R4 Force Wheel Support
Welcome to the R4 Force Wheel support pages. Here you will find answers to commonly asked questions to help you get the most out of your R4 Force Wheel.
Q1: Why doesn't my Saitek game controller appear in the game controller list when I click Add?
A1: Try re-installing the Saitek driver.
You may have exceeded the limit of controllers, which can be viewed in Windows. In game controllers, click Add, click on a manufacturers controller that you do not wish to use, then press the Del key on your keyboard, then click OK. Finally click Add, then click on your Saitek Controller which should now appear in the list.
Q2: My pedals do not seem to work correctly or not at all, what can I do?
A2: Check that the Brake and Gas on separate axis box is NOT ticked in the Control Panel/ Game controllers/ Properties/ Settings window, as many driving games do not support separate pedal axes (sometimes called separate pedal mode)
Q3: How do I install my Force Feedback wheel correctly?
A3: Install the Saitek R4 Force Wheel driver from the supplied CD-ROM by following the on-screen instructions. Select Control Panel/ Games Controllers in Windows, and remove any existing game controller that is listed. Click on OK, then return to Game Controllers. Add the Saitek R4 Force Wheel from the list of available Game controllers Select Properties/ Test, and then check that the wheel, pedal and buttons function correctly. Select Settings, and check that the Force Gain slider is set to Full, the Map Y axis forces to X axis box is ticked, and the Brake and Gas on separate axis box is not ticked. Select Force Test and confirm that all six Force effects are working.
Q4: I've followed the instructions above and in the manual, but I still have no Force Feedback - what can I do?
A4: After installing the CDROM drivers reboot your PC. If you cannot get the Force effects working, check that the FFB LED on the switch is on, and not flashing. If not on, press the FFB button. If the LED is still not on, check that the power adapter is connected to the mains supply socket, that the socket is switched on (if applicable), and that the power adapter lead is plugged into the socket at the rear of the steering console.
If the LED is flashing, it means the wheel is not connected to the game port properly, check the game port connection at the rear of your PC.
If the Game Controllers window reports the controller status is "OK", but the Force effects are not working in the Force test window, it probably means that the MIDI port on your PC has not been configured properly. Some soundcards may not install the MIDI drivers automatically during Plug and Play. To check this, select Control Panel/ Multimedia/ Midi in Windows. You should see a MIDI device listed; such as MPU-401 etc. If no identifiable MIDI device is listed, install the MIDI driver for your MIDI port by following the instructions supplied with your soundcard (or motherboard card in the case of a motherboard with built-in game and soundport). Next, test your MIDI set up by selecting Programs/ Accessories/ Entertainment/ Mediaplayer/ in Windows. Now load the sample MIDI file provided on this CD-ROM, by selecting File/ Open, then navigate to your CD-ROM drive and point to the file "test.mid" in the root directory of this CD-ROM - provide link to test.mid (source WD01) . Finally click on the play button and check that the MIDI sound is audible.
If not, and you are using Windows 98, follow the guidance in Windows/ Help/ Troubleshooting / Sounds, and select "I don't hear drum sounds" (this section covers MIDI problems). If this fails, the MPU-401 on the sound card may not be enabled electrically. Some sound cards have a jumper on board to enable/disable the MPU-401 MIDI. Otherwise, check the sound card documentation (or access sound card manufacturer's technical support on their website) and ensure that the MPU-401 is enabled.
If the control panel Force tests are now operational, run one of the games from the supplied CD-ROM which support Force Feedback i.e. Johnny Herbert's GP 1998, Ultim@ate Race Pro, or TOCA Touring Car Championship). If Force feedback works OK in these games, but not in your own game, ensure that the Force Feedback button is checked and the Use Throttle button is UN-checked in your game setup. Some games with Force Feedback support have a "Null Zone" setting. We have found that this has to be set to maximum to feel some forces.
Additional MIDI set up
Some sound cards (including some PnP cards) do not have the correct MIDI port address. You may check from Windows/ Control Panel/ System/ Device Manager and make sure the sound card Resource Settings have 3 input-output ranges (typically 220-22F, 388-38B and 330-331). If not, try manually setting the resource settings to achieve this configuration.
Q5: My wheel is off center, what should I do?
A5: Disconnect the power adapter plug from the rear of the Wheel cabinet for a few seconds, then reconnect
Q6: My Controller isn't working in my game, why is this?
or
My controller is not performing correctly in my game, what's happening?
A6: The first thing to check if the controller isn't working in the game is whether it is working in Game Controllers/Gaming Options in Control Panel. You can do this following the instructions in the General FAQ. If it is working okay in there then we know the controller is okay and problem has to do with the game itself.
First, make sure that the game actually supports game controllers, because some PC games just don't (if you're unsure you should contact the game publisher for more info on this).
Secondly, make sure you have correctly enabled the controller in the game's control options screen - most games have an options screen where you have to set up the controls - if this is a little unclear to you then the best people to contact this are, again, the publisher of the game as they will be more familiar with the game's inner workings.
Thirdly, the game may well need an update to correct an existing problem that the game may have shipped with. Always check the game's website to see if there are any updates for it (typically called Patches).
Windows 2000/XP
We're afraid that this product is not supported under Windows 2000/XP; it was discontinued in production some time ago and as a result will not receive any more driver updates
