SFX100 kits at Aliexpress vs

[knob2001]

Hi

I have been looking for a few weeks for the best way to acquire the SFX100 in Europe. From what I have come to understand, there are three ways to get it:
- DIY, looking for the parts one by one on Aliexpress and aluminum factories around the area.
- Buying a complete KIT on Aliexpress
- Buying a KIT from specialized stores like eRacingLabs.

While my budget might fit the Mega+ from eRacing Labs, the options scattered around Aliexpress in the form of kits are quite striking.

I understand that Aliexpress is like flipping a coin, however, I keep thinking that many of the parts if you choose the DIY route will also come from China. We are talking about a complete SFX100 KIT with the Thanos driver for around 2400€ tax and shipping included (white drivers, 150mm, and shielded cables).

I guess the question will be the typical one (and sorry for not having found the thread if there was one about it): I understand that the 3200€ of the eRacing kit (taxes and shipping included) have no competition in terms of quality and they are at another level than the rest, but the AliExpress kits are tempting (1K€ less) Are the completed kits from Aliexpress reliable? Do you know of any kit from a proven seller?

Thank you very much

 

[cnhoff]

Hi. Have you ordered from NTL? I am also planning to build SFX-150 and NTL sounds like a reliable source. If you already ordered from them, can you share how was your experience? Did they manage to source the Thanos board? If nothing is wrong with you, could you share the price as well?

Perfect experience from initial contact to precise offer, payment and delivery. Parts quality is without flaws. I have later ordered different cables, again, perfect. Amy is very fast and helpful.

Thanos board needs to be sourced separately.

 

[drvrn]

I can also recommend SFX from Aliexpress/ Amy. I built a SFX 1500 and everything worked well. Only one part was faulty but they replaced it at no charge of course.
3D printing/ CAD is much fun. And for easy controlling I have Thanos controller and SRS software.

 

[cnhoff]

I can also recommend SFX from Aliexpress/ Amy. I built a SFX 1500 and everything worked well. Only one part was faulty but they replaced it at no charge of course.
3D printing/ CAD is much fun. And for easy controlling I have Thanos controller and SRS software.

Same here minus the falling apart

 

[egolgeli]

Perfect experience from initial contact to precise offer, payment and delivery. Parts quality is without flaws. I have later ordered different cables, again, perfect. Amy is very fast and helpful.

Thanos board needs to be sourced separately.

I got in touch with Amy and Mery and the quotation I received is really interesting. I am about to confirm the order but I remember that there were issues with the holes and usually people recommend longer shielded cables. Do you have any other recommendation that I should pay attention while buying the SFX-150 kit today?

 

[cnhoff]

3m is quite short, I have the drivers behind my rig, so I was able to use 3m for the rear actuators, but on the front I got 5m ones. Pay attention to the type, there are fixed cables as well as angled and straight connectors.

Apart from that I was totally fine with what she quoted.

 

[egolgeli]

Thank you for sharing your experience, much appreciated. It seems that angled connectors would be more practical for achieving a neat setup. I'll make sure that they will send the angled ones.

 

[knob2001]

A little update.
Due to the severe movements of the cockpit and the danger of bouncing down the hallway at home, I have added a wooden board underneath with anti-vibration pads, and on top of it, right under each leg, I have also added a printed box with a washing machine anti-vibration pad (45cm) inside.

I think that solves the spinning in real life as you can see in the video.

 

[Terfy]

Can someone please provide me with Amy’s contact information?

 

[cnhoff]

PM

 

[Clover11]

A little update.
Due to the severe movements of the cockpit and the danger of bouncing down the hallway at home, I have added a wooden board underneath with anti-vibration pads, and on top of it, right under each leg, I have also added a printed box with a washing machine anti-vibration pad (45cm) inside.

I think that solves the spinning in real life as you can see in the video.

Any chance you would share that print file for the washing machine pad? Looks like a good idea to me and I think I might give it a shot. I like to race after my wife goes to be and she says I shake the house sometimes.

Have you noticed any impact on the motion feedback with your setup?

Thanks and good idea.

 

[egolgeli]

Any chance you would share that print file for the washing machine pad? Looks like a good idea to me and I think I might give it a shot. I like to race after my wife goes to be and she says I shake the house sometimes.

Have you noticed any impact on the motion feedback with your setup?

Thanks and good idea.

You can consider printing this thing instead. It works with eluflex which are being used widely in SFX setups. It isolates the rig from the ground with the help of washing machine pad (15mm), enhancing vibration effects. This is especially beneficial if you're using transducers for haptic feedback, as it significantly boosts immersion.

The rig picture doesn't belong to my setup and it is not part of a motion rig but you can find lots of videos on YT. Watch this to start with.

 

[cnhoff]

I have done that with a piece of MDF and Eluflex parts. Works quite well and can take the angle at which the feet touch the ground when the rig tilts.

 

[timbit123]

I received a quote from Amy but the quantities of the screws, insert, doesn't match, the amount she gave me is 28, isn't supposed to be 32? Also, I think the part K45/K50 (N10)-M8 was change to t-nuts

 

[MiniMadRyan]

I received a quote from Amy but the quantities of the screws, insert, doesn't match, the amount she gave me is 28, isn't supposed to be 32? Also, I think the part K45/K50 (N10)-M8 was change to t-nuts

Quick update on my order with Amy, the ballscrew nuts supplied were smooth nuts (without the flange for mounting) and the screw quantities for the bearing blocks (M5X25 i think?) were short by 4 (should have been 24, not 20). Not huge issues, but something to note when ordering.

 

[timbit123]

I haven't count the screws but I also saw the ballscrew doesn't have the t top with 6 holes so basically it will only be supported by the bottom of the printed slider and also this section is in an angle... anybody had any issues with this?
I was thinking maybe modifying the stl file to at least be flat but still, the weight is not distributed on the hole part

 

[timbit123]

So I've been modifying the slider and bump stop to be more compatible with Amy's ballscrew. My version allow the ballscrew to go completely inside the slider and I changed the bump stop to have the thickness of the t top (the original ballscrew from sfx100). you can now use the 6 screws to hold the bump stop instead of 2. If someone is having the same issue, you can pm me, I can share my modified stl files