SimXperience G-Belt review

[crooksy]

I actually purchased some real Sabelt pads that I used initially, but with 3" wide belts I found that I was missing more detail with the pads so I stopped using them.

I'm not sure what detail you would lose unless you mean bump detail? I use very little bump detail because of the GS5 seat so all I really use is braking and acceleration effects (I don't even really need the acceleration effects either).

I really like the feeling with the wide pads it's like a warm hug across the chest rather than a sharp pull on one specific spot on each shoulder blade.

 

[RCHeliguy]

Shoulder blade?

Did you mean collar bone?

 

[crooksy]

Shoulder blade?

Did you mean collar bone?

Yep, you know what I meant

 

[blekenbleu]

a warm hug across the chest rather than a sharp pull on one specific spot

Sensation on track with shoulder harness pads was quite specific;
bracing against the steering wheel compromises steering sensitivity and accuracy.

 

[crooksy]

Sensation on track with shoulder harness pads was quite specific;
bracing against the steering wheel compromises steering sensitivity and accuracy.

err its just a belt harness to simulate the braking forces for me, nothing more nothing less its not a DD wheel. I understand that if you want the g belt to give you other cues then that's cool too, but that isn't realistic for me

 

[Badger_]

Just got my G-Belt system. Was super excited until I realized what effect it would have on my daily user experience and noise level. I have not mounted it yet but this has been quite the turnoff.

Now, maybe some parts are defect or I am simply unable to find the info I need. But I was overall wondering what your experience is and how you made it work.

1. Controller box noise!

The controller box does not seam to
idle and runs with a consistent 60db.

My PC idles at 34db and is at 42-45db under full load: AC benchmark on triples in 4k@120.

As dB works exponentially the controller box at idle is almost 4x as loud as my PC under load. Wow.
Is that normal?


2. Mandatory use of Sim Commander to launch games?

The app is functional but unsightly. I do not see myself using it on a daily basis and would happily be able to avoid it once everything has been set up.

From what I can tell it is mandatory though and there are no command prompts to work around it. Being that way would eliminate any kind of shortcuts in the taskbar or on stream decks as well.

Double whammy. Maybe someone knows a workaround?

 

[blekenbleu]

The controller box does not seam to
idle and runs with a consistent 60db.

My AccuForce controller measured 44dB(A) at 2 meters,
which is as far as it can be located from my seat.

 

[NetLawMan]

Just got my G-Belt system. Was super excited until I realized what effect it would have on my daily user experience and noise level. I have not mounted it yet but this has been quite the turnoff.

Now, maybe some parts are defect or I am simply unable to find the info I need. But I was overall wondering what your experience is and how you made it work.

1. Controller box noise!

The controller box does not seam to
idle and runs with a consistent 60db.

My PC idles at 34db and is at 42-45db under full load: AC benchmark on triples in 4k@120.

As dB works exponentially the controller box at idle is almost 4x as loud as my PC under load. Wow.
Is that normal?


2. Mandatory use of Sim Commander to launch games?

The app is functional but unsightly. I do not see myself using it on a daily basis and would happily be able to avoid it once everything has been set up.

From what I can tell it is mandatory though and there are no command prompts to work around it. Being that way would eliminate any kind of shortcuts in the taskbar or on stream decks as well.

Double whammy. Maybe someone knows a workaround?

Controller box noise is the fan. No changing that. I just turn mine off when not in use. You don’t have to launch via sim commander. Start the game however you like and then go back into sim commander and click launch (with the game already running). That is what I do to prevent sim commander from changing the telemetry port, which I need to keep pointed at simhub (with simhub pointing to sim commander).

 

[anton_Chez]

Controller box noise is constant and the fan operates at one speed, no matter the load. Two options: change the fan, or unplug/remove it completely. Both involve a little DIY to open the box to perform the action. Both are done at your own risk. I unplugged my fan and have not had a single issue in over a year of doing so.

No Simcommander, no G-belt. It controls the unit and it would be like asking your car to run without the keys. So if you don't like Simcommander and wish not to use it, the only option is to not use the G-belt.

To me, both scenarios, as annoying as they might be for someone, are in no way worse than not using the G-belt at all.

 

[blekenbleu]

No changing that

Swapping a quieter fan into the power supply and removing sheet metal
reduced noise 4dB.
In retrospect, a quiet 120mm fan installed externally would be more effective.

 

[Badger_]

Lots of great info here, much appreciated everyone! This is quite confidence inspiring and the G-belt will be mounted today.


Noise
I did a bunch of research last night. It appears the controller box is using a RSP-320-24 power supply that is pretty common in 3d printing and somewhat known for its level of noise.

Since 3d print guys are crafty there are a bunch of solutions to print covers that allow for bigger fans. From minor upgrades that would fit the controller box to even full blown PC fan upgrades.

This one seams to be the most pragmatic solution:

MeanWell RSP-320-24 7015 fan top cover - 3D model by kamilzierke on Thangs

**MeanWell RSP-320-24** top cover accommodating **7015 12V** fan, making it absolutely quiet. There are 4 positioning pins for the fan (blowing air into the c

thangs.com

While this one would require some cutting but what is not to love about having a big Noctua fan.

https://www.printables.com/model/10815-cover-to-install-a-noctua-fan-nf-625-on-a-meanwell

Between this and unplugging the fan, I think this should be a pretty straight to solve.

Additionally a smart plug could be added and integrated with Home Assistant to automatically switch the the controller on when Sim Commander is being started. Not optimal but a lot less headache.


Sim Commander

Having Sim Commander run is not the issue. Being forced to launch all games through its UI though is.
SimHub for example is handling this gracefully and mostly just disappears into the background.
I worked with plenty apps that can run "headless" and can be initiated and automated via command prompts.

@NetLawMan Great tip! That actually works surprisingly well.
Luckily the UI minimizes nicely and changing the background makes it a lot less garish. Not perfect but this all works pretty decent now.

Turning Controller on/off

I noticed that Sim Commander does not like having the controller turned off and on. That resulted in an endless loop of error messages on my end.

I assume Sim Commander will have to be restarted every time connection to the control unit is lost. Any tips in that regard?

 

[anton_Chez]

You need to close the program before powering off the unit. It's annoying AF but since I leave mine on pretty much as long as I'm on the PC (removed fan so no noise) it's not that much of an issue for me. However, it does come up from time to time when I flick my sim rig switch on the wall, but I'm still using my PC and I've not yet closed the app.

If you solve the noise issue, you'll be able to leave the unit on full time (if you don't mind) and thus the issue of the loop should also be resolved.

Some games require not being launched via SC, and having the profile activated after the gameis already running. You could just make this the default process for all your games which means you never have to actually launch anything through SC. If the game has alt tab issues, however, this might prove problematic also.

 

[Badger_]

Okay I will have to try that. So much good info, thanks man.

Right now I simply made an on/off toggle for the app on my stream deck. Makes it a lot less annoying to deal with. A smart plug is coming next. That way I can add power and start SC all in one go a d turn both off the same way.

 

[Badger_]

Alright, I spent the weekend testing and setting up the G-Belt. Not bad, not bad at all! Definitely takes some fiddling around but I am sold.

I ended up turning off cornering, acceleration, bumps, etc. All that just added too much noise and no realism for me.

But I added pitch angle and pitch speed with smoothing on 50. That way down and uphill sections feel a lot more what I am looking for.
For now this is what works best for me and Bathurst is quite the wild ride.


I also tested a 2“ 5p and 3“ 5p harness.
Tried various combination and height locations for the G-Belt.

It’s all subjective but here are my takeaways:

3“ 4point, belts pointed slightly upwards:
Too little force and too bulky

2“ 5p, belts pointed slightly upwards:
Very strong (bruised collar bones) 2“ feels too small though as this is something mostly used with HANS devices.

2“ 5p, belts horizontal:
Crazy strong but too much spine compression.

3“ shoulder, 2“ waist and center, belts pointed slightly upwards:
Sweet spot for me. Plenty strong. Even inhibits the blood flow to neck and arms on full crank. Really a non issue but impressive.

The harnesses used are a Braum 3“ 5p and Impact 2“ 5p.
Nothing I would use in a car but great for the sim. The Braum pretty much feels like a Schroth.
Regardless of belt width the felt strength is always adjustable by how tight the belts are pulled.

 

[Badger_]

I found something great. The launcher apparently does not need a game at all.

With this method I can run ACC and AC2 back to back without ever needing to touch SC.
No need to use the launcher, no need to ALT-TAB and content manager also runs without any issues!
If this has been knows, please ignore the rest of the post. Else wise here is how you do it:

I have not done any extensive testing and am not sure how profiles from ACC to AC2 differ and have not tested any other games!


- Go to the main settings
- Open the game tab
- Duplicate your ACC game settings and rename it. I used "NULL app" but any name works.
- Deactivate "Game Runs on Local PC"
- Activate "Ignore validation rules and warnings"

- On the main page copy your preferred profile
- Go to the profiles settings
- Rename it
- Under "Game" select "NULL app" or the name you chosen in prior.

- Launch your new app.

- Minimize SC and enjoy your freedom until the next restart or your PC or your G-Belt.

 

[Leynad777]

Is anybody using Sim Commander with MSFS (Steam) without problems recently? My MSFS is freezing if I activate anything in Sim Commander, sometimes immediately or within minutes. Not sure if it's worth to do trouble-shooting if this function just doesn't work. Already tried a thread in the SimXperience-forum, but this is censoring more than North-Korea nowadays

 

[Badger_]

Is anybody using Sim Commander with MSFS (Steam) without problems recently? My MSFS is freezing if I activate anything in Sim Commander, sometimes immediately or within minutes. Not sure if it's worth to do trouble-shooting if this function just doesn't work. Already tried a thread in the SimXperience-forum, but this is censoring more than North-Korea nowadays

Yea, had a similar experience with forum posts. They are pretty diligent and thorough in answering tickets though. I would give that a shot.

 

[anton_Chez]

I found something great. The launcher apparently does not need a game at all.

With this method I can run ACC and AC2 back to back without ever needing to touch SC.
No need to use the launcher, no need to ALT-TAB and content manager also runs without any issues!
If this has been knows, please ignore the rest of the post. Else wise here is how you do it:

I have not done any extensive testing and am not sure how profiles from ACC to AC2 differ and have not tested any other games!


- Go to the main settings
- Open the game tab
- Duplicate your ACC game settings and rename it. I used "NULL app" but any name works.
- Deactivate "Game Runs on Local PC"
- Activate "Ignore validation rules and warnings"
View attachment 662386

- On the main page copy your preferred profile
- Go to the profiles settings
- Rename it
- Under "Game" select "NULL app" or the name you chosen in prior.
View attachment 662388

- Launch your new app.
View attachment 662389

- Minimize SC and enjoy your freedom until the next restart or your PC or your G-Belt.

I'll give this a go. I wonder if there are any unintended effects from doing this? Guess there's only one way to find out!

 

[Leynad777]

Yea, had a similar experience with forum posts. They are pretty diligent and thorough in answering tickets though. I would give that a shot.

Probably not worth it based on the few minutes it was working and the experience I had on release of MSFS, that time without freezes. Just bought the SimShaker module to get my shakers to run and certainly does a much better job than Simvibe for flight-sim giving you feedback of the stress forced on the vehicle, not just generic rudimentary effects. And G-Seat and G-Belt for flight sims might add a little in a fighter jet, but for typical MSFS stuff it felt more annoying to me and left it off when it was working in 2020. VR and shakers are the true goodies you want for MSFS.

 

[Badger_]

I'll give this a go. I wonder if there are any unintended effects from doing this? Guess there's only one way to find out!

So far so good and no issues.

I also managed to fully automate starting the box, SC and launching the profile with a single click. Albeit using a home assistant server and a bunch of Elgato macros. It works for me but it’s not a great solution.

Now, as a side effect this allowed me to track the wattage of the G-Belt.
It’s utilizing the 350watt PSU to a whopping…. 22.4watts peak.

So I simply removed the fan. One problem down.

Take these numbers with a grain of salt but I think it shows a good ballpark where the G-Belt falls: