Hi,
It may sound a bit strangeillepall , but I like to connect an electric fan to my PC! I think it is quite a cheap way to improve realism and gaming experience, especially while driving one of the formular cars. It would be necessary to adjust the fan's rpm to the driven speed.
But I have no clue if it is even possible to control the fan via USB!

What do you think? Feedback appriciated

P.S.: Sorry for my english, but I haven't been to the UK for nearly 4 Year's

You can get USB powered desktop fans.

You can get car speed from OutSim.

Controlling the fan speed is a different matter, that's the only non-easy bit.

It is certainly doable, but probably not that easy and would very likely require custom harware with direct wiring to the fan.

I may sound like a sissy now, but personally even IF I could do it I probably wouldn't because of health reasons. Playing computer games is already very stressful to your eyes, as you generally move them very little, focus only on one distance all the time and very likely forget to blink often enough.
Constantly blowing air (and with that also dust) in your face doesn't really sound like a smart idea from that point of view, but if you crave eye infections then go for it. :tired:

Though, you could wear racing goggles but that's really taking it a bit far (the mental image of that is priceless )

Well I personally don't fear a stream of air blowing in my face.


I agree about the lack of accomodation but
1. I wear glasses
2. this device would make you blink more often, because small "sensors" in your skin are connected to your Glandula Lacrimalis (the thing that produces your tears) to keep your cornea wet....
3. It wouldn't be a constant flow of air....

I don't know much about electronic things unless we talk about the central nervous system. Thats why I am looking for support to convert my idea into reality.

Back to Topic: Should I ask in the programmers forum how to connect OutSim<---->USB Desktop Fan?

Fans change their RPM by altering the voltage going to them. As you don't have this ability over USB, I'd suspect it wouldn't work. I have thought about this idea before, and I'm pretty sure you'd need some bespoke equipment.

Ok, so the only possible way would be some kind of small "chip"[digital Potentiometer?] or whatever which adjusts the fan's voltage by changing the resistance?

It has to be controllable via USB and needs an application that's reads the data of "OutSim"[file?] as far as I got it.

Quote :

I think it is quite a cheap way to improve realism and gaming experience

This would not add realism, unless you race open topped cars without a crash helmet and overalls.

Quote from Becky Rose :

This would not add realism, unless you race open topped cars without a crash helmet and overalls.

I was about to say that

The only time you ever really feel the wind on your face is if you open up the visor for a bit of a breather but you only really do that in long runs.

First thanks for your input,
but I never said that I want a fan to reproduce such an air pressure like you would have if you were going 300km h^-1 without a helmet. That would be an incredible stupid idea b.t.w. because you wouldn't be strong enough to reduce the volume of your thorax due to high pressure differences (You couldn't breathe anymore, because your expiration would be disabled).

Quote :

This would not add realism, unless you race open topped cars without a crash helmet and overalls.

Force Feedback steering wheels simulate force's while turning your car, but you won't feel any G-Forces. Nevertheless one more off your biological senses is connected to the PC and receives feedback to integrate those information's. That's the same reason why people buy Dolby Surround systems.

My Idea was to experience gaming by an additional different sense.
Think about it.... After a while you may be capable of closing your eyes but still knowing how fast you are actually going!

Is there anyone who could tell me how to fix a device [Digital Potentiometer?] to a USB Plug and knows how to control it with "OutSim" informations?
Edit: Grammar

You might want to talk to the guy who rigged a dash to his PC. Think that was on RSC.

Quote from P5YcHoM4N :

You might want to talk to the guy who rigged a dash to his PC. Think that was on RSC.

Thanks for constructiv posting yet again, Psycho. But I neither know what you mean with dash nor with RSC

Someone on RSC got the dashboard (more to the point the cluster, speedo, tachometer, etc) from a car, and set it up which allowed it to take the data from a game and make the dash respond like the game does.

try that idea (sim...)

Note 2 : Motion simulators can be dangerous. The developers of the
Live for Speed racing simulator do not support any motion systems in
particular and cannot accept responsibility for any injuries or death
connected with the use of such machinery.


(/docs/insim.txt)

Quote from RedQuad :

First thanks for your input,
but I never said that I want a fan to reproduce such an air pressure like you would have if you were going 300km h^-1 without a helmet. That would be an incredible stupid idea b.t.w. because you wouldn't be strong enough to reduce the volume of your thorax due to high pressure differences (You couldn't breathe anymore, because your expiration would be disabled).

Well that made me chuckle

Realistic impacts next ?

Actually I like the idea cos the weather at the moment is really hot.

Quote :

Controlling the fan speed is a different matter, that's the only non-easy bit.

this website might help, of course, ther are thousands of people who supply these things, but this is one my dad uses, might be a help, for controling the speed of the fan http://www.brchobbies.co.uk/?p ... 2e3fc3874a47b0021b19f3fba im sure if you experimented it would be possible. or if you hav a small child near by you could ask them to stand next to the screen and turn the fan on once you hit a certain speed, lol

huh, i think (i know some don't want to hear) thats overkill, cause these regulators are used to controll big amounts of current (some more than 50 ampere) intended to be used for (some) engines capable of more than 80k (revving under load).

but if it's a cheap part, who cares anyway...

<<< stops babbling and goes to bed...

it is possible to get them that control very small motors however your probably right. i just thought i would point it out that its not hard to control the speed of the motor. no worries

Nice Info!

After I passed a few important exams this week, I feel like bringing this projekt to an end.

I am going to talk to some guys of the "Institute for Robotics and Cognitive Systems" at my university. I am pretty sure they know how to solve this.....

If they figured out a simple solution, I'll update this thread.

sounds like a good.. strange, but good idea lol, but yes, somehow your going to have to have speed transfered from LFS to the fan as an output speed, but .. as said before, you may get motionsickness from trying this, i would try it for a good few minutes, but after a while, you'd probably get fairly sick from the feeling of hard and soft breezes

if your cold, dont try it at all, but if your in a warm room, it would probably be less potential of giving you motion sickness

it would be like the whole water torture thing, at first it may seem fine, but after a while i wouldn't be surprised if it has some serious side effects

Basically you need a few simple things:
-a small software application that retrieves the vehicle speed from LFS (via OutGauge) and triggers an interface (parallel port or USB)
-a micro-controller hooked up to that interface controlling a voltage regulator
-a fan (i would use a 12V DC one to keep things simple)

For the software app, pretty much any language will do, fairly simple stuff.
For the microcontroller, I'd suggest looking into Atmel AVRs because they're cheap and easy to program.
For the voltage regulator you could use something like this:
http://www.conrad.de/script/5_a_drehzahlsteller-36.sap
(the one at the top of the page)
You could simply get rid of the potentiometer and connect a digital potentiometer IC that is controlled by the microcontroller instead.

hey! i had that idea when i was 12 years old! playing test drive II the duel on the Commodore64!!!

but as i was only 12 i just had a box fan which had 3 speeds, and manually turned it up as the speed got faster!!! illepallillepallillepall