Friday, December 13, 2013

Derek Speare Designs 2014 Track Boss (P)Review!

One of the greatest things about Sim Racing is that we get to place ourselves into the seats of many cars that we may never see, let alone sit in, in real life. However, one of the largest caveats is that we don't have the level of immersion that is sitting in the real life counterpart. Many actions that are second nature in a real car are simulated by button presses. The problem is, there are only so many buttons that can be on a wheel (I believe the Logitech G27 carries the largest button count, tipping the scales at 14 buttons and a directional pad). To get the most out of your simulation, you'll need more.




Derek Speare Design's button boxes look to fill that gap, by providing high quality equipment for the aspiring sim racer. He has a wide  variety of button boxes, ranging from the one who just wants the a simple box with buttons on it, to the driver who wants to go all out with buttons, rotary encoders, and toggle switches at his or her disposal.

Derek Speare's 2014 Track Boss

I want to thank Derek Speare for giving me access to one of the first run models of his next generation of his most popular model: The Track Boss. This button box features 32 separate functions:
- Two One-Way toggles with a safety
- 5 Two-Way toggles
- 5 Black buttons
- 7 Large buttons, in a variety of colors
- 7 Red buttons, the same style as the black

As you can see, I have labelled my functions as I use them on iRacing.

CONSTRUCTION AND BUILD QUALITY

Derek Speare uses high quality components and hand builds each unit, and you can tell at once that this is a high quality piece of equipment. Upon receiving the unit, I also realized that it would be quite large. One thing I like about this model as opposed to his previous models is that it is constructed in a way that it can stand on its own.

Each button feels solid and each type of button has a different feel to it. I really like the quality of the toggles, especially the safety covered ones. You can tell that DSD spares no expense in providing high quality materials.

One thing I sort of wish Derek Speare had kept on the 2014 model is the Carbon Fiber face, which has been forgone in favor of a glossy plastic, but I think the Black fits with my cockpit well, so I can definitely live with it.

MOUNTING

This particular model feels like a step up from the previous year's design when it comes to putting it on a cockpit. My cockpit is a DIY wood setup, inspired by InsideSimRacing's Deathmobiles, so I have enough room for about 2/3s of the box to be placed on. I really like that it has a self-standing design, that places it in a natural position.

Now, I tried two different methods of securing it onto the cockpit. My first attempt was placing strong Velcro onto the rear of the button box, which worked, but was relatively inconvenient because it would lean backwards at times when I pressed a button. I then decided to try a yellow Sugru knockoff, and placed three pieces on the box, and it is SOLID! I don't have to worry about any wobble on it whatsoever. I do not know how well it would work on his other button boxes, but it may be worth a shot. Someone can post a comment with their results if they decide to try it.

All of Derek Speare's button boxes allow for a Ram style mount, and have recommended mounting solutions on his website.

SET-UP

Setting up the button box can be quite interesting depending on your simulation of choice, and how many devices are used.

My current setup has 4 USB devices used for racing, a Wheel, a shifter, a set of pedals, and the button box. iRacing, Assetto Corsa, and rFactor 2 to my knowledge support 4 or more devices. However, ISIMotor2 sims (rFactor, Simbin sims, GSC, etc) only support 3 devices. You can use 4 devices on those simulators, but you have to use a software like XPadder to "merge" two controllers together. I haven't tested that yet, but I have heard it works well.

One thing that is worth mentioning is that the button box is the definition of Plug-and-Play. It uses DSD's 32-button controller (I believe) that is simple, yet effective in providing a great experience. I have not tried it on Apple or Linux OSes, but for Windows, it is very simple to get running. It does not include a USB cable though, but it uses the standard USB cable, like the ones used on printers (or the Clusport Pedals), and if you don't own one, you can order one for dirt cheap.

A minor gripe I have though, is that the buttons are not organized how you would expect on the PCB. You would think that the buttons would go like 1-2-3-4-5 etc, and the toggles being like up being 1, down being 2. However, they are put on the board in a way that up could be 1, down could be like 27. I do not know if it is due to the fact that this is a pre-production model, but this is a very minor thing, that you'll likely totally forget about once it is set up.

USING IT

At first using the button box carries a slight learning curve, but it easily becomes second nature. It definitely is a large step up from trying to manage a keyboard during a race, and it really increases the sense of immersion. Some people may prefer the 2-way rotary encoders over the toggles, but I enjoy using the toggles, especially for functions like adjusting radio channels, or button box controls. It also frees up buttons on my wheel, so I can utilize them for functions I'd rather have at a moment's notice.


PROS
- Solid build quality
- Added immersion factor
- Can be self-standing or used on a Ram mount

CONS
- Relatively large footprint may be offputting for some (Derek Speare has a variety of smaller button boxes available)
- Button "layout" on PCB may be confusing at first
- Some people may have preferred the carbon fiber face of the older unit
- Doesn't come with USB cable

Total Score
90/100

Conclusion
Derek Speare has brought forth a great piece of equipment, that is a great addition to any sim racer's arsenal! The Track Boss may not be for everyone, but I highly recommend that you check out the many other models that he has available, for any style and budget.

You can order a button box directly from Derek Speare Designs at http://www.derekspearedesigns.com/

Hope you enjoyed this review and Happy Racing!

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