Factors affecting the resource game gaming

In all tests of game steering wheels, which there are hundreds in the network, carefully bypass the resource issue of game steering wheels and pedals. It would seem - the buyer should tell how long his purchase will work, what is the resource of the device. But no, you will not find such information anywhere.
In this article I want to clarify what structural elements of the steering wheels and pedals affect the life of the game steering wheels and pedals.
In the second part, we will look at the Gametrix Viper game steering wheel from the point of view of the resource.
The main thesis from which I proceeded when writing this article is formulated as follows: "The buyer of the gaming device wants it to serve him as long as possible . " If you agree with me, I invite you to evaluate this material. If you are one of those who are ready to change the device once a month - this article is not for you.

To begin with, let us determine which elements of the design of the game steering wheels and pedals are most subject to wear? What determines the resource?
The main parts that are subject to wear in the game wheels:

• Angle sensors
• Gear Gearbox
• Rotation axis

Let's try to evaluate what affects the resource of each of these elements.

SENSORS
Here the esteemed Boomburum clarified the essence of the rudder sensors reliability with one capacious phrase: “everything that is rubbing out sooner or later fails” .
If we measure the deflection angle of the steering wheel or pedals with the help of a POTENTIOMETER , a device built on TRIPTION (the picture below is shamelessly tightened at Boomburum), then it is possible to predict with mathematical precision how long a wheel or pedal will work

Each potentiometer has a resource clearly marked by the manufacturer. Usually used potentiometers with a resource from 500 thousand to a million cycles.
For example:
www.ctscorp.com/components/Datasheets/295.pdf
www.ctscorp.com/components/Datasheets/251.pdf
Remembering that a player makes an average of one movement per wheel per second, we get the lifetime of the sensor in the steering wheel - 1,000,000 / 60 = 16,666 minutes / 60 = 277 hours
Those. resource steering with such a potentiometer will be 277 hours. Playing an hour a day, the racer will throw out this steering wheel in 277 days, i.e. in 9 months.
However (again, thanks to Boomburum), we know that the potentiometer is not the only way to measure the deflection angle of the steering wheel or pedals. There are also contactless sensors - an optical encoder and a magnetic resistor.
We can define the resource of such sensors as infinite , since they have no destructible elements.
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GEARBOX GEARS
Very often, the steering axis of rotation is not directly connected to the sensor, but through a gear reducer.
At the rudders on the potentiometers, this is due to the fact that the angle by which the shaft of the potentiometer can physically be turned is usually smaller than the angle of rotation of the steering wheel. For example, this potentiometer has a maximum rotation angle of 212 degrees. A steering wheel steering wheel usually rotates 250-300 degrees. The manufacturer solves the problem simply - connects the axis of rotation of the steering wheel with the axis of the potentiometer through the simplest gearbox:

Steering gearbox on the potentiometer

At the wheels on optical encoders, the use of a gearbox is due to the fact that the minimum angle by which the steering wheel can be turned is related to the slit width:

So that the rotation of the steering wheel is monitored with an accuracy of 1 degree, you need a disk, which made 135 slots. Then the alternation of 135 slots and 135 curtains will give 270 discrete values. It's obvious that:

• 1 degree accuracy is too low
• the disk with 135 slots will be too big and take up too much space in the case

However, if we put the disk not directly on the steering axle, but connect them through the gearbox, then we can put a small disk with a small number of slots and get a lot more accuracy on it. For example, if the gear ratio = 10, and the disk size is such that when the steering wheel is displaced by 1 degree in front of the LED, 5 slots and 5 shutters pass, then we get a measurement accuracy of 0.1 degree - quite enough for a comfortable game.


Optical encoder disk Logitech MOMO

The second reason for the use of gears in gaming steering wheels is the implementation of the Force Feedback feedback system. The system of active feedback controls the movements of the donut in accordance with what is happening in the game, increasing interactivity. It is implemented using an electric motor, which is connected to the axis of the steering wheel using a gearbox.
The FFB system has 2 main tasks - to return the steering wheel to the center and implement a force reaction to the events in the game. During the game, the user holds on to the wheel (everyone knows? ), and the FFB system resists the efforts that the player makes to the steering wheel. And these efforts are very great. All loads fall on the gear gear, and since The gears are made of plastic, their life is determined by its quality.
As an example of not the best solution design gear can lead wheel for the console XBOX 360 Microsoft Wireless Racing Wheel . I quote a person who constantly uses these wheels at exhibitions to demonstrate the games: “I noticed that white powder starts to crumble from them before death. To prolong their lifespan, we started disabling Force Feedback at trade shows. ” A typical picture of the destruction of the gears of the gearbox (in the photo is the gear of the new steering wheel)


What mistake was made by the developers of this gear? The middle gear of the gearbox is 2 times already driven and driven gear. Naturally, its teeth can not withstand the loads that calmly carry the other two gears.

UPD Comrade ZUZ below gave a very competent comment on this issue:
1) on the intermediate wheel and the load will be several times less than on the "big", but rather in K = m_ wheel 1 / N_ wheel 2 (the number of teeth in large and medium wheels, respectively)
2) the wheel on the engine is made larger than the adjacent intermediate one, because it is subject to wear more (more revolutions) and is made of a more wear-resistant material and therefore two of them are subjected to a larger diameter, and therefore it already appears so that it does not appear. grooves "wide in non-wearable wheel

However, it should be noted that the destruction of the gearbox - a rather rare phenomenon. For example, in the example above, the gearbox collapsed due to the fact that the steering wheel was operated in a very tough exhibition mode, for which it was not originally intended. Therefore, when we talk about the resource of the gearbox, we mean the time after which the backlash on the steering wheel, associated with the wear of the gears and axles at which they rotate, will become unacceptable for normal play. The result of backlash is the appearance of dead zones, which degrade the accuracy of control.

AXIS ROTATION
There are many parts in the game steering wheels that rotate around the axis. The steering wheel rotates, the pedals rotate, gear gear rotates. Mankind has long invented a way to increase the life of the axes of rotating parts, using bearings. Under the operating conditions of the game steering wheels, the use of bearings makes the life of the axes almost eternal. However, there are only 2 models on the market, where the axles of the steering wheel and gears of the gearbox are mounted on bearings - this is the Logitech G25 and G27. All others use the so-called. "Bearings" of different levels of quality mate parts. The pair of steel axle / plastic part or plastic axle / plastic part, or both, is usually used.
Here is an example of a crappy budget steering gearbox with FFB:


The central plastic rod rotates in a plastic part, the gears - on steel axes. This is a typical example of how not to do. The multi-stage gearbox in this case leads to the appearance of backlash already in the new product, and during operation, the backlash will quickly increase, since the play of each axle will “sum up” in the gearbox.
In assessing the resource of the axes of rotation, we also speak not about destruction, but about the time after which the backlashes will become unacceptable for a normal game.
In the above example, backlash becomes unacceptable quickly - there are too many places in the structure where backlash occurs and increases.

We considered the main factors that determine the resource of the game steering. In the next article we will look at the Gametrix Viper steering wheel from the point of view of its reliability in these 3 points.

PS
We are developing a video in which we will try to show the internal structure of the game steering wheels and pedals.
Below are excerpts from this video.
Potentiometer, its device and resource 47 mb:

The causes of the appearance of dead zones, the backlash of the gearbox (several serious mistakes were made in the episode, in particular, the schedules of the pedals are not properly tied, please note that this is not the final version) 50 mb: