CSR Elite Pedals - Brake not Recognized - Help a Newbie Out...

Trent Thomas

Please Help a Newbie...

I'm trying to build a budget sim racing rig as a father-son project. Want to take baby steps at first and use an old XBox 360 with F1 2010 that we already have.  

We had been using the Microsoft wireless wheel and pedal set, but are ready for an upgrade. I bought a cockpit mount system and seat to get things started.

I know the options are limited for the old XBox 360. The best hardware is probably the Fanatec CSR stuff, since it can also work with newer consoles and PCs if we upgrade in the future.

So - I found what I thought were good deals on EBay. I bought used CSR Forza wheel and CSR Elite pedals. (From two different EBay sellers.) The wheel, throttle, and clutch pedals are working great, but my brake pedal is not working at all.

I have been trying to communicate with the pedal seller, but he's being vague about whether the brake was actually working for him or not. He said I might have to "downgrade the firmware to get the system to recognize it."

I have loaded the Fanatec PC drivers (v 261) on my PC. When I plug the wheel directly into a PC via USB, the Fanatec Properties application runs properly.  

The wheel arrived with firmware 700, but I flashed it to firmware 706, which I read is the most stable for this old CSR wheel running XBox. The flash to 706 was successful with no issues.

The wheel diagnostics in the Function Test show it to be functioning properly. The throttle and clutch inputs register progressively as expected on the Function Test display. But the brake doesn't register anything at all.

I have tried adjusting the potentiometer trim dial, and have removed and reinserted both the load cell and potentiometer connectors onto the control board. The circuit board doesn't have any obvious defects or burns, and the wires all seem to be visually OK.  

When I plug the pedals directly into the PC via USB (Instead of through the wheel), the behavior is exactly the same. This should rule out any issues with the PS2 cable connecting the pedals to the wheel.

I suspected maybe a bad load cell, so I ordered a replacement from EBay. But, that came yesterday and when I installed it, the pedal still isn't registering any input.

I have started a support ticket with Fanatec, but response is very slow. After three days, I got a one line reply that the load cell was probably bad and a link to order one. I had already done that.  :-(

Hopefully someone here can help me with the diagnosis:  

  What is the logical troubleshooting progression?  

  Is there maybe a different firmware I should try? 

  Is there a way to use a multi-meter to test the cables and load cells?

  What symptoms would allow the throttle and clutch to be recognized, but absolutely nothing from the brake?

  Is there a way to run the brake without the load cell to isolate that as the faulty component?

Is there a way to check / update firmware in the pedals?

Should I remove the potentiometer and clean and inspect?

What am I missing?

Thanks!

Trent Thomas

Post was too long and everyone glazed over - I was afraid of that...

How 'bout just some general advice on troubleshooting an unresponsive brake pedal? All help is much appreciated!

Trent Thomas

Update: just in case anyone is actually following this...

I did receive another reply from Fanatec support. Not good news, unfortunately. They said if the new load cell didn't fix the problem, then likely a bad pcba, and these are no longer available. Guess I'm out of luck on fixing that brake pedal.

Any suggestions still welcome.