Suggestion for ClubSport Shifter SQ V 1.5

Brandon PowellBrandon Powell Member
in Fanatec Other
Not a question but a suggestion to Fanatec when assembling these Clubsport Shifters (the 1.5 version with hall effect sensors): please put electrical tape on the back of both PCB's inside the unit. 

I had problems with the shifter selecting the wrong gear randomly for quite awhile:
In 3rd gear it would go to 1 or R
In 5th gear it would go to 3 or 7
In 4th gear it would go to 2nd and vice versa

attempted solutions:
Loosening or tightening the shifter tension didn't fix the issue.
The magnet inside the shifter was centered.
Numerous shifter calibrations were done but the problem would resurface just a few moments after.

I was worried I'd have to send yet another product back to Fanatec for repair, but a friend told me about a simple solution. His theory is that the PCB (the one that covers the magnet for the halls sensor) is grounding out by briefly touching the metal housing around it, thus sending bad information. Attaching electrical tape on the back and burning holes through the tape for the screws to pass through seems to have fixed the issue on his, mine and several others. Funny enough, the other PCB inside the shifter had electrical tape installed from the factory, yet this one doesn't...weird.

I've only done this 2 days ago, but I've been playing all day and night during that time using H-pattern mode (probably 100's if not near 1000 shifts so far) and I haven't had one incorrect shift since. Previously it would happen at least 1 in every 20 shifts. 

All I ask is that you test and verify this theory and make sure future Fanatec shifters don't leave the factory without potential grounding issues.

Comments

  • Joel BarsottiJoel Barsotti Member
    Probably need a repair, check with support.
  • Brandon PowellBrandon Powell Member
    edited June 2019
    Joel Barsotti said:
    Probably need a repair, check with support.
    This wasn't a post asking for help, it was reporting a possible solution found for an issue several people I know have had with the Fanatec SQ 1.5.

    I've had a LOT of Fanatec products break down or arrive broken so I'm well aware of the repair process. I've sent 1 wheel base and 3 steering wheels back to them in the past, all within a couple months timeframe...as well as 1 wheel with a design flaw that I'm living with, and now the shifter issue...however I live very far from the nearest repair center (as in 4 time zones away), so waiting 3 to 4 weeks to get something fixed is a hassle, especially if it's something that could have been avoided with better quality control on Fanatec's part. 

    I understand there will be the occasional "lemon" that will be produced and shipped, but I can't be that unlucky...all the issues I had were design flaws or QC missed something during inspection. What I'm saying is that several people have had this issue and to my knowledge nobody that tried this solution has reported back so far saying this fix didn't work, so I'm asking Fanatec to verify that this could be a possible cause of the malfunction.

    Also, why would Fanatec isolate one of the PCB's in the shifter from the metal chassis using electrical tape and not the other one? It just seems like an oversight in assembly or quality control that I was hoping would be rectified with future shifters (so people don't have to send them off for repair).

    But in case you missed it: my shifter works fine now. If it ever gives another shifting issue, I'll send it off for repair and I'll report back here.
  • Brandon PowellBrandon Powell Member
    5 days later and still no wrong shifts (spent over an hour today in AC in an H-pattern DTM car...good times). Will keep updating this thread on how it's doing.

    Before the electrical tape fix, it would shift wrong every single day, many times. 
  • Brandon PowellBrandon Powell Member
    One week later...had exactly 1 incorrect shift (game: 6th gear, actual position: 4th gear). Will monitor to see if this increases.
  • Adam MilnerAdam Milner Member

    For anyone else that stumbles upon this, or the video detailing how to perform the modification, I also attempted the electrical tape fix.

    It worked for a few days, but two weeks later the shifter is back to missing shifts (5th selects neutral or 3rd, 7th inaccessible).

    I also made sure the magnet was centered while I had the shifter apart (it was only maybe 1mm off anyway).

  • Brandon PowellBrandon Powell Member

    I never reported back again...well, better late than never. I have to say, this shifter is so frustrating...I've tried every fix Fanatec and different people online have suggested and eventually it still incorrectly shifts at the worst time.


    I've done the electrical tape method at least 5 times...

    I've made sure the magnet is aligned...

    I've grounded my rig as suggested by Fanatec using a grounding plug into my outlet (all power strips/surge protectors I own confirm the outlet is connected to ground)...

    Still got thrown into reverse during a race while downshifting to 3rd. Just in case someone thinks it's driver error: Immediately upon missed shift I leave the stick in the gate and check the game and the Fanatec control panel...both showed R while the actual stick was in 3. It always a lateral shift error: 2 when it should be 4, 1 when it should be 3, etc. When I calibrate it I've tried putting it in gear, releasing the stick and then hitting the confirm button, as well as putting it in gear, holding it firmly in that gear and clicking confirm...doesn't make a difference.


    At the end of the day I'm chalking this up to a bad design...Will look into getting a Thrustmaster TH8A which seems to be more reliable according to most, or one of the smaller companies making H-shifters...might not feel as good as the Fanatec, but give me reliability over shifter feel any day. Eventually I'll save up for the Pro Sim Quaife, but until then I can't keep dealing with this. How can a G27 H-pattern shift reliably for almost 10 years now and this shifter that costs much more can't stay error-free for longer than a month?

  • Richard BillingsRichard Billings Member
    edited September 2020

    I opened mine up today because it was missing shifts badly. I tried fully taping the back of the board but it didn't work. I had noticed some scuffing where the magnet was brushing against the back of the board. I opened it back up and there were scuffs on the tape. I removed the tape, lightly sanded the back of the board and it removed a dark area over the sensor. I also sanded some glue from the top of the magnet that seemed to be scraping the board. I added strip of tape just short-ways across center of the board so that it wouldn't cover the screw holes which would bring the magnet slightly further away from the sensor. Reassembled and everything is working better than it ever has. Of course time will tell if it's a permanent fix.

    BTW, there are no metal contacts on the back of the board, so I don't think that the electrical tape fix is stopping any kind of grounding/shorting issue.

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