Help me build my first simracing rig!

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by cosimo, Jun 12, 2013.

  1. cosimo

    cosimo Registered

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    Hi everyone!

    Just 2 months after stumbling on rFactor 2 and simracing in general, I'm planning to build my own simracing rig!
    And I'd like your help. Yes, especially you that have already built yours, so you know what worked and what didn't work for you.

    Assume that budget is generous, but not unlimited :)

    I put my questions in a survey form. That should help me understand what are the most valuable elements of a simracing rig, where I should spend more, etc... You will be able to see the results as soon as you complete it.

    http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MWDJM89

    And feel free to leave your comments here too, of course.
    Thanks!
     
  2. Noel Hibbard

    Noel Hibbard Registered

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    Interesting idea although I think people are voting based on what they own and not what they think would be best. In my case I own a G27 but if I didn't have a budget I would own the T500RS. So I voted for the T500RS. :)

    Good luck with your build and welcome to simracing!
     
  3. GTClub_wajdi

    GTClub_wajdi Registered

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    Well, dipende if you want to buy a cockpit or you want to make it by your self! do you want a triple screen or one monitor!
    I build my cockpit by my self!
    It's work in progress:
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    I added 3 BGK2 and it's the best thing that I have added to my cockpit and with SimVibe it's simply a blast and adds a lot of immersion!
    [​IMG]
    So it dipendes what do you want and your wallet!
     
  4. Adrianstealth

    Adrianstealth Registered

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    Best go very simple & basic screw a vibration unit under the seat, then consider a revision after a year or so

    If you set out to build the ultimate rig it will take much longer than you expect & cost much more than you expect -only if you have the time & money & you enjoy this type of project then consider this option.
     
  5. Rob Berry

    Rob Berry Registered

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  6. Panigale

    Panigale Banned

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    On my third rig so will attempt to share what I learned, this is all my opinion so take it with a grain of salt (and if you have to choose between a rig and a RL track day, do the track day and build a rig later):

    1) Playseat and Logitech GT in front of the tv - Fun like a motorscooter, not fun like a superbike. Playseat is cheap as was the pedals that came with that wheel.

    2) Obutto and G27, with triple 26". The Obutto is rather ugly in my opinion and if you drive a nice car you will probably dislike the Obutto seat. Solid rig though in terms of little to no movement. The triple 26" screens didn't work out well for my tastes, FOV too high and car was made for a hampster or at best a small monkey, use correct FOV and miss out on a lot of the environment. G27 was too weak as well. Extra credit: Chris at Obutto is a good guy, very nice, and quick to respond to emails.

    3) VR3 - T500 - Single projector. Current setup. VR3 is a good looking rig if you care about that sort of thing. Seat is a proper racing seat, put the front on the highest peg and the back on the lowest, along with the T500 pedals, you got an aggressive sportscar position going that wasn't possible in the Obutto. Projector allows for easy placement of image, and a 1:1 setup which I find very important for a good sim experience. Much cleaner looking overall. T500 is an excellent wheel. Caveat: Mark at VR3 is sketchy with emails so make sure you get the adaptor plate for the wheel and pedals you plan to use forever.

    Motion and triple projectors is probably the best we can get at home and is where I'd imagine we'd all like to be. F1 tubs seem to be ridiculously expensive and dbox isn't cheap either. I'm hoping SimExperience comes out with a formula style setup at some point.
     
  7. Spinelli

    Spinelli Banned

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    How is the seating position in the vr3 when on the most aggressive pedal/seat setting? Is it as straight as the Bob Earl Virtual Racing Cockpi?
     
  8. tjc

    tjc Registered

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  9. 1959nikos

    1959nikos Registered

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    Which projector? What screen? Front or back projection?
    Are you happy with it against monitors?
     
  10. BlaringFiddle5

    BlaringFiddle5 Registered

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  11. nicka117

    nicka117 Registered

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  12. PRC Steve

    PRC Steve Registered

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  13. Satangoss

    Satangoss Registered

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  14. Panigale

    Panigale Banned

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    Optoma ML500, fairly cheap LED 720p projector, runs quiet and cool and has a life of around 20,000 hours.

    Front projection, on either any standard screen or the wall. Wall is good because you can adjust the image size as needed but requires a good paint to be used. I have the projector mounted behind the rig on a tripod angled down. It points at the center of the wheel but it throws the image forward and below the wheel with no shadow on the screen even though the rig is right up against the wall. Odd sounding but if you get a projector you'll see what I'm talking about.

    Love it compared to having small monitors. Each to their own of course but I wanted the car to be 1:1, i.e. life size and still have enough of the environment available to make it feel immersive. I assume this is why pro sims use projectors or like CxC, fairly large monitors. Adding additional projectors isn't necessary but a three projector setup would be ideal.
     
  15. 1959nikos

    1959nikos Registered

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    Ty.
    Something like that I suppose

     
  16. Panigale

    Panigale Banned

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    Yes very similar, cept he cut a hole to bring the screen closer where mine is at my feet/pedals. I haven't gone to that extreme (not completely necessary) but I can certainly understand how he got there. The experience is night and day, especially with an open wheeler. Again, each to their own but having had both setups, I wish I knew then what I know now. Hence why I wanted to share. Cheers.
     
  17. Axly

    Axly Registered

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    As mentioned earlier: www.thewayiplay.com
    Decide if you're after a proper F1-seating position, a Nascar replica, or simply a comfortable race car position... Start looking around at thewayiplay, and don't get stuck on the start pics! Many threads look a bit bland, but once you read through some pages you get amazing inspiration and ideas!

    Be careful though, rig buildning can be very addictive ;) (TWIP is to blame for many late nights for me.)
     
  18. tjc

    tjc Registered

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    T`is Remco Hitman is it not?

    :cool:

    (If not it`s very similar to one of Remco`s videos)
     
  19. privatebrian

    privatebrian Registered

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    WOW! how much closer can you get to actually sitting in the seat of a race car, fantastic!
     
  20. 1959nikos

    1959nikos Registered

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    Yup, brilliant idea.
    Cheers.
     

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