With its brand-new CSL DD, Fanatec has taken up the challenge of making a Direct Drive steering wheel available to all simracing enthusiasts. Until now, this technology was reserved for drivers willing to pay a lot of money for their setup, but for many it was a dream come true!
With a price tag of €349.95, this brand-new model harms the competition. Thrustmaster has responded by announcing that it will soon be releasing a Direct Drive. Logitech, on the other hand, remains mute, locked in its ageing technology..
Fanatec has struck hard with this new model, and they know it. To drive the point home and further promote the CSL DD to the general public, the German brand is offering a series of explanatory videos. Let’s take a look at the first one together.
And since I know that not everyone speaks English, you’ll find a translation of the video just below!
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The Fanatec CSL DD: Part 1
This is the Fanatec CSL DD flywheel base. Our Direct Drive technology from the Fanatec Podium bases has been condensed into this model at the much more affordable price of €349.95. Setting a new performance standard.
In this series of videos, we’ll explain everything you need to know about this revolutionary model. But before we look together at all the features we’ll be talking about in future episodes, let’s first take a look at what Direct Drive is all about. And how this technology differs from belt and gear drives.
Direct Drive VS belts and gears
Until now, force feedback flywheels at this price point have used what are known as drive motors. A drive motor increases the motor’s torque output. It’s a mechanical system, usually an assembly of gears and belts. This system makes it possible to use a less powerful motor. This reduces production costs.
Fanatec’s belt-driven bases were carefully designed to reduce the negative impact of this system.
But they were mechanically limited, and to go further the only solution was Direct Drive.
The motor and its electronics are always the most expensive components in the creation of a base.
Unfortunately, with gear or belt drives, mechanical elements can create “parasitic” resistances.
They can also take up play, reducing the precision of the movement transmitted from the motor.
Above, the Clubsport V2.5 and its belt
With a Direct Drive, there’s no drive system at all ! The motor turns the steering shaft directly. For the same level of torque, however, you need a bigger motor.
That’s why most Direct Drives are much more expensive than geared or belt-driven models.
Without a drive system, the force feedback transmitted by the play is relayed directly by the motor to the flywheel. You can feel every fine detail of the road like never before!
The CSL DD Direct Drive
The basic model features a power supply that enables it to reach a peak power of 5Nm (Newton meters). This makes the CSL DD powerful enough to give you good force feedback. And to give you all the responsiveness and detail you’d expect from a Direct Drive.
Using the optional Booster Kit 180, the CSL DD peaks at 8Nm. This is a huge increase in dynamic range and performance.
It took a great deal of development effort to offer a Direct Drive base under the 350€ mark. Without compromising on performance or quality.
We’ll explain how we did it in a future episode.
Mouth watering
Let’s take a quick look at what we’ll be seeing together in the next episodes of this series on CSL DD.
First of all, Fanatec products are designed to be Plug and Play. You can connect the Fanatec peripherals you own directly to the base. To start, you just need a single USB connection.
We’re also talking about compatibility. The CSL DD is compatible with the entire Fanatec ecosystem. This includes all our steering wheels, pedals, handbrakes and gearboxes.
Like our other bases, the CSL DD is PC-compatible, as is X Box if you combine it with an X Box-compatible steering wheel. A Playstation-compatible version is in the pipeline!
Like its big brothers in the Podium series, the CSL DD’s motor can be freely rotated ad infinitum. At the same time, it transmits data and energy wirelessly to the steering wheel via the steering shaft.
We’ll also talk about the CSL DD’s installation and mounting options. And we’ll explain why this new base’s internal technology is so special. Like its custom motor, electronics and manufacturing process.
To put it briefly, the CSL DD is machine-built, a process that has cut costs enormously.
The settings software has also been updated to help new Fanatec owners. It now offers both standard and advanced setting modes. This allows beginners to get started without having to make too many adjustments to get a good feel for their steering wheel. The advanced mode allows regular users to fine-tune their force feedback to suit their riding preferences.
Finally, you’ll hear the opinions of enthusiasts, simracing professionals and game developers who have had preview access to the CSL DD.
This ensures that their existing and future projects are as optimized as possible for Fanatec hardware.
More soon!
That’s all for now! Stay tuned for the next episode. Keep an eye on the Fanatec blog and on our social networks to be notified of Fanatec events, projects and products. See you soon!
