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Shaker orientation on seat

Discussion in 'DIY Motion Simulator Building Q&A / FAQ' started by Map63Vette, Jun 1, 2016.

  1. Map63Vette

    Map63Vette Member

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    So I'm debating how many shakers I want in the long run, but at the moment I'm waffling between starting with just one or two. For sure, I would plan to mount a single one beneath my seat. The second one I have been debating is whether or not to put one on the seat back/side. I plan to play mostly car racing games with it if that makes a difference.

    The vertical one under the seat is a no brainer as most suspension events and general vibration would be felt that direction for a car. I see people talk about side to side motion from time to time, but have seen very little mentioned of front to back. I've read about a few builds that have a transducer on the seat back, but there isn't much discussion on them. What telemetry events would tend to use this direction? Gear shifts and accel/decel are the main ones that come to mind, though I think these are generally better handled with actuators (beyond my price range at the moment). Bumps from the front or back from contact would also make sense. I realize SimTools isn't quite there yet with transducer operation, but I'd like to plan ahead a bit so I can try to build something once and not multiple times.

    Long story short, is it worth it to have a transducer on a seat back if you already have one on the seat bottom?
  2. GR88

    GR88 Member

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    I think your overall budget and plans for the rig are really going to decide this one for you. If you get cheaper shakers you will need more than one to achieve the same feeling as let's say a Clarks. You also have to consider the feedback your after.

    I personally have 4 set up at each corner of my rig. My goal was to feel the suspension travel of each tire. The most helpful aspect of this set up for me is when I'm going into a corner I can feel exactly when my tires hit the rumble strips.

    Having the shaker on your back is definitely going to give you a more dramatic effect than just having it under the seat. Like you said, gear shifts, engine vibrations and impacts are going to be the most accurate feelings you would get from those directions. This guy went over the top with the shakers but he claims the ones behind the seat take the experience to the next level. Check out his thread: http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php/724042-My-DIY-SimVibe-racing-rig
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  3. Map63Vette

    Map63Vette Member

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    Okay, I remember reading about that build before a while back when I first started looking into this. I guess the main thing is just figuring out what horizontal vibrations are available via telemetry to see what would make sense. I like the idea of a 4 corner setup, but don't know that I really want to push the budget that far and I'm not sure I plan to build a rig that big at this point to be honest.

    My current plan is really pretty spartan with just a central "spine" that holds together a pedal platform, a hoop where a wheel would be mounted, and a seat platform. It will likely take on some more gusseting and whatnot to stiffen it up, but I plan to do it as cheaply as possible with wood and materials I have already available to me around the house. A sheet of plywood is probably all I'll really have to buy as I have a kart seat and several 2x4's to play with currently. Seat vibration would be easy to implement, so that's where I was looking first. If I ever wanted to get crazy and upgrade to something more complex I could always reuse the two shakers, so I'm not too worried there. The main thing would be whether to buy a high channel count amp so I don't have to use multiple ones to run any extra shakers, but if anything I think I'd rather go with actuators for an upgrade over more shakers. Go big or go home right? Lol
  4. Nick Moxley

    Nick Moxley Well-Known Member

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    Chassis tactile is a VERY subjective subject. And Pending your motion setup can be a big waste of $$ if done improperly.
  5. Map63Vette

    Map63Vette Member

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    True, every person has different preferences and sensitivities to motion. I see the appeal of a 4 corner shaker setup, but at the same time I feel like visual clues and wheel feedback would likely be enough for me to gauge what's going on. Heck, just having a wheel is a big change. I tend to get used to whatever I'm using though. I was getting pretty good with a controller in Forza because that's just how I played it. Trying again with a wheel is nice as it's more natural, but there's certainly a learning curve again. The main thing that I've always missed in any game I've played so far is a sense of speed. I'm hoping a VR headset will help a lot on that front. Seeing the shaker setups got me thinking it might be another nice way to give that missing piece I'm looking for.
  6. gazza1101

    gazza1101 Member

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    I have a Buttkicker type shaker, I think it takes gaming to another level as far as immersion and just makes me smile...I think almost any shaker would add to the experiance, be carefull with multi channel amps unless you want the same output to every channel or shaker.
  7. Map63Vette

    Map63Vette Member

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    Right, I've dealt with audio enough to have a fairly good idea how most of it all pans out and how channels get split up. I think I have a car amp that would probably be just about right to run a transducer, but I'd have to get a power supply for it, so I think it would probably be easier to try to find an AC one to start with. Doesn't look like they are too expensive.
  8. gazza1101

    gazza1101 Member

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    Sounds good, plus that may have a crossover in it.
  9. Map63Vette

    Map63Vette Member

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    As it stands now, I think I'm most likely either going to use a dedicated sub output from a computer sound card or software to pull vibration effects out of games, so would I be correct in assuming that I wouldn't actually need any kind of frequency filtering in an amp? I agree it would offer a "safety blanket" of a secondary filter that would work if for some reason I had a bad setting in software, but strictly speaking I shouldn't need a hardware filter right?
  10. gazza1101

    gazza1101 Member

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    If you go either of those routes I would imagine you would not require a crossover.