PT-1 Pedal Set - Discussion

I'm assuming you're asking if these pedals connect to a wheel, and the answer to that is no. These connect to your PC using a USB cable.

 

Thank you.

 

I don't know that I have ever talked about this before, and perhaps I should have. Some time ago, we invested in two small vibratory tumblers. These tumblers are used to put a nice, smooth, uniform finish to the outside of just about any material. These tumblers worked great for some of our smaller parts, and we even tried it on our pedal faces (batch #1). We absolutely loved the surface finish that it gave, and it looks similar to galvanized metal. The problem is that our tumblers are not big enough to handle any parts bigger than about 3 inches in diameter. Therefore, we've decided to invest in an industrial vibratory tumbler. The one we have our eye on is able to tumble all of our larger pieces with ease.

So, what does this mean, exactly? Well, it's actually a significant change. What this means is that we will no longer have to handle any of our parts with regards to their surface finish. Basically, the tumbler does all the work, and the parts come out looking great. Here's an example of what the finish might look like. This is just an example of one type of finish you can achieve with a certain type of tumbling media. The surface on the left is plastic media, and the surface on the right is ceramic media. We will most likely be using ceramic media, as we prefer the finish it produces.






As you can see, the finish is quite good, and there's really nothing to it. You just drop the parts in, and the tumbler does the rest. In the long term, this will save us a significant amount of time. For example, it takes us at least a week to sand blast all of our parts for 36 pedal sets, if not longer. On top of that, before the parts are sand blasted, they have to be prepped with a cleaning solution, otherwise all of the dirt and grease will get blasted into the metal, and it's very difficult to clean it after the parts have been blasted. This tumbler will help eliminate both of those steps in the finishing process. This is definitely a step in the right direction for us. We need to get these things done much faster than we currently are, and this will help us do just that.

When we first announced these pedals, we wanted to have them powder coated, but once we started to do that, we quickly realized our mistake. I didn't want to make the decision to switch to sand blasting, but we had to do something. Things just weren't working out. Well, we're facing the same problem once again. This sand blasting thing just isn't working out. I'm having to stand at the sand blaster for hours and hours every day for at least a week, and it's starting to take it's toll. So, we're going to move in a different direction.


BATCH #4

We will be starting production on Batch #4 after the 1st of the year. In my last video, I explained that things were starting to get a little too hectic around here, and I took some time off. The biggest issue with that is that I didn't tell anyone, and I should have. I just want to apologize again for not letting anyone know about it. Anyhow, I'm going to be spending the holidays with my family, and I'm sure most of you can understand why.

So, between batch #3's release, and the start of batch #4, we will be installing the new tumbler, and also making some much needed changes to our milling machine and cnc machine. Our cnc machine is not as rigid as it could be, and the manufacturer has released a kit that really makes the thing much more rigid (this will allow us to complete parts faster). We've also invested in a belt drive kit for our milling machine. This will essentially double the RPM's on the machine, and eliminate those awful plastic gears (really, Grizzly? Plastic gears?).

Well, this post turned out to be much longer than I anticipated. I hope you guys can understand why we are making these changes, and I hope you will all bare with us as we spend a little quality time with the family, and get ready for batch #4 ;-)

If you guys have any questions, please feel free to ask. I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have.

 

Engineering solutions to improve the product and output is always good. I've still got my eyes (all 4 of them) on your pedals, having to replace my wheel has just put a purchase back a bit. But by the sounds of it - you don't have a shortage of customers at all. Keep posting the videos and pictures, every one of them helps sell the product.

 

Thanks, John! I appreciate that. I'll keep you guys updated ;-)

 

Recently purchased these and so far can only say good things about the pedals and the service from Proto Simtech. I had quite a good time installing adjusting and calibrating. The how to videos are highly recommended befors starting adjustments.

My rig is a Vision Racer3 so pedal placement took a little work but turned out beautifully. Photos of G27 pedals fitted before replacement.

The pedals are everything I hoped they would be thankyou Proto Simtech

 

Awesome!! I'm so glad you are enjoying them! Setup looks great ;-)

One small detail...

The heel rest really wasn't meant to be raised up like that, and still be stable. I'm sure it probably works, but I just wanted to be sure that you knew that it wasn't designed to be in that position.

With that said, if it's functioning how you like it, then I say enjoy it ;-)

Thanks for sharing the pictures!

 

Hey guys,

We've recently made some design changes to our pedal set, and I made a quick video that highlights these changes.

Over time, our pedals will continue to evolve, but the overall design and functionality will remain the same. You may see some new additions to the pedal set after awhile, or you may see a completely different component then what we've used in the past. With that said, I assure you that they will function exactly the same as they always have ;-)

Anyhow, I hope you enjoy the video!

 

I really like how you continue to improve your design with cost effectiveness in mind.

The new mounting plates don't look like they are flush with the bottom of the pedals anymore. Are you going
to provide spacers to fill out this small gap? Have you tested overtightening the bolts on the mounting plates?
It'd suck if they end up bent because of said gap when trying to mount the pedals securely .

Some advice though though, be sure not to turn this into a Heusinkveld copy

 

Why is that?

 

2 things....

1) If you bend those tabs when bolting down the pedals, you're bolting them down waaaaay too hard. If you watched the video, you'll notice that the tabs don't even move when I use the pry bar to bend the bolt.

2) We're going to provide you with spacers ;-) No worries, we got you covered ;-)

 

Thanks for the info

 

Hey guys,

I really wanted to do a video on this, but we're super busy with batch #4, and I just don't have the time at the moment. So, rather than risk springing this on you guys at the last minute, I wanted to fill you in on what's happening.

Small Price Increase

As some of you may have noticed, we've updated the price of our pedal set on the front page of our website to $439. This is a $20 price increase. This was done for a couple of reasons. Some of you may disagree with this price increase, and for some, this could be a deciding factor as to whether or not to buy this pedal set vs.a different set, and I can certainly understand that. With that said, and no matter how much I hate increasing our prices, I want to be sure that I've done my job of passing this info on to you.

As we continue to grow, our operating costs grow as well. This is just the natural progression of any successful business. Normally, as more products are shipped out the door, the more money you make, and this can sometimes offset the increased costs of doing business. In our case, we haven't increased the number of products just yet, but we're getting there. With the recent changes made to our shop and the design of our pedals, this should help decrease batch times which, in turn, will get them into your hands quicker. That's the goal, anyway ;-)

We're also having to deal with an increase in aluminum prices. The price of aluminum is out of our control, and as you know, our pedals are 90% aluminum. This means we have to pay for it, no matter what it costs. We've actually been dealing with this since we began production on batch #3, but we held off on the price increase as long as we possibly could.

OK, so now that you've heard the bad news, let me try and give you a bit of good news.

The good news is that we're really cookin with batch #4. Now, the last thing I want to do is jump the gun, so I'm not going to be giving out estimates. All I wanted to say was that the recent changes to the shop (and pedal design) have really helped. I've said this since the beginning, but as we continue to build these things, we find better ways of handling certain tasks. One small example is the way that we polish the springs for the clutch and throttle. The end result is the same, but the amount of work needed to achieve that result has been cut by more than half. Little things like that can really have a dramatic affect on production as a whole.

At some point, we may decide to reduce the price of our pedals again, IF we can increase production by an amount that would make a price reduction feasible. I'd really like to be able to do that. I don't like increasing prices. I really don't. In fact, I hate it. But sometimes you just gotta do whatcha gotta do, ya know?

Anyhow, I know this post was long, but I just wanted to make sure you guys understood my position. If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them, as always ;-)

Chris

 

You are right Chris, a decision has been made. I've opted out, thanks for your clear stream of information along the way

 

Sure?

View attachment 19092

Well...as the price for aluminium comes more and more down since 1 year, it`s time to reduce the pedals price

 

Yes, I'm absolutely sure. The price per sheet from our supplier has gone up by over $150 since we started back in 2014. We've also checked other suppliers and have seen similar results. We've considered other suppliers, but most often they can be more expensive due to shipping costs. You see, it's not just the aluminum we're paying for ;-)

Just to give you an example as far as costs are concerned, Ledford Steel Company today sells 4'x8' sheets of aluminum for $561 per sheet. Back in 2014 we paid $427 for the same sheets. When we purchased the aluminum for batch #4, we paid $584 per sheet, with other suppliers selling for similar prices.

Also, your graph doesn't tell me much of anything. For example, what type of aluminum? 6061? 6063? 5005? 3003? 7075? 5052? 5086? 6101? All of these types of aluminum have very different costs because of the type of aluminum and how they're produced.

The bottom line is, we're paying more for it than we did when we started, as I stated in my original post.

 

You're very welcome, wgeuze. I try to keep you guys informed as much as possible.

I can certainly understand your decision, and I'm sure a lot of others will make the same decision. Unfortunately, I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place on this one.

Gotta roll with the punches, I guess ;-)

 

Hey guys,

I've created a really short "Update" video for you regarding batch #4. I am super excited for 2016, and I hope you are too!

Enjoy!!