SFX-100 + Next Level V3 Owners Thread

[anton_Chez]

Hello friends! It's me again back with another helpful and entertaining RD thread! This time focusing on combining motion's new kid on the block, the SFX-100 AC Servo full chassis motion solution with our current favourite seat mover, the Next Level Racing V3 Motion Platform. We already have extensive threads for either of these amazing pieces of sim racing hardware, you can read more about them both in the links below:

- SFX-100 / SimFeedback-AC DIY

- Next Level Racing V3 Motion Platform

This thread will focus on the owners or potential owners looking to combine these solutions for their sim racing motion experience. Looking forward to seeing everyone's input on getting the most out of this setup. Feel free to leave suggestion, questions, settings and profiles and anything in between. The other threads are huge now and have a lot of discussion, let's get this one up there, too!

 

[anton_Chez]

That thing is insane. There's so much going on. Would be interesting to see how it feels actually driving it. I know that running the V3 together with SFX-100 was already pushing it combining effects.

 

[HoiHman]

I saw this recently which seems like a very interesting combination of motion systems.
I notice that it has diagonal actuators in back so the whole rig can effectively turn left and right as well as having a seat mover system. It looks pretty elaborate.

I'm not entirely sure how it works since the front rig actuators appear vertical. The back actuators have the motors on the floor to reduce moving mass and more likely to create a smaller pivot point.

The only thing that this video proves is that there can be too much motion and systems combined imho. It looks rather floaty to me, but kudos to the guys who build this, it's a very very complex system.

 

[RCHeliguy]

The only thing that this video proves is that there can be too much motion and systems combined imho. It looks rather floaty to me, but kudos to the guys who build this, it's a very very complex system.

Without experiencing it firsthand it is hard to tell what it actually feels like and this video is of Dirt Rally 2.0 so it's not like he's on a concrete track with stiff suspension. Then again it may have the motion turned up to look impressive.

The only system I've personally experienced is my own and I can't tell just by looking at it how it feels. I'm not defending it. I simply don't have a good reference point.

 

[dedraro]

The only thing that this video proves is that there can be too much motion and systems combined imho. It looks rather floaty to me, but kudos to the guys who build this, it's a very very complex system.

He bought it from R-Craft:

Costs around 25k$, and it's a "little bit" noisy

I agree with you in all honesty I think it's too much, better a 3dof like ours, a g-seat, and maybe a traction loss in addition under the 3dof.

 

[RCHeliguy]

I've tried Eve Valkyrie with motion and it was total crap. There is no way to aim accurately while you are being shaken around like that. It just doesn't work. The game wasn't designed to allow it. You have fixed weapons and weapons aimed by head tracking. Neither are worth squat with motion.

That game was designed to work with a game pad and HOTAS support was more of an after thought.

In that first video, the thing that jumped out to me was that he had a DD wheel and was using bare feet on the pedals. Really seems odd to me.

 

[ThugUK]

What 3D printer did (UK) people use for their build?

 

[anton_Chez]

Simon's.....



Thanks mate

 

[Furnace Inferno]

What 3D printer did (UK) people use for their build?

Hey buddy, I’ll drop you a list of all the UK stuff I’ve got so far if you want. It’s been a little more expensive than anticipated but still very reasonable.

For just the parts minus the 3D printer it’s been £1462 and the 3D printer with 4kg of filament was £313, total cost £1775. I got an Anycubic i3 Mega and it’s seems to be doing the job well so far and is well built.

Depending what tools you have too it could be less or a little more, so I’ve had to get rubbing alcohol, loctite, grease gun with grease and nipples which was £40. I also got a box for all the parts for and fans £35 which isn’t entirely necessary and the extra box of filament (£18) I could also have not bought but I wanted a bit extra just in case.

I can send you my list so far if you want. I was waiting until I’d bought everything before putting a simpler UK list together with most of the smaller bits in one place on Amazon UK to keep it simple.

 

[Mascot]

Costs around 25k$, and it's a "little bit" noisy

Yeah, no. That noise is ridiculous, even allowing for hi-freq mic pickup. Closed-cup noise-cancelling headphones might be absolutely necessary with that rig. And $25k can lick my love pump.
By comparison I cannot detect any sound from the motion of the SFX100 actuators over engine noise from the sim, but I do run quite mild profiles. I'll try a Tesla mod later, lol.
I could hear the motion of the NLMv3 in use constantly, but it was never annoying. You naturally filter it out, I think.
I have an issue with coil whine from the SFX100 drivers but I'm just one of the unlucky few who seems sensitive to a 10kHz signal.

 

[RCHeliguy]

So far I'm loving my NLRv3 and with headphones on I don't hear it or the transducers.

In Dirt Rally it is amazing. The transducer track with Shake It is working well too. I'm just starting to spend more time on the track and I'm dialing that in now. It's a lot better with motion than without it. I still need to play with the tactile configuration.

I'm not finding any issues with braking and the seat movement, BUT I am using a seat with more spring and cushioning than a racing seat. In a sense that cancels out some of the motion. I can feel the motion, but also feel pressure without as much body motion. It probably takes some load off the motors too.

For immersion in VR it is night and day more immersive than just tactile. My take is that the NLRv3 is simple with solid software support.

Given the amount of braking consistency needed for good track times, it's pretty obvious that having a seat fixed relative to the pedals is a serious advantage, but I would also think that a more rigid seat would be an advantage too.

I'm extrapolating, but it's possible that a sprung seat like this is actually a good match for a seat mover. By creating damped motion with mostly body pressure for small movement, and full motion for larger movements.

I'm not suggesting the seat mover solution is the best, just that I'm very satisfied with mine.

I'm waiting for a full set of Heusinkveld controls and will likely get a DD wheel at some point in the not to distant future.

I have a lot more to learn and figure out and it's likely my opinions will change as I become more sensitized to different things.

 

[Spinelli]

Costs around 25k$

If it costs more than the price of a Next Level Racing Motion Platform v3 or SimExperience GS-5 seat ($3000 USD) and doesn't move the entire cockpit as one including the monitors then it's an automatic fail in my opinion especially for anything over the $5k or $6k area let alone $25 freakin k.

 

[ThugUK]

Hey buddy, I’ll drop you a list of all the UK stuff I’ve got so far if you want. It’s been a little more expensive than anticipated but still very reasonable.

For just the parts minus the 3D printer it’s been £1462 and the 3D printer with 4kg of filament was £313, total cost £1775. I got an Anycubic i3 Mega and it’s seems to be doing the job well so far and is well built.

Depending what tools you have too it could be less or a little more, so I’ve had to get rubbing alcohol, loctite, grease gun with grease and nipples which was £40. I also got a box for all the parts for and fans £35 which isn’t entirely necessary and the extra box of filament (£18) I could also have not bought but I wanted a bit extra just in case.

I can send you my list so far if you want. I was waiting until I’d bought everything before putting a simpler UK list together with most of the smaller bits in one place on Amazon UK to keep it simple.

Sorry for not replying earlier, just noticed this reply.
Yeah a list would be great when you get chance thanks.

 

[Furnace Inferno]

Sorry for not replying earlier, just noticed this reply.
Yeah a list would be great when you get chance thanks.

No worries will do, I’ve got the last bits of testing to do tonight now that I’ve got the motors, I’ll just check to make sure all the wiring bits are working and then put together the list with added bits that it doesn’t have at the start of the guide but you need for certain things.

I think positioning it as a DIY build assumes you’d have the bits lying around but you could have all plethora of tools but if you don’t have just the right thing then you are stuffed! I need to find an M3 screw now for example to take a part off the motor shaft.

 

[Jasje]

Maybe this has been asked before, but to the people who have both: if you had to pick one, which would you choose? SFX-100 or Next level V3?

 

[sjb266]

Maybe this has been asked before, but to the people who have both: if you had to pick one, which would you choose? SFX-100 or Next level V3?

Just sold my V3! The SFX100 is truely “Next Level”!

 

[RCHeliguy]

I love my V3, but I don't think I've ever heard someone regret setting up an SFX-100.

Really it is all about whether you like building stuff because they are similarly priced. The NLR solution is basically out of the box although you still may need to fabricate fittings to attach it to your seat and rig.

However I'm going to put this another way. I think the NLRv3 is a very good product and a great way to get into motion. However if you buy one and sell it later there will be some money lost.

The SFX-100 solution is becoming more refined all the time, but there are still issues some have so it is important to learn from other people's mistakes and read everything you can on it.

 

[anton_Chez]

Simon, how much did you get for your V3? You got rid of it uh? I've sold both the V3 and the seat that I was using with it so I am totally new now with the SFX-100 and a new Sparco Rev II.

Edit: I guess I should tell how much I sold mine for. $2500 AUD, seat went for $150. Not bad overall, I think. I was happy with it and the buyer was absolutely stoked.

To answer the question, it's actually a difficult one. There are many pros and cons for each and each person would need to decide which parts suit their needs most. For me personally? I don't totally regret building the SFX-100 (my Simlab chassis was a perfect fit for it and I already had this before I decided to build) but there are sometimes that I miss the simplicity of my V3 setup. Everything just worked. With the SFX-100 build I find little gremlins popping up all the time. Just tonight I had some during race night that made things incredibly frustrating. But this is not just limited to the SFX system, it's just that it's new and I still have to iron a few things out.

The great thing is, whichever one you choose you are adding an incredible amount of excitement and immersion to your sim racing experience and there are PLENTY of people using either around here to offer help and assistance, opinions and feedback.

 

[RCHeliguy]

I appreciate your honesty about your SFX-100 system. Most people go down a path and then just try to convince other people that it is the only way to go.

 

[anton_Chez]

Not at all, not from me anyway. I think it's very well known that I LOVED my V3 motion platform maybe even more so now that I realise just how great it is even compared to a full motion platform with the capabilities of the SFX-100. It's an amazing piece of kit and I would recommend it to anyone in the market for a motion solution.

 

[RCHeliguy]

The only downside I've see so far with the NLRv3 is that the seat is raised up a bit further than it is with other solutions. With CSv3 pedals adding height on top of the already raised 1/4" aluminum isolated transducer place I added, I have a good height right now. When I add the Heusinkveld Sprint pedals, my shoes will be resting directly on the aluminum plate which seems a bit too low to me. So I'm adding an 18" 40x40 piece on each side and using 8 hole joining plates on the inside. That should get me back to a perfect height with the new pedals and I will still be able to slide the pedal assembly fore/aft for guests. To be fair this may be more of a Sim-Lab P1 issue as other rigs have more vertical pedal range.