I’ve got a motion cockpit and quite a few bits of software running all-included. It’s a bit of an ordeal but manageable. I’ve just got my SC2 Pro and when getting ready to load into a session, the wheel starts beeping at me. This is annoying. I don’t need yet another hoop to jump through just to get racing.
I go to the bathroom, and the wheel starts beeping at me.
I get out to do something in the garage (intending to come back), and the wheel is beeping at me.
I get out to make a software configuration change, and the wheel starts beeping at me.
Now my WIFE is beeping at me - asking “What the hell is that beeping? Please stop it.”
When I get everything up and running, I want it to remain running until I turn it off. I do not want it annoying myself or my wife just because I need to use the bathroom.
Why is the SC2 Pro going into standby (blue light blinking)? Is standby mode required? Can I disable standby mode so it is always ready when I turn it on?
The beeping is a safety feature to remember to use the torque off button to make the wheel safe when you are not using it. The standy mode has similar purpose.
The latest firmware release 2020.3 allows you to set up automatic high torque mode with no safety beeps and no standby mode. The option is in the enable high torque -dialog.
I did not see the disabled text to auto enable, I just went through the tray shortcut argument process. I have just gone through this process again, waited for the disabled text to appear and enable every time.
From a UX side, I suggest this option is very easy to miss given it’s muted color and location. I’ll see if this solves it (which I expect it will).
I’ve been racing for decades now and sim racing for more than a decade. I’m a tech entrepreneur and expert specifically in software development. I’ve been part of designing and building hundreds of applications.
Here is a user action log of the steps I attempted knowing I could disable the extra warnings on each startup:
I am setting up a new system and know the option to disable warnings every time exists.
I read the tray_icon_instructions.txt which are clear enough to me (because I’m a software dev) but will not be clear enough enough for most users.
I complete the shortcut creation/startup process.
I click Enable high torque mode and entirely miss the intent of this process - to disable this check permanently - because I didn’t see the option at all (grey text on blue background)
The unit beeps at me
High torque mode is enabled
Unit is in standby
I click the disable audio notifications (no change, why?)
I search for problems, take time to make this post and have this interaction (all while being frustrated)
I attempt to disable high torque - success
I attempt to enable high torque mode to do this process again - cannot. Button is stuck, no dialog.
I recycle power.
I am now able to click the enable high torque mode and move through the dialog again.
I now notice the faint grey text with a countdown timer
I enable it
Success
I don’t think this is an ideal user experience. I don’t think making this process difficult in any way benefits me - the user, or Simucube, the vendor. I do think this unnecessarily reflects negatively in the mind of a user (me) about Simucube. I don’t think it has to, and I hope that this user feedback session log helps you understand a user perspective.
I present this feedback as constructive criticism. Not because I am unhappy - I am indeed very thankful you guys work on this and am very happy with the hardware. Please consider my feedback for future revisions.
The documentation for the automatic high torque mode with no safety beeps is of course lacking as that firmware version was just released on Sunday. The feature is mainly meant to alleviate the situation for sim lounge type of commercial operators, and we do not expect that consumers would need to use that feature. However we made it available to both.
It is uncertain how we would be able to give clear instructions whereby consumer would be able to make the device not safe by default - this is mainly due to possible liability implications. But we are trying to figure out how to give out the documentation, and we didn’t want to hold the release any longer.
we would need to show exactly the same warning dialog as when enabling high torque mode, so better to include it there for code maintainability reasons. Maybe we will add another button to open the dialog in the advanced settings list.
That was my first look too as i didn’t saw the tiny little checkbox at the bottom of the warning screen.
As i understand this, the warning screen appears every time you witch manually to High Torque Mode without ticking the checkbox for auto HTM.
If you don’t expect consumers to use auto HTM then why do you make the manual process even more painful as it was?
I am REALLY glad that i found the checkbox and don’t have to hassle with e-stop, beeps and sliders for activating HTM and i expect to NEVER go back to manual mode again.
Great improvement at this point i can’t imagine that there is a big amount of users which stay consiously to manual mode, especially when the process for activating HTM needs more steps as in the former TD versions
Appreciate the new firmware. Things are on the standstill for us but I was checking daily for the update to be released. Just ran it on 3 of our wheel systems here in the lab (2 sports, 1 pro) and they have continued to stay on over-night connected to our simblades. Thanks again Mika!
@rosskevin: I do understand your confusion, I also get mad about all that SECURITY! SECURITY! fuss.
I am living alone, no wife, no kids (I know of), not pets. So I just don’t need all that “protect your dearest” stuff making you feel like treated like an imbecile.
Then I finally found that option for switching off that ever returning high torque confirmation - and I am quite happy.
Reason for that fuss: Business considerations, avoiding bad reputation.
I know an example about lawn mower robots.
A lurid YouTube video made by the German propaganda ministry (aka public television), claiming that a lawn robot almost cut off a foot of a cute little girl playing on the lawn. I know that mower, own it myself, so I know it’s plain impossible.
But still that kind of fake news gets published - because viewers greedily wait for things like that.
Caused some real bad reputation for the manufacturer, also forced them to implement some ridiculous and really disturbing means - like annoying beeps whenever the mower stopped for a second, then starts again. I could run the mower at night, because it’s really silent. But I can’t because of that annoying beeps.
But nothing the manufacturer could do about that if they don’t wish to run into the next reputation loss.
So the inconvenience caused by some safety measures is quite often caused by considerations with a substantial real-life background.
That in mind, it might be a bit easier to understand some seemingly obscure measures.
What do you have to do to keep the wheel out of standby mode? Is moving it sufficient, or do you need to hit a button, or actually be in a sim, etc etc.
