Simroom VR3 R36, D-Box 4250i Motion, Simsteering, Precision Engineering Wheels, HE Ultimate Pedals

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readyfe

readyfe

298
Australia
Sydney, NSW
readyfe
So it started off as a compact cockpit for the office/study which is now a kids toy room so I got kicked out to the garage. So with a bit more space the cockpit grew. The Fanatec Porsche GT2 & Clubsport Pedals are boxed away (now sold) in waiting for not sure what, maybe the CSW and reuse my old Pedals (must be both PS3 & PC hence why sticking with one combo) - but that's probably 6 months away for Australians to see a CSW. I enjoy customising a little but enjoy more just buying something that is tested and complete. I ran the Tactile BK solution for one night and found the LFE was plenty and will look to add the other BK's for pedals and gear shift or wheel but we'll see once the d-box is in and how much tactile it provides. So here it is, my current set up:

PC Racing: iRacing, rFactor, rFactor2, pCARS, & F1 2012

Current Racing Rig Set Up
Simroom VisionRacer VR3-R36
D-Box Motion 4250i
Simsteering Force Feedback Steering System
Precision Sim Engineering LMP & GT wheels
HE Ultimate Pedals (Final Prototype)
ARC Sequential Shifter with Extended Shaft
SLI-Pro (with Precision Engineering Enclosure)
Custom Dashboard wired by the SLI-Pro, BBI-32 & HE Pedals)
Sparco EVO III Race Seat
Sparco 3" Harness 5-Point
Cherry G86-61411 SPOS Keyboard

ASUS VG278HE 27" 144hz Display x 3
Pioneer VSX-1021 7.1ch Receiver
OrbAudio Satellite Speakers x 5
Sony 12" SA-WX90 Sub Woofer
Corsair Vengeance 2000 Wireless Headphones


NEW PC:
ASUS Rampage IV Extreme X79
Intel i7-3930K Core i7 CPU, Six Core 3.20 GHz, 12MB Cache, 12 Threads
Corsair Vengeance C70 Mid-Tower Gaming Case
Corsair 64GB DDR3 2133MHz CL9 (9-11-11-31) Dominator Platinum (8x8GB)
Corsair AX-1200i Platinum Certified ATX Power Supply
Corsair 480GB Neutron SSD GTX (x2)
Corsair Cooling Hydro Series H100i Liquid CPU Cooler
Corsair Link Cooling Kits
Corsair Air Series SP120 Performance Edition Case Fan (x6)
GeForce TITAN PCI-E 3.0 6GB (x2)
Creative Sound Blaster Zx
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit

OLD Setup - for reference of some of the older pics....
GamePod GT2 EVO PRO (modified)
Thrustmaster T500RS, Sparco P310 Wheel with Sam Maxwell Button Plate, GT Wheel & F1 Wheel Addon
Thrustmaster TH8 RS Handbrake with itrdc5r Plate, GTEYE spring & Delrin Gear Knob from Product Innovations
Derek Speare Bent Rod Pro Sequential Shifter
SRH Adjustable Static Mount with SLI-Pro
Custom Made Dash Board connecting to SLI-Pro
Cherry G86-61411 SPOS Keyboard
ButtKicker Advance (under seat) & BKA300 Amplifier
Sparco EVO III Race Seat
Sparco 3" Harness 5-Point
D-Box 4250i Motion on Custom Platform

Latest Images on Page 7

DSC_6405.jpg


Old Videos:





 
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Things are starting to shape up nicely readyfe, Looking good!

Edit: good job on the new carbon wrapped pedal plate too 👍
 
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Here's a little teaser.. Finally got around to setting it up. It's nearly 2am and don't want to stop...!

dboxteaser.jpg
 
Nice rig bro, i see you went down the d-box path.....

Hopefully fanatec pull their finger out soon so we can order our CSW etc..... :)

I have replied to threads asking about the issue and sent emails and pm'd Thomas with no reply
 
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For those that may ask why d-box over simxperience - I really considered both and no issues with either one as I believe both provide a great level of immersion without getting into their different methods.

For me the footprint was a MAJOR issue with my space limitations. My cockpit footprint only increased by 13cm (5 inches) wide, where the simx was going to be over double the width with the rear traction loss actuator.

Since purchasing the D-Box 4250i set up I found this mob: http://www.ckas.com.au/3dof_low_cost_systems_63.html
which probably would've made things a lot easier and cheaper, but don't know much about their product - looks pretty industrial though and price point is good too (for motion of course).
 
Some mates were over last night helping me out, I told them to bring their coins next time as I'll be setting up a coin operating machine to get in the garage:

 
good job on the platform 👍 and the million dollar question is , how does it feel (in terms of immersion)
That platform looks solid as, thanks for sharing.
 
Hwangm
good job on the platform 👍 and the million dollar question is , how does it feel (in terms of immersion)
That platform looks solid as, thanks for sharing.
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It was always a temporary platform but yes, it's 100% rigid. I probably lose some of the vibration through the timber but hey, it was cheap and simple. Already working on ideas for version 2 now that this is up and running.

Last night was getting late and still getting used to PC racing which is so much more challenging than console racing but at one point when I had it tuned pretty good there was a point where I truly felt like I was in the car.

Movement and motion is great, that's a given but for me the best part (so far) would have to be the ability to feel what the tyres are doing before the steering wheel FFB, this helps so much with wheel spin and understeer - I race with all aids off so no traction control etc and makes such a big difference with getting on the throttle. Ripple strips are perfectly replicated throughout the chassis location also I know if I'm rubbing up against another car.

Only limitation is triple screeen for in cabin driving - not so much an issue with open wheeler - may need to change my driving view for GT cars with only one screen.

I want to leave work early and get stuck into it!!!

** I will need to add some supports to the steering wheel mount, the amount of flex/wobble while it doesn’t affect the driving too much is unacceptable. This was happening before motion was added - I have foam sitting in between certain parts under the wheel mount to stop a hell of a lot of squeaking.
 
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Great job man, good to see you experienced what I was talking about. The sensation of actually moving especially since the Dbox does such a good job of directional tactile telling you what each tire is doing, it's really amazing, it's not just movement.

The only suggestion I'll give you is to move the front actuators a little more toward the rear, trust me you'll understand the first time you use it. Everything is amplified. Movement, feedback, and best of all heave is greatly enhanced when moving the font actuators closer to center mass.

Glad I could help. Looks great. If you need help with triple projection let me know.
 
Mayaman
Great job man, good to see you experienced what I was talking about. The sensation of actually moving especially since the Dbox does such a good job of directional tactile telling you what each tire is doing, it's really amazing, it's not just movement.

The only suggestion I'll give you is to move the front actuators a little more toward the rear, trust me you'll understand the first time you use it. Everything is amplified. Movement, feedback, and best of all heave is greatly enhanced when moving the font actuators closer to center mass.

Glad I could help. Looks great. If you need help with triple projection let me know.
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You have been a great help mate..! Was on it again last night, can't get enough.

I literally brace myself each time I have an off just before making impact..!

The only reason I didn't bring them in closer (even though I asked about this before) was I don't want them in the way of getting in and out - while I am very careful, others aren't and part of the fun is seeing my friends having a go with it also...

May look at a slide and lock in mechanism for version 2..!

I think triple screen will happen after the Garage gets a full make over so maybe 6-12 months away for that.
 
readyfe
It was always a temporary platform but yes, it's 100% rigid. I probably lose some of the vibration through the timber but hey, it was cheap and simple. Already working on ideas for version 2 now that this is up and running.

Last night was getting late and still getting used to PC racing which is so much more challenging than console racing but at one point when I had it tuned pretty good there was a point where I truly felt like I was in the car.

Movement and motion is great, that's a given but for me the best part (so far) would have to be the ability to feel what the tyres are doing before the steering wheel FFB, this helps so much with wheel spin and understeer - I race with all aids off so no traction control etc and makes such a big difference with getting on the throttle. Ripple strips are perfectly replicated throughout the chassis location also I know if I'm rubbing up against another car.

Only limitation is triple screeen for in cabin driving - not so much an issue with open wheeler - may need to change my driving view for GT cars with only one screen.

I want to leave work early and get stuck into it!!!

** I will need to add some supports to the steering wheel mount, the amount of flex/wobble while it doesn’t affect the driving too much is unacceptable. This was happening before motion was added - I have foam sitting in between certain parts under the wheel mount to stop a hell of a lot of squeaking.
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Awesome man. good to see it's a great investment
 
Going to test this out with customisable keys, print some labels that insert under the clear key covers... Might be a good temporary before I go full button box.

It's 34cm x 19cm

 
Here is my triple mount VESA bracket used for my ipad mount and cherry keyboard & 24" monitor. Becasue the rig is now motion, I don't want to mount items onto it, making the side rack a great base to mount things on and a $70 triple monitor arm easy to move and adjust as I need. Couldnt get the extra display on as I had to mount it on a lower shelf but have some plans to cosolidate all my gear in a 27RU Rack which will free this little one into a moveable dash/console.

 
readyfe
Here is my triple mount VESA bracket used for my ipad mount and cherry keyboard & 24" monitor. Becasue the rig is now motion, I don't want to mount items onto it, making the side rack a great base to mount things on and a $70 triple monitor arm easy to move and adjust as I need. Couldnt get the extra display on as I had to mount it on a lower shelf but have some plans to cosolidate all my gear in a 27RU Rack which will free this little one into a moveable dash/console.

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nice set up mate. How many Kg does the 4DOF D-Box motion support?
 
wajdi1977
nice set up mate. How many Kg does the 4DOF D-Box motion support?
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Exact specifications:

Maximum lifting capacity (per actuator): 250 lbs, 114 kg
Maximum lifting capacity (per seating area) 1000 lbs, 454 kg

So of the 454kgs it can hold, thats the d-box frame base (in my case a timber frame), the ACM modules (that run the actuators), the rig and accessories and me... It all adds up.

And it's not like I'm sitting in the centre, so you need to remember most of the weight in my design means I have more on the rears, so while 450kg's is alot, even with my weight I'm well within the limits on the rear actuators.

Hope this helps.
 
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Hello Readyfe
I'm at the moment looking at building a motion sim but have struck a brick wall in finding a D-box system. Can you give me details as to where you got yours any help would be greatly appricated

Thanks Gloony
 
Wavetrain are the local suppliers, but also speak to Mayaman - he gets some really good pricing. Not sure mate if you can source the AU power but either way we can use a step down transformer to run 110v.

Sometimes you can go too far and think, why did I do that, that was a waste - well this is one mod you wont regret.

Plus what people don't say is that you get full tactile vibrations on all 4 corners with 4DOF. Impact, nudging, cars rubbing paint, ripples, wheel spin - you name it, it's felt through the frame at that location...
 
A little clean up over the weekend, consolidated two smaller racks into one 35RU. Moved the Woofer into the smaller rack and it's become more of a dash / shelf as as the rig is motion it's good having everything on the side and close by. I've used hooks in the side of the rack to hold my headphones and GT wheel, still a bit of cable management but bit by bit I guess.

Really happy with how things are progressing, just increased the intensity of d-box settings and yes loving it more and more..





p.s. there's plans for a shed to move all the stuff out and renovate the garage into a dedicated room... part of me can't wait, but to be honest I like the rough look.
 
Sweet man, glad you're enjoying it. I can't wait to move, this wait is killing me. I'll finally be able to run the Dbox without the neighbors crying. LOL
 
The new rack looks great ready! Isn't it great having the extra room for all the audio equipment and room for expansion? Looks similar to mine only yours is metal. Did your dad make it or did you purchase?
 
Dragon_Dude
The new rack looks great ready! Isn't it great having the extra room for all the audio equipment and room for expansion? Looks similar to mine only yours is metal. Did your dad make it or did you purchase?
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Purchased it from Selby, it was the only rack I could find that had ventilation holes all the way round, meaning I can keep it enclosed while racing.

I only wanted 27RU but they were all networking type racks, this was the smallest fully ventilated one - still gives me room to fit the A500 and FBQ if I decide to run more amps or my second PS3 for a second rig - we'll see. A few too many options is a good problem to have I guess.

My ol'man is still overseas and not back for another month - so many projects for him to do for me since he's retired - poor bloke isn't going to know what hit him when he gets back.

Right now I am looking at making a triple screen mount to hold 3 x 27" screens. Found one online that Mayaman used but optioned with the stand and shipping worked out around $900 landed.. half of that I'd pay (which is the local price) but too much to bring it in, something that can be made but will need to wait.
 

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