Where are all the Kickstarter campaigns?

I've been lurking for months now, off and on, as a potential DIY builder who lacks the tools, the space and the intelligence to build his own rig. Enviously gazing over all of the amazing rigs on here.

I've been eyeing the used market for a while (as budget is a factor as well). Even SimExperience Stage 1 is expensive to ship to UK, a good basic starter kit.

But I've been hoping and wishing some enterprising, entrepreneurial spirit would attempt to get Motion Sim to the masses with a basic Kickstarter DIY kit of some sort. A basic 2 DOF Motion Base platform, that you could buy with or without a race seat.
It could be a powerful seat mover, with an optional attachment to go full frame (as that is what I would ideally want) Using worm gears and arduino, it could go for around $800-$1000 for a basic starter kit, that requires no welding by the end user, but would almost be plug-and-play.

(I'm looking at you @bsft) Your compact Desk Racer is awesome! You would KILL it on Kickstarter! I would back it in a second!

Leo, TYI;
2 motors = 250$
2 jrks = 200$
PSU(s) = 15-30$ (not new...)
Pots = 30 $
Wiring = 10$
2 Rods = 40+$
2 Cooler = 20$
univ. joint = 20$
frame = 50$ (recycling, or new 100$)
Screws and other small parts = 20$
??
------------------------------------
640 - 690$ - only the basics, good material which has been approved. No delivery fees included! Building time and package...whats about the warranty? If I would sell a basic seat mover it will (should) cost ~$1'500.-.

no thank you, not interested. I just dont have the time.

Frame is easy part, even JRK are simple, but you still need some knowledge to make small changes to the control boards settings from time to time.
Ive sold 4 sims to people over the years, and the backup required to some of those people is NOT worth it.
Its like my dual simulators at shows or the markets. I can garantee that at least one person will roll up claiming a fat wallet insisting I sell them my setup for big dollars. I just tell them no and go build your own. They just think its a good idea to get into and they think I am making a fortune. I am not making a fortune, and I am certainly not going to create more headache for me having to provide service, be it at extra cost.
Ive build and sold even a few motors/jrks/power supplies set up to people with simple instructions, and they have still stuffed it up setting up on their computer.
@Leo Burton , its not that difficult to build your own sim. Granted the motor brackets, various bolts, potentiometers , power supplies may take a bit of fiddling to set up, otherwise a basic seat mover using a steering knuckle 2nd hand and frame could be build using 2" thick wall PVC pipe and MDF wood sheet, a hand saw, pack of screws.
Full frame would need custom cut to size, welded plates car drive shaft from rear wheel drive car.
No welding needed at all, maybe just need a cheap 4" grinder with cutting blade, hand electric drill.
@RufusDufus has plans somewhere for a MDF seat mover frame if you ask him.
Go build your own or see if there is someone local here to you that can help.
Backing and buying is 2 different things.

@Pit
True, but using Arduino instead of JRKs could reduce the cost quite a bit, no?

A pipe dream, I know.

@bsft
Oh well, worth asking.

50$ instead of 200.-. (if bought at aliexpress.com). If bought at sparkfun...

Nevertheless I would never build a rig for sale. This hobby is so time-consuming, I would loose my passion and interest in it if I would professionalize it (even less if I am able to do it).

Thanks for the info @bsft. I will search out RufusDufus rig.
It does seem quite daunting, but maybe I should just give it a go. I've been reading all your posts from your builds, and its very inspiring. Love the Desk Racer. Thats one of my favourites on this forum.
Ideally I would like the same kind of footprint that has. With the option to add a full frame, like one of your earlier builds.

Giving an option to consumer to have either card would work too, I have looked into a simple production of a basic seat mover and yes Agree totally @Pit a kit would need to be around 1200-1500 depending on driver use plus the intended use, ie a seatmover 25:1 boxes and if full frame 60:1 boxes , etc.
But time is the key. Got heaps of idea and simple setup. Mine cost me under 600, and thats just the seatmover bit, but beats a simx kit for sure.

I totally understand.
I'm just still surprised no-one else has tried it. I'm sure there's money to be made.
I know a lot of PC racers that would kill for a small rig to have at their desks.

Its the warranty and support that properly scares people from trying.

These units are not fool proof,and drivers like the moto eventually blow if something goes wrong. I know of a Chinese group selling DC motion rigs for 2.5k with a copy of the AMC and HBridge, rep is very poor, dont answer emails , cards blowup all the time.And they supply the old software with a one sheet how too and thats all the support they give. Actually havent check in 2 years if they still exist, lol.

But to provide a DIY kit only with the main bits to build your own sim would be a more feasible and easier task. Thats were Im seriously looking towards.

Yes, I can imagine warranty/support would be an issue, if you were selling a finished product.

But a DIY parts kit, like you said, 'no warranty implied'. You could sell a basic top and bottom base, two motors, brackets, pivots, ball joints etc.. a set of instructions, and 'its up to you' to make it work.
Bolt your own seat on, and 'off you go'.

save $150? mmm...I could just add that to labour charge
Ive been asked several times before about starting kickstarter and or had people willing to back me financially to get a sim building business going, and as Rob points out in a later post, warranty problems, backing, service. etc.

Look up @eaorobbie seat mover post, its there somewhere, he has a basic sketch you can design off.
the "no warranty implied" is a grey area to say the least.
and the "its up to you", been there done that. Ive sold sims that were literally plug and play with simple instructions to set it up to software and people did the worng thing, went completely against what I said and put them and me back at square one with setup.
Heck, even my simple guides I have written, people STILL go off tangent and do something I never said to do.

what people want and what they want to pay for is 2 different things. I put my desk racer post on ISRTV site, probably the biggest site for simulation frames. Got little or bad responses. People will pay $800, another $1000 for a steering wheel and base, but not $800 to improve the feeling in game.
Case closed.

Yes, there is no accounting for end-user stupidity.

You got bad responses on ISRTV? I'm shocked! I thought it was a fantastic design, which would fit in any office/game room.
Did you sell it in the end?

I'm always amazed at what some people pay for a static cockpit, steering wheel, buttkicker etc.. when they could be rocking a sim for the same price.

ISRTV has sponsors, one of which being SimX on site, so Darin Goof Nuts backs him and his crap software and even crappier service. ISRTV are a bunch or arrogant swine and I think maybe 4-5 people from there came to here to build their own. But I recall a few of them got hammered because they were going to build DIY and not buy a commercial product. The likes of @Nick Moxley and I hammered them, for ages until we got banned because we proved ourselves right.
ISRTV people are sheep to put it politely, they will follow anyone. I looked up old threads I have posted where certain people agreed and supported me, a few posts later, they supported the commercial product.
I didnt sell my desk racer and it was never for sale. The basic design is here on site as you have seen and I think several seat movers including @noorbeast ride spwaned from that design.
My desk racer became an "all in one" sim and I even built a red buddy for it

they are my SMALL side business for private hire and showings.
www.facebook.com/davesmotionracers
I DO NOT make much money from this and I still have a full time job, house to run, autistic kids to look after, grass to mow, bils to pay, etc.
@Leo Burton if you wish to throw money away and thats what I have seen of some kickstarter projects, then back me for the $600 I need to get insurance for these as I am being nuked with general expenses for everyday life like the Australian Federal Government killing people with stupid grab backs and taxes because they think we have a deficit that needs fixing. Taxes and grab backs that raised utility costs 35% in one year , and now I have to hope the hospital system has enough funding to do a skin graft on my 11 year old son from a burn, but because of F...k up Liberal Government, he could be left scared and not properly treated because of they way things are currently.
You want to help? Thats what I need.

Woah. I'm very sorry to hear about the situation with your son. That must be an awful thing to be going through! I wish him a full and speedy recovery!

I don't quite understand. You need $600 to pay insurance for the sim business?
I'm not looking to throw away money on anything, as I don't have much of it, but was merely posing a question about someone starting a Kickstarter project. But if you're serious about needing help to keep the Sim Business going, I'm pretty sure this community would come together for someone who gives as much as he does to this site. I for one, would be a part of that.

Im not asking the community for help, and I dont expect anyone to help, so I over reacted on that part. I am saying that yes I need to get insurance, but others would rather just throw money at it expecting big returns. I will get the insurance in time. Its public liability insurance, not needed for private jobs.
I have had plenty of people willing to throw their money at me and then I let them know they can have a 2% return after 10 years. That shuts them up because thats about what it is. I also say are they going to help me build? No. are they going to help me market? No. Typical .
To be honest, what gives me the S...ts is threads like this, . Yes its a great idea, and several of us have SPECIFIED the issues relating to this and starting any sort of enterprise.
Theres enough information here for ANYONE to use and more than likely some of our DIY designs have already been used or part of the design for a commercial build.
Most of our builds are based off commercial anyway. so there can be copyright issues.
The Desk racer uses part of the design of the Joyride Atomic full sim. So kick-starting it could mean a lawsuit against me because of possible stolen design.
I have heard that Simx pays or paid a fee to the original designers of the shoulder mount seat mover as well. So even Bernards stuff is not his own.

It all sounds very complicated with potential legal issues.

I'm not an investor or engineer. Was just curious why no-one had done it yet. I guess now I can see why.

Yes, I agree. Public perception is a big part of it, and definitely a growing interest as well. I'm proof of that. I was unaware of this until some time last year! I thought it was just for the super-rich. I had no idea there was a whole DIY community. It was the evolution of VR and the Rift that got me excited it about motion simulation in the first place. Most of my gaming friends don't know that sim's can be had in your home now. When I show them this site or Youtube videos they are astonished.

And a good KS campaign can educate consumers and create buzz. An example is the Virtuix Omni, a VR omni treadmill. A few well placed posts in some blogs and it went from trying to raise 250k, to 1.2million. Started as a DIY project in a guys garage. He created a whole market.
I think public perception is that Motion Sim is still way too expensive, and probably takes up a lot of floor space. (which most sims do). But compact seat mover DIY kit, marketed well, could have potential. Well, that was my thinking anyway.