People often ask me what kind of equipment I use. I’ve been thinking about making a video of my installation for a long time, but unfortunately it’s impossible for three reasons:
- Lack of time. A lot of projects are in progress, and I have a fuller personal life than before
- My installation is a living laboratory: it changes from one week to the next.
- I operate in an absolute mess (because of 1. and 2.)
So I prefer to write an article that can evolve quietly, and be enriched with quality pictures from time to time. I also take the opportunity to show you what I used to use in the past, and what I recommend or not to buy.
The steering wheel.
The big difference! I started with a G27 (the best value for money EVER!!!). Then when my pedals started to be perfect, I switched to a second hand Simucube 1: 700€ without the steering wheel with the big rod and a good encoder. So I won’t have any advice to give on the “middle” of the range, which I don’t know at all.
I strongly advise against starting a DIY Direct Drive today. You might as well buy a second hand SC1, or wait for any other Direct Drive, which in my opinion will should similar to my SC1.
There is nothing special on this side, I just integrated the electronics to the chassis in a compact case. and yes that compact case is ugly.
As for the steering wheel, I first made this LMP1 steering wheel. Then as time went on I developed my own wheels. I mainly use a round wheel. And all my steering wheels are based on the wireless simucube board, which is excellent. I also have a nice wooden steering wheel… Well, I don’t use it every morning…
The pedal set.
I tested many pedal sets on my rig, going from my DIY hydraulic, to NSH pedal box, and now I am currently using the SimJack Pro pedals that satisfy me completely.
The gearbox
A SRT V9.1 obviously, but I am in process of making a new one that will be multi-color thanks to the Bambu Lab AMS system. I also have the aliexpress gearbox that I often use and I work on the SRT gearbox.
The rig.
In the days of the g27, I simply had a wooden box that was attached to the sofa. For my first motion simulator I welded steel bars with a go-kart bucket. Very nice but difficult to evolve.
I am now using the NSH Spyder rig. It’s really an excellent chassis. No real flaw: it’s solid, clean, modulable (and I did mod it a lot ^^). I’ll write a complete article about the chassis itself.
I use an integrated LED system to light up the rig. The metal plate can be easily removed to get access to the cables.
I now have a frame under the rig which integrates many components :
The actuators.
4 SRT80 with the Competition Control Box. 220mm of travel that I can use at maximum intensity since the low frame prevents the rig from jumping.
The VR :
For me VR was a revolution, impossible to go back. In comparison, even the best triple screens are “tinkering” (sorry…). I have had many headsets: Vive, Lenovo Explorer, 5k+, 8KX. I’m currently using the Pimax Crystal.
Bass shakers :
4 bass shakers controlled by Simhub
Seatbelt Tensionner
The P1 seat belt tensioner. I worked a lot on it those days. I am currently using Simhub to control it.
Sound system
I use a Logitech Z906 5.1 system. It’s a great sound system for its price. But I am in the process of replacing each satellite speaker to make the sound more directive. That prevents the sound from going somewhere other than the pilot. Thanks to that I can have a pretty high volume while without disturbing others.
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