At SimRoom we love to see VisionRacer "modded" and made more functional.  We have awarded Wil of the USA a VR3 Master Modder accolade.  Wil from day 1 has been an inspiration to the modders art and thought process.  The Master Modder tag gives Wil some special rights and prices.  

On to Wils latest creation the eHandbrake and shifter upgrade.  We have had a few requests to spill the beans on how Wil did this.  So here is Wil's commentary.  

"The handbrake is USB interface, its actually a Thrustmaster TH8 7 speed shifter, just like the shifter in front of it.  It has a mode for making it an analog handbrake.  The shaft, handle and boot are my work.  I bought the boot and shifter from Sparco and the shaft I produced from aluminum rod from home depot.  I planned everything to look like a real handbrake.  I then used a rubber ball and shaped it using a razor blade. I placed the rubber ball inside the handbrake to provide progressive resistance like a real handbrake.

The shifter is also a Thrustmaster TH8 7 speed.  I have a friend who makes 6+1 short shift plates for this shifter since the stock shift throw is ENORMOUS and just way to big for competitive driving.  The 6+1 plate can place reverse in the left most area like a Porsche or bottom left area like a BMW.  The aluminum ring is real and comes out of an Audi TT.  It is secured with screws into the TH8.  The shift knob is from a Fanatec CSR Elite shifter.  While the Fanatec shifter mechanism itself is junk, the shifter knob is .brilliant and probably the best I’ve used in a real car or not.  Its milled from aluminum and has a great feel and a shift pattern that matches the shifter plate.  I affix the knob to the shifter assembly shaft using industrial adhesive.  You’d basically have to destroy it to get it off.

The shift boot comes from a local leather fabricator who works pretty much only on Porsche.  It’s the shift boot for a 968.

Here are the cost run downs for this mod.

Handbrake Mod:

1 Thrustmaster TH8 shifter: $150 US

Sparco leather handbrake cover:  $77 US

NRG billet aluminum handbrake handle:  $50 US

Custom aluminum handbrake plate cut for the TH8: $39 US

Aluminum rod from home depot for handbrake shaft: $12 US

Thrustmaster has released a first video of their upcoming TH8 RS shifter, showing the feature-rich piece of equipment in action.

The TH8 RS is  made largely of metal and uses Thrustmaster’s H.E.A.R.T HallEffect AccuRate Technology for increased precision. The shifter can be used both as H-pattern 7+1 unit as well as in sequential mode.

Advanced sim racers can fiddle with plenty of settings as gear shift travel and resistance are fully adjustable. The shifter is connected via USB and supported by all PC simulations that allow usage of more than one controlling device, the shifter is also supported by several Playstation 3 titles.

The TH8 RS will be available starting in October, selling for 149.99€, VirtualR will be having a full review of the unit once it is out.