My Homemade Cockpit with Button Box, Aux/USB slots, Soon to be Ebrake

[gordie44]

Hey All, here is my cockpit.

If you have any questions please ask!

Plans

I got my plans for cockpit and seat base from Ericleroi here:

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=105033

I built the rig in 3 separate pieces. 1)The footwell/wheel support 2) The Seat Base w/seat 3) The side console.

I kept the seat base separate from the footwell because a)Ericleroi suggested that in his plans, and b) I needed to be able to move the seat out of the way when cleaning, etc.

If I could do it again, then the seatbase would have some method of temporarily attaching to the footwell, because of the movement experienced under braking with the Nixim v2 mod installed.


SIDE CONSOLE

For Side Console Plans, scroll down in this post or click here: https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?p=6785168#post6785168


Button Box

I saw Hwangm's button box and loved the idea of not having to fumble with a DS3 while racing in order to pause, etc. So I took his plans from here:

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=236170

and I used a ps3 controller & soldered Ethernet/Cat-5 cable instead of a Cthulu board.
An account of the soldering process (not my own) can be found here:

http://altoguitar.com/buttonbox/

E-Brake

I will be hooking up an e-brake shortly, (mine will be tied into my button box) I took the idea from Chilicoke here:

http://chilicoke.com/mods/ebrake.htm

Inverted Pedal Mount (G27)

I also took the instructions on how to reverse pedal mount from Chilicoke :

http://chilicoke.com/mods/reversepedal.htm



I'VE TAKEN THE REST OF THIS POST FROM FURTHER REPLIES TO MY THREAD (FOR EASY READING), SO THERE MAY BE SOME REPEATS IF YOU READ BEYOND MY FIRST POST




In order to invert the pedals on my cockpit, I moved panel 2 from erics plan. I figured that it would get in the way of an inverted pedal system, so i used that to attach the pedals to, as it was the same width.

I screwed that board directly to the composite strip that was mounted to panel #1. (front panel) so it was a sandwich. I had to lower the pedals as they were originally too high, all i had to do was unscrew the sides from panel 1 (6 screws each side). I can then remove the panel 1 and 2 sandwich. I glued most of the assembly together for strength but not these panels just in case.

to allow enough room to mount it you can just cut the inside side boards narrower to compensate. i used 3/4" MDF so it was plenty strong.

i recommend mounting the pedals as low and as forward as possible, or making the wheel mount higher to compensate for your knees getting in the way.

I drew and cut the outer side pieces as close as possible to ericleroi's design. The pedals are mounted to Panel #2, which is screwed to the strip on the back of panel #1. Therefore, the pedals are on the same angle as panel #1, which follows the same line as the front of the side panels.

They seem okay to me, I didnt know what to expect and I wasn't trying to match the angle of an IRL car or anything, I didn't even know how high my seat was going to be when I built the front half. I find it fairly realistic of an angle though, and LOADS better than non-inverted.

If the angle is really bugging you it wouldn't be too hard to change anyways, just pop the pedals off (after removing panels 1/2 of course) and put some spacers between the bottom or top of the pedal and the board.

Edit: I've just read your post a second time and I was wondering, why not just unscrew panel 2 from panel 1, rather than remove both panels together?

the way that it is attached together makes that impossible to do. The inner side pieces are almost flush with panel #2 (there is a 0.5cm gap) so I would not be able to get at the screw heads to undo them without pulling the Panel #1/#2 sandwich out together. A small inconvenience considering that once you are comfortable with the pedals, you don't really need to move them!

Also, in Eric's final plans he shows no provisions for fastening the front half of the cockpit to the seat base. Did you add anything to hold the two pieces together or just follow his plan and slot them together without any sort of fastener? If just slotted together, do the pieces move about at all while driving or do they sit firmly in place without sliding further apart?

I made the seat base independent of the front half, so there is no attachment between the two. The fit is pretty tight, and I have carpet in my room, so it's not easy to move it even when I want it to. That being said, sometimes when I'm driving I'm convinced that my seat moves back just a bit if I brake hard. Not enough so I notice that I'm further away from the pedals, but enough for me to (at least imagine that I) feel it. Normally it doesn't bother me, but if I was in a serious iRacing division or had hardwood/tile floors, I would probably attempt to make it more secure like EricleRois Key/Hole design

EDIT: I installed the Nixim v2 Brake and clutch mod a couple of days ago, and now my rig moves forward when I brake hard. I like the feeling of the mod, so I'm just going to have to hurry up and put my rig in the corner with the tv so it doesn't skootch forward any more.

One last thing that I wanted to ask you was what did you do to prepare it for paint. I've been told that using wood filler then sanding it smooth before primer was the only way to get a decent finish. I'm just curious what steps you took and if you have any tips as I've never worked with MDF on this scale before.

I used Matte Black (or is it Matt Black ? ) to paint it with, so I wasn't super worried as I figured it would kinda turn out regardless. I bought 3 cans of Hunting Camouflage spray paint (black) and gave everything 2 coats plus some touch up is spots which resulted in some areas needing 3 coats.

I sanded 100% of the visible area of the the cockpit, and 40% of the visible area of the shifter/button box. I gotta say, there isn't much of a difference at all. Sand the edges, as they can be sharp and leave jagged, painful cuts (personal testimony, more than once). The rest of it, would depend on your paint colour (certain paints with different finishes reflect light differently and therefore would show gouges, scratches, dings etc more or less.

and to hook up an e-brake (mine will be tied into my button box):

http://chilicoke.com/mods/ebrake.htm

SIDE CONSOLE

Any chance of "giving back" to the community and posting the plans for that side console, to further complement Ericelroi's design? I want to build one.

sure, I never actually made any formal plans, just a few sketches that have since been trashed, however i took the time to draw this up for you and others

^^that^^ gives the dimensions youll need to cut. you'll also need to cut these holes in panels 5 and 6 to allow the shifter to fit in nicely:

I never wrote down the final measurements for the cutouts in 5 and 6, so I cant give them to you. I had to adjust the hole size several times after glueing and screwing it all together, so i never got a definitive size. just measure your shifter and it shouldnt be too hard to figure out (other than all the curves and angles and stuff ) I recommend doing a test fit before glueing and screwing panel #5 if possible. would have made it much easier had I done that.

Construction techniques were the same as the cockpit (and ericlerois design):

1) cut out MDF
2) attach composite strips to edges of MDF with contractors glue
3) once glue is dry (4-24 hrs dependign on my patience lol) drill pilot holes and then counter sink holes, and then attach MDF to composite with screws (10x1 1/4")
**I attached the strips to Panels 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7, only along the sides that will come into contact with panel #1**

4) If you have a helper, the next part will be fast and easy, because they can hold everything together while you screw it down. I was by myself so it took a little while while the glue dried enough to support itself while i screwed it down.

I started by attaching panel #3 to one of the #1 panels. I glued, dried and then screwed the #1 into the composite strip of #3. This gave me enough support to stand the side panel (#1) up while I was attaching panel #2.

Panel #7 can be attached the same way as panel #3.

5) once panels 2, 3 and 7 are attached, it was easy enough to put the other side (#1) on to complete the rough shape of the console.

6) after that, its just a matter of fitting in panels 4, 5, and 6. best if you get all your holes cut FIRST.


As for the Side console and movement, it does move around a bit when shifting. It's a pretty heavy unit, but there can be a lot of force applied to the shifter (by over-enthusiastic friends) and thus it wiggles a bit in play. I don't notice it at all when I'm driving, only when I'm watching someone else drive. And I figure once I get the tactile installed on everything (one of these days) then everything will be wiggling and jiggling anyways lol.


Thats pretty much it for the plans. One more thing to add would be that I held up both Panel #1s to the sides of my cockpit to be sure that they were the same height as the cockpit itself. I then traced the shape of the cockpit side onto the soon to be cut piece. This was to ensure an exact match.




I also just put a USB slot into the Side Console so I will be able to save/reload on SD cards/USB sticks way easier, and I also put in 2 AUX jacks so I can either a) pop my ipod onto the stereo when I drive!

or b) use it as a headphone jack for my 'team race radio' (or just playing at night lol)



and for some pictures

NIGHT RACE MODE

Shift Box on left side for JDM/Brit cars

USB Slot in use

Cable Management - USB Splitter inside powering button box and USB slot.

 

[Brock1Samson9]

You basically built exactly what I've been planning on, including using Eric's cockpit design and and hwangams button box idea.

I have a few questions for you about certain aspects I've been hung up on in the planning stage.
The first of which is how did you adapt the inverted pedal mount into Eric's cockpit plans? Did you design in a provision for them to be removed without disassembling half the nose section? Can you maybe post some close ups of the footwell for me?

 

[gordie44]

i used panel 2 from erics plan. I figured that it would get in the way of an inverted pedal system, so i used that to attach the pedals to, as it was the same width.

I screwed that board directly to the composite strip that was mounted to panel #1. (front panel) so it was a sandwich. I had to lower the pedals as they were originally too high, all i had to do was unscrew the sides from panel 1 (6 screws each side). I can then remove the panel 1 and 2 sandwich. I glued most of the assembly together for strength but not these panels just in case.

to allow enough room to mount it you can just cut the inside side boards narrower to compensate. i used 3/4" MDF so it was plenty strong.

i recommend mounting the pedals as low and as forward as possible, or making the wheel mount higher to compensate for your knees getting in the way.

ill post pics when i get home tomorrow.

 

[gordie44]

Can you maybe post some close ups of the footwell for me?

here ya go!

when i have time(if its still unclear for you) i can highlight on erics and my pics the differences and what i changed. let me know!

hard to get a clear shot as the extremely matte black paint that i used soaks up all the light and my playbook camera sucks lol. hope its good for you!

 

[Brock1Samson9]

I see what you did there. Instead of adding another panel to the nose section you simply relocated and resized panel 2 to fit your needs. Obviously with this setup the pedal angle is entirely dependent on the shape of the front and side panels so how do they feel?
Edit: I've just read your post a second time and I was wondering, why not just unscrew panel 2 from panel 1, rather than remove both panels together?

Also, in Eric's final plans he shows no provisions for fastening the front half of the cockpit to the seat base. Did you add anything to hold the two pieces together or just follow his plan and slot them together without any sort of fastener? If just slotted together, do the pieces move about at all while driving or do they sit firmly in place without sliding further apart?

One last thing that I wanted to ask you was what did you do to prepare it for paint. I've been told that using wood filler then sanding it smooth before primer was the only way to get a decent finish. I'm just curious what steps you took and if you have any tips as I've never worked with MDF on this scale before.

 

[Hwangm]

Gordie44, Awesome Setup mate, btw if you wouldn't mind telling, how do you label to button box mate?

and how do I get one of THOSE????

 

[gordie44]

i used a label maker that my dad had for work, back in the day when files were labeled IRL, instead of just on a screen lol. you could try ebay, but my dad bought it at a business shop (www.staples.ca in canada here). theres different colour tapes, i chose white on clear for the best look (imo)

cheers!

 

[gordie44]

I see what you did there. Instead of adding another panel to the nose section you simply relocated and resized panel 2 to fit your needs. Obviously with this setup the pedal angle is entirely dependent on the shape of the front and side panels so how do they feel?

Yea, I figured that if I used panel #2 as it was intended, it would get in the way of my knees.

I drew and cut the outer side pieces as close as possible to ericleroi's design. The pedals are mounted to Panel #2, which is screwed to the strip on the back of panel #1. Therefore, the pedals are on the same angle as panel #1, which follows the same line as the front of the side panels.

They seem okay to me, I didnt know what to expect and I wasn't trying to match the angle of an IRL car or anything, I didn't even know how high my seat was going to be when I built the front half. I find it fairly realistic of an angle though, and LOADS better than non-inverted.

If the angle is really bugging you it wouldn't be too hard to change anyways, just pop the pedals off (after removing panels 1/2 of course) and put some spacers between the bottom or top of the pedal and the board.

Edit: I've just read your post a second time and I was wondering, why not just unscrew panel 2 from panel 1, rather than remove both panels together?

the way that it is attached together makes that impossible to do. The inner side pieces are almost flush with panel #2 (there is a 0.5cm gap) so I would not be able to get at the screw heads to undo them without pulling the Panel #1/#2 sandwich out together. A small inconvenience considering that once you are comfortable with the pedals, you don't really need to move them!

Also, in Eric's final plans he shows no provisions for fastening the front half of the cockpit to the seat base. Did you add anything to hold the two pieces together or just follow his plan and slot them together without any sort of fastener? If just slotted together, do the pieces move about at all while driving or do they sit firmly in place without sliding further apart?

I made the seat base independent of the front half, so there is no attachment between the two. The fit is pretty tight (that's what she said ) and I have carpet in my room, so it's not easy to move it even when I want it to. That being said, sometimes when I'm driving I'm convinced that my seat moves back just a bit if I brake hard. Not enough so I notice that I'm further away from the pedals, but enough for me to (at least imagine that I) feel it. Normally it doesn't bother me, but if I was in a serious iRacing division or had hardwood/tile floors, I would probably attempt to make it more secure like EricleRois Key/Hole design

One last thing that I wanted to ask you was what did you do to prepare it for paint. I've been told that using wood filler then sanding it smooth before primer was the only way to get a decent finish. I'm just curious what steps you took and if you have any tips as I've never worked with MDF on this scale before.

I used Matte Black (or is it Matt Black ? ) to paint it with, so I wasn't super worried as I figured it would kinda turn out regardless. I bought 3 cans of Hunting Camouflage spray paint (black) and gave everything 2 coats plus some touch up is spots which resulted in some areas needing 3 coats.

I sanded 100% of the visible area of the the cockpit, and 40% of the visible area of the shifter/button box. I gotta say, there isn't much of a difference at all. Sand the edges, as they can be sharp and leave jagged, painful cuts (personal testimony, more than once). The rest of it, would depend on your paint colour (certain paints with different finishes reflect light differently and therefore would show gouges, scratches, dings etc more or less.


hope this helps, please ask if anything else was unclear

 

[left888]

Great set up Gordie, my first rig was wood also but yours is much nicer. I love that console you made, have fun with it.

 

[gordie44]

Great set up Gordie, my first rig was wood also but yours is much nicer. I love that console you made, have fun with it.

Thanks a lot!

 

[Brock1Samson9]

Thanks for the help Gordie, this will certainly save me alot of trial and error. Hopefully I'll start building this weekend, I'll let you know how it goes

 

[gordie44]

Thanks for the help Gordie, this will certainly save me alot of trial and error. Hopefully I'll start building this weekend, I'll let you know how it goes

please do im interested in how it goes! good luck and have fun!

 

[Hwangm]

great job, I love that side console.

 

[gordie44]

great job, I love that side console.

Thanks Hwangm!

 

[Coxis]

Any chance of "giving back" to the community and posting the plans for that side console, to further complement Ericelroi's design? I want to build one.

 

[gordie44]

Any chance of "giving back" to the community and posting the plans for that side console, to further complement Ericelroi's design? I want to build one.

sure, I never actually made any formal plans, just a few sketches that have since been trashed, however i took the time to draw this up for you and others

^^that^^ gives the dimensions youll need to cut. you'll also need to cut these holes in panels 5 and 6 to allow the shifter to fit in nicely:

I never wrote down the final measurements for the cutouts in 5 and 6, so I cant give them to you I had to adjust the hole size several times after glueing and screwing it all together, so i never got a definitive size. just measure your shifter and it shouldnt be too hard to figure out (other than all the curves and angles and stuff ) I recommend doing a test fit before glueing and screwing panel #5 if possible. would have made it much easier had I done that.

Construction techniques were the same as the cockpit (and ericlerois design):

1) cut out MDF
2) attach composite strips to edges of MDF with contractors glue
3) once glue is dry (4-24 hrs dependign on my patience lol) drill pilot holes and then counter sink holes, and then attach MDF to composite with screws (10x1 1/4")
**I attached the strips to Panels 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7, only along the sides that will come into contact with panel #1**

4) if you have a helper, the next part will be fast and easy, because they can hold while you screw (thats what she said). I was by myself so it took a little while while the glue dried enough to support itself while i screwed it down.

I started by attaching panel #3 to one of the #1 panels. I glued, dried and then screwed the #1 into the composite strip of #3. this gave me enough support to stand the side panel (#1) up while I was attaching panel #2.

Panel #7 can be attached the same way as panel #3.

5) once panels 2, 3 and 7 are attached, it was easy enough to put the other side (#1) on to complete the rough shape of the console.

6) after that, its just a matter of fitting in panels 4, 5, and 6. best if you get all your holes cut FIRST.




Thats pretty much it for the plans. One more thing to add would be that I held up both Panel #1s to the sides of my cockpit to be sure that they were the same height as the cockpit itself. I then traced the shape of the cockpit side onto the soon to be cut piece. This was to ensure an exact match.




I am also in the process of putting a USB port (and probably an AUX-in as well) into the Side Console so I will be able to save/reload on SD cards/USB sticks way easier, and the AUX-in so I can pop my ipod onto the stereo when I drive! (I know you can just set your own music on GT5 anyways, but it will only cost me a couple bucks as I work at an electronics shop and I figured the novelty factor is worth it )

I'll update with pictures once I get it done!!

 

[Coxis]

You sir, are awesome. Thanks for sharing. I'll definitely build one of those, though I don't know exactly when.

I think there might be a mistake with the measurements of panel number 3... 19 cm is the width of the entire center console, but then the other measurement is for 16.5 cm, which doesn't match the lenght of the top panel of the console. Is this true, or am I wrong?

+Rep

 

[gordie44]

I think there might be a mistake with the measurements of panel number 3... 19 cm is the width of the entire center console, but then the other measurement is for 16.5 cm, which doesn't match the length of the top panel of the console. Is this true, or am I wrong?

I did mix up the numbers. 19 is the width, and the measurement for 16.5 is accurate, as is it set behind panel 4.

For anyone else reading this, I have edited the plan so that it's right.

Coxis: glad I could be of help, if you have any more questions please ask! And post photos if you build!

 

[gordie44]

UPDATE:

Last night I added a USB port to the side console. I simply took a USB extension cord, drilled and filed a perfect sized hole and then wedged it down in there until it was flush. See the photos below

Dont miss the new, "Right-Hand Drive", and "Night Race Mode" (lol)

 

[gordie44]

Today I added two AUX inputs on my side console:

The one on the left is connected to a stereo I have on the floor of my room. I use this in case I want to play a song I don't have on my PS3, while driving. I can also change it so its hooked up right to my receiver for better sound, but I cant play GT5 at the same time if I do that.

The one on the right is a headphone input for late night gameplay. In this position I find that the cord is more or less out of the way while driving (and with a long enough headphone cord, I can put it through one of the seatbelt holes on the seat to really keep it down and out of the way)

I could have put the inputs farther back, but I wanted them accessible whether or not the console was on the left or right side, even when the e-brake gets put in (soon hopefully)

Here they are with labels:

 

[iCyCo]

Cool... what's next, a drinks system?

Nice project... I would love to have one of these

 

[gordie44]

Cool... what's next, a drinks system?

Nice project... I would love to have one of these

Thanks mate!

To be honest I was actually considering a cup holder either in the side console or in front of the wheel (and still might do it) but haven't gone through with it yet as I'm leery mixing liquids and electronics with my luck, anyways

 

[Raitziger]

I like your pedal arrangement. I made something similar for my cockpit but I have clutch a bit more to the left.
An Impressive work you did with your cockpit!

 

[sesselpupser]

I'd just like to say now that I've been designing a cockpit for a while and it's strikingly similar in shape and features to this, but now that you've done this it's going to look like I've completely ripped it off! I do still have a couple of things that are definitely mine because I've never seen them before, but at least now I know USB slots and aux sockets ARE a good idea after all! Your build looks awesome, but then I would say that, mine is basically the same (though I suspect it'll be uglier). Nice attention to detail, how heavy is it?

 

[Mr Latte]

Nice little build you got going and like the switchbox.

 

[gordie44]

The next step: Rearrange my room so that the 42" Samsung Plasma is in the corner, and much lower, with the cockpit butted up into the corner. It will take a while as it will require a new wall mount solution for the corner. Thinking about using a couple 2x4s bolted to the studs and then mounting the TV to the 2x4s. Thoughts?

-------------------------------------------------

I like your pedal arrangement. I made something similar for my cockpit but I have clutch a bit more to the left.
An Impressive work you did with your cockpit!

Thanks! I would have put the clutch a bit more left but for the width restrictions of the cockpit itself. not bad with socks on but with shoes it can get a touch cluttered. Something to get used to I believe, I'm a bit new to driving standard anyways, having only ever driven automatics IRL.

I'd just like to say now that I've been designing a cockpit for a while and it's strikingly similar in shape and features to this, but now that you've done this it's going to look like I've completely ripped it off! I do still have a couple of things that are definitely mine because I've never seen them before, but at least now I know USB slots and aux sockets ARE a good idea after all! Your build looks awesome, but then I would say that, mine is basically the same (though I suspect it'll be uglier). Nice attention to detail, how heavy is it?

I swear I wasn't in your head haha

It is pretty heavy, which I like because it makes it sturdier, and I don't need to move it much. I can slide them both around my carpet pretty easily, and can lift the side console (35lbs) and seat/base(35-40lbs) myself. The main cockpit (60-70lbs with wheel/pedals, maybe more) I could lift myself as well but not for long and it would be mighty awkward

I agree that the USB and AUX ports are really handy, and I'm surprised that more people haven't incorporated them into their designs before (that I have seen anyways).

I'm looking forward to seeing your design, please post when you finish!

Nice little build you got going and like the switchbox.

Thank you sir! I am thinking about eventually adding some tactile effects, I'm sure I'll be reading more of your wisdom when I do!

 

[Coxis]

Hey Gordie, what did you use to cut the curved panels from the front assembly? A jigsaw?

 

[gordie44]

Hey Gordie, what did you use to cut the curved panels from the front assembly? A jigsaw?

yep I used a jigsaw to cut everything




Update: I just cleaned up the wiring job i had going on the side console. I had 2 USB cables (button box and usb port on console) and 2 aux cables coming out the bottom, which made for a big mess of cables in the front.

so to solve this i glued a USB hub inside the console, and drilled a hole so the plug was accessible from the outside. i also drilled 2 holes for the aux cables. i basically did the same as when i mounted them on the other side; drilled, filed to fit, and then wedged the cable ends in.

i know this is confusing without pictures, ill upload them soon!

 

[TommyboyHD]

Lovely setup dude,nice bit of thought gone into it

 

[gordie44]

As promised, photos of the Aux/USB hookups on the back of the console