Buying advice please - Next Level v3 Motion Platform

[MarkR]

I'm looking for some advice and thoughts of other owners or people with good knowledge of the product, please.

I always said I'd buy myself a motion simulator if I could afford one and had the room available. Well, that day may have arrived. I'm impressed by what I've seen of the Next Level v3 Motion Platform

This seems to meet all my criteria:

+ Limited space requirements, I don't have room for a huge sim rig but this seems compact enough to work.
+ Works with Oculus Rift VR, that fixed head position setting solution is impressive
+ Great support and regular updates from the developers
+ Available in the UK
+ Works with my current Thrustmaster wheel and accessories.
+ Sub £3k for the full setup, I'm not a pro racer I'm not looking for a practice simulator this is just for fun so the cost/fun balance has to be right.

So help me do the man maths! Is it worth it?

Is there another similar product I should also look at? It would need to be reasonably compact, work with VR, available in the UK without too much hassle and in the same £3-5K price range.

Is there anywhere I can try one or even better several of the systems in the UK?

 

[Mascot]

With such a reclined seating position I'm guessing you'll also feel the forces a little differently to the rest of us. Braking might be felt almost entirely on the backs of your thighs, and acceleration almost entirely in your back. Also, your feet might be pulled noticeably up and away from your pedals as the seat tilts back under acceleration due to the different geometry. Or maybe I'm overthinking this.
Got any photos of your current rig? I'm interested to see what it actually looks like, and the relationship between your seat and pedals.

 

[aliolemon]

Maybe i start with a more upright seating position.
Cant show pictures because my setup is more function follows form. At the moment it looks like, a torture device. It is a prosimu T1000 with 2 actuators in front a osw wheel with heusinkveld pedals and some buttkickers and bass shakers . A real workout machine

 

[aliolemon]

Basement Raceroom

"Got any photos of your current rig? "

My unfinished LMP inspired enclosed Cockpit Project

 

[Mascot]

Basement Raceroom

"Got any photos of your current rig? "

My unfinished LMP inspired enclosed Cockpit Project
View attachment 252764 View attachment 252765

Are you not happy with the Prosimu T1000 then?

 

[aliolemon]

Are you not happy with the Prosimu T1000 then?

The ProSimu T1000 is ok but because of the chirping of the Actuators i just use 50% of their length.
Therefore, you don´t feel braking ,cornering, acceleration forces there only render the Road Texture like bumps.

Because I want full speed of the actuators at 90% of the actuators using length they sometime "crash" on the Floor surely not good for the reliability

 

[Mascot]

The ProSimu T1000 is ok but because of the chirping of the Actuators i just use 50% of their length.
Therefore, you don´t feel braking ,cornering, acceleration forces there only render the Road Texture like bumps.

Because I want full speed of the actuators at 90% of the actuators using length they sometime "crash" on the Floor surely not good for the reliability

Crikey, I'd forgotten about the 'chirping' of the ProSimu actuators. It sounded like sim racing in a cat-filled aviary in the videos I watched, and it was one of the reasons I dismissed this unit when researching motion platforms. The noise seems to be a big issue for a lot of people so I'm amazed ProSimu haven't done anything about it.

I must admit I do like the relative quietness of the NLV3.

 

[ProSimu]

Hi All,

In fact we haven't do nothing for the Dyadic SCN6 actuators for 3 reasons :

- the noise depends of your room diposition, for example inside this video, the actuators sound are low :

All the guy who comes to our showroom and test our simulator says that it doesn't make a lot of squeeze sound. And most of the time, the video recorder amplify the scn6 sound.

- We could minus the noise with some foam and specific cover, but the heat dissipation of the motor/actuator will not be good.....lifetime will be down.

- Now, we have our own actuator : PRS 200 which are quiet compared to the SCN6.
Some video here :

or here

Thanks

Patrick ProSimu

 

[Ecstreme]

So today I adopted the 'Mascot method' of mounting my NLRV3 to my Sim-Labs P1.

Went from this, which had served me well.....

View attachment 252399

To this........

View attachment 252401 View attachment 252402 View attachment 252403 View attachment 252404

Decided to fit the angle flush to the motion platform, (placed a single M8 penny washer in between) and to give me a little extra flexibility when mounting the angle to the profile, (M8 fixings used), I over-sized the top holes to 10 mm. Also applied some silicon spray on top of the profile which made sliding everything in to the exact position really easy, despite the considerable weight, with almost no risk of scratching the surface of the rig.

I'm very happy with the results, which lowered my motion platform and seating position by around 100 mm compared to my previous solution and there's still about 35 mm clearance to the floor. Pedal deck adjusted accordingly and feels good. There's also plenty of room to accommodate the full range of movement of the platform and my seat, (which is on side mounts) and the whole thing is absolutely rock solid.

All credit goes to @Mascot though for being the first to implement the idea in the first place, sharing his solution with all of us in detail and answering a couple of questions I had, which resulted in my slightly modified version.

Think I'm now done with the tweaking!

Hey man, this looks awesome! I have today taken delivery of the V3 ready to mount on my Simlab P1 Black. I've got the corner brackets to mount as per your first picture but I'm very concerned about the height raise compared to my current seat position - see my picture

! I will definitely be looking in the L-section method. Are you happy to share the dimensions and thickness please? I've enjoyed reading the post so far - learning lots and looking forward to setting this up over the weekend!

 

[Mascot]

Hey man, this looks awesome! I have today taken delivery of the V3 ready to mount on my Simlab P1 Black. I've got the corner brackets to mount as per your first picture but I'm very concerned about the height raise compared to my current seat position - see my pictureView attachment 253097 ! I will definitely be looking in the L-section method. Are you happy to share the dimensions and thickness please? I've enjoyed reading the post so far - learning lots and looking forward to setting this up over the weekend!

I'm not @Steve D but if you check back a few pages I posted some drawings and sketches which should be a big help.
(edit: in this post https://www.racedepartment.com/thre...3-motion-platform.137061/page-14#post-2728326)

Edit: here's the images again:

I sent Steve a PM with some suggestions after I finished my brackets, things I might have changed (although mine worked fine, but whatever). Meant to post it here too but forgot. Here it is:

Hi Steve,
Glad you like the idea, but it's currently untested..! It *seems* absolutely rock-solid but I haven't even turned my NLV3 on yet, lol,
I drilled the holes in the top face of the angle to theoretical 540mm centres (ie the distance between the centres of the top channels in the P1 side rails) but I substituted the M8 nut spacers I was using (between the vertical face of the angle bracket and the NLV3) with a series of M8 washers, so that when everything was bolted together and 'suspended' from the brackets (I used a pile of books either side) and the ACTUAL hole centres measured, fine adjustment could be made either side by unbolting and adding/removing washers. This worked really well. You could just drill oversized holes in the top flange of the bracket and use penny washers under the M8 fixings and gain adjustment that way too.

TBH I think the angle bracket could be mounted much closer to the NLV3 itself, maybe even almost flush with it, and the holes in the top flange of the bracket moved outboard to match this new position. Once the whole assembly is dropped onto the frame you realise how strong it is, and keeping the spacers to the NLV3 to a minimum length has to be good from a structural point of view. I think if I did it again I'd probably reduce the washers/spacers, although they are only about 8mm wide anyway. Any elimination of potential bending on the three M8 fixings that go into the NLV3 has to be a good thing.

This bit is obvious but could be missed: whatever you do just always be aware that the heads of your fixings in the vertical face of the bracket must clear the gap between the side rails of the P1. You want sufficient clearance to be able to drop the whole assembly in easily without fouling the rails, and it WILL be bloody heavy and awkward, especially with the seat premounted (mine needed fitting first as it bolts from below). This is another good reason to mount the angle bracket as tight to the NLV3 as possible.

Ooh, one other thing, I put my own longitudinal graining on the mill finish aluminium angle with a very fine emery paper/block then cleaned it with a damp rag. This gave a really nice finish which shouldn't need painting.

Hope that all makes sense..! Hit me up if you need further clarification.

Actually, if you post the same question in the main thread I'll copy my reply there - it might be useful to someone else too.

Anyway, hope that helps @Ecstreme

 

[Ecstreme]

I'm not @Steve D but if you check back a few pages I posted some drawings and sketches which should be a big help.
(edit: in this post https://www.racedepartment.com/thre...3-motion-platform.137061/page-14#post-2728326)

Edit: here's the images again:

I sent Steve a PM with some suggestions after I finished my brackets, things I might have changed (although mine worked fine, but whatever). Meant to post it here too but forgot. Here it is:

Hi Steve,
Glad you like the idea, but it's currently untested..! It *seems* absolutely rock-solid but I haven't even turned my NLV3 on yet, lol,
I drilled the holes in the top face of the angle to theoretical 540mm centres (ie the distance between the centres of the top channels in the P1 side rails) but I substituted the M8 nut spacers I was using (between the vertical face of the angle bracket and the NLV3) with a series of M8 washers, so that when everything was bolted together and 'suspended' from the brackets (I used a pile of books either side) and the ACTUAL hole centres measured, fine adjustment could be made either side by unbolting and adding/removing washers. This worked really well. You could just drill oversized holes in the top flange of the bracket and use penny washers under the M8 fixings and gain adjustment that way too.

TBH I think the angle bracket could be mounted much closer to the NLV3 itself, maybe even almost flush with it, and the holes in the top flange of the bracket moved outboard to match this new position. Once the whole assembly is dropped onto the frame you realise how strong it is, and keeping the spacers to the NLV3 to a minimum length has to be good from a structural point of view. I think if I did it again I'd probably reduce the washers/spacers, although they are only about 8mm wide anyway. Any elimination of potential bending on the three M8 fixings that go into the NLV3 has to be a good thing.

This bit is obvious but could be missed: whatever you do just always be aware that the heads of your fixings in the vertical face of the bracket must clear the gap between the side rails of the P1. You want sufficient clearance to be able to drop the whole assembly in easily without fouling the rails, and it WILL be bloody heavy and awkward, especially with the seat premounted (mine needed fitting first as it bolts from below). This is another good reason to mount the angle bracket as tight to the NLV3 as possible.

Ooh, one other thing, I put my own longitudinal graining on the mill finish aluminium angle with a very fine emery paper/block then cleaned it with a damp rag. This gave a really nice finish which shouldn't need painting.

Hope that all makes sense..! Hit me up if you need further clarification.

Actually, if you post the same question in the main thread I'll copy my reply there - it might be useful to someone else too.

Anyway, hope that helps @Ecstreme

Thanks man, very helpful indeed. If I wanted to mount the V3 with the corner brackets, what size M8 bolts and spacers do I need? Thanks for your help.

 

[Mascot]

Thanks man, very helpful indeed. If I wanted to mount the V3 with the corner brackets, what size M8 bolts and spacers do I need? Thanks for your help.

You don't need any spacers if you mount the aluminium angle tight up against the NLV3 (just one washer between the two will do, like @Steve D did). Not sure of the exact length but you can easily work this out by looking at the thread engagement into the NLV3 (check the bolts that came with it). I think about 30mm long should do it. You might even be able to use the provided bolts as the aluminium angle is only ~4mm thicker than the mounting plates that come with the NLV3.

 

[Ecstreme]

You don't need any spacers if you mount the aluminium angle tight up against the NLV3 (just one washer between the two will do, like @Steve D did). Not sure of the exact length but you can easily work this out by looking at the thread engagement into the NLV3 (check the bolts that came with it). I think about 30mm long should do it. You might even be able to use the provided bolts as the aluminium angle is only ~4mm thicker than the mounting plates that come with the NLV3.

Sorry I meant with the corner brackets that came with the simlab, like the first picture Steve had. Do I need aluminium spacers or can I just bolt the angle bracket to the V3?

 

[Mascot]

Sorry I meant with the corner brackets that came with the simlab, like the first picture Steve had. Do I need aluminium spacers or can I just bolt the angle bracket to the V3? View attachment 253132

Ah, sorry, no idea - but you should be able to work it out pretty quickly with a tape measure?

 

[Steve D]

Sorry I meant with the corner brackets that came with the simlab, like the first picture Steve had. Do I need aluminium spacers or can I just bolt the angle bracket to the V3? View attachment 253132

If you look back to post #186 on page 10, I’ve listed what I used for that mounting solution plus there are some more detailed pics. Hope it helps.

 

[Mascot]

Just had my very best session in the NLV3 driving the 911 RSR during a 20-AI GT race over 15 laps at the new Le Mans 2017 mod track. Overall motion gain was bumped up from 50% to 65% for a little more fidelity, the 5.1 speakers were unreasonably loud, Crew Chief was barking at me through the Rift earphones, the Buttkicker was supplementing the motion platform perfectly, the racing was tight and competitive... just phenomenal. I finished 14th out of 21 after needing a third pit stop but it was an absolute blast from start to finish.

What a fantastic hobby this is..!

 

[anton_Chez]

Using the seat frame you are able to push those rails hard up to the V3 platform. Then you don't need any spacers, but I recommend the drop in method with the angle brackets, especially for a P1 chassis.

 

[Ecstreme]

Using the seat frame you are able to push those rails hard up to the V3 platform. Then you don't need any spacers, but I recommend the drop in method with the angle brackets, especially for a P1 chassis.

Thanks dude, but I'm really concerned about the height of the seat mounted straight to the base, let alone adding the height of the seat frame. Plus with my sparco seat mounts too! I feel my seat is high enough as is and the wheel and pedals can't be increased much more. Have any of you successfully mounted a sparco seat and seat slider directly to the V3?

 

[Steve D]

Thanks dude, but I'm really concerned about the height of the seat mounted straight to the base, let alone adding the height of the seat frame. Plus with my sparco seat mounts too! I feel my seat is high enough as is and the wheel and pedals can't be increased much more. Have any of you successfully mounted a sparco seat and seat slider directly to the V3?

Yep. I mounted a slider to the platform and the same Sparco mounts you have to that. The pedals set at an incline were fine. I did add a couple of pieces of profile underneath the pedal deck later to raise it up but it wasn’t really needed.

 

[Ecstreme]

Yep. I mounted a slider to the platform and the same Sparco mounts you have to that. The pedals set at an incline were fine. I did add a couple of pieces of profile underneath the pedal deck later to raise it up but it wasn’t really needed.

Oh cool, that's great to know. L sections ordered and now to find someone local with a bench pillar drill! Could I see a picture of your v3 with the seat mounted to give me an idea of what it will look like? Thanks guys, you've all be very helpful. An agonising week ahead waiting to get the parts!!

 

[Mascot]

Oh cool, that's great to know. L sections ordered and now to find someone local with a bench pillar drill! Could I see a picture of your v3 with the seat mounted to give me an idea of what it will look like? Thanks guys, you've all be very helpful. An agonising week ahead waiting to get the parts!!

Don't worry about a pillar drill, aluminium is easy to drill with a hand drill. Just start with a smaller drill bit first & go up a few diameters progressively.