Taking racing controls to another level 

After more than two years of development the new BRD Sim - Speed7™ pedal control system pushes the frontiers of control excellence and will provide you with a platform to build and develop your racing performance.

The Speed7™ pedal controls represent the first in a line of Speed7™ products that will revolutionise Sim racing and real world racing. As part of our strategy to breakdown the barriers between the real and the virtual, these pedal controls are designed not only to improve the Sim experience but also to develop real world racing training. They are therefore designed to perform a dual role and so authenticity and durability are the key features of this system.

Design
Created using the most up to date CAD systems we modelled the system entirely in 3D to ensure that the ergonomics and style accurately reflect that of the genuine racecar. We then produced a model using the latest Rapid Prototyping techniques to test the ergonomics and the performance. Having done that we made the adjustments required to get the design just right and moved on to creating the dies and moulds required for the various parts.

Materials
The Speed7™ pedal system is in the main created in an advanced extruded aluminium alloy. They represent the leading edge of extruded aluminium technology and tested to the limit the available technology in this field. The result is the most delightful and ergonomically pleasing finish.
The pedals, footplate and main base are all finished in an anodised coating to harden and colour the extruded aluminium.
The translucent pedal spring mechanisms are made in a high quality high impact plastic for consistency and smoothness of performance.
The springs are made to our own specifications by a specialist manufacturer with different tensions on the throttle and brake and will never fail.
The remaining materials parts are sourced from top quality sources and CNC machined for uniformity of performance.
Every component is either produced using our own dies and moulds or are machined by computer to ensure total consistency and quality of finish.

Electronics
The electronics and programming in the pedal unit alone have taken almost a year to develop. The result is probably the most sophisticated USB device so far created in this field. The Speed7™ pedal unit contains three printed circuit boards. Board one holds the potentiometers and a memory chip. This memory chip counts the hours of use and movements of the potentiometers. The Potentiometers are guaranteed for a minimum of 1000 hours of use (that’s around an hour per day of use for almost 3 years). The memory chip can be interrogated by us if a failure appears within this period ensuring that we have empirical data on potentiometer life and allowing us a scientific basis on which to judge potentiometer suitability.

The second circuit board contains the main circuitry, which allows you to have a 2 or 3 pedal unit floor mounted or overhead mounted, 1,2 or 3 axis. Piggy backing this board is the main brain of the unit. This third board contains further memory chips and microprocessors, which control the output from the pedal unit. It analyses the pedal action, processing this information and smoothing the signals before out putting to the interface box. 

The interface box is a small box that sits between the pedal unit and the PC and is where the USB conversion takes place. It is a second brain that further enhances the data before it goes to the main PC. All the data processing work is done in the pedal unit and interface box meaning the USB data passed to the PC is pure and minimised ensuring maximum data transfer rates and clarity of data. It also provides us with the ability in future to interface with other platforms, such as Playstation2 and X-Box and everything else that might come along because the data processing is done in our hardware. This is truly ‘smart’ hardware.

The interface box and the pedal unit processors are fully programmable and updateable. You can set up all aspects of your pedals output profile and program the range of electrical output from the potentiometers. So if you want your throttle output to occur in the first 10 degrees of your throttle pedal movement then you can set this up simply in the hardware. There are enormous amounts of scenarios you can create and the range will develop over time.

The interface box and the pedal unit itself can be updated with new drivers and programs as they become available via Flash updates which will be available as internet downloads or mini dongles that plug into the pedal or interface box and flash the new program in seconds. The result is a pedal system that will never be out of date.

The pedals operate using the quicker USB 1.1 protocol that gives us a solid platform upon which to add the range of Speed7™ products we are developing. For example a new force feedback steering control with its massive feature range, including steering mounted LCD screens etc and data loggers, just as in the real racecar. They also allow for sequential and full ‘H’ pattern gearboxes, motion systems and anything else you can think of. Not to mention force feedback in the pedal unit itself!

All of these have been catered for in the design of the Speed7 hardware and software architecture.

Summary of Features 
Extruded Aluminium structure for maximum strength but still lightweight.

• The rake angle and pedal travel have both macro and micro adjustments so thatwhatever race car environment you wish to create, you can. 

• The pedal head spacing is adjustable so that you can create the perfect heel and toe set up for you. 

• Authentic brake, throttle and clutch feel and easily modified so it is just right for you. 

• Floor or overhead pedal mountable.

• Fully compatible for overhead mounting with our Race Frame Pro chassis 

• Self calibrating (no more Windows calibration required) 

• Compatible with all BRD Sim steering controls 

• USB compatible interface 

• Future proofed design and software architecture 

• Precision potentiometers 

• Suitable for race driver training 

• Carbon fibre footplate on 2 pedal version 

• Modular parts for easy servicing 

• Performance Guarantee - if this system does not help to improve you Sim racing performance just return the product within 90 days for a full refund.

Compatibility with BRD Steering Products
The Speed7™ pedals are compatible with all BRD steering products. They simply plug straight in to the back of the pedal unit. The design of the pedal unit means that it is possible to further improve the responsiveness and precision of the BRD steering control. In order to benefit from this enhancement it is necessary to upgrade the potentiometer and wiring loom inside the steering unit. This is a relatively simple operation and upgrade kits are available under parts and accessories in the Shop. The V² range of steering controls are already set up for optimum performance with the Speed7™ Pedals.

Compatibility with Non-BRD Steering Products
The Speed7™ pedals can be used with any other manufacturers steering device in any software that allows you to configure multiple controls, which is the vast majority now. You will also need two USB ports on your computer if your other wheel and pedal device is USB. If your other controller is game port then you will need a game port and USB input. In order to set the calibration of the Speed7™ pedals we will supply you with a cable with a switch on it, which plugs into the back of the Speed7™ pedals and replaces the fact that you are not using a BRD steering device.

For users of game port steering devices. We can prepare a special adapter cable that will allow you to use your current steering device plugged directly into the back of the Speed7™ pedals. This will give you a USB steering with the additional benefits that this can bring, including the ability to fit higher-grade potentiometers etc and remove any slight jitter you might have with your current steering device in calibration.

Dimensions
Width (of front foot plate): 28.2cm
Length (front of footplate to back of pedal base): 30cm
Weight: Approx. 3.5Kgs