Sim Racing Dashboard Software: Setting Up Your Display

Quick Answer

Install SimHub, connect your display over USB, and let Windows detect it as a monitor or serial device before you touch any dash layout. Then create one dashboard, bind only the telemetry channels you actually read while driving, and save that profile per car class. Most setup problems come from skipping the Windows detection step or overloading the screen with data you never look at.

Before You Open Any Dashboard Software

Treat the display as a piece of hardware first and software second. Connect power and data, confirm the screen shows something, then open SimHub. If your dashboard is a USB monitor, Windows should list it under Display settings and let you drag it to a position. If it is a serial or proprietary device, it appears under Ports in Device Manager. Check this before installing dash plugins, because a device that is not detected in Windows will not be detected by SimHub either.

Decide now whether the dashboard is a second monitor or a standalone device. A second monitor is mirrored or extended, so you can position windows on it. A standalone device runs its own firmware and receives data over a serial or network link. The two paths have different setup menus, and mixing them up is the most common early frustration.

Install SimHub and Add Your First Dash

SimHub is the de facto hub for dashboard software config because it supports many display types and sims in one place. After installing it, open the Dash Studio tab. Create a new dashboard rather than editing a stock one, so you keep a clean file you can copy between PCs. Set the canvas size to match your panel resolution exactly. A 5-inch 800x480 panel and a 7.85-inch widescreen panel need different layouts, and stretching a dash designed for one onto the other wastes space or crops it.

Add one text field for speed and one for gear as your first test. Save, then preview the dash on the target display. If the preview looks right but the physical screen does not, the issue is the output device, not the layout.

Map Telemetry Channels You Actually Read

Telemetry setup is where a dashboard becomes useful or becomes noise. In SimHub, each field is bound to a game property such as speed, RPM, gear, or lap delta. Start with speed, gear, RPM, and one timing value. Add fuel, tyre temperatures, or brake bias only if you change them during a stint. A screen that shows twelve values at once is harder to read at speed than one that shows four large ones.

Check the update rate. High refresh rates look smooth but can cause stutter on older PCs. If your frame rate drops when the dash is active, lower the refresh rate in SimHub before you blame the sim.

Match the Dash to the Hardware You Own

Different dashboards expect different things from you. A touch-capable panel can host buttons, so you can move pit or brake-bias controls onto the screen. A non-touch panel is purely an output device, so those controls belong on a button plate or wheel. Check whether your dashboard supports touch before you design a layout around on-screen buttons.

Brightness matters in a lit room. A panel rated around 350 lm is readable in normal indoor light but can wash out in direct sun. If your rig faces a window, plan a hood or a dimmer room rather than assuming the screen will cope.

Save Profiles Per Car and Per Sim

One dashboard rarely fits every car. A formula car needs RPM and delta; a GT car may need fuel and tyre data. In SimHub, save separate dash profiles and switch them when you change cars. This takes a minute to set up and saves you from rebuilding the layout every time you switch series.

Name profiles clearly, using the car class and the sim. If you share a PC or run multiple sims, this naming habit prevents loading a dash bound to properties the current game does not expose, which shows up as blank fields.

Dashboard Setup Steps

1. Confirm the display in Windows: Connect power and data, then check Display settings or Device Manager before installing any dash software. Checkpoint: if Windows does not see it, SimHub will not either.
2. Install SimHub and set the canvas size: Create a new dashboard and set the canvas to your panel's exact resolution, such as 800x480 for a 5-inch display. Mistake to avoid: stretching a dash built for a different aspect ratio.
3. Add four core fields: Start with speed, gear, RPM, and one timing value, then preview on the target screen. Checkpoint: if the preview is correct but the screen is not, the output device is the problem.
4. Bind telemetry and set the refresh rate: Map each field to a game property and lower the refresh rate if frame rate drops. Mistake to avoid: adding data you never read mid-stint.
5. Save per-car profiles: Create separate dash profiles for each car class and sim, named clearly. Next step: switch profiles when you change cars instead of rebuilding the layout.

Hardware That Fits This Workflow

• Ascher Racing 8" Dashboard: 8-inch widescreen dashboard with a 7.85-inch high-resolution display, 16-bit colors, 350 lm brightness, touch operation, and 26 RGB LEDs, with SimHub compatibility for per-race and per-simulation configuration. The touch layer lets you put pit and brake-bias controls on the screen, and SimHub compatibility means the layout workflow in this guide applies directly.
• MOZA Racing RM Racing Meter: 5-inch full-color panel with 800x480 resolution and 16.7 million colors in an aluminum alloy frame, showing car status and lap times. The 800x480 canvas is the size you should set in SimHub, and the smaller panel suits a compact rig where a widescreen would crowd the wheel.
• Ascher Racing Button Plate B24M-SC [Wireless]: Button plate with 8 push buttons, 2 encoders with push functionality, magnetic paddle shifters, 24 inputs, and 2 multifunctional 7-way joysticks. If your dashboard is a non-touch output panel, these physical inputs are where pit, brake-bias, and menu controls should live instead of on the screen.