Adrian wrote a review of the Cammus C5 Bundle originally in simracer.es. Here you have it on english language.
It’s been quite a few months since the release of this CAMMUS C5, a product from a Chinese company that undoubtedly surprised with a style never seen before by integrating the Direct Drive base into the wheel itself. The first question that comes to mind is whether this would have any benefit other than being curious, such as more direct sensations because the force provided did not have to pass through a mast.
After having tested this Cammus C5 for a while, we have the necessary answers to conclude these questions, and even for those who are still with gears and belts, it might be worth making the leap to the cheapest Direct Drive wheel on the market. But let’s start from the beginning.
Packaging
The first thing we find (if you buy the complete pack) are the boxes of the wheel, pedals, and the table clamp. To fix it to a cockpit, it is also advisable to use the table clamp with screws and nuts, as simply with the supports that fit onto the wheel can cause looseness or long-term problems.
Actually, the packaging is just what I expected: well packed, protected, and without frills in the boxes, enough not to pose a risk to the products. What surprises the most at first sight when unpacking, besides the weight of the wheel, is the lack of a base and the feeling that something is missing when seeing the box with the wheel. Otherwise, the pedals come disassembled, and although you can assemble absolutely everything without reading the manual (although it is advisable to read it), some screws and tools came in bags that did not correspond.
In the content of the complete pack, in addition to the obvious things, we have the power supply, a USB-B to USB cable to connect the base to the PC, a USB-C to USB-C to connect the pedals to the PC, an RJ45 to connect the pedals to the base, some stickers, and a few rubber stops for the pedals and the table clamp. Also, something characteristic (and mandatory) that we find is a small fan that attaches to the wheel stand to cool the base.
Base and Wheel
The wheel, a 280 mm diameter rim, weighing 6 kg and 67 mm thick including the motor (approximately the same size as the Logitech G29 rim), feels quite nice to the touch. The synthetic leather is soft and padded, and it offers good grip both with gloves and without them. However, the inner seam surrounding the rim is a bit rough and can cause friction when using the wheel for a long time.
The rim comes equipped with a small screen that you can set to display speed in km/h, mph, or the current gear. Just above the screen, there is a strip of LED lights that indicate revolutions. You can customize profiles to your liking and change each light individually, as well as adjust the brightness of both features. By default, it comes at a low percentage and is still perfectly noticeable, so possibly, with the brightness at maximum, it would be too intense. It is not possible to assign the lights to display flags or other types of indications.
Buttons and Inputs
As for the buttons, we have 20 programmable buttons and three rotary ones with up to 12 positions each, in addition to the two gear shift paddles.
The position of the buttons is adequate; after several hours of use, I haven’t felt that the buttons are too far away, and you can reach the ones on the sides without moving your hand much. For the central buttons and the rotary ones, we do need to move our hands for their press.
The feeling when pressing the buttons is positive. It is hard enough to avoid erroneous presses, so much so that in some cases I had to apply additional force to ensure the press. The three rotary ones are also quite hard, and if you want to move quickly to increase or decrease a value, there is a small delay causing a single “input” to pass through several positions. On the other hand, something I have mentioned before is the possibility of assigning an “input” per position for each rotary button, making up to 12 inputs for each one.
Within the whole set, something that has generated many comments and criticisms are the gear shift paddles. Despite their extremely small size, I consider that it is not the most remarkable aspect of the review. Despite being tiny, I haven’t missed any gear changes due to their size, but I have been cautious with the force I have applied because they are made of plastic and convey a feeling of fragility with each gear change. Of course, there have been cases of breakages in some users, something that should be addressed as soon as possible.
At the rear of the base – wheel, there is the power button, next to it a small “reset” button and the different connections: FAN for the small fan, USB to connect it to the PC, and DC INPUT where the base will be powered, and two small USB Type-C for connecting the pedals and the handbrake or gear shift if we had them.
Pedals
The pedals in this pack are two: accelerator and brake, and it is the simplest part of the whole pack. It is normal for the reduced price, but it does not provide any sensation except for functioning. Both pedals are almost identical and are distinguished only by green and red stickers that can be seen in the image and indicate which is which. However, you cannot go wrong in the assembly because they integrate into the plate using magnets. The travel is the same for both pedals, but the brake pedal has a slight resistance compared to the accelerator.
Both have Hall sensors and have two inputs at the rear: Type-C to connect directly to the PC and an RJ-45 input to connect to the base itself.
The installation is very simple, you just have to screw both pedals to the plate where the connections are, connect to the PC or to the base itself, and they would be working. Within the software itself, you cannot assign pressure curves or additional configuration except for establishing the maximum and minimum of the travel.
First Impressions
Once connected to the PC, it detects it perfectly. Although it is a single piece, it is detected as base and wheel separately both in Windows and in the CAMMUS software.
We’ll talk more about the software later. For now, we enter the first simulator tested, which in my case has been Assetto Corsa . Without adjusting any configuration except for the degrees of rotation and assigning the buttons in the simulator, the sensations have been good, although not as good as they could be.
In this first test, although the force of the base was felt correctly, there was no clear sharpness. Also, I felt that it was not easy to rotate the wheel; something was exerting a force that was not correct. Seeing the potential of the base and that it was being wasted by the profile that the CAMMUS software brings, I set out to configure it.
Configuration
First, the program itself detects firmware updates in the base. Updating is very simple; you just wait for the installation to complete, restart the base with the button on the back, remove the USB from the PC, and turn everything back on.
The configuration depends on each person’s personal taste, so I will only share the settings that I think are necessary (at least to feel sharpness, which is what I personally look for).
These settings that I have assigned in low or zero values are the ones (to a large extent) that cause the lack of sharpness or provide the sensation of a “spring” in the wheel, reaching the “clipping”. A very positive thing about this software, only if you register, is the possibility of using configurations from other people who usually share them for specific simulators. My advice is to try values from 100 to 0 until you discover what each thing does and you are comfortable.
You have to discover for yourself what each value does because it is not very well explained in the software information.
As a personal detail, at some point, the software may change the configuration if it detects the simulator you have open.
Sensations and Compatibility
After testing in the most used simulators, I have managed to make it work perfectly without doing anything extraordinary. Loading the profile that you finally decide to use, each simulator is a world, and each one has its own sensations.
In general, these sensations have been quite good, with a force of 5Nm (peaking at up to 6 and 7 Nm), which is enough to feel everything your car goes through in each simulator. Although the force and those blows that the vehicle suffers are instantaneous, at certain times I feel that there is a lack of detail when we are going through different textures on the asphalt, even getting rid of the configuration in the software that can remove sharpness. Although it lacks sharpness in some cases, the vibration it exerts when you are going through a curb or with a tire lock is immense, as is the return speed when we switch to the drift discipline. The Force Feedback is a manual pass remembering and comparing the price of the whole pack for a Direct Drive of this force.
Transferring this configuration to another simulator like Assetto Corsa Competizione , it has been one of the simulators where I have felt less detail and each hit on the car has been more brute. The simulator also does not accommodate much different configuration where I can adjust each detail specifically.
However, in Automobilista 2 , it has been quite the opposite, the vehicle’s passage on different surfaces has been felt correctly, making those peaks of 7Nm that this Cammus C5 is capable of generating.
Another of the simulators where I had to test this product was in iRacing. I must admit that I was surprised because used to the feeling of a wheel like a Logitech G29, it has felt totally different. The similarity is close to Automobilista 2 and is how this wheel should naturally feel. Strong hits but clear details even with different vehicles on board. If you race in iRacing, it is a wheel that could accompany you for a long time without needing an upgrade.
Therefore, this question of whether the “all-in-one” design is worth it, the answer is yes. There has been no strange behavior or deviation from the track simulation at every exact moment.
The base at 100% in the CAMMUS program, I have not noticed it heating up (if you put the small fan that it includes) after a few hours of continuous use. In fact, it has a small slider in the program where you can assign the maximum temperature where you want the force of the base to start decreasing. Although I really hope that the temperature adjusts automatically when it reaches a certain limit, this maximum temperature comes preset at 80 °C.
What in my case is perceptible is a slight “coil whine” coming from the power supply. I don’t know if it’s normal or if it’s only in some specific cases.
Conclusion
To be the most economical Direct Drive on the market with a price of 300€, the Cammus C5 is a very outstanding product that deserves to be considered. This Direct Drive offers a level of detail and control superior at a fairly accessible price. It is important to remember that not everything cheap is of low quality, just as not everything expensive is the best. It provides a level of detail and control much superior for a very affordable price.
For all those looking for their first Direct Drive and don’t mind being anchored to a single wheel or not having additional accessories, it’s for you. It is true that much of the analysis is based on the base and wheel since I cannot recommend or include the pedals in these conclusions.
However, I consider that all the characteristics offered by the Cammus C5 , such as the force it provides, compensate for its possible mentioned defects. With a sufficient number of buttons and software that, although not perfect, provides just what is necessary, this wheel is an excellent option for entry-level sim racers.
Is it worth it if I already have a non-Direct Drive wheel?
Absolutely yes.
This answer, obviously, is not for everyone. Absolutely yes if you are going to dedicate a minimum amount of time to all this, if you are looking to leave behind those hybrid systems and those with internal gears. If you do not dedicate yourself to it, I am sure that the term Direct Drive doesn’t even sound familiar to you or is not an incentive when buying a wheel.
But if this interests you and you still have a wheel of these characteristics, I think that the evolution and detail of sensations, control, and car reading after the direct comparison with a Logitech G29 wheel is abysmal for the price it has. Things on the track that you don’t even know exist or sensations that you don’t know you can feel, just because it uses another technology, is an emphatic yes for those of you reading this far. Everything is more direct, clear, and instantaneous; there is no delay because it does not pass through any mechanism until it reaches your hands and, this one in particular, does not pass through any mast until it reaches the wheel, double point.
Buy CAMMUS C5 Bundle
If you finally decide to buy this Cammus C5 , you can do so through the official brand page.
- Cammus C5 for $249.
- Cammus C5 Bundle for $299.
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