iRacer Christmas Ideas

by Ray Bryden on December 12th, 2009

Let’s face it, if you’re angling for a great gift this year it’s probably a big-ticket item like a monitor or three, or a high end CPU, pedals or video card. But if the budget is tight or you just want to tack-on some extras, here are a few items you can give to yourself or an iRacer friend for not much more than the money you’ll find between the seat cushions.

1)    Optimize your system

Any extra vacation time would be well spent doing some preventive maintenance. Spending a half an hour cleaning the dust out of your system, particularly the fans cooling off the CPU and video card, can prevent unexpected problems, especially when the weather heats up.”

Also, removing any unused bloatware, or disabling unneeded apps that automatically load during boot-up will probably improve your performance in some way, even if it’s just saving a few seconds of boot-up. It may also help to save a few precious clock cycles when iRacing is running. Streamlining your system is a good use of free time when it comes along. Also a disk defrag or re-installation of the operating system can help to improve system performance. You can back-up your iRacing files to avoid having to download everything for the reinstallation. If you do any serious reconfiguration it is always a good idea to back-up your data and set a restore point in case things go wrong (and don’t blame me).

To trim down the background processses: http://www.blackviper.com

2)    DIY Button Box

I found an old USB gamepad lying around.  I removed the circuit board, soldered some wires onto the button contacts and then installed push button switches to create my own USB button box. The project only took a few hours to complete and, by using a free application called AutoHotKey, I automated text entry.  Now if I have to say “Thanks!” “No Problem,” or “Sorry!” during a race, I just reach down and press a single button rather than hunting for keys on the keyboard while I go off the track a second time. Of course, the buttons could be programmed to do other tasks instead, like voice chat controls or other iRacing hot key shortcuts from the Options menu.

http://www.autohotkey.com

3)    DIY Head Tracker

If you have a good webcam or, better yet, a Wii remote, then you can configure a low-cost version of TrackIR which allows you to change the perspective as you drive by subtle head movements, enabling you to look into the apex or watch for traffic beside you without using the ‘look left/right’ buttons. Many people who have tried head trackers in racing sims cannot train themselves to adapt to the system, but there is a significant number of devoted users who love it and find it difficult to drive without it.

I set-up a simple single-axis (look left and right) version by connecting the Wii remote to the PC with a USB Bluetooth adapter and then making a headset out of a pair of safety glasses (lenses removed) and attached a battery and infrared LED to use as the input. FreeTrack software works in the background to allow the head tracker to change the perspective from the cockpit. A full 6 degree of freedom system – which follows your head movements left/right, up/down, forward/back, tilt, pitch and yaw – can be done by simply adding two more LEDs.

http://www.freetrack.com

4)    Cell phone Bluetooth headset

A cheap USB Bluetooth adapter can also come in handy as another sound output option if you have access to a cell phone Bluetooth earpiece. That way, instead of wearing a large wired headset or listening to spotter calls over your speakers, you can simply use the cell phone earpiece to hear the spotter and listen/speak to others through voice-chat. Obviously, off-the-shelf wireless headsets are available, but if you already have the hardware it is worth trying out.

5)    Gift certificates

For a small sum you can buy several iRacing gift certificates and send them off to a few iRacer friends, or someone who provides setups or advice, or someone who may be needier. Or perhaps someone runs a website that has been helpful. Any small donation can go a long way in deferring their costs and showing them that their efforts are appreciated.

In any event, I hope the holiday season is a happy and memorable one for you. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy New Year!”

Disclaimer: Third-party products and sites are not endorsed by iRacing.com nor guaranteed to work. Use at your own risk.