3DRap Ignition Akina Handbrake & Pikes Shifter | Review [ENG Sub & GER]

Welcome to a new video on my YouTube channel
This video is about the Akina handbrake and the Pikes Shifter from the Ignition series by 3DRap
Both articles were kindly made available to me
Let’s start with the Pikes Shifter first
The Pikes Shifter is a sequential shifter like the one used in many racing cars and street cars
One click forwards or backwards and the car changes gear
Let’s take a closer look at the shifter
The outer dimensions of the shifter are as follows:
The shifter is 215 mm high, 275 mm long and 70 mm wide
The shifter is made of 2 mm thick stainless steel plates
in addition there are the 3D printed polymer plastic areas on the outside as well as on the inside of the shifter
The shift knob of the shifter was covered with a material similar to Alcantara and sewn with red seams
We also have a 1.9m long Nylon 2.0 USB cable
The shifter as it stands here is only compatible with the PC
With certain adapters or programs from other manufacturers you can also use it on consoles
The complete shifter has a weight of 800 grams
The shifter can be mounted using the two outer brackets
The

holes in the tabs have a hole spacing of 160 mm and a diameter of about 6.2 mm
The shifter is therefore fastened with M6 screws
However, these are not included in the scope of delivery
Now we come to the functions
The shifter has the two functions that a sequential shifter must have
Shift forward and shift backward
Or. shift down or up a gear
The shift feeling or the resistance of the shifter is generated by 4 magnets and a single steel spring
To explain this a little bit I show you this animation
As you can see, you first have to bridge the force of the magnets and then the resistance is generated by the spring until it stops
This means that the magnets have a high resistance first
When the influence of the magnets decreases, the spring takes over the resistance
The resistance is then significantly lower when the influence of the magnets decreases
And the further you push the shifter towards the stop or the signal of the gear change
the more the resistance increases because the spring compresses in one direction and pulls apart in the other direction
As you can see on the graph, the greatest resistance of 2 KG is right at the beginning, if you have to press it against the resistance of the magnets
Then the resistance drops to about 0.5 KG, and increases to about 1.25 KG until it stops
So here we have a kind of magnetic shifter in combination with a steel spring
Something else about the shift feeling
The resistance of around 2KG that you have to press at the beginning feels good
The switching distance is significantly longer compared to other sequential shifters
The shift path up to the stop or the gear change could be shorter for my personal feeling
Due to the high switching travel, most of the switching travel is pressed against the steel spring
The resistance of the steel spring could also be a bit harder or firmer, precisely because of the long switching travel
Of course, this is all a subjective opinion and of course also depends heavily on what you are used to
If you come from a Thrustmaster TH8A shifter you will find a much stronger resistance here
If you come from a sequential shifter that generates its force using a ball spring, you will find less resistance here
The instructions included with the shifter also explain how you can replace the contact switch, which is responsible for the transmission of the switching signal
Let’s get the price of the shifter
The Pikes Shifter costs as it stands here € 139 including VAT
That is all there is to say about the Pikes Shifter
Now we continue with the Akina handbrake
And when we have gone through all the data and functions of the handbrake, I will test the shifter on my simulator
The Akina handbrake combines many different handbrakes in a single handbrake
I will explain how this is meant in the coming minutes
First, let’s take a closer look at the Akina handbrake
The outer dimensions of the handbrake are as follows:
The handbrake is 280 mm high, 250 mm long and 50 mm wide
The handbrake, like the shifter, is made of 2 mm thick stainless steel plates
in addition there are the 3D printed polymer plastic areas on the outside as well as inside the handbrake
The handle of the handbrake was covered with a material similar to Alcantara and sewn with red seams
The handbrake handle has the following dimensions:
It is 11 cm high, 3 cm long and 2.5 cm wide
We also have a 1.9m long Nylon 2.0 USB cable
The handbrake as it stands here is only compatible with the PC
With certain adapters or programs from other manufacturers you can also use them on consoles
The handbrake has a total weight of 1.5 KG
In addition, the handbrake is equipped with an analog sensor, via which the position of the handbrake is passed on to the PC
The handbrake can be installed using the two outer brackets
The extinguishers in the tabs have a hole spacing of 200 mm and a diameter of about 6.2 mm
The Handbrake is therefore fastened with M6 screws
However, these are not included in the scope of delivery
Now we come to the actual functions
First of all it is important how long the lever of the handbrake is and how far you can pull the handbrake
This screw in the middle of the handbrake is the fulcrum of the lever
From this point to the tip of the handbrake it is about 21.5 mm
The handle of the handbrake is 11 cm long
This results in a length of 10.5 cm from the pivot point of the lever to the center of the handbrake handle
Then we come to the first adjustment option that the handbrake offers
The angle of the handbrake lever can be adjusted as we would like it to be
We either set it like a handbrake in a street car
then the lever is tilted forward
Or we set the handbrake like in a rally or drift car
In this area we can adjust the angle of the handbrake
The position of the lever is fixed using these two screws
To fix these two screws, you need a 4 mm Allen key
and an 8 mm spanner or an 8 mm socket
This tool is also included in the scope of delivery
you can also use this tool if you don’t have a spanner or socket
However, I would recommend using something with a longer lever than this tool
Because the two screws must be tightened very firmly so that the lever does not slip
Now we come to the second and third adjustment options
On the handbrake we can choose between a linear and a non-linear resistor construction
We can also adjust the strength of the handbrake
We set the type of resistance construction through this big mother
we set the strength of the resistance via this wheel, respectively this screw
and we can read the strength on this scale with the help of this cap nut
First I explain the difference between the linear and non-linear type of resistor construction
I’ll show you this animation
We mainly find the linear version in street cars
The resistance of the handbrake increases linearly to the way we pull the handbrake
The non-linear version is intended to simulate a hydraulic handbrake
This type of handbrake is mainly used in motorsport
We can see from the animation
the further we pull the handbrake
the higher the hand brake force factor for the non-linear version
If we pull the handbrake by about 80%, we have to apply more force in the non-linear version than in the linear version
If we only apply the handbrake by 20%, the opposite is true
Then we have to apply more force in the linear version
Another difference is the maximum effort
In the linear version, the handbrake can generate a resistance of 6 kg
in the non-linear version even 7 kg
The handbrake is currently set to the non-linear version
I will now change this to the linear version
I will also show you how you can adjust the resistance of the handbrake
For this we only need the supplied tool
First we solve the big mother and the little cap nut
Then we turn this wheel counterclockwise until the cap nut has reached the front end of this area
Only then is the handbrake released and we can choose between linear and non-linear
When we have set the desired type of resistance construction, we turn this wheel counterclockwise
We use this to tension the handbrake spring
The further we move the position of the cap nut backwards
the higher the resistance of the handbrake
When we have set the resistance as we want it, we tighten the two nuts again
Now we have set the mechanical area of ​​the handbrake to the linear version
With this controller on the back of the handbrake we can now also change the way the analogue sensor transmits the position of the handbrake
With this controller on the back of the handbrake we can now also change the way the analogue sensor transmits the position of the handbrake
We have set the handbrake to the linear version
then we set this up here too
And for the non-linear version, we set the switch to the non-linear version
I will show you how this affects the handbrake signal on the simulator
But first the price and what I think of the handbrake
The Akina handbrake costs € 179 including VAT.
What do I think of the handbrake?
The handbrake is really more than successful
And the price / performance ratio is very very good
It wasn’t just the many adjustment options that convinced me
but also how the handbrake feels when driving
The resistance of up to 7 kg is more than sufficient and I also think the handbrake can be dosed extremely well when driving
In addition, the handbrake makes a very robust impression
The sound can be said that you hardly hear the handbrake
No squeaking or cracking
All in all a very good handbrake that I can only more than recommend
Especially the non-linear variant, which you can set, is a lot of fun for me personally
Then we go to the simulator and I will explain to you what influence the small switch on the back of the handbrake has
Now we are on the simulator
The handbrake and the shifter are both attached to my simulator and both are already connected to my PC via USB
Before we start iRacing to test the handbrake and the shifter, I would like to show you what influence the switch on the back of the handbrake has
The handbrake is currently set to non-linear mode in the mechanical area via the screws on the side of the handbrake
At this small window, which is now shown, you can see the signal that is passed on from the handbrake to the PC
At this window we will now see what influence this switch has on the signal that comes from the shifter
To do this, I pull the handbrake approximately to the middle
We are now at the switch on linear mode
if I pull the handbrake halfway, exactly this signal arrives at my PC
However, it is different with the non-linear mode
I hold the handbrake in the same position and set the switch to non-linear mode
As you can see, a completely different signal will be passed on to the PC
In non-linear mode, I have to pull the handbrake a lot further to send the same signal to the PC
Since I installed the handbrake in non-linear mode, I also set the non-linear mode on this switch
If you have set the handbrake in linear mode, then you set the switch to linear mode
You can of course also attach the handbrake in linear mode, but set the switch to non-linear mode
Of course, this gives a completely different feeling
So we have 4 options to adjust our handbrake
non-linear mode
linear mode
non-linear mode
linear mode
non-linear mode
linear mode
non-linear mode
Now we come to the shifter
Here I want to show you at which point the contact on the shifter is triggered and sends a signal to the PC
As you can see, you have to push the shifter as far as it will go so that the shifter sends a signal to your PC
That would be all there is to say about the shifter and the handbrake
Now I start iRacing and I will drive the VW Beetle Rallycross car on the Sonoma rallycross track
First I will set the engine sound a little quieter so that you can hear the shifter and the handbrake well
And after a few laps I make the engine sound as loud as I always use it
Give me a like and subscribe to my channel if you liked the video
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