Motion simulator cockpits

[Gary Miller]

Hey guys, a bit of help here please.

I really fancy getting a motion sim rig, but I don't have a lot of technical knowledge. There are a few out there with crazy price tags etc which I'm not too keen to pay for as its more for the fun factor rather than serious racing.

I have been told the free system is quite decent but does anybody else have any input/ideas?


Let me know thanks

 

[Gary Miller]

Not free, frex. Damn iPad predictive text.

 

[Gary Miller]

Also if anyone is in Scotland with the experience of building their own kit I would be extremely interested.

 

[ProSimEU]

I wouldn't recommend Frex (I have two of them!) it's been an endless nightmare!

Either build one yourself from scratch or buy the SimXperience kit

 

[Gary Miller]

Really that bad? I thought it was good value for money. What problems have you had? Sim experience? What cost are they?

 

[uru]

I'm a very happy and satisfied owner of a Frex SCM since more than two years.

If you would like to save some money contact this people http://logykal.net/e69-motion/ They're planning to build a motion cockpit.

 

[Gary Miller]

Like the wheels. Good and bad depending on the person. Personal choice is everything

 

[museumsteve]

It's all really down to your budget mate. I have motion, I went DIY route but as I didn't have all the tech skills I bought some of the parts already DIY'd from x-sim forums. I've never looked back but in all honesty if I were to start again I would have bought a SimXperience setup from day one. Main problem being in UK is the cost of shipping and VAT/DUTY. Fortunately SimXperience sell various DIY friendly kit forms so you could get a Motion Seat Kit and Motion Starter Kit
and add your own seat.

 

[Gary Miller]

Well if you lack the tech skills and built one I have none haha. Where in the uk are you?

 

[museumsteve]

Putting stuff together is easy enough but the electronics are the real tech side of things. If you get something like a SimXperience motion starter kit you literally just plug it into the mains and a PC. This is the hardest side of things. The rest is getting a seat and mounting it basically. I'm in Hampshire..

 

[Gary Miller]

So can you give me a complete breakdown of your rig?

 

[museumsteve]

My original build thread is on AVForums
I'm always changing stuff..that;s the fun of projects

 

[Gary Miller]

And that is a project! Nice one

 

[museumsteve]

Motion is definitely worth the effort but I would say if you have the budget for it then get the main stuff ready made Even if it's just the motion starter kit, everything else can be DIY'd. Sometimes I just wander round B&Q looking for inspiration

 

[Gary Miller]

Yeah, I have to balance out the wife simulator happiness so that might have more restrictions than I would want. So sim experience really the only one out there for DIY etc?

Frex a def no no?

 

[museumsteve]

Yeah, I have to balance out the wife simulator happiness so that might have more restrictions than I would want. So sim experience really the only one out there for DIY etc?

Frex a def no no?

Yes and no to all the above

SimXperience aren't the only ones and the fact they're US based makes shipping and import charges a bit scary.
Frex have a good history and people that have them love them so not a no no, some people question the way the actuators sit upright to cause the motion, this naturally puts more strain on them than other designs which use angles etc. I guess lots of it is also down to the weight of the driver
I got my actuators and control boards from a nice chap in Europe from x-simulator.de forums, there is also x-sim.de. Both are DIY forums. You can get x-sim software or another new software is E69, all are free to end users.
Maybe have a look around x-sim.de and x-simulator.de (primarily in English)

 

[Gary Miller]

Ok, thanks very much. I will check them out.

So if I'm say of a well built frame frex is possibly not for me? Haha

 

[museumsteve]

Quite possibly not

 

[Gary Miller]

Back to the drawing board then. I'm going to try and post to see if anyone out there will build a basic motion rig for me. I think I would be safer that way to get it right.

Thanks for all the help and advice

 

[uru]

I've moved to E69 software from Frex one recently and I have to say that is really effective. I did the things giving me the possibility to move in 10 seconds one to the other. Better to set and the chance to save different settings gives me more effects than Frex. But I just started to test it.
Telling about Frex I have the new wheel too (with Manu Factory mod = probably best wheel in the world). I sold recently the old hidraulic pedal version and I'm waiting for the new one (since more than 10 days in the custom = Italy). I'm completely satisfied about Frex!!