Updating!!!!
Some Components and parts will be listed here:
Styling & Layout
The concept has grown and expanded over the many months of planning.
The cockpit will be placed on a raised wooden base platform approx 3-4" high.
This base platform is going to be approx 80" long x 60" wide
I will have this comprising of two parts, mainly the seat section and the monitor section which can be seperated or joined together.
The reason for this is getting it into its final destination and allowing the monitor section to seperate will allow the option of either triple monitors or projector gaming to be enjoyed.
Below is a very early few pics from testing and getting ideas on the size and positions.
The two spoilers are Subaru WRX spoilers. The rear one will be raised at the back of the seat.
A metal chrome frame will be used to create a surround shape in a layout that resembels a kart.
I envisage "Chrome Metal & Black" theme to be used through the whole project and parts will be purchased to tie in with this theme.
The chrome surround will utilise "Chrome Plated Shopfittings" These are also being used for the uprights for the monitors along with 32mm chrome piping.
Ive always thought the VR3 looked fantastic and how it smartly had the PS3 at the back of the monitors. I will employ this for each of the three screens.
I have other metal chrome elements that will be used to support the rear spoiler, seat and wheel sections that are coming from a company that specialise in manufacturing chrome legs for coffee tables and kitchens etc. These will be sturdier at 60 mm for added strength.
I understand its hard getting much impression from this but it might give some indication.
Car Influence
As noted earlier I want to create a racey car parts look. The appearance is a important factor for me and one that is proving to be costly.
I have purchased a few car bits on auction sites over a period of a year.
The initial plan was to incorporate a car dashboard and I even purchased one but its now something Im for dropping from the project as it didnt seem to fit in well with triple monitors.
Other components that have been purchased and do look to make the final build are....
Car Parts Purchased:
Subaru WRX Spoilers
Passat LED Style Brake Lights
Brake Light Sensor
Chrome Exhaust Tailpipes
Escort Cosworth Air Intakes
Cockpit buttons that many PC sims use may be added and also a rev counter just again for looks with space permitting it could be included.
Seating
Having had past experience in owning a Playseat Evo I soon became aware of the lack of ultimate comfort on long sessions.
The GamePod racing frame I have uses an excellent "Monaco" bucket seat but I wanted more stylish looks and even more comfort.
Both VR3 and the RSC seem to use better seats than most cockpits but againthey were not to the full quality of proper competition seats.
The seat I purchased was quite a hard decision as it was rather expensive but it really gave a figure hugging support for that complete snug feel and its looks appealed to me.
I will attach this seat to a universal set of seat runners but these will be bolted to a board that then has a Buttkicker bolted onto that. Electric adjustment motors were considered for the seating but in the end I felt it wasnt worth the money for little benifit.
Video
I decided early on that the best way to experience most racing games was using triple screens.
I wanted something not overly expensive and had originally got 3x22" monitors but found them too small so decided to upgrade to 24" size.
They had to be gloss black and with a fast response time.
Ive been enjoying FM3 in this way and its a great addition to the racing as many PC sim racers would agree.
GT5 has been reported on these forums to be compatible with multiple screens or to include triple screen support just like FM3.
It is mainly for these two games this decision was based.
Having owned a projector I can also understand the fun aspect of a large screen as well.
For me having a cockpit design that relied on triple monitors was important, but then what happens if your playing a racing game that does not support triple screens.
Particulary on console of course most games will be single screen and that is a flaw I found with the "Fanatec Renn Sport Cockpit" your stuck then with a single screen at a measly 24"
From this point I had decided that the design of the cockpit had to incorporate a design that easily allowed for the 3x screens to be removed quickly to enjoy single screen games
on a projector setup using my 80" screen also.
GT5 is a very large inspiration, reason for this cockpit and although I can say hand on heart I never fully completed any GT game this may come across as strange. I am not a complete GT fanatic but it is a game I expect very much enjoyment from. Therefore from release I will be ready for the multiscreen option utilising 3x PS3 systems.
As yet I find it rather uncomfortable that this has not been completely confirmed by P Digital or indeed if it will also work with the PS3 Eye "head tracking" in triple screen mode.
Regardless of what is possible I want to enjoy the game at its best and may one day upgrade to 3D projection.
I recently sold a Panasonic AE2000 1080p projector that I owned to help fund the rest of this project.
Therefore the projector I will revert to is one I bought previously and never sold at the time. Glad now I kept it and although only 720p it is excellent for gaming.
This is the AX100 which has been out a few years now and 2nd hand projectors are something Id recommend to people to consider for their cockpits.
Audio
This is the area that often I find on many forums people are not utilising as well as possible for their sim frames.
You can have your VR3, your RSC cockpits and as fancy as they are these will do nothing to help enchance how your racing games feel.
If people continuely spend large sums of money on FFB steering wheels and expensive pedals it is clear they take the importance of control and feedback from their games rather seriously.
Over the past year I have seen only a few other members here on GTP discuss or purchase "Transducers" to incorporate into their racing frames.
Buttkicker is probably one of the best known names for these devices. In the UK and perhaps Europe they are not so well known but Disney/AMC theatres and a host of other Music Studio professional applications use them.
Their seems to be a real lack of general interest or indeed awareness of how these products combined with audio can further increase that control and feedback from a game.
Its something I want to cover more in detail but bottom line is these devices let you feel bumps in the road, the tarmac the engine. Combined with audio they create a seemless sensation and add greatly to the immersion or the feeling of being in a car within the game.
Many games even including FM3 have bumps in the road that you can feel but without these devices you can only partially hear them as a thud at best.
Darin & Sean @ SRT have Reviewed These In The Past
See
Here
I will be using my Yamaha home theatre AV system for my general audio.
However for the cockpit to utilise the "feel sensation" it will need various additional hardware.
I discovered that the Buttkicker BKA 300 is a great little addition to a cockpit and it was one of the members here that owned one which got me interested in them.
Since having one for some time now and enjoying it. I have since tested it in various places of the cockpit frame I currently use. Yes it can rumble right through the seat/racing frame but like an explosion it has a hard hitting effect in the centre and this weakens as it pans out down through the rest of the racing frame.
What this means in sensation is that indeed it kicks your butt however it doesnt quite fall through as well into your feet and hands. Now in a real car you will feel such bumps not just in your seat but of course in your hands and feet also. So the object for me was to test my BKA 300 unit just for pedals and just for the wheel sections to try to emulate a real car. This proved to work excellently if with 300 watts from the BKA 300 was a bit too strong at times. I knew instantly then that I had to consider adding smaller and less powerful Buttkicker units so that the effect could be felt but most importantly the volumes could seperatly be controlled for the Seat/Wheel/Pedal sections. That way I could have full control over their strength individually and seperately from the power/volume of the subwoofers. In gaming this means you get the rumble of the engine, the bumps of the road and basically any bass enchanced sound effects from games now being felt not just in the seat but in feet, hands and of course the butt. Depending on the volume required it will be possible to really achieve a high level of immersion from this configuration.
Its true that it does add like a 4D sensation as you could swear your brain is fooled into thinking for example driving over a rumble strip on the left of a track that indeed it feels like its coming from the left hand side of your cockpit. I assume what your eyes see onscreen, your ears hear on the left speakers combined with the feeling from the transducers makes our brains believe it to be so.
Ive yet to test all these new audio components together and I do feel the dual 12" subs are perhaps indeed overkill but they will look great behind the seat and I know full well that these Buttkickers like a good cinema work best when combined with actual audible bass. Again its that conception of what you see,hear and feel and no doubt these dual subs will offer bass in spades.
Audio Components:
Sony Xplod 2x 1300W 12" Subs in contained box.
1x Skytec 1500 watt 4ohm amplifier (power 2x subwoofers)
1x Skytec 480 watt 4ohm amplifier (power 2x mini LFE transducers)
1x Buttkicker BKA 300 - 300 watt amplifier & transducer (seat)
2x Mini LFE Buttkicker Transducers (1x Wheel 1x Pedals)
Both Wheels Purchased!
Control Option 1 Turbo S
Wheels being used will be the fantastic Fanatec PWTS with Clubsport Pedals.
I intend to inverse these as I showed was possible last year.
Recently I have emailed "Armin" @ Fanatec as I want to purchase a 2nd footplate and extra square pedal.
Oh Thomas if your reading, I would much appreciate if you can get me these.
Control Option 2 - Modified G25
Having seen the current trend "Chillicoke" started with modifying G25/G27
I have recently decided to also go with modifying my Logitech G25 to using a full sized wheel and the JPelectrix brake mod.
These are yet to arrive and "Chilli" I will purchase one of your adapters soon.
The current design idea is to allow each set of pedals to be inverted but both will be easily interchangable.
They will be built onto their own seperate platforms. I have to finalise this in design but each pedal section will use large knobs for bolting to the floor of the main cockpit.
When needed it will just require disconnecting and loosening/tightening and lifting to swap over.
G25 Load Cell Brake
Have it ordered, Id like to hear some comments from people on how good this is?
Wheel for G25 mod ordered...
Momo "Race" 330cm Wheel
Handbrake & Shifters
At present Ive not been impressed with the quality of either Fanatec or Logitech shifters.
Primarily I play though with paddle shifters. With however the announcement of Fanatec bringing Clubsport editions I will await to see how good those are and possibly consider them.
With no release its wise to assume these will be long long long time away.
More to follow........
