so I only have a single USB cable out of the back

All of that made it necessary to increase the depth of the back so I can fit all of the cable spaghetti. Definitely a learning experience, the next project of mine I will create a pcb which makes everything much cleaner. Also I couldn't make the gx16 work, so I just ran the cable out by itself... (usb kept reconnecting with gx16, works with cable though)

I used the 50mm backplate with a custom 50mm thrustmaster adapter. I currently only own a t300, but will upgrade to a dd someday and then I need to be able to switch without printing a whole new shifter assembly.

A big Problem (and not really solved) for me were the handle rotaries. I used ec11 as described, but the pockets were large and it's almost impossible to align them correctly so they don't bind after some rotations. I used sugru (putty glue) to fix them but some of the rotaries now still bind after a few clicks. It's something I will definitely think about more on how to approach for my next project (as I find handle rotaries are awesome as a concept).

In the end I made many mistakes, the finish doesn't look as good and the caps don't fit with the button's I use (mine are tapered weirdly).

While I made many mistakes and contemplated giving up several times I've learned a tremendous amount about cad, electronics and 3D Printing through this project. It's not perfect, not by a long shot, but it's a great stepping stone into my journey towards more and more ambitious wheels.

I want to give my thanks to Canary_Sim_Wheel_Designs for providing this awesome design!