Playseat F1 and SimVibe

[Tdudek]

Has anyone attached any tactile immersion to a Playseat F1 like buttkickers or something similar? Thinking of adding this to my current rig but with the Playseat F1 already so low to the ground thinking I'll need to raise it a few inches.

Thoughts?

 

[Zwelgbast]

I was thinking of doing the same thing to my Playseat F1
But I have already raised it, because I found it to low for me. So I've made a wooden frame so directly under the seat there is room and in the front before the pedal plate there is room.

The only thing I'm not sure of, is Buttkickers LFE mini or Aurasound AST 2B Pro. Normally I would say bigger is better so the Buttkicker is best. But the Playseat is quite sensitive, because I already feel the force feedback of my TS-PC through my seat, so I'm thinking of going for the Aurasound. It is also easier to mount under the seat because the bottom of the seat isn't horizontal so the Buttkicker would me mounnted under an angle or I would have to make a bracket for it.

As for the amp I'm going with the Behringer iNuke 1000DSP, because of al the advice on this forum.
Together with cables and Sim Shaker Wheels it will be about € 500,- to € 600,- which at the moment is the maximum for me. Maybe later if I really like the feeling I'll buy an extra amp, and go full tactile.

Any suggestions or better ideas?

 

[Javic]

I'm in the same situation as you guys. I have the F1 and love it and am now looking into adding tactile feedback. I haven't tried it out yet, but I've purchased a set of these and am thinking of placing them all inside the seat.

https://www.parts-express.com/dayto...ducer-mini-bass-shaker-16-ohm-4-pack--300-389

You can easily get into the seat via the zippers on the sides, so instead of mounting a single AST-2B-4 to the bottom of the seat, I was thinking of wiring up all four of these in parallel to the seat SimVibe channel and strategically placing the pucks inside the seat. I'm hoping that will give a much better distribution of vibration than one larger shaker underneath. 2 underneath + 2 on the back. Then I will eventually look to add AST's to the 4-corners of whatever stand I build.

Also as you both mentioned, I'm thinking I need to build a stand to get it a bit off the ground, which will also give me some space to store the PC, amps, etc.

For the amp I was considering spending the extra $ to get this 8-channel one. That would eventually allow me to run all 7 channels required to go full tactile (4-corner chassis + seat + pedals + shifter) from a single amp.

https://www.amazon.com/Pyle-8-Channel-Theater-Amplifier-PT8000CH/dp/B002UL0XIQ

Has anyone heard any impressions on this amp? I saw it linked in another forum thread about this same subject. Surprisingly, there don't seem to be too many other 8-channel amps with separate inputs & outputs out there that aren't prohibitively expensive.

Right now I'm just planning to use an old car amp I have laying around to test out the smaller pucks to see if they'll produce the effect I want being inside the seat.

 

[HarrySchikhof]

Especially for the Playseat F1, you can buy the Playseat Motion: https://www.playseatstore.nl/motion.html. Quite expensive, though...

 

[Mr Latte]

Especially for the Playseat F1, you can buy the Playseat Motion: https://www.playseatstore.nl/motion.html. Quite expensive, though...

Interesting how that uses an 8020 frame, such would help make an ideal support with good isolation possible for installing tactile.

Care needs to be taken with Pucs as different ohm ratings for them are available. So it is best to confirm how you intend to install these and power them to ensure you end up with the correct Ohms and the wattages suitable for them when wired together.

I only had brief usage with Dayton Pucs several years ago as its hard to see much potential with them when you already have owned or experienced better models/units. I think they are ideal for those on a very limited budget and seeking a tactile experience but really come on $13 tactile unit, (two burger meals) what is to be expected?

Perhaps wiser starting with Reckhorn/ADX type unit or budget as they seem more robust and still can offer decent performance when getting into tactile. Keep in mind guys "Quality Vs Quanity". You can always add more of something "better" easier than replace multiple of something "less" in future.

If wanting a cheap hassle free way into tactile then consider the Jet Seat
Here

Please note that this form of tactile immersion with Simvibe or SSW using telemetry based/controlled audio can be very demanding on the products used and installed. Purchasing tried/tested models others have is always a good path to follow, especially for beginners into this.

Personally, though I would seek a better brand/model of amp than the "Pyle" linked above. If you want multiple channels in one box solution. However, this is harder to find these days with 4ohm support and multichannel inputs for Simvibe or SSW to work fully. Most of the AV industry has dropped "Multichannel Inputs" and now on 6-8 ohms for household AV Receivers.

However Marantz had some models with such over the previous years but easily $400 - 500 which doesn't make sense if you're using the cheapest or most entry-level tactile models available.

If going with better or more capable tactile, like Buttkickers or TST. Then you want to go the iNuke DSP amp route. Its what those seeking the best currently use. The amp is important, buying one that in future can also operate with bigger/larger tactile (as many often upgrade to such) is one of the reasons the INuke DSP range is highly recommended but in truth, I cannot find a more versatile or better-featured amp range for tactile immersion at this time.

 

[Javic]

So I've been quite busy the past couple of weeks and almost have my stand complete. I'm just awaiting a boatload of final parts to arrive this week and will hopefully have this ready for a beta test next weekend.

I set up the proof of concept with the 4 Dayton pucks inside the seat and having it driven with an old car amp, and WOW, it definitely changes the entire gaming experience for the better. Within 5 laps I'd beaten an old fast lap time in iracing.

I mounted the pucks to sheets of plexiglass to better distribute the vibrations while inside the seat and it worked really well. I have 2 on one plate under the bottom portion of the seat, one on the lower back portion of the seat, and another stuffed in the top back of the seat through the zippers. These little pucks work great in this application.

https://ibb.co/mNO5b6
https://ibb.co/cnm2Om

That of course pushed me to go full bore and start my stand build and to order components to go full 7-channel tactile. For the Chassis mode, I have 4 AuraSound AST-2B-4 on order, to be driven by a Sure 4x100W @ 4ohm amp board. I have a second 4x100W amp to power the 4 x Dayton pucks in the seat (wired in parallel for 4ohm) and another AST-2B-4 for the pedals.

I split the top of the stand into 4 sections to better isolate each corner vibration. The Playseat F1 will be bolted to each panel respectively. I'm still waiting on the parts, but the top will also be suspended above the bottom cabinet for better vibration isolation, so the vibrations from the rig don't bleed down to the cabinet.

https://ibb.co/kbpYUR

All of the support components (PC, Amps, etc) will be stored neatly underneath and out of the way. At the last minute while building this yesterday, I decided to make the top hinged so the entire rig, chair and all, can be lifted up in order to better access all of the components underneath. I had to reduce the overall height from my original design as it was too difficult to get in and out of the chair, so having to work on the PC through 6" tall side opening would have been difficult. Now I can just "lift the hood" and fix whatever's needed

https://ibb.co/gNJSpR

There's still a bunch to do, but its mostly finishing details now. I'm also planning to add LED lighting under each of the 4 top panels that will light up in sync with that corner's chassis vibration. Considering adding some others tied to the "Revs" as well, or a custom much larger shift light.

This project has taken on a mind of it's own, but the rig should be pretty badass once its all done.