I started on this thing about a year ago. I must of changed the thing about 10 X over to make it feel right " for me " , but also adjustable for friends who want to come over and test it out. It originally was going to be setup as just a racing simulator , but later I found myself wanting to use it for so much more than that. I wanted too get into doing some Sim flying and get back into some FPS games again. My goal was to make it super comfortable , but extremely versatile.
Instead of using the PVC route like I did , I had contemplated on building the whole thing out of 80/20 structured aluminum. But after adding everything up , it was going to be pretty damn expensive...AND I knew I was going to keep making changes , upgrades , evolve it so I could play multiple things in it.
I think I'm about 98% done with the actual build as far as getting everything placed just right for the things I love to do....sim racing , flight combat sims and playing FPS games.
I used 2" PVC and had to special order some different fittings from some PVC furniture outfits. Mind you...this whole thing is " Retro-fitted " except for the seat area which has been glued , sanded down with 180 grit and ready for paint. I'll test , reconfigure it over the entire winter and when I'm completely 100% happy.....she'll get torn down , completely glued and painted with a black , rubberized coating. BUT...it will still come apart in 3 different sections for easy transportation. The entire seat area detaches from the front part of the rig , and the front part divides into a lower and upper section.
Quick shot of how I attach the seat area to the front half of the rig. Basically the same type of latches you would find on a large tool box. Once latched , it pulls the front and rear parts together.
Anyways....here are some pics of my creation and some explanation of parts and equipment.
As my racing simulator , this is how it's setup. CSW wheel base , Fanatec F1 Carbon fiber rim , along with a BMW rim. These will be changed out next summer for a full on OSW base with a Sam Maxwell wheel. ( http://www.sammaxwellcustoms.com/gallery.php ) The pedals are the HPP PRX 2 pedal SE version , full hydraulic , CNC billet aluminum ( Incredible pedals ...( http://www.hppsimulation.com ) Also , you'll notice that the pedals rest on a black piece of material. That is a custom cut piece I ordered from Tap plastics for $105.00 , to help from having the base flex while you are pressing the pedals for racing.
For Flight simulation , I can add or remove both the throttle and joy stick with wing nuts on the bottom of each base. Using an older saitek X-52 setup , and honestly I haven't had the time to really try them yet , but they fit perfectly and are in a very comfortable place for flying.
For shooting games , I can recline or move back the seat , remove both of the sim flying stick and throttle for extra mouse pad area for shooting. On the throttle side , after it's removed , it is replaced with a Nostromo N50 game pad.
This is something I kept going back and forth on , was a certain keyboard. I needed it back-lit , but also wireless for when I'm doing my racing. The Logitech K800 seems to be one sweet little keyboard and perfect for my build.
So to end up my post here , I'll revisit this thread again about 4 - 6 months after I get it all sanded down , glued up , painted and install some diamond aluminum plating on the top. Thanks for checking out my build guys.
Instead of using the PVC route like I did , I had contemplated on building the whole thing out of 80/20 structured aluminum. But after adding everything up , it was going to be pretty damn expensive...AND I knew I was going to keep making changes , upgrades , evolve it so I could play multiple things in it.
I think I'm about 98% done with the actual build as far as getting everything placed just right for the things I love to do....sim racing , flight combat sims and playing FPS games.
I used 2" PVC and had to special order some different fittings from some PVC furniture outfits. Mind you...this whole thing is " Retro-fitted " except for the seat area which has been glued , sanded down with 180 grit and ready for paint. I'll test , reconfigure it over the entire winter and when I'm completely 100% happy.....she'll get torn down , completely glued and painted with a black , rubberized coating. BUT...it will still come apart in 3 different sections for easy transportation. The entire seat area detaches from the front part of the rig , and the front part divides into a lower and upper section.
Quick shot of how I attach the seat area to the front half of the rig. Basically the same type of latches you would find on a large tool box. Once latched , it pulls the front and rear parts together.
Anyways....here are some pics of my creation and some explanation of parts and equipment.
As my racing simulator , this is how it's setup. CSW wheel base , Fanatec F1 Carbon fiber rim , along with a BMW rim. These will be changed out next summer for a full on OSW base with a Sam Maxwell wheel. ( http://www.sammaxwellcustoms.com/gallery.php ) The pedals are the HPP PRX 2 pedal SE version , full hydraulic , CNC billet aluminum ( Incredible pedals ...( http://www.hppsimulation.com ) Also , you'll notice that the pedals rest on a black piece of material. That is a custom cut piece I ordered from Tap plastics for $105.00 , to help from having the base flex while you are pressing the pedals for racing.
For Flight simulation , I can add or remove both the throttle and joy stick with wing nuts on the bottom of each base. Using an older saitek X-52 setup , and honestly I haven't had the time to really try them yet , but they fit perfectly and are in a very comfortable place for flying.
For shooting games , I can recline or move back the seat , remove both of the sim flying stick and throttle for extra mouse pad area for shooting. On the throttle side , after it's removed , it is replaced with a Nostromo N50 game pad.
This is something I kept going back and forth on , was a certain keyboard. I needed it back-lit , but also wireless for when I'm doing my racing. The Logitech K800 seems to be one sweet little keyboard and perfect for my build.
So to end up my post here , I'll revisit this thread again about 4 - 6 months after I get it all sanded down , glued up , painted and install some diamond aluminum plating on the top. Thanks for checking out my build guys.
