PSA: Brake Pedal pulsing at 1 second interval caused by Logitech Powerplay Charging Pad

derek Kozackoderek Kozacko Member
in Pedals

I am posting this in case anyone else encounters this issue in the future. I did not find this anywhere else online.

I have CSL V3 Pedals and a DD Wheelbase. I encountered an issue where the brake pedal would “pulse” up/down at exactly 1 second intervals when held steady. It was time consuming to troubleshoot although Fanatec tech support was responsive and helpful. We tried a new load cell, ferrite coils, and fully grounding the rig, but nothing fixed the issue.

Ultimately, the problem turned out to be EMI interference due the proximity of the USB cable (running from the wheelbase to the PC) and a Logitech Powerplay wireless charging mousepad. The amplitude of the brake pulsing increased the closer the USB cable was routed to the Front Left corner of the Logitech charging system. However, there was still a small pulsing, approximately 3% of the braking meter, even when just the USB cables themselves were run parallel for about 1M close to the PC. I had to route these two USB cables completely separately to the PC to eliminate the issue. Unplugging the pad also works, but I need the mouse to interact with the software.

Note that this issue still occurs if the brake is connected via USB to the PC (separately from the wheel-base), but only when the wheel base is turned on. This was a little surprising since the pulsing is with the brake pedal, but I confirmed it multiple times.

My issue with troubleshooting was because I have a moveable NLR Wheel Stand 2.0 and I was connecting the USB cable to my PC each time I used it. Doing this, the USB cable was routed slightly differently each time, leading to high amplitude pulses some times and barely noticeable pulses other times.

Sign In or Register to comment.