[DIY] Spicer Transmissions (1.0) [Any Game Version]

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PikPikker
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[DIY] Spicer Transmissions (1.0) [Any Game Version]

#1 Post by PikPikker » 25 Jan 2023 04:50

Hello!

This time I want to show you something new, a new generation experimental mod - a "do-it-yourself" mod!

This mod contains 29 different Spicer transmissions. The purpose of this mod is to let anyone put them on any truck - and more than that - customize the most important setting of a transmission - a differential ratio!

First of all, here is the download link: https://sharemods.com/dady2djeasd6/spicer_diy.zip.html

So, you get the archive (it does not need to be extracted, it can be instantly activated in the mod manager) which adds all the transmissions to the SCS Peterbilt 389 with some default differential ratios. What it means: if you want the transmissions for the Peterbilt 389, you only need to configure the differential ratios. But I'll explain that later. If you know some things about modding, I guess you will easily make everything yourself, but if not, I will try to make everything clear.

1) First of all, all the truck parts are stored in a specified folder. For example: "def/vehicle/truck/peterbilt.389". Inside this folder there is everything about the Peterbilt 389 parts like accessories, engines, transmissions (what we need) and so on. Each truck has a def name (like "peterbilt.389") which defines the name of the folder. Each truck has a special name which you can observe by going into it's mod archive and looking in "def/vehicle/truck". For example, the name for Scot A2 by Smarty is "scot.a2hd". Here is the list of the all SCS truck names in ATS:

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freightliner.cascadia2019
intnational.lonestar
intnational.9900i
intnational.lt
kenworth.t680
kenworth.w900
mack.anthem
peterbilt.389
peterbilt.579
volvo.vnl
westernstar.49x
westernstar.57x
westernstar.5700xe
2) Here is what you should do: download my archive and make its copy, make sure it is located in the mods folder. Once you know the truck name, go to "def/vehicle/truck" and create a new folder with the exact truck name - or you can rename the existing "peterbilt.389" folder to your one.

3) After you are finished with the folder, make a folder "transmission" inside (if there is no such one). After that decide which transmissions you need for your truck and put the .sii files inside the "transmission" folder.
So, now we have a prepared folder with all the needed files. We are halfway done!

4) Now it's time to configure each file. But all the steps are the same for each one, you just will have to repeat them.

4.1) First of all go to the third line. It looks like this:

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accessory_transmission_data : spicer6x4.peterbilt.389.transmission
Here we just change "peterbilt.389" to our truck name. For example, if I make transmission for the Scot truck, it will look like:

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accessory_transmission_data : spicer6x4.scot.a2hd.transmission
Starting from this point, the transmission unit is ready to be used with your truck! But there are some more important things.

4.2)

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price: 25000
unlock: 0
This step is pretty simple, here are just the price and unlock level. The price is in ingame dollars, it can be any number but not less than 1$. Unlock level defines which level you need to access the part. 0 means it is accessible from the beginning of the game, 1 and higher - it has to be unlocked.

5)

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differential_ratio: 3.55
And now we reached the most important and interesting part - the differential ratio!
I will try to put it simple. Your engine spins with some RPM (usually from 0 to 3000), it gives the spin to the transmission, it puts it though the selected gear, and then this spin is decreased throught the differential - and then it finally spins the wheels. How it is calculated: for example, your engine spins at 2000 RPM, the selected gear ratio is 2.50 and the differential ratio is 3.55. Then it is 2000/2.50/3.55 = 225.35 - it means the wheels make 225 rounds per minute which is converted into your speed (which is also depends on your wheel size).

But let's put it even simplier. The higher differential ratio is - the lower is your top speed, but acceleration is better. For trucks it also means that higher ratios will help you crawl steep hills with heavy loads, and thus lower ratios are better for lightweight cargoes - because they give better top speed and less fuel is consumed.

Some popular modern differential ratios:

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2.64
2.85
3.08
3.25
3.55
3.7
3.91
4.11
4.3
But of course there are much more, and you surely can put any number you like, for example:

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differential_ratio: 7.73
This will make your truck very slow, but good for carrying overweight things.

And one more thing: there are direct drive and overdrive transmissions. Direct drive means the last gear is 1.0 (direct), and the overdrive means the last gear is lower than 1 (0.8 for example). Thus, higher ratios are recommended for overdrive transmissions, because: 4.3 differential ratio with 0.73 is the same as direct 3.14 diff ratio (4.3*0,73 = 3,139).

To conclude, the best way to determine your differential ratio is to put different values and see how they are driven in different conditions.

After you are finished configured your transmissions as explained - you are ready to drive and test them out!
The rest of the file is gear ratios which were observed from original Spicer documents - which means changing them will make your transmissions non-Spicer but something else. You can change them, but justy keep that in mind.


Well, I think that's all for now. Let me know what you think or if you have any questions!

For modders: I allow using this mod for your trucks, packs etc., but please leave credits - you can even do that without letting me know.

Thank you!
Last edited by PikPikker on 02 Feb 2023 03:54, edited 1 time in total.
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Savage212
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Re: [DIY] Spicer Transmissions (1.0) [Any Game Version]

#2 Post by Savage212 » 29 Jan 2023 04:45

Sounds awesome. I'm getting ready to purchase the sim, and get started. Searching the mods I found this, and it sounds like what I want, if you have the 6x4. I hope it works with Outlaw's 359 mod, That's what I hope to start with.
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Re: [DIY] Spicer Transmissions (1.0) [Any Game Version]

#3 Post by PikPikker » 29 Jan 2023 08:39

@Savage212, thank you for your feedback! Yes, it has the legendary "6x4" 24-speeder, and yes, it will work with any truck (including the Outlaw's Pete 359) if you do everything correctly! :)

And of course I'm ready to help if anything goes wrong while setting this mod, I know it might be difficult for people who never been into such things, and it's okay.
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Re: [DIY] Spicer Transmissions (1.0) [Any Game Version]

#4 Post by Savage212 » 16 Feb 2023 04:59

PikPikker,
I found a couple of threads that are somewhat connected to your mod, they concern getting two shifters to work correctly in order to accurately simulate the experience of using to separatee shifters, one for the main box, and one for the auxiliary box. So the main shifter should have six forward speeds, and the auxiliary should have four speeds that are used "within" each gear in the main, although in the higher gears of the main, you do not normally use all of the gears in the main. So, while you might use all 4 gears in the auxiliary in first and maybe second gear in the main, once you get to third gear in the main, you would only use second, third, and fourth in the auxiliary, and so forth, as you accelerate through the gears in the main.

Also, for the uninitiated, the idea that you had to shift both boxes simultaneously all of the time is actually false. You can double clutch to shift each box individually.

In one of the links below, you'll see an actual truck similar to one I used to drive, a Peterbilt 359 with an 8V-92TA, and a Spicer 6x4 transmission, driven and shifted.

viewtopic.php?t=275050

viewtopic.php?t=288627
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GOGA154
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Re: [DIY] Spicer Transmissions (1.0) [Any Game Version]

#5 Post by GOGA154 » 13 Mar 2023 15:00

There is no need work hard with a folder "transmission" ,enough to rename the folder "def/автомобиль/грузовик/peterbilt.389" for the truck you want, and it all works.
didjmaster
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Re: [DIY] Spicer Transmissions (1.0) [Any Game Version]

#6 Post by didjmaster » 14 Jan 2024 23:23

Love this mod, but I have a question. I have used your transmission files as-is and as templates to create some additional transmissions (Mack shift patterns), and I've done this successfully in the past. But now I have a transmission that is acting weird. I did it based on your 6x4 transmission file, and have added the truck folder I want to use as well as adding the def name to the 3rd line of the transmission file (like I've done with my other successful transmissions). But this time, I can see the transmission available when building the truck, and I can select and even "confirm" or "purchase." But it doesn't really put that transmission into the truck. It defaults to the previous transmission that was assigned to it. What could be the case for this? Thanks!
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Re: [DIY] Spicer Transmissions (1.0) [Any Game Version]

#7 Post by PikPikker » 15 Jan 2024 02:53

Hello, Didjmaster.

This sounds like some in-game error, and I need your game log (the log of game session where this error appears) to help you.
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Re: [DIY] Spicer Transmissions (1.0) [Any Game Version]

#9 Post by PikPikker » 15 Jan 2024 04:20

@didjmaster, here is what I found:

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00:00:50.086 : <ERROR> [unit] File '<C:/Users/Free Beard/Documents/American Truck Simulator/mod/spicer_diy.zip | >/def/vehicle/truck/mack.rhpl/transmission/Mack30_speed.sii', line 38:
00:00:50.086 : <ERROR> [unit] The values in array attribute 'ratios_forward' of unit 'Mack30_speed.mack.rhpl.transmission' (of type 'accessory_transmission_data') must be specified in order - trying to set the element 21 of array of size 20.
This means you should check your indexes of ratios_forward lines. It should be like this:

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ratios_forward[0]
ratios_forward[1]
ratios_forward[2]
ratios_forward[3]
...
ratios_forward[20]
ratios_forward[21]
ratios_forward[22]
ratios_forward[23]
If you set more than 24 gears, well, you might have reached game's gear number limit, but I don't know where it is exactly.

Also I found these errors:

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00:01:42.333 : <ERROR> [unit] The unit name '15_speed.mackmtg.transmission' is already taken by an existing unit (of type 'accessory_transmission_data').
This means your unit name (the uppermost line in the beginning) must be unique, otherwise it will never work.
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Re: [DIY] Spicer Transmissions (1.0) [Any Game Version]

#10 Post by didjmaster » 15 Jan 2024 04:47

Ok, that helps a lot. I did have a numbering error on the transmission page. I fixed it, but it still won't let me purchase that transmission (even though it shows up as an option). It has most likely exceeded the number of gears that can be programed. The one I'm having trouble with is a 30-speed transmission (10speed + 3 aux, where the 10 speed is really a 5-speed with low and high ranges). It should be noted that I do have a working transmission that has 25 gears. So somewhere between 25-30 is the max number. Good to know. I appreciate it PikPikker!
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