Home Page Forums MAME MAME VOTE NOW: Best Features for a MAME Steering Wheel

Just wondering what most people would prefer to see in a MAME steering control. This would be a basic, arcade quality, heavy duty wheel without buttons, electronics or paddle shifters and hooked up in the MAME cabinet to a U-HID control board as optical or 5k pot (FFB is a separate add-on at this point). Each mode is independent of the other, ie., no 270 degree spring RTC with force feedback, etc.


1- Just a 360 degree spinning wheel, to play games like Pole Position, Sprint, Super Off Road, etc. (These are readily available today)

2- Just a 270 degree spring loaded (Return to center) wheel to play games like Outrun or Cruisin' USA. (These are readily available today)

3- Just a force feedback steering wheel for PC or more modern driving games. (These are readily available today)

4- A combination of 360 degree spinner and 270 degree spring loaded (Return to center) that plays most arcade games, selectable on-demand.

5- A combination 360 spinner, 270 spring and DIY force feedback (you add your own stepper motor, direct drive or belted, to the wheel and configure yourself), each mode selectable on-demand.

6- A combination 360 spinner, 270 spring and pre-configured direct drive force feedback, each mode selectable on-demand. This would be the most expensive option, obviously.

I will cast the first vote for #4, I don't need more than that at this time.

I'll chime in here, and say that #4 sounds appealing... Is this something you're designing yourself? If so, we should perhaps talk...

Can you PM me instead? err, I sent you a PM.

I'd say a modified #5, where it's sold in the #4 configuration, but with hooks for a force feedback unit that's sold separately and upgrades it to #6. (As opposed to the "you figure out FFB yourself" scenario the current #5 implies).

I'm probably the wrong person to ask though, because I have no place to put a wheel near my computer right now.

I wonder, can a 360 + motor simulate a 270 + spring? Or the feeling can only be different?

Yeah, it would feel different to play Outrun with only FFB. I think it was only spring return-to-center and a rumbler originally.

The question was about whether if it was possible through software and motor+position encoder+I guess pwm to create a feedback that feels like a spring.

It is, it just depends on how much you want to spend. I mean, that’s basically how a force-sensing sidestick in an F-16 works.

Sign me up for #4. I am attracted more to the 360 / 270 idea versus the lack of buttons. I use the buttons all the time on my Logitech.