SimXperience G-Belt review

[anton_Chez]

So if the fan is integrated into the PSU, is it not changeable at all?

 

[RCHeliguy]

So if the fan is integrated into the PSU, is it not changeable at all?

I would not recommend changing that fan. Everything is possible if you are willing to void the warranty of the Meanwell power supply and likely the Accumotion control unit and don't mind disassembling the power supply.

I would suggest a different course of action. Most of the noise is not at the fan opening, but coming from the slits in the sides that the air comes out of. I would suggest simple deflectors angled away from where you are sitting.

I considered 3D printing something to do that, but since I can't hear mine which is low to the ground centered behind my seat over a carpeted floor, I didn't bother.

 

[anton_Chez]

I sit next to my rig for regular desktop use and it annoys me that I have to turn the G-Belt on and off manually to get rid of the noise. It's quite loud. It's not as loud as the amp was, dear Christ, it was awful. But with the new fan in it it's absolutely silent for me sitting here typing. Which means the amp can stay on always and only be powered off when I leave the room and power everything down via the wall switch.

I've read posts where people with Accuforce wheels have completely unplugged the fan and have had zero issues doing so. I doubt the G-Belt uses more power than the Accuforce steering wheel system. I could cover the vents, that does significantly reduce the noise. Obviously it restricts new air being pulled in but at least the fan is still operational and doing something rather than nothing.

 

[blekenbleu]

Most of the noise is not at the fan opening, but coming from the slits in the sides that the air comes out of.

That was emphatically NOT the case (no pun intended) with my AccuForce controller's power supply,
where most noise was provoked by its fan against power supply exhaust grille.
Generalizing fan effects between those 2 controllers may be invalid.

 

[lsmanley]

Not that I play it much because it's too damn hard but I'v noticed in Dirt Rally 2 that when you take your foot off the accelerator the g-belt reacts in the same way it does when you slam the breaks on. Feels weird.

 

[anton_Chez]

Well your body is reacting to the same force as the brakes being applied, forward motion being interrupted. It shouldn't be as drastic, but in essence it's the same thing.

 

[RCHeliguy]

Being tightly seatbelted down with a seat mover is proving to be almost too much for me. I'm definitely getting fatigued faster and am losing interest in a much shorter period of time. I suspect I'll be dialing back my NLRv3 more.

The verdict is still out for me on whether the shoulder harness pads are an improvement. It feels like they are hiding detail while added a bit of comfort at least on the track. For Rally I'm sure they will be great. My wife is gone and I have all the time to mess around with this, but I feel spent already.

 

[anton_Chez]

I've not tried without the pads. I don't know what detail you'd be missing. They pull, no matter with pads or not. It should be the same. Either the belt is pulling directly on you or the pads are. The forces from the G-Belt don't strike me as being particularly articulate.

 

[RCHeliguy]

I've not tried without the pads. I don't know what detail you'd be missing. They pull, no matter with pads or not. It should be the same. Either the belt is pulling directly on you or the pads are. The forces from the G-Belt don't strike me as being particularly articulate.

Sounds like a simple test to run. The 3" webbing directly against your body does transfer more detail than with padding absorbing some of the inputs.

By the same token my obliques are getting too much of a workout while I'm using a moderately strong FFB and handling the motion. It's not just the effort though. I am feeling the seat motion much more directly now since my body is pinned to the seat. So I need to continue to dial things down.

 

[NeoGrotesk]

Sounds like a simple test to run. The 3" webbing directly against your body does transfer more detail than with padding absorbing some of the inputs.

By the same token my obliques are getting too much of a workout while I'm using a moderately strong FFB and handling the motion. It's not just the effort though. I am feeling the seat motion much more directly now since my body is pinned to the seat. So I need to continue to dial things down.

Yes, I've done the same, dialled down the NLR. I also found I didn't need the forward motion when braking anymore so I got rid of that completely. Doing that has really helped with the issue of the NLR pausing for a second if you brake too hard which is a bonus (I run my Sprints near their maximum force).

I've not really played with the settings in sim commander much, I just use braking and cornering, with very low acceleration and bumps. There are loads of other effects but I've not really experimented with any of them.

Do you guys use anything other than the basic ones?

 

[RCHeliguy]

Yes, I've done the same, dialled down the NLR. I also found I didn't need the forward motion when braking anymore so I got rid of that completely. Doing that has really helped with the issue of the NLR pausing for a second if you brake too hard which is a bonus (I run my Sprints near their maximum force).

I've not really played with the settings in sim commander much, I just use braking and cornering, with very low acceleration and bumps. There are loads of other effects but I've not really experimented with any of them.

Do you guys use anything other than the basic ones?

Head over to the Tactile thread, but yes I do. I'm running 4 transducers.

2x Aura's under the front foot plate ( wheel slip, bumps, some engine rpm )
1 x Aura on the side of the wheelbase support ( engine rpm so I can feel it in my h pattern shift )
1 x BK Concert on the back of the seat ( wheel slip, sequential gear change thunk, some engine rpm, bumps )
I've also added some speed based synthetic vibration to the front and back so it isn't dead.

 

[blekenbleu]

Either the belt is pulling directly on you or the pads are.

Pads compress, adding lost motion. For the same change in felt tension,
G-Belt arms must move more, which takes longer, compromising responsiveness.

 

[anton_Chez]

Do you guys use anything other than the basic ones?

That's what I've been running for a while now. I just tuned the bumps down a bit because of the high activity on some of the bumpier tracks, it was turning more into noise than usable information. So I dropped them significantly. Of course I still have tactile delivering that feedback so you don't need massive jolts in the harness showing where the bumps in the track are. Just something minor to blend into the tactile effect and rounding it out a little more.

There are some "junk" effects (effects that basically have no effect in my testing) that you can pretty much ignore and everything I have listed above does give some sort of feedback. The pitch angle and acceleration are interesting ones. You may want to leave these off, or you could give them a try in isolation (just run that effect on its own) and see if it adds anything to your experience. Try at Eau Rouge at Spa, you should get a feeling for what they offer.

Note that for the gear change effect, you have to go into the effect and manually set the force of each up and down shift. I don't think you'll get any feedback if you just enable it and go out on track.

 

[anton_Chez]

Who knew, removing the pads actually makes it feel better. The belts hug my body more and the great thing is that I don't really have any discomfort from them cutting into me. If anything, the velcro on the pads actually makes it more uncomfortable than having nothing at all. The line of it down the edge has a habit of rubbing on me, so the pads are OK but where they come together after wrapping around the belt is causing what they are supposed to cure.

 

[NeoGrotesk]

View attachment 494075

That's what I've been running for a while now. I just tuned the bumps down a bit because of the high activity on some of the bumpier tracks, it was turning more into noise than usable information. So I dropped them significantly. Of course I still have tactile delivering that feedback so you don't need massive jolts in the harness showing where the bumps in the track are. Just something minor to blend into the tactile effect and rounding it out a little more.

There are some "junk" effects (effects that basically have no effect in my testing) that you can pretty much ignore and everything I have listed above does give some sort of feedback. The pitch angle and acceleration are interesting ones. You may want to leave these off, or you could give them a try in isolation (just run that effect on its own) and see if it adds anything to your experience. Try at Eau Rouge at Spa, you should get a feeling for what they offer.

Note that for the gear change effect, you have to go into the effect and manually set the force of each up and down shift. I don't think you'll get any feedback if you just enable it and go out on track.

View attachment 494076

Awesome! Thank you.

 

[RCHeliguy]

Who knew, removing the pads actually makes it feel better. The belts hug my body more and the great thing is that I don't really have any discomfort from them cutting into me. If anything, the velcro on the pads actually makes it more uncomfortable than having nothing at all. The line of it down the edge has a habit of rubbing on me, so the pads are OK but where they come together after wrapping around the belt is causing what they are supposed to cure.

Those harness pads are for Rally and I felt like I was thrown around a lot in Rally and the belts dug into my neck, so it might work for that.

However, It had also been suggested to wear a shirt with a collar to protect your neck. So I've lined up some old polos that I'm going to try. Maybe simply keeping the edges of the belts off my neck is all the protection I need.

 

[lsmanley]

Well your body is reacting to the same force as the brakes being applied, forward motion being interrupted. It shouldn't be as drastic, but in essence it's the same thing.

It doesn't do it in any other sim though. The effect of taking your foot off the accelerator shouldn't be the same as heavy breaking.

 

[anton_Chez]

Not the same as heavy braking, no. There might be an offset setting somewhere causing issues with that effect. Check the effect for any filters or sliders that might be contributing to it. It could be some junk telemetry from the game. Being a codemasters title, it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest.

 

[HoiHman]

Using a racing-style seat belt harness gSense grabs hold of the driver's body and applies pressure drawing the body back during acceleration, laterally during cornering and releasing the body forward during braking. The driver is never actually moved, but instead feels the sensations that would be exerted on the body. Moreover, the system can effectively re-create sustained g-forces on the body which makes the effects feel incredibly natural{/quote]

A quote, i googled after reading a reaction on my YT video

How's it even possible that the view on this is so different ( obviously Ricmotech is wrong here)

Link to their website:

AP-Xtreme g-Sense Active Restraints (APX-GSR) | Ricmotech

www.ricmotech.com

 

[blekenbleu]

Ricmotech is wrong here

1. I agree
2. playing devil's advocate, if the belts were initially loose enough that the body were well away from the seat back (or that seat back has very soft padding), then one might experience an instantaneous sensation of acceleration while being pulled backward by the harness, ignoring belt's pressure on the chest.

Niels discusses this dilemma: