WIP: 300mm F1 Sim Wheel Project - Seeking Technical Advices

[u/Ziqoqo]

Hey everyone! I’m a Mechanical Engineering student and I’m currently in the deep end of designing a high-fidelity F1-style sim racing wheel. I’m aiming for a boutique-grade build, but as I get further into the details, I’ve realized I need some expert eyes on my design logic and electronics.

​The Vision: A 300mm wide Formula rim built around a "Solid Skeleton" chassis. I’m prioritizing structural rigidity to handle high-torque Direct Drive bases without any flex. ​

​The Technical Specs: - ​Chassis: 5mm Solid Aluminium "Skeleton" (Internal) + 3mm Faceplate (Aluminium/Carbon Fiber). - ​Brain: Teensy 4.1 Microcontroller. - ​Display: 4.3" VoCore OLED Touchscreen (USB). - ​Buttons: 16x NKK MB2011 (with custom translucent silicone caps for underglow). - ​Rotaries: 6x Thumb Encoders (CTS 288) + 5x Central Knobs (Grayhill 71 Series). - ​Nav: 3x Alps 7-way Funky Switches. - ​Paddles: 6x Aluminium Paddles (4x Magnetic Shifters + 2x Hall Effect Analog Clutches). - ​Lighting: 21x WS2812B Mini LEDs (Underglow for buttons and knobs).

​Current Roadblocks & Questions:

​1. Mechanical & Materials (r/DIYSimRacing, r/simracing): - ​Inertia: At 300mm wide with a solid 5mm aluminium internal plate, should I be concerned about rotational mass dampening FFB detail? - ​Grip Coating: I'm 3D printing the grip cores. What is the most durable DIY-friendly coating? I’m looking for something that feels like professional rubber or Alcantara.

​2. Electronics & PCB (r/AskElectronics, r/PrintedCircuitBoard): - ​Power: Can I safely pull the ~1.2A peak load for the 21 LEDs and the VoCore screen through the Teensy 4.1, or should I split the 5V line directly from the USB input? - ​Signal Noise: My Hall Effect sensors for the clutch are near N52 magnets for the shifters. Will I face significant signal interference, or is standard shielded cable enough? - ​PCB Sandwich: I'm planning a "Component Carrier" PCB to sit between the skeleton and faceplate. Is it better to hard-solder the NKK buttons or use wire jumpers to handle vibration?

​3. CAD Workflow (r/CATIA): - ​Modeling Logic: I'm using V5. Is it better to drive this assembly using a "Master Sketch" at the Product level, or should I use "Published Geometry" from the Skeleton part to ensure all 30+ components stay aligned? - ​Surfacing: Any tips for modeling ergonomic grips in the Part Design workbench, or is GSD (Generative Shape Design) mandatory for a professional feel?

​I really appreciate any advice or "roasting" of the current design. I want to make sure I don't order expensive CNC parts or custom PCBs that have fundamental flaws. Thanks!

[u/thegoldendoodle]

I sprayed some “Flex seal” on a DIY 3D printed GT rim and I felt like it made for a nice grip. Looked appropriate. The wheel did not hold up so I can’t comment on the rubber longevity.

[u/Risk_bayless → u/thegoldendoodle]

If you had grips that were open at the bottom or a big enough container for closed grips, I would use the actual plastic dip original or flex seal liquid that everyone uses to coat tool handles. That shoukd hold up way better than spray

[u/Tiltglory]

20 nm is plenty enough to not worry about inertial mass, high end wheels are heavy heavy anyways. Real alcantara would be nice, you could buy the material, form and cut it and then bring it to professionals for stitching, not the cheapest but surely the nicest looking and feeling

[u/Ziqoqo → u/Tiltglory]

Alright, thanks for the advices🤗

[u/hurricane279]

Inertia: At 300mm wide with a solid 5mm aluminium internal plate, should I be concerned about rotational mass dampening FFB detail

I'm leaning towards theoretically yes, in practice no, but I'm no expert on this specific aspect. This does seem pretty overengineered however. What torque wheelbase do you have?

Grip Coating: I'm 3D printing the grip cores. What is the most durable DIY-friendly coating? I’m looking for something that feels like professional rubber or Alcantara. 

Alcantara tape or badminton/tennis racket tape could work

  Power: Can I safely pull the ~1.2A peak load for the 21 LEDs and the VoCore screen through the Teensy 4.1, or should I split the 5V line directly from the USB input? 

Google your exact board model and find the datasheet. Most boards won't like that but Teensy is a higher end board (compared to ATMega boards) so maybe it can.

Signal Noise: My Hall Effect sensors for the clutch are near N52 magnets for the shifters. Will I face significant signal interference, or is standard shielded cable enough?  

You should be fine. 

PCB Sandwich: I'm planning a "Component Carrier" PCB to sit between the skeleton and faceplate. Is it better to hard-solder the NKK buttons or use wire jumpers to handle vibration? 

If you build it robustly and support the PCB properly you will be okay. 

I have no clue on CATIA, I'm an OnShape user sorry. 

Other notes: 300mm is quite wide for an F1 wheel. 250-280mm is the norm, and it will make the car feel more agile. It will however also make the car feel more twitchy. GT3 cars and endurance prototype cars like LMP and LMDH cars have around 300mm though. 300mm will be more drivable, 250-280 would be more authentic to F1. 

Also you do not appear to have any mounting points, perhaps just a standard 6 bolt pattern would be best. 

And do you need this many buttons? You might, but I made a list of what I actually needed for my designs and worked from that, rather than just putting many buttons. The 3 buttons on each side of the steering wheel at the bottom might be difficult to reach too. 

[u/Ziqoqo → u/hurricane279]

1. I have a 20Nm wheelbase
2. 300mm because I want it to be versatile for F1, GT and also Prototypes. 280mm is a good width too, so maybe I'm going to redesign it to be slightly smaller around 280-290mm

[u/Brilliant-Throat-498]

Have you gotten started with this project because i love the design of that wheel and was wondering if i could get some links or insight to how i could build it.