Simrig 4.0

Moved houses, so changes abound…

Context

I have been into simracing (a hobby, not a competitive driver) for a couple of years. I had gotten my simrig setup, and tuned…and then we had to go and move houses. What’s more, the room where the simrig goes in the new house is not big enough for the displays I used to have, so change is in the air. This write-up explains the new rig and the learnings on the way.

Earlier versions of the simrig

I started with DOFReality and then moved to an actuator-based rig. Over time, I added a traction loss/surge platform, as well as tactile feedback, and VR. I have documented much of this journey here and here.

The big change — rig-mounted triples

In the current house, there was not enough space for the static triple 65in displays I used to have. They had to go. I debated for a long time between a single 49in monitor and triple 32in ones, and in the end, I went for the triples.

Furthermore, I wanted them mounted on the rig, as I’d always had a curiosity as to how that would compare with having static monitors (albeit gigantic ones). In addition, I wanted to reuse as much as I could of the aluminum I had used for the custom-made, wall-mounted triple mount for the 65s.

Thus, I informed myself and asked for help. I landed on Tommi Ekman’s design, and sought his help. Were it not for him, I don’t think I would have succeeded. In any event, did some sketches (see below), drew up the list of materials, and went on Amazon and other places to get everything ordered.

Had to cut the repurposed profiles, and wait until the move was mostly done. After that, it took about a week of work, but I am very happy with the result. The rig, now finished (yeah, right! :) looks like this

And a video of the thing moving… So far, it is rock solid. If you move a monitor, the whole rig moves.

Simrig 4.0

Pictorial walkthrough

I annotated a bunch of pictures for easy referencing on the list later. Here they are.

The List of Parts

Below you find the complete list of parts, each with a link so you can review it independently. There are many things not listed (e.g. the brackets for the triple mounts), a lot of custom-made, 3D printed parts (e.g. the mount for the trackball) and many smaller components used to make the whole thing work (e.g. the different parts needed to solve the EMI problems I once had). That said, the list below is reasonably comprehensive.

1. Rubber Mat Flooring 4' x 6' x 3/4" for Gym or Equine Stall, Heaviest Duty, Indestructible, Non-Slip, Smooth or Diamond Surface — The Standard
2. Race@Home’s Lowrider TL/Surge platform
3. Simlab’s GT1 EVO Sim Racing Cockpit
4. Simracing Pro SRP-GT 3P pedals
5. Logitech Z906 5.1 Surround Sound Speaker System
6. eRacing Lab DIY Mega+ Actuator Kit
7. SimRacingStudio Double-the-fan wind kit
8. Fanatec ClubSport Steering Wheel Formula V2.5
9. Fanatec CSL Elite Steering Wheel McLaren GT3 V2
10. Simlab P1 Upgrade Kit (feet)
11. NRG FRP-301 seat
12. Samsung 32" Odyssey G7 Gaming Monitor
13. Fanatec CSL Elite Steering Wheel WRC
14. PT-Actuator TensionR Active Belt System
15. Buttkicker LFE
16. DIY PC on/off remote switch
17. Simlab’s Sim Pedal Heel Rest
18. DIY Steel stopper frame (to be safe :)
19. DIY Belt Rollers for Seat Belt
20. Thanos Emergency Stop Switch with LED Indicators
21. DSD P1/P2 Sim Racing Controllers
22. Fanatec Podium Wheelbase DD1
23. Fanatec DD1 Remote Power Button
24. Aiologs Sequential Shifter
25. Aiologs Handbrake
26. Koolertron One Handed Macro Mechanical Keyboard, RGB LED Backlit Portable Mini One-Handed Mechanical Gaming Keypad OSU! Keyboard 9 Fully Programmable Keys Blue Switches
27. Logitech MX ERGO Wireless Trackball
28. BDH H-Pattern Shifter
29. RECCAZR Wireless Mechanical Keyboard(Brown Switch),60% Gaming Keyboard with Arrow Keys, Wireless & Wired Mechanical Keyboard with RGB Backlight, Bluetooth 5.0 Keyboard for PC/Laptop/Pad/Smart Phone
30. VARJO Aero
31. Valve Index Controllers
32. PC with AMD5950x CPU and NVIDIA 3090 GPU
33. Behringer NX4–6000 amplifier
34. Tuffiom 19in Casters Network Cabinet Enclosure

• (a) Powered USB Hub — ACASIS 16 Ports 90W USB 3.0 Data Hub — with Individual On/Off Switches and 12V/7.5A Power Adapter USB Hub 3.0 Splitter for Laptop, PC, Computer, Mobile HDD, Flash Drive and More
• (b) Thanos Controller
• (c) SRS LED’s go w/Intellibox
• (d) DIY Pedal Rumble Kit
• (e) Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 Sound Card

35. APC UPS 1500VA Sine Wave UPS Battery Backup, BR1500MS2 Backup Battery Power Supply with AVR, (2) USB Charger Ports

36. DIY Pedal Rumble Kit

Conclusion

I know this won’t be the last rig, so I will refrain from claiming that :-) If you have any questions, contact me via email. Thanks.