FFBeast Linux Racing Control

Linux-first FFBeast wheel configuration for sim racing.

This project now uses:

• a Rust backend/service for device I/O, protocol parsing, telemetry, and wheel control
• a Qt desktop client implemented with Python/PySide6

The current product focus is narrow by design:

• driving simulators only
• FFBeast wheel setup first
• pedal and peripheral tuning only as advanced options
• no flight-sim UI or flight-specific settings

Workspace Layout

• apps/ffbeast-service
  • Rust stdio JSON service process
• apps/ffbeast-qt
  • Python/PySide6 Qt client
• libs/controller
  • FFBeast HID/device access and protocol parsing
• libs/input_manager
  • input and profile-related backend logic
• libs/backend_api
  • shared request/response/event contract
• docs/
  • migration notes and project documentation

Prerequisites

• Linux
• Rust stable with cargo
• Python 3
• PySide6
• libudev development files for the Rust HID stack

If you use Nix, the included shell is the simplest way to get a working dev environment:

nix-shell

Quick Start

1. Enter the dev shell:

nix-shell

2. Verify the backend crates:

cargo test -p ffbeast-controller
cargo check -p ffbeast-backend-api -p ffbeast-service

3. Launch the Qt client:

python3 apps/ffbeast-qt/main.py

The Qt client starts ffbeast-service automatically by default.

Run The Service Directly

Run the backend service on its own:

cargo run -p ffbeast-service

The service uses line-delimited JSON over stdio.

Current UI Scope

The Qt client is structured around a sim-racing workflow:

• Drive
  • steering range
  • total force strength
  • soft stop settings
  • dampening settings
• Wheel Setup
  • force enablement
  • direction controls
  • power and braking limits
  • encoder and motor setup
• Profiles
  • save, load, and apply sim-specific profiles
• Maintenance
  • save settings
  • reset center
  • reboot
  • DFU
• Advanced
  • calibration
  • control-loop tuning
  • GPIO/ADC and other peripheral settings

Useful Commands

Backend checks:

cargo test -p ffbeast-controller
cargo check -p ffbeast-backend-api -p ffbeast-service

Qt syntax check:

python3 -m py_compile \
  apps/ffbeast-qt/main.py \
  apps/ffbeast-qt/service_client.py \
  apps/ffbeast-qt/settings_tabs.py \
  apps/ffbeast-qt/profile_store.py

Environment Overrides

Override the service command used by the Qt client:

FFBEAST_SERVICE_CMD="cargo run -p ffbeast-service --quiet" python3 apps/ffbeast-qt/main.py

Run the Qt client offscreen for a smoke test:

QT_QPA_PLATFORM=offscreen python3 apps/ffbeast-qt/main.py

Troubleshooting

If cargo test or cargo check fails with linker cc not found:

nix-shell

If the wheel is not detected:

• confirm the device appears in lsusb
• confirm your user can access /dev/hidraw*
• check udev permissions
• try launching from the provided Nix shell first

If the Qt client starts but cannot talk to the backend:

• run cargo run -p ffbeast-service directly to confirm the service starts
• check the log pane in the Qt app
• verify FFBEAST_SERVICE_CMD is not pointing at an invalid command

Status

This repo has moved away from the previous Tauri frontend. The active architecture is:

• Rust backend/service
• Python/PySide6 Qt client

The next validation step is real hardware testing against an FFBeast wheel on Linux.