left888's Rigs Part 2

[left888]

This is an update from left888's Rigs Part 1 which can be found Here The biggest advancement is the three 55 inch Sony HDTV's. I was going to go with 3 27 inch monitors but once I had seen how small they were I opted for the big panels. Three of them is just over 13 feet across.

With the 7.1 sound system the Ford GT in iRacing sounds absolutely incredible, when I crank it up the whole house rattles, I love it. At this point my rig is very functional and I pretty much stick to iRacing now. I am thinking about making a dashboard and mounting all the instruments but I am happy with the raw look as it stands now.

I welcome any comments or suggestions.

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A shot from behind, luckily this room was just wide enough for the 3 55" HDTV's

My Derek Speare Pro Sequential Shifter, the industry standard

Derek Speare Pro Sequential Shifter

Derek Speare button box, a shift indicator, 11,000 RPM Tachometer, a 7" Liliput monitor for iSpeed telemetry which is a handy program for iRacing

My custom built Zalem rig

A Buttkicker placed behind the pedals compliments the one under the seat

A 7" Liliput monitor for iSpeed telemetry, notice my best lap for the Ford GT, only 2 seconds off the Aliens.

Another shot of the cockpit and the instruments

 

[tribolik]

 

[zedfonsie]

If only I had money

Guess what my setup is?

A stock g27 with a 35$ made wooden cockpit with a 55inch tv (gt5 drift setup)

I want to use my 55inch tv to play iracing, lfs ect. Whats a good graphics card that can handle that?

 

[sonac]

Wow, definitely one of the greatest setups posted on-line. It was great even before you added 55" TVs, purely because you have dedicated space for all this equipment, including a good sound system, which is quite rare. New displays just put it over the top Congratulations.

 

[Hwangm]

looking good daz. love that Inside Sim Racing Sticker

 

[swiftwilly]

nice wall paint...oh and that rig too

 

[ilonioum]

Absolutely amazing setup Left!!! It does not look very fancy but it looks 110% functional which is much more important.

The only thing I would change in your setup is the seat so if you change it to a bucket seat it is going to be absolutely great.

Having the BK behind the CSP is also a very good idea. I utilize similar setup but the pedals are not reversed and under the pedals I have 2 Aura Pros.

Well done, thumbs up!

 

[Mr Latte]

Credit were credit is due my man, excellent arrangement of equipment.
Very enjoyable looking system and plenty of gadgets. Sony screens as well eh. I think I'd like to go with a similar route regarding the gadgets as those look excellent.

I would however eventually consider some changes to the current layout.
As suggestions.....

Have you considered placing the screens onto wall mounts and getting rid of most of the furniture/stands for a cleaner look? Maybe get in a wee bit closer too? Also if raising the screens, this would allow having the stereo speakers under the left/right screens. Maybe then re-positioning the bookshelf surround speakers further apart or to the side walls which may improve their bass but have them adjacent to the seat. Your current layout has them directly beside the rear surround which seem to be on the floor and well having those on stands behind the seat might be better too I guess.

If you had a base platform of some type this could enable the subwoofer to be supported on it and you will likely feel better effects going right through the entire wooden base. Raising the cockpit a little could also compensate having the screens higher and using isolators for the base unit to help reduce tactile leakage into the floor.

No doubt you will continue to keep improving it in some way or form so superb work already on your setup, thanks for sharing.

 

[Spagetti69]

My wife would never see me again......

 

[occasionalracer]

Nice Gadgets!... like all of them... so do you also have a triple PS3 setup?

 

[left888]

If only I had money

Guess what my setup is?

A stock g27 with a 35$ made wooden cockpit with a 55inch tv (gt5 drift setup)

I want to use my 55inch tv to play iracing, lfs ect. Whats a good graphics card that can handle that?

A 55" TV will work fine, consider getting 3 screens if you can (30"-42") it really opens up the view and can improve your racecraft. There are tons of decent video cards on the market and depending on your system. I would suggest getting a very good video card, this is the meat and potatoes of your racing.

Wow, definitely one of the greatest setups posted on-line. It was great even before you added 55" TVs, purely because you have dedicated space for all this equipment, including a good sound system, which is quite rare. New displays just put it over the top Congratulations.

Thanks sonac, the only reason I went with three 55" is because of the deal I got. The first one was full price, the second one was half price and the third one was free. The sound system is key to any good set up, it was my old system from upstairs. Of course I had to replace the upstairs system with a kickass 7.1 system.

looking good daz. love that Inside Sim Racing Sticker

Thanks Hwangm, there's still a few of us that know what happened over their and still respect the crew at ISR.

Absolutely amazing setup Left!!! It does not look very fancy but it looks 110% functional which is much more important.

The only thing I would change in your setup is the seat so if you change it to a bucket seat it is going to be absolutely great.

Having the BK behind the CSP is also a very good idea. I utilize similar setup but the pedals are not reversed and under the pedals I have 2 Aura Pros.

Well done, thumbs up!

Thanks ilonioum, My idea was to keep my rig as functional as possible for me. I do have a bucket seat from Sim-seats but it isn't as comfortable as this one. I have seen some very nice ones in the $600 range, however my next purchase is going to be a quality set of pedals. Either a set of CST in GT style or wait and see what Derek Speare has in the offering.

I also have 2 Aura bass shakers mounted on the sides of the seat. Part 1 of my rig shows them mounted.

 

[left888]

Credit were credit is due my man, excellent arrangement of equipment.
Very enjoyable looking system and plenty of gadgets. Sony screens as well eh. I think I'd like to go with a similar route regarding the gadgets as those look excellent.

I would however eventually consider some changes to the current layout.
As suggestions.....

Have you considered placing the screens onto wall mounts and getting rid of most of the furniture/stands for a cleaner look? Maybe get in a wee bit closer too? Also if raising the screens, this would allow having the stereo speakers under the left/right screens. Maybe then re-positioning the bookshelf surround speakers further apart or to the side walls which may improve their bass but have them adjacent to the seat. Your current layout has them directly beside the rear surround which seem to be on the floor and well having those on stands behind the seat might be better too I guess.

If you had a base platform of some type this could enable the subwoofer to be supported on it and you will likely feel better effects going right through the entire wooden base. Raising the cockpit a little could also compensate having the screens higher and using isolators for the base unit to help reduce tactile leakage into the floor.

No doubt you will continue to keep improving it in some way or form so superb work already on your setup, thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the compliment Latte,

As I stated earlier I only went with the Sony because of the great deal I got on them, 1 was free, 1 was half price and 1 was full price. If I had the money I would have most certainly chosen otherwise. There is a guy at iRacing who is an engineer who has developed a latency tester and he has reported on which panels are faster and which ones are slower. The Sony's are towards the slower side I believe.

As far as mounting them I looked into getting some decent mounts and they are $500 a piece, the center console did come with a mount but the rear panels of the Sony's are not of quality so this was a challenge on it's own. I then decided to slap 2 tables together. I have a very nice wood shop in a dedicated 30' x 20' building. It is well equipped but not heated. With the help of my 16 year old son we fashioned the 2 end tables in -26 Celsius weather. In 5 minutes I couldn't feel my extremities, so considering that I was quite happy the way they turned out. One day when I get richer (lol) I will build a decent table and cabinet system, ATM I am just focused on improving my racecraft. Lots of iRacing practice lately.

As far as the height issue I am almost at my limit now, any higher and I will be looking up and of course when we drive we don't look up so they can not go any higher. I am at 60 inches in distance from the center screen, I have tried to get closer and found 60 inches looks the best for me. I am only racing with iRacing now and when you change distances you change the FOV which is an adjustment you make in car.

I have thought of a wood base to raise the rig up off the floor but you would be surprised at how well the sub woofer resonates through the floor to the rig, there is heavy underlay and industrial carpet on top of concrete so there is little loss. With the 2 buttkickers and 2 Aura bass shakers it rumbles very nicely. If I turn the sub woofer off it only rumbles withe the tactile system but no bass. Turn the sub woofer on and it literally shakes the whole house. I am very satisfied with the sound as it is now and I feel a wood base would really detract from the set up as it is now.

That was some very well thought out response from you Mr Latte and that is what I was looking for in suggestions. One thing I might ask in the future is on tactile systems. I am happy with what I have but never satisfied. There is a program that runs off of iRacings telemetry and sends that information to the bass shakers. I will send you the PDF file if you are interested.

 

[left888]

My wife would never see me again......

My wife said the same thing ... I haven't heard from her in nearly 10 years now but they tell me she's doing fine.

Nice Gadgets!... like all of them... so do you also have a triple PS3 setup?

Thank you OR,

The gauges and button boxes are all so functional and give my rig a raw race car look IMO and that's what I was after. I do not have 3 PS3's set up, I only go with iRacing now. It is the best racing experience one can have. I am not the fastest by any means but I love the challenge. We do have 4 or 5 PS3's about the house but lately they are only used for watching blu-ray movies.

 

[Spagetti69]

No wife?!? 10 years?!? No wonder your watching Blu movies.

Who's the chap in the Avatar mate?

Edit. Ah Blu-RAY-movies. My mistake.

 

[left888]

No wife?!? 10 years?!? No wonder your watching Blu movies.

Who's the chap in the Avatar mate?

Edit. Ah Blu-RAY-movies. My mistake.

UM no wife but does girlfriend count?

 

[amf7]

👍 nice...

I want

 

[Jav]

Pretty sweet setup you have there Left! Love it!

 

[Mr Latte]

Thanks for the reply...

You should be able to find quite affordable wall brackets. I got ones recently for approx $60 that allow upto a 60" screen. Look on ebay or maybe amazon perhaps if it is something that interests you. Guess it depends if you are happy enough with the current speaker layout but seems a little compromised with the new displays and as you mention raising everything might not be in your interests. Personal preference really the effect to the actual audio is likely to be minimal.

The recent guide on the tactile for iracing and using "Force Sender" I think should bring extra benefits. Discussed this in one of the other recent threads "superbike" had done.

Just ordered the ipad 3 today and want to use one in my rig with some games and its general features.
Have you heard of or tried "ihud" or an app like "touchbuddy". Also "air display" allows the usage of an ipad to be used as a wireless additional monitor. With the ipad3 using 2048 x 1536 resolution it is likely to be the ultimate touch screen for a while.

Ohhh sooo juicy!!!
[Youtube]nP9_xDG8UDo&annotation_id=annotation_960760&feature=iv[/Youtube]

[Youtube]lytlpD_LDDY&feature=fvst[/Youtube]

 

[12thgear]

This is an epic thread. Bravo, Darren. That sequential shifter makes me want to build my own. I also love that you're using real speakers, not "computer" or "home theater in a box" speakers. One of these days I want to build a cockpit surround system around powered, near-field monitors.

 

[sesselpupser]

I was going to go with 3 27 inch monitors but once I had seen how small they were I opted for the big panels.

I can totally see where you're coming from, just last week I was going to buy a bicycle but realised my commute was a little too far so I bought a Lamborghini instead.

Seriously, though, this is probably the best setup I've seen in terms of gadgetry, but a dashboard and centre console would finish it off nicely, after that there's not much else you could do to improve it without getting seriously crazy... Or is there? I'll just read the rest of the thread to find out what your plans are.


Edit: I see. How on earth did you get a free TV that size? Maybe I don't want to know. Forget I said anything.

 

[BNGTracer]

👍 Awesome setup Left, l have one of the 55in Sony you are using and I thought that was awesome! One day I might go all out like this, but space is always an issue

I am yet to venture into the realms of iRacing, hopefully soon as I was all ready to go then realized I need a copy of Windows 7 as OS/X Lion doesn't support XP in boot camp

 

[sandboxgod]

Yeah that cockpit is crazy sick. Need a video!!! Do it

 

[left888]

Thanks for the reply...

You should be able to find quite affordable wall brackets. I got ones recently for approx $60 that allow upto a 60" screen. Look on ebay or maybe amazon perhaps if it is something that interests you. Guess it depends if you are happy enough with the current speaker layout but seems a little compromised with the new displays and as you mention raising everything might not be in your interests. Personal preference really the effect to the actual audio is likely to be minimal.

The recent guide on the tactile for iracing and using "Force Sender" I think should bring extra benefits. Discussed this in one of the other recent threads "superbike" had done.

Just ordered the ipad 3 today and want to use one in my rig with some games and its general features.
Have you heard of or tried "ihud" or an app like "touchbuddy". Also "air display" allows the usage of an ipad to be used as a wireless additional monitor. With the ipad3 using 2048 x 1536 resolution it is likely to be the ultimate touch screen for a while.

Yes I have seen the apps you mentioned Here's one that's used for iRacing. To tell you the truth I don't like the digital gauges as much as the analog ones. The Z1simwheel I referenced is about the nicest digital gauge I have seen but they are $400.

Give me a good old fashion set of race gauges and I'm happy with that. Got my eye on a 200 MPH speedometer from Auto Meter, now if I can get one for $200 I would be happy, although they need to be dash mounted.

 

[left888]

👍 nice...

I want

Better start saving up, cause it cost a pretty penny.

Pretty sweet setup you have there Left! Love it!

Thanks Jav, I love racing in it.

 

[left888]

This is an epic thread. Bravo, Darren. That sequential shifter makes me want to build my own. I also love that you're using real speakers, not "computer" or "home theater in a box" speakers. One of these days I want to build a cockpit surround system around powered, near-field monitors.

Thanks, I agree, a full size stereo is a good way to go if you can do it. I'm lucky I own my own home and had the resources to do this.

I can totally see where you're coming from, just last week I was going to buy a bicycle but realised my commute was a little too far so I bought a Lamborghini instead.

Are you mocking me neema?

Seriously, though, this is probably the best setup I've seen in terms of gadgetry, but a dashboard and centre console would finish it off nicely, after that there's not much else you could do to improve it without getting seriously crazy... Or is there? I'll just read the rest of the thread to find out what your plans are.

I am having so much fun racing right now I probably won't do much work on it until next fall.

Edit: I see. How on earth did you get a free TV that size? Maybe I don't want to know. Forget I said anything.

I got them from my cousin Vinny who works down on the docks, every thing is on the up and up, see.

 

[Mr Latte]

Yes I have seen the apps you mentioned Here's one that's used for iRacing. To tell you the truth I don't like the digital gauges as much as the analog ones. The Z1simwheel I referenced is about the nicest digital gauge I have seen but they are $400.

Give me a good old fashion set of race gauges and I'm happy with that. Got my eye on a 200 MPH speedometer from Auto Meter, now if I can get one for $200 I would be happy, although they need to be dash mounted.

I agree that proper analogue dials and switches are nice and look more authentic. However that Z1 480x272 while a good device has quite a low screen resolution. If you were ever going to upgrade your current digital display then maybe worth considering a tablet or touch screen phone.

That Z1 certainly does not seem to be worth $400 when some of the apps available for iphone/android may offer as much options. Also take the iphone 960x640 screen res being almost double it should look better too. Ipad3 is going to be perfect having more res and sharper display than 24" monitors so might be superb as a 4th monitor and so easily added to a cockpit and removed when not needed. Well I see plenty of people using these in the future.

Can you show more on your tactile installation and give details on how yours is connected, powered? What have you your sub set to regards crossover and is it via LFE or stereo output?

 

[left888]

Both of the buttkickers are fed from a powered LFE channel of my Pioneer A/V VSX-1017TXV-K you can see it Here and Here The Aura bass kickers are feed from that same A/V amp's pre out rear channel to a Dayton power amp Here with a built in low pass crossover set around 50-80Hz I have them wired in mono mode ATM, I did try in stereo but they worked better in 8ohm mono.

I should also mention at this time the way I connected my A/V stero up to my computer, simple, newer mobo have an optic out channel and that is easily assigned to one of the optic in's of the A/V amp.

The telemetry based tactile program I mentioned to you is used in conjunction of iRacing's telemetry and a program called X-sim which is run from a sound card on your main computer or a networked second computer. You can view that file Here

A word of caution when running those digital gauges through network mode, apps like ISpeed do allow a second computer or iPad to run them but they do not work as good as being run off the host computer via DVI or USB. iSpeed run in network mode does not have the same options available.

I also agree the Z1 is overpriced but remember it is coded to run off of iRacings telemetry. All of those apps you listed are only as good as the coder and what racing game on console supports telemetry? Wait a few months and see what analog gauges will work with the new rev burner Symprojects is working on. Digital gauges are alright but are not even close to what analog gauges can do for a true Sim experience.

 

[LogiForce]

Very nice rig. Although I wouldn't like all the bells and whistles personally though, but that's just my personal taste at the moment. I might just get a car iphone4 holder so I can put it on the T500 body and have a small dash of sorts, but that's it.
I unfortunately don't have the room nor the money to get 3 giant 55 inch televisions. I still need to sleep in my room that's just as big as yours seems to be on the pictures, maybe even smaller.
I do wonder about your speakers though... they seem too close for my taste. Especially if you crank it up and the house rattles. Just be careful you don't damage your ears as I am seriously afraid you will in the long run due to this.
I don't have my speakers close to my ears and can easily hear my rear speakers. I don't go past a quarter and that's already very loud, but then again I have computer speakers of 500w rms total. Anyone who knows the Logitech Z-560 set can testify they are loud. heh

Oh well... nice rig and the TV's are definitely a great addition. Although I would probably put them a bit closer towards myself if possible, or it could be they look far away on the photograph.

 

[zedfonsie]

A buttkicker on the pedals, now I've seen it all

 

[Mr Latte]

Both of the buttkickers are fed from a powered LFE channel of my Pioneer A/V VSX-1017TXV-K you can see it Here and Here The Aura bass kickers are feed from that same A/V amp's pre out rear channel to a Dayton power amp Here with a built in low pass crossover set around 50-80Hz I have them wired in mono mode ATM, I did try in stereo but they worked better in 8ohm mono.

I should also mention at this time the way I connected my A/V stero up to my computer, simple, newer mobo have an optic out channel and that is easily assigned to one of the optic in's of the A/V amp.

The telemetry based tactile program I mentioned to you is used in conjunction of iRacing's telemetry and a program called X-sim which is run from a sound card on your main computer or a networked second computer. You can view that file Here

A word of caution when running those digital gauges through network mode, apps like ISpeed do allow a second computer or iPad to run them but they do not work as good as being run off the host computer via DVI or USB. iSpeed run in network mode does not have the same options available.

I also agree the Z1 is overpriced but remember it is coded to run off of iRacings telemetry. All of those apps you listed are only as good as the coder and what racing game on console supports telemetry? Wait a few months and see what analog gauges will work with the new rev burner Symprojects is working on. Digital gauges are alright but are not even close to what analog gauges can do for a true Sim experience.

Right just to go over a few things...
The guide by "Jeremy Paterson" I have been talking about lately and looking to utilise the "Force Sender" data from games using its own controlled tactile. I have asked several weeks ago for some friends to look into it but heard nothing back yet. I do intend to myself at a later time to look into it.

However unlike "Jeremy Paterson" covers in his guide, several of us on the forums are going way beyond "Stereo Tactile" which he only covers.

It seems I have not seen anyone yet use a direct "Game Data Tactile" source and have it also combined with a multichannel "Surround Audio Tactile" configuration using multiple tactile channels. Importantly though having each method controlled and amplified independently should produce a very high end experience particularly with like yourself also utilising a subwoofer with the tactile.

"Jeremy Paterson" makes it clear in his guide that "Direct Game" & "Audio" tactile both have advantages and their own drawbacks as I expected so look forward to testing this in the future also.

I need to check with you as to what tactile you are using from "Force Sender" source compared to what tactile you are using via the "Audio" source.

Judging by your configuration I think their is room for a lot of improvement in your tactile experience but can only give advice if your willing to try different configurations. Also which such money invested in your setup then a dedicated quality soundcard and not onboard audio should be considered and will have a increase in the audio quality.

On your setup I would try based on audio tactile:

Seat Sides = "Front Stereo Audio" not surround channels.
Seat Underneath = BK as LFE
Pedals = BK as "Centre" channel not LFE

I recommend what you would do is have each tactile allocated a switchable input. This would allow you to change the input source easily and determine what tactile feels best either using "Audio Decoding" or "Game Data" alternatively a mix of both. Game data should be better than "Centre" but personally I would advise anyone doing tactile to incorporate a "switch" to be able to change source of input for different games or indeed consoles/PC as consoles of course cannot offer the "Game Data" tactile.


Questions:
1. Regards the digital displays, have you tried the one I linked or has anyone here? I am not saying yours isn't good, just for readers looking at alternatives.
2. Do you have a link for "Force Sender" or the software?



My Seat Tactile:
I will be using full directional effects.
Not a single feed/source or mega vibration some on the forums think it will be.

This allows road/track vibration via LFE, left right directional vibration, surround via cars behind and engine rev vibration all independently. Not all packed in as one LFE or combined stereo mono output that Buttkicker or common tactile brands only use.

Underneath:
4x BK Mini LFE (dual stereo front and back of seat)
1x BK Mini LFE "Centre" channel
1x BKA 300 "LFE" channel

Sides:
2x Clarke Tactile T209 "Surround" channels

Back:
1x Clarke Tactile T209 "Rear Surround" channel

I am eager to play around with "Game Data" tactile to determine how best to implement it.