Tore's DIY 1000W raceframe.

[EDIT] Ok, so my rig has been updated once again. Now my setup features more than a 1000W of tactile feedback distributed between 7 strategically placed tactile transducers. Is it now also on its own wheeled platform for easy moving, but also to isolate the vibrations from the floor. The peg that used to sit between the legs have been moved to make it easier to get in and out, and also to up the comfort level. The audio system in my man cave has also been upgraded from a stereo system to 5.1 surround sound. There is probably more things that I did, I just don't remember right now. Anyway, here is some fresh pictures. Tell my what you think. :-)








[EDIT] Its been a while and a lot of things have happened since. My PWT has been replaced by PWTS and Clubsport pedals, all my homemade TT's have been swapped for commercial ones. I've added a small mixer/EQ to be able to better finetune the tactile feedback, and last but not least, I've moved my raceframe to a more permanent position in my new man cave (an old train car in the garden).





I'll leave the old photos - for comparison if nothing else.



Hi guys

Just signed up for the forum, and thought I'd share my DIY raceframe with you all.


The final frame. More Tactile Transducers's were added later.


Another raceframe shot


TT that vibrates the seat


Homemade TT that vibrates the steering wheel


TT that vibrates the pedals


Low pass filter and amplifier that powers the TT's

Interesting set up:tup:! Would you like to give some more information about those homemade “vibrators” !!!

I like your thinking with what youve done although is that a part of a pallet your using?

Using the tactile units is a bit like the direction Im going with having feedback in the seat/wheel/pedals. Do you have individual volume/bass control for each one or all just get the same?

Mars Attacks

Interesting set up:tup:! Would you like to give some more information about those homemade “vibrators” !!!

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Well, the homemade vibrators are simply small "satellite" speakers with heavy objects (old batteries and junk lying around the garage) glued to them (I tried to cover all of the membrane to make them as silent as possible). I did some trial and error testing, and found that approximately the weight of 3 size A batteries seemed to vibrate the most with the speakers I had lying around.

Mr Latte

I like your thinking with what youve done although is that a part of a pallet your using?

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Yes it is a pallet! ;-) ... apart from the seat and the "proper" bass shaker the entire setup was build from whatever was lying around. So excluding the DFP which I bought years ago when GT4 came around, this raceframe has only set my back 80€.

Mr Latte

Using the tactile units is a bit like the direction Im going with having feedback in the seat/wheel/pedals. Do you have individual volume/bass control for each one or all just get the same?

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Well, not exactly. I wired the TT's ,which all have 4 Ohm resistance, like this:
line out from my main stereo system which powers my living room speakers => preamp (treble all the way down, bass all the way up) => Low pass filter (100 Hz) => power amp. The Bass shaker runs on left output (4 Ohm), and the two smaller DIY TT's run on right output in serial (4 + 4 = 8 Ohm, and 3 db drop in "volume"). So the tiny TT's have about half the power of the Big shaker when pan/balance on the preamp is neutral, which seems nice and realistic to me - but I still have the possibility to pan the vibration amount between the "back"(seat) and the "front"(wheel/pedals). I hope that made sense! ... otherwise just tell me!

djustiz

Well, not exactly. I wired the TT's ,which all have 4 Ohm resistance, like this:
line out from my main stereo system which powers my living room speakers => preamp (treble all the way down, bass all the way up) => Low pass filter (100 Hz) => power amp. The Bass shaker runs on left output (4 Ohm), and the two smaller DIY TT's run on right output in serial (4 + 4 = 8 Ohm, and 3 db drop in "volume"). So the tiny TT's have about half the power of the Big shaker when pan/balance on the preamp is neutral, which seems nice and realistic to me - but I still have the possibility to pan the vibration amount between the "back"(seat) and the "front"(wheel/pedals). I hope that made sense! ... otherwise just tell me!

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Good thinking! Definitely very cool and thanks for the information. 👍

Ahh right Im with ya.
I asked as I also found in my own testing having them on the wheel and pedals helps give a more complete sensation than just under the seat but also found it best to avoid too much power going into pedals and the wheel as not to distract from the experience. In your own opinion how would you rate what these do and the benifits of having 3 wired up?

Also how does the home made units compare to the one you have in the seat?
Is that an Aurasound model?

With my own messing around I found having an amplifer with EQ helps with these devices as the problem often is the source or different audio from games varies so much so it gives easy tweaking to get the best results.


btw you do know you have 2 naked baby/dolls under your coffee table, lol just seen them looking again.

Mr Latte

Ahh right Im with ya.
I asked as I also found in my own testing having them on the wheel and pedals helps give a more complete sensation than just under the seat but also found it best to avoid too much power going into pedals and the wheel as not to distract from the experience. In your own opinion how would you rate what these do and the benifits of having 3 wired up?

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I definitely rate the extra TT's as 'Must have'. Let me put it like this: The other day I was racing the Suzuka circuit in GT5P, and for about half a lap I felt like something was oddly different, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Then I realised that the seat-shaker didn't vibrate at all. I Paused the game, and switched the the amp outputs to try and locate the problem (it turned out to be the amp). I started the game again and was surprised by the lack of feel and immersion now that only the seat TT was working. Especially since I didn't really notice when it was the other way around (only wheel/pedal TT's).

Mr Latte

Also how does the home made units compare to the one you have in the seat?

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They are far weaker and more audible, but they do the job of vibrating a small, isolated area just fine. They do not produce the same 'kick' on collisions as the off-the-shelf shaker, but create more of a buzzing/higher frequency vibration-feeling (for lack of better words).

Mr Latte

Is that an Aurasound model?

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No. It's some kind of no-name bass shaker. Similar to this one: Body shaker

Mr Latte

With my own messing around I found having an amplifer with EQ helps with these devices as the problem often is the source or different audio from games varies so much so it gives easy tweaking to get the best results.

Click to expand...

I will think about incorporating an EQ then. Thank you for the tip! 👍

Mr Latte

btw you do know you have 2 naked baby/dolls under your coffee table, lol just seen them looking again.

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I didn't notice them before. I'm so used to my daughters toys being spread around the house, I guess I just don't see them anymore! LOL!

Thanks for the feedback...

Modded a spare DFP I had lying around with a bigger wheel (I know, it looks horrible, but the design is simple and simple works (and its cheap!)).
This has presented me with quite a dilemma. The modded wheel has a much more natural feel in terms of size, but it also isolates my hands from both vibrations from the TT and force feedback from the DFP.

What do I do?
The big wheel seems kinda numb compared to the original DFP, but the DFP wheel seems kinda small, silly and toy-like in comparison.

Any suggestions?

I know you say it works but LOL...
It just looks so ghetto is it possible to clean that up a bit?

Ofcourse it is possible, anything is! I just don't wanna spend time on "finish" if I'm not gonna use it. Consider it a proof of concept-mod.

I admire you! You really like to experimentalize…👍

Thank you! If I don't experimentalize my thoughts stay just that - thoughts. ;-) I like to just do stuff, without really knowing where I'll end up, and what I'll end up with. 💡

I am surprised that no one has noticed the carpet you are sitting on

Very nice touch 👍 I love it! Because we all have started loving cars/driving there.

Be careful not to get bitten by the mean feline, seem that's also the cat's turf and favorite camp ground you have to share with.

djustiz

If I don't experimentalize my thoughts stay just that - thoughts. I like to just do stuff, without really knowing where I'll end up, and what I'll end up with. 💡

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Heh, indeed that is a cool approach...

I think perhaps I'm somewhere in between just doing stuff and thinking/planning. But I'm with you on the proof-of-concept thing, before cleaning stuff up... Each to his own. Ultimately it's all a game we play.

I've been "following" your project from the sidelines via our mutual friend MW. Welcome to the forum, really good people around

CTznOfTime

I am surprised that no one has noticed the carpet you are sitting on

Very nice touch 👍 I love it! Because we all have started loving cars/driving there.

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Thank you. :-) It's my 2 year old daughters carpet. I hope she will become quite the gear-head in time. Trying to influence her by all means. ;-)

CTznOfTime

Be careful not to get bitten by the mean feline, seem that's also the cat's turf and favorite camp ground you have to share with.

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she's a cunning little creature. She doesn't bite as much as climb purring into your lap at the most inconvenient of times. That can really screw up an otherwise decent race. ;-)

tinker

I've been "following" your project from the sidelines via our mutual friend MW. Welcome to the forum, really good people around

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Thank you. I've been hearing quite a bit about your setup as well. Perhaps the three of us should arrange some kind of race-meeting sometime. I would love to do some head-to-head racing with fellow car-nuts, and possible do some raceframe comparisons as well - who knows where or when the next great idea will emerge? ;-)

djustiz

I would love to do some head-to-head racing with fellow car-nuts, and possible do some raceframe comparisons as well - who knows where or when the next great idea will emerge? ;-)

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Indeed... I'm game
Let's by all means get some head-to-head racing going and kick some "tires".

Unfortunately I'm looking to have a busy time (new job) in the coming weeks.

I am however planning to get some work done on my raceframe, and experiment with my new tt which I have'nt yet had time to give a whirl

I never went further with my DFP mod, the FF was way too weak for my taste with a wheel that large and heavy. Instead I picked up a used Fanatec Porsche 911 Turbo wheel (PTW) for 175$ and boy is that a step up the quality ladder! 👍 I just love the feel of the large diameter leather wheel, the strong and fluent FFB, the snick-snick operation of the H-shifter and the possibility of heel/toe downshifting - although I think the pedal are a bit too far apart.
Pictures will follow.

New pictures of frame and PWT:

Simple but effective.

You're using a projector. Is it better than a TV/monitor?

I guess it depends on your personal taste. In my opinion the advantages of a projector is primarily size (I run 84" 16:9) and the fact that I find looking at reflected light much easier on the eyes than staring into a light source. The disadvantages are of course the need for a dark(ened) room and that setting up a projector is somewhat more complicated than setting up a monitor or tv. The first time I saw the picture from a proper home theater projector (not a business model) I was blown away though. A completely different experience than a TV - if its better or not is a matter of personal taste I guess. :-)

Added PTWS shifter paddles (thank you for upgrading to Club Sport shifters, Mark ;-) )



I also found a bargain JVC integrated amplifier at a flea market, which I lightly modded to make it fit, and bolted onto the frame. It does the job way better than my old NAD 3020i, and since its now part of the frame and has (almost) all wires connected permanently, it has literally cut the time I need to setup in half.

Yesterday I changed the position of the H-pattern shifter. It feels great to have it in a more realistic position. However I find that it feels too loose and toy-like, and hence I would like to increase the stiffness of the shifter. Any ideas on how to do this?

The only mods I seem to find for this shifter are ones that decrease the stiffness ... I really don't get why anyone would do that.

djustiz

Added PTWS shifter paddles (thank you for upgrading to Club Sport shifters, Mark ;-) )

I also found a bargain JVC integrated amplifier at a flea market, which I lightly modded to make it fit, and bolted onto the frame. It does the job way better than my old NAD 3020i, and since its now part of the frame and has (almost) all wires connected permanently, it has literally cut the time I need to setup in half.

Click to expand...

Love the way you made the amp a "stressed member" of your "car" !

Just watch you don't electrocute yourself !

No46_TheDoctor

Love the way you made the amp a "stressed member" of your "car" !

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Thank you! :-) ... I never thought of it like that, but I definitely like the idea. Very F1. ;-)

No46_TheDoctor

Just watch you don't electrocute yourself !

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I'm kind of pretty sure that I probably won't! ;-) I have simply exchanged the original aluminium casing with aluminium mesh and moved the speaker terminals to make the amp fit.

It occurred to me that I never posted pictures of how the raceframe dismantles for storage. Its a simple solution of 2 pieces that slots together and is held in place by gravity and a single "snap-lock" (which I'm not sure is needed anyway)







Also I'd like to show you my new DIY TT that vibrates the H-pattern shifter.



And finally, the entire ghetto-franken-frame in all its crude monster-like beauty!

Got hold of an old BOSE active sub. Mounted the amp from it on the back of the seat. It only drives the seat-TT.



Since I burned two DIY TT's made from sattelite speakers trying to a realistic amount of vibration in the gear stick, I ended up making a larger TT from one of the bass units in the BOSE sub. Works like a charm! :-)

How did you mount the shifter?

ibuycheap

How did you mount the shifter?

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I opened it, drilled four holes in the bottom, and then bolted it to the frame. It feels very sturdy. I also modded the shifter to increase the stiffness when it was open anyway.

Hmmm... Would you have a DIY for the shifter mod??