Happy ending for Spy Hunter gas pedal POT problem

demogo

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Wow, I'm excited!

After many months of being plagued on Spy Hunter with a gas pedal that was not returning the full range of values that it should be returning, I followed up on a tip that I received from an acquaintance.

I'd already tried recalibrating the POT a number of times from the service menu and would get random calibration results back from it. But the game played consistently once calibrated.

I swapped in a new absolute position board to see if that would help with the wild, random calibration results -- and the random calibration results disappeared and it started returning consistent (but slightly miscalibrated) results.

So I put the original absolute position board back in to confirm that it was the problem -- and it too was returning consistent (but slightly miscalibrated) results. This was shocking because previously it would return wild calibration values and now it was very consistent.

I have no earthly idea of why the old board was suddenly working reliably but I was then able to adjust the POT position to return a clean 0-1F result.

The trick (that I was tipped off to) is to loosen up the screws on either side of the POT, turn the POT slightly to manually adjust it, and then tighten the screws back up again. Presto -- it was exactly what I needed to tweak the max range up so I'm now getting a clean 0-1F result.

And the results in the game are dramatic! I could barely get to 1F before -- had to mash the pedal all the way to the ground. Now I can easily get to 1F and the car feels like someone added 300HP to it -- it's amazing! It now FEELS like the 800HP car that it's supposed to be.

Anyway, happy ending to this story and thought I'd share this adjustment tip with my fellow KLOVers because I'd never heard of it here (or anywhere else that google would get me).
 
Re: Happy ending for Spy Hunter gas pedal POT problem

I need to adjust my pot as well - the only thing is, I have no idea where it is or what it is supposed to look like.

It is attached to the pedal assembly itself? The manual isn't that helpful, and says that it may differ from the real thing.

Anyone remember off the top of their head?
 
Re: Happy ending for Spy Hunter gas pedal POT problem

I need to adjust my pot as well - the only thing is, I have no idea where it is or what it is supposed to look like.

It is attached to the pedal assembly itself? The manual isn't that helpful, and says that it may differ from the real thing.

Anyone remember off the top of their head?

Yep, it's easy. If I had known how to do this previously I would have done it in a heartbeat. It's a 10 min job.

First do the POT calibration through the diagnostic screens.

Then you can open up your back panel of your cab and look at the bottom left corner. You'll see the back end of the gas pedal assembly right there.


You should be able to spot the light blue POT near the end. Surrounding the POT is a little horizontal adjustment plate that keeps the POT from moving. The plate is secured by 2 screws.

What you want to do is partially unscrew the screws to take the pressure of the plate, and then you can turn the POT slightly to allow more "upper end" room. You'll need to verify the numbers you're getting back in your "user input" screen -- you're shooting for 0 to 1F. Best to adjust it so that you get to 1F without having to mash the accelerator to the floor -- you want it to be readily available.

If you go over 1F (or perhaps 20), the game will go into hyperdrive where things are so fast it's ridiculous (and you won't be able to control the car).

When you've got it tuned correctly you'll need to tighten those screws back up to keep it secure.

Good luck! Just ask if you've got any other questions...
 
Re: Happy ending for Spy Hunter gas pedal POT problem

Aw man, I was staring at that thing all last night, but for some reason didn't think that was it. Dude, thanks a bunch, I am going to adjust that thing as soon as I get home. I have been having to floor the accelerator ever since I got it, which turns the nice analog controls into a de factor digital thing. Thanks a TON. I'll try to take some pics for anyone in the future attempting this.
 
Re: Happy ending for Spy Hunter gas pedal POT problem

Happy to help. That was a thorn in my side for the last 4 or 5 months and I'm happy to share the knowledge.

I asked here several times and never got that particular advice so I thought I'd share the info in case it would help someone.

Glad to see it did! (Or will!)
 
Re: Happy ending for Spy Hunter gas pedal POT problem

Had a chance to move that pot - and that definitely worked. It starts out at 0B now.

However... when I press the pedal, it goes as follows:

0B, 09, 08, 06, 04, 02, 35 then down to all the 2x positions and 1x and then it finally comes to rest at 0B again.

That can't be correct, right? On yours it counts up from 0B up to 1F, if I understand it correctly? Does this sound like a bad absolute position board?

This has apparently been happening forever, too - the thing has a little metal leg on the back of the pedal, which means when someone hits the accelerator, the thing momentarily goes slower (as it counts down from 0B) and then hits the 3x speeds -- the leg stops it from counting down any further, this providing a cruel approximation of analog speed.

This sucks, I'd love to fix this, and I've apparently been living with this since I bought the thing. Without another Spy Hunter around to compare it to, I just wrote it off as "the way it always was," but I knew in the back of my mind that the thing was capable of more precise pedal control. Now at least I've confirmed there is something wrong with mine somewhere.
 
Re: Happy ending for Spy Hunter gas pedal POT problem

Mine doesn't burn out or whatever isn't it suppose to burn out if you mash the pedal?
 
Re: Happy ending for Spy Hunter gas pedal POT problem

Yeah, I think what it is supposed to do is start at 0B, and then go upwards to 1F - and I think 1F is where the flames come out of the car and it is going as fast as it can. Not 100% certain though.
 
Re: Happy ending for Spy Hunter gas pedal POT problem

Had a chance to move that pot - and that definitely worked. It starts out at 0B now.

However... when I press the pedal, it goes as follows:

0B, 09, 08, 06, 04, 02, 35 then down to all the 2x positions and 1x and then it finally comes to rest at 0B again.

That can't be correct, right? On yours it counts up from 0B up to 1F, if I understand it correctly? Does this sound like a bad absolute position board?

This has apparently been happening forever, too - the thing has a little metal leg on the back of the pedal, which means when someone hits the accelerator, the thing momentarily goes slower (as it counts down from 0B) and then hits the 3x speeds -- the leg stops it from counting down any further, this providing a cruel approximation of analog speed.

This sucks, I'd love to fix this, and I've apparently been living with this since I bought the thing. Without another Spy Hunter around to compare it to, I just wrote it off as "the way it always was," but I knew in the back of my mind that the thing was capable of more precise pedal control. Now at least I've confirmed there is something wrong with mine somewhere.

OK, that's bizarre. I wouldn't try to calibrate it into starting at 0B if that's what you did.

I calibrated mine with my foot off the pedal. It said it should start at 0B but mine was reading 08 and I left it alone when I calibrated.

Your user input from the user input test screen should read from zero to 1F -- and it should be linear and smooth as you push down on the gas pedal. Mine now has a wider 1F range at the top -- just the way it should be.

When you are pressing down on the pedal your values are decreasing which is the opposite of how it's supposed to work. What happens if you twist the pot back the other way and then calibrate with your foot off the pedal?

Not sure what this problem is -- could be a bad pot, it could be you adjusted it too much, could be a bad absolute position board. I've been told that "dead spots" in the values returned indicated a bad pot that needed to be replaced. I wonder if it's possible to have the pot in backwards? I suppose it's also possible that someone swapped the wiring on your gas pedal pot and got something reversed?

It's weird -- your values are going the opposite way and then wrapping around into huge values so this explains your bizarre game behavior perfectly.

Try recalibrating with your foot off the pedal and try different adjustments with the pot -- if it's going the wrong way always then it's probably not that and we need to look into why your game is returning the exact opposite values that it's supposed to.
 
Re: Happy ending for Spy Hunter gas pedal POT problem

Mine doesn't burn out or whatever isn't it suppose to burn out if you mash the pedal?

You're supposed to get flames shooting out of the tailpipes when your turbo kicks in. You don't get 'em until your gas pedal is returning 1F.
 
Re: Happy ending for Spy Hunter gas pedal POT problem

Yeah, I think what it is supposed to do is start at 0B, and then go upwards to 1F - and I think 1F is where the flames come out of the car and it is going as fast as it can. Not 100% certain though.

Nope -- forget about the 0B. The values returned from the user input test (not the pot calibration test) should be 0 to 1F. If the bottom value is more than 0 then your car will "creep forward" with your foot off the gas. If the top value is less than 1F then you don't get turbo. If it's more than 1F then the game goes berzerk and goes at about 3x normal speed.
 
Re: Happy ending for Spy Hunter gas pedal POT problem

I calibrated mine with my foot off the pedal. It said it should start at 0B but mine was reading 08 and I left it alone when I calibrated.

When you are pressing down on the pedal your values are decreasing which is the opposite of how it's supposed to work. What happens if you twist the pot back the other way and then calibrate with your foot off the pedal?

I twisted the pot as far as it would go, and I could get it starting at 11 instead of 0B (with nothing on the pedal). It still kept going down, however. Hmm...


I wonder if it's possible to have the pot in backwards? I suppose it's also possible that someone swapped the wiring on your gas pedal pot and got something reversed?

Yeah, that's what I am thinking as well. I am going to put up a post for a new absolution position board just to be sure. I don't know enough about pots to know if cutting the two wires going to it and re-soldering them on each other's positions will help, or if one of the wires is ground and therefore switching positions something that would not help.

That being said, let me ask you this... my pedal has a long screw placed right in the middle of it, and it protrudes a few inches downwards. It's smooth where your foot actually touches the pedal, but that longish screw on the backside prevents the pedal from ever going completely to the floor. (I can MS Paint a picture if it helps to visualize it.) Flipping the pedal out of the way and pressing the lever to the ground directly is the only way I see the full range in the calibration screen. Does your physical pedal have anything like that screw bolted into it? I'm thinking that this game has had a bad pot (or AP board) forever, and someone threw a screw onto the pedal to work around it.
 
Re: Happy ending for Spy Hunter gas pedal POT problem

I calibrated mine with my foot off the pedal. It said it should start at 0B but mine was reading 08 and I left it alone when I calibrated.

When you are pressing down on the pedal your values are decreasing which is the opposite of how it's supposed to work. What happens if you twist the pot back the other way and then calibrate with your foot off the pedal?

I twisted the pot as far as it would go, and I could get it starting at 11 instead of 0B (with nothing on the pedal). It still kept going down, however. Hmm...


I wonder if it's possible to have the pot in backwards? I suppose it's also possible that someone swapped the wiring on your gas pedal pot and got something reversed?

Yeah, that's what I am thinking as well. I am going to put up a post for a new absolution position board just to be sure. I don't know enough about pots to know if cutting the two wires going to it and re-soldering them on each other's positions will help, or if one of the wires is ground and therefore switching positions something that would not help.

That being said, let me ask you this... my pedal has a long screw placed right in the middle of it, and it protrudes a few inches downwards. It's smooth where your foot actually touches the pedal, but that longish screw on the backside prevents the pedal from ever going completely to the floor. (I can MS Paint a picture if it helps to visualize it.) Flipping the pedal out of the way and pressing the lever to the ground directly is the only way I see the full range in the calibration screen. Does your physical pedal have anything like that screw bolted into it? I'm thinking that this game has had a bad pot (or AP board) forever, and someone threw a screw onto the pedal to work around it.

Jonsey, ignore the value on the pot calibration screen. Recalibrate with your foot off the gas, go to the user input screen and tell me what values you get back from that screen.

Now go back and twist the pot the other way and do the same thing and tell me what values you get back from the user input screen.

And please take a digital picture of your gas pedal and upload it here and tell me what wire colors are on which ends of your pot.

We'll figure this out and get you working properly.
 
Re: Happy ending for Spy Hunter gas pedal POT problem

All righty... I can't find the camera right now, but I will locate it tomorrow and post a pic of the pedal.

Here's the thing: when I go to the User Input screen, it shows 00 as the pedal value. It does nothing until the pedal is about 3'4ths the way down. Then it goes to 06, then 04 then 02, then 00. I adjusted the pot as far as it would go, but I got the same readings on User Input.

I then removed the pot in order to twist it and see the values. If I twist it *clockwise*, I get a normal rotation from low to high. Twisting in counter-clockwise has it go from high to low.

Here's the thing: the way the pedal is setup, pressing it automatically turns the pot counter-clockwise. What on earth is up with that?

I'll take a picture of the pot as well - it is difficult to describe where the wires are without a good point of reference.

Thanks again, demogo - appreciate all of this.
 
Re: Happy ending for Spy Hunter gas pedal POT problem

All righty... I can't find the camera right now, but I will locate it tomorrow and post a pic of the pedal.

Here's the thing: when I go to the User Input screen, it shows 00 as the pedal value. It does nothing until the pedal is about 3'4ths the way down. Then it goes to 06, then 04 then 02, then 00. I adjusted the pot as far as it would go, but I got the same readings on User Input.

I then removed the pot in order to twist it and see the values. If I twist it *clockwise*, I get a normal rotation from low to high. Twisting in counter-clockwise has it go from high to low.

Here's the thing: the way the pedal is setup, pressing it automatically turns the pot counter-clockwise. What on earth is up with that?

I'll take a picture of the pot as well - it is difficult to describe where the wires are without a good point of reference.

Thanks again, demogo - appreciate all of this.

Jonsey,

> If I twist it *clockwise*, I get a normal rotation from low to high.

What values do you get when you go from low to high? 0, 2, 4, 6?

> I then removed the pot in order to twist it and see the values.

You don't have to remove it to twist it -- if you just loosen up the screws you can twist it w/o taking it out.

Hey, we'll get this. Just hang in there.
 
Re: Happy ending for Spy Hunter gas pedal POT problem

All righty... I can't find the camera right now, but I will locate it tomorrow and post a pic of the pedal.

Here's the thing: when I go to the User Input screen, it shows 00 as the pedal value. It does nothing until the pedal is about 3'4ths the way down. Then it goes to 06, then 04 then 02, then 00. I adjusted the pot as far as it would go, but I got the same readings on User Input.

I then removed the pot in order to twist it and see the values. If I twist it *clockwise*, I get a normal rotation from low to high. Twisting in counter-clockwise has it go from high to low.

Here's the thing: the way the pedal is setup, pressing it automatically turns the pot counter-clockwise. What on earth is up with that?

I'll take a picture of the pot as well - it is difficult to describe where the wires are without a good point of reference.

Thanks again, demogo - appreciate all of this.

Jonsey,

> If I twist it *clockwise*, I get a normal rotation from low to high.

What values do you get when you go from low to high? 0, 2, 4, 6?

> I then removed the pot in order to twist it and see the values.

You don't have to remove it to twist it -- if you just loosen up the screws you can twist it w/o taking it out.

I suspect you have more than one issue here -- perhaps 2 or 3 and that's why you're getting crazy results.

Before I'd buy an abs position board I'd get a new pot and I think we can adjust when it starts counting upwards. Not sure yet about why it's going in reverse. Pictures may help with that.

Hey, we'll get this. Just hang in there.
 
Re: Happy ending for Spy Hunter gas pedal POT problem

What values do you get when you go from low to high? 0, 2, 4, 6?

You know what, I was trying everything possible to hit any value from 0 to 6, but it just jumps from 00 to 06, bypassing everything in-between (at the User Input screen).

So I guess if I had it on a timeline, it would be:

00 .... .... .... 06 . 04 . 02 (pedal is now at the floor)
 
Re: Happy ending for Spy Hunter gas pedal POT problem

And here is the picture of the pot and that crazy pedal, with the screw through it:

spyhunterpot01.jpg


spyhunterpedal01.jpg
 
Re: Happy ending for Spy Hunter gas pedal POT problem

Through this Usenet message, I can verify that the pedal should definitely be moving the pot in a counter-clockwise direction.

I am going to spin the pot counter clockwise again to ensure there is no way to get it to flip and increase voltages when moving in that direction.

Beyond that... does anyone sell a replacement pot for the Spy Hunter pedal?
 
sounds like you have 2 problems -

1. a bad pot. Remove the pot and plate from the pedal box, and reach in through the coin door and grab it. Rotate the gear and watch the numbers on the pot calibration screen. They should be smooth, with no skipping around. If it isn't, then the pot's toasted. Replace it. I used a 10k linear pot from Radio shack- the shaft was too long, and had to be trimmed to fit, but it works fine. You can also pick them up from the various online vendors, but they're kinda pricey.

Ok, now, reinstall the pot - here's the trick - take the pot and plate out, turn the gear until it reads 0b - like it says on the calibration page, then reinstall the plate and pot into the housing, without turning the gear relative to the pot. If you shoot for the middle of the elongated holes when you put it back in, you can make minor adjustments by twisting the plate till you get the 0b on the pot calibration screen. Hit the weapons van button, and the computer records that as your 0 throttle setting. Done.

If you look at the numbers and they still are getting smaller as you press the pedal, the pot is wired up backwards. You need to switch the +5v and ground wires on the pot. They are Orange/green and blue/g. The wiper is yellow/blue - leave it alone, just switch the other two. Your numbers should then go in the proper direction. You'll need to reset the calibration to 0b on the pot cal. page and reinstall, and press the wv button.
Fwiw, on mine - on the calibration page, i go from 0b to 35. On the player input page, i go from 0 to 28. Its way faster than you'd imagine - its really too fast, at full throttle, the engine makes the engine bogging sound.

While your in there, you should check to make sure the rod that the pedal sits on is not bent or nearly broke in two like mine was. I ended up making a new one from 1/4" rod from Home Depot, using a propane torch and vice to bend it to shape, and a hammer and torch to flatten the end out like the original.

Its not complicated, everything has to be done right for the computer to see the right values. Incidentally, you calibrate the steering wheel the same way- with the wheel centered, set the pot to the value indicated on the calibration screen, press the wv button, and it remembers your center. Its ok to be off a few numbers one way or the other - thats normal, but you need to be in the right ballpark, or you'll not have enough throttle, or steering in one direction or the other.
 
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