CHEAP Cockpit Alternatives ONLY

[wrcsti]

I bought it in the outdoors section. If walmart does not have it try target as they will most likely have something like that.

 

[shabby]

Does the Ghetto Couch Wheel Stand PRO wobble at all?

Not at all, half of the base sits under the couch, meaning you gotta lift the couch and slip it under. I was going to add a brace between the two legs in case it flexed but it didnt, precision engineering ftw!

 

[mdel604]

Not done yet but getting there. Made out of 3/4" MDF so this baby is sturdy (+/-50lbs). Great project if you have access to a tablesaw, jigsaw and drill. Primed and painted. Used only 1 sheet (4' x 8') 3/4" MDF, 1 spray can of primer, 2 spray cans of paint, box of #8 wood screws, wood glue and wood filler. Total cost for build $45 excluding chair. I went with a SCAT Procar racing seat found on craigslist for $60. For sound I'm using my old creative 2.1 speakers. The subwoofer is placed under the seat for a somewhat better rumble. The platform for the pedals are slightly angled and carpeted. I am planning to add a custom handbrake to give it a more realistic feel. I have blue prints done in photoshop for anyone up for a little project. Heres what it is so far...

 

[wrcsti]

Just recieved my G25 about 30 mins ago. This thing reaches levels of awsomeness never thought to be possible. To make it better my ghetto cockpit shakes with the wheel so I get a rumble feel on curbing and stuff. Npw getting used to the pedals and H shift, keep getting the clutch and brake confused as they are so close together.

 

[nissan tuner]

 

[alw041]

Here's my homemade cockpit. if you dont count the paint.. its under $100. (takes a LOT of coats of primer to make MDF a smoothpaintable surface)
Seat is a walmart 'video rocker' The rest is made of mdf fiber board and scrap wood.

Pedals are hooked to a boards that slides into one of several slots, to adjust dist from seat to pedals. Seat and Wheel/Pedal assembly are also on a track that moves forward and backward and is locked with a pin or a bolt (I intended pin, but right now still using a bolt) for a lot of adjustability.

Driving Force Pro wheel is ordered and should arrive next weeklwith GT4, right now I have the madcatz wheel on there because its the only one i found that would work on my PS2 *AND* XBOX, but with GT4 coming, i may forget xbox has racing games, however the madcatza wheel feels too chintzy for me. Im hoping the build quality, weight, and force feedback on the Driving Force Pro will really help me develop some skill in GT4

Pics:

P.S. If anyone really cares there are a to n more pictures in the same directory on that server.

Do you have the specs for your build? I would be really interested in them.
It looks amazing.
Thanks

 

[wrcsti]

Pic with G25

 

[JMII]

Here is my el-cheap-o edition... I just added some MDF and a side brace to a Mayline 951MEC "Laptop Caddy II" (about $70 at overstock.com). I quick coat of paint and some "speed holes" to lighten it. I kept the casters on the front so its easy to roll away when not in use. In the back I took the wheels off and have some rubber grippers that hold onto the tile under the couch. Its not rock solid (wobbles a bit so I added that side support to help), but with both hands on the DFP and your feet on the pedal/base it stays put even when sawing away at the wheel and repeatedly slamming the brakes. The wheel is little higher then I hoped for but it keeps the clamps from hitting my knees (I'm 6') so in the end its perfect. The height and angle of pedal feels just right, they were a touch low so raised the back with another piece of wood. Zip ties and cable clamps keep everything neat and organized. Overall not bad considering my lack of wood working skills (and tools).





Larger images:
http://img134.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p1010008ej5.jpg
http://img134.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p1010007fp8.jpg

Email me for more info and pics.

 

[Zadom]

Just finished my stand. I used a fence post ($8 at home depot), wood board laying around the house, and primer and black paint ($7). Also put a handle on rear of post to make it easier to move around. The base is extended forward so the base of the chair rests on it making it stand solid.

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[schwantzz]

Zandom.
Like the simplicity - where do the pedals fit though?
Also how stable is it?

 

[Zadom]

In a coulpe of hours will give it its first test. My first impression though is there is a slight wobble forward and back and i am hoping to reach pedals around the post. If it is uncomfortable will have to make adjustments. This is my first wheel stand attempt. In fact got the DFGT a couple of days ago and its my first wheel.

 

[EFFalcon]

$30 worth of gal steel
$10 worth of MDF
Spare car seat

Solid as!

 

[fishfash]

Hello All

There is an amazing array of ingenuity displayed here, some great self built cockpits!

I was going to try and build one myself, untill I found this great cheap race seat on ebay (pic attached), it will definately do the job and I won it for £40.05! There may be some left as the guy had about 5 for sale.

If you want a look, type in 'race seat ps3' to find it! It folds away too!

Regards

Gnobody

For £40 that is a bargain. But isn't the seat a bit too low in contrast to where the wheel would be mounted ?

Nothing on the UK ebay at the moment but I'll keep checking.

Thanks. 👍

 

[kaymm2]

Here's one I made from a chair with the top taken off. I haven't mounted my G25 yet. I have lots of these old chairs in the garage, my uncle wanted to get rid of them so I sold a couple of these chairs to friends for the same purpose. They work very well. All I added was a piece of pine for like $6 and I'm set.

more photos:
http://zenphoto.ehsia.com/2008-05-31-raceframe-chair/

 

[Sphinx]

@ kaymm2,
perhaps you could resize the image to something more user friendly. 👍

Thanks.

 

[kaymm2]

Sorry.. hehe, done.

 

[crack]

My new Driving Force GT is being shipped as we speak , so just trying to pull together a design for a cheep stand.

My plan is to simply use 2x4s for almost all the construction. Not too worried about looks, more concerned about it being functional (doesn't move, sway, etc) for a cheap price.

Any comments/thoughts on the design below? Does it look stable enough to those who have already built their own stands?


Width will be around 32", so hopefully that will be wide enough to prevent it tipping sideways. Not sure about height yet, need to get the wheel first and test out what feels right.

Any suggestions on the best elevation angle for the pedals?

 

[ericleroi]

Hi crack, the basic design looks good to me. It might be an idea to have a longer length section on the bottom (away from the driver) to allow your legs to stretch out and also extend this bottom piece so it protrudes out (towards the diver) from the vertical strut going to the wheel shelf. This will prevent it from tipping towards you when driving. Hope this is clear; it's difficult to explain without a diagram.

I had one of my pedal sets at about that angle and it was fine. You may want to extend the ramp down to the floor to allow your feet to rest comfortably.

Hope this helps.

 

[crack]

thanks for the feedback ericleroi, I will probably use some of your suggestions.

I will make sure I post pics of the finished product afterwards

 

[Gnobody]

For £40 that is a bargain. But isn't the seat a bit too low in contrast to where the wheel would be mounted ?

Nothing on the UK ebay at the moment but I'll keep checking.

Thanks. 👍

I find it just right as you can adjust the mount for the wheel, both in angle and distance from you.

My only gripe is the that after a 6 hour race session, the bum gets a bit numb! I have to put a pillow on the seat to make it a bit more comfortable!

Other than that, its a great seat at a bargain price, at the time I was bidding for mine, there were about 5 on offer and mine was the dearest, some lucky buggers got theirs for less than £30!

Anyway, good luck, hope you find one 👍

 

[homeforsummer]

Reading this thread makes me laugh, because I can imagine myself there in online races on GT5P, sitting on my bed and staring at a 10 year old 14" CRT TV screen with my sixaxis, whist everyone else has their full G25s and home-built racing frames, with Recaro seats and carpets, and 30+inch LCD TVs! I think they're all fantastic, I'm currently weighing up my own options and the space required in my room!

 

[kaymm2]

I showed my girlfriend this thread and she laughed her head off seeing some of these contraptions. It would be funny however to find out a guy with a G25 strapped to a folding chair with a bag of rice beat me in a race.

 

[crack]

Here's my finished product. Very bare bones, but is very stable, and only cost me $13 in 2x4s

Probably will paint it eventually to make it look a bit nicer.

 

[homeforsummer]

Really nice job 👍 I'm liking the old-skool chair!

 

[ericleroi]

Second that! 👍 It may be bare bones but it looks well thought out, well constructed and light enough to store away. It looks good in its natural wood state. Maybe you could stain rather than paint it?

 

[darth_rich]

This is my first attempt with some scraps lying around. Wanted to get a feel for the positioning before going for it properly.

Just use a giant bean bag to sit on at the moment, will intergrate a seat into the final one.

Really chuffed with the outcome though.

 

[homeforsummer]

Nice setup! It looks like the homebuilt option is a good way of getting what you want without spending hundreds on game frames.

 

[marx-7]

first post yay!!,

thought id add mine up, its nearly finished, just need to weld up the LCD bracket, make a foot rest for pedals and paint it, i might get a fixed back racing seat later on but for now this will do. Its made up of structual square tubing, and the wood is 18mm plywood, all of this stuff i had lying around the house and all thats itscost me so far is a few bolts/nuts for mounting the pedals onto the wood. seat is from a s13 silvia.

 

[WallRunner]

Mine, inspired when I saw another member had the same thing and I thought "I've got that desk, I'll use it!"

View from seat:

So, $15 for the desk around 6 years ago, $50 for the DFP, $8 for the chair 10+ years ago, and $.20 for the tape and paper, computer and monitor were gifts.

From,
Chris.

 

[pat66]

here's mine I'm not too happy with it though, when Im drifting the screen shakes sooo much it's annoying