Hi, hope this becomes an enjoyable read for you Nick and others.
The screens like most of the hardware shown is already purchased and Ive been using them with FM3. Costing me £170 each at the time. They arnt bad, good for TN panels actually in viewing angles and response time although limited a bit in true blackness. For triple monitors 24" seems ideal, if you go bigger you have to be further back, that can have issues with all the screens aligning in FM3 and of course further back then increases the floor space needed.
My screens are only about 3" deep but your going to love the monitor mounting solution Ive come up with.
Spoilers,lights,speedo,vents were purchased from online auctions.
Hi Doc,
F355 Deluxe, now their was an arcade unit, indeed!!!!
A local shopping centre had one for a while many years back but now a local Karting centre in "Broughshane" has one of those huge
"Hexatech" simulators.
Maybe you missed it but as stated in the thread I already have the seat purchased.
Comfort is definately not an issue with the "Sebring Pro" model I have. Even compared to the Monaco seat in my aging "GamePod" racing frame (now acting as my PC Seat) it has a good degree of comfort.
Not only that it is better than the seat on the "RSC" which is probably the best seat going on a prebuilt sim cockpit.
Although yeah your right for general motorsport comfort is not always a major factor and care should be taken when buying your seat if spending a lot on them. If anything the seat Ive bought is sold more because it is aparently the lightest seat in its class according to its manufacturers. It is very snug fitting mind you and it certainly feels your locked into it although I find that helps encourage a racey feel when sat in it.
More Info On Seat Purchase
Let me explain to people here my purchase decision as for anyone going this d.i.y route seats are expensive and it deserves maybe some more information.
I put a great deal of thought into my cockpit, hell Ive been banging on about doing this for nearly two years so dont think for a moment this project is some guy throwing a lot of money just at things willy nilly. A great deal of consideration has been put into certain factors/purchases maybe more than people may imagine so below I will explain....
Audible Benifits
One of the reasons I went for this seat over say a nice and probably comfier recliner is that with the seat being a snug fit it helps the immersion which as Ive said is a large part of my projects requirements. As you can see the project its going to have great response from ingame audio. Ive not seen a cockpit on any forums in two years searching go the route Im trying combining large bass woofers and multiple Buttkickers for immersion. Its expensive is a likely reason and kinda crazy annother.
In choosing a snug fitting bucket seat the "bass/rumble" from the subs/transducers will then be felt better and travel through the players body. So its including the shoulders and back rather than just shake/vibrate their backside as Ive seen in most cockpits using Buttkickers or subwoofers under/behind a seat. Thats also why I have implemented the dual 12" subs to fire directly into the back of the seat. This will also allow a desired effect/strength from the audio to be achieved but importantly achieve it more efficently with a lower volume level reducing vibrations throughout the base of the frame and into the house etc. I believe this will help fully immerse the player from testing I have done with Buttkickers because if volume is too high on a single unit it tends to bottom out and the effect can be too strong becoming annoying or uncomfortable.
Visual Benifits
The seat was also choosen because of its head supports, with the triple monitors these head supports act as a shield blocking the peripheral view of the room. So sitting in the seat the edges of the headrests are in the very widest part of the players peripheral vision. It means simply that you can have it that nothing detracts from the monitors if the seat position is set accordingly sitting in the seat only the monitors are visible, no room distractions and vision is totally focused on the screens. Again this is just for immersive purposes, I dont know if I would say it really helps concentration but I believe this is an advantage for helping to maximise the immersion aspects possible.
Apart from these factors for me personally I think it is a gorgeous seat and styling is a major factor of this project as well.
I would encourage for people to look on auction sites indeed.
Just last week I seen a Merc SL full electrics leather seat (although in light grey and a bit worse for wear) for a buy now of £100
Bargins can be found.
Thanks for the interest, please do ask questions if anything comes to mind..
But I do feel that you do not fit the "regular gamer" category, and therefore you have very special limits & requirements of how your rig should look (& maybe even feel) like.
