Progress update

I have finally been paid this month and first step is to buy the new PC. I have decided to use my current PC (P4, 3.6GHz with nVidia 7800 GTX) for the SimRoom and get a new machine for other use. I will be getting the Intel Quad Core 6600 as soon as they release it with proper stepping technology to preserve some voltage and heat (should I decide to overclock it).
Category: My SimRoom [cat_sr]

Air Motion Seat

A friend of mine found this article on TechEBlog about the Air Motion Seat that looks like a nifty invention. I've also embedded the video below:



I haven't found any details on pricing about this one yet, but it will probably not fit within my budget I'm sure :)
Category: Hardware [cat_hw]

DIY H-Shifter

The H-Shifter that I have put on my shopping list will set me back 2270 SEK and in an attempt to reallocate some funds in my budget I am looking at some DIY H-Shifter projects on the net to see if this is something I should also attempt.

It seems like some handy work along with a cheap USB GamePad and the ALShift utility by Act-Labs would go quite far in putting your own shifter together.

I've found some web-pages where people have posted their H-shifters and it will be useful for knowledge, tips and tricks and inspiration:
H-Shifter Project - 8 gears with modification plates for 4+R, 5+R and 6+R plus Sequential Mod
H-Shitfer Project - 6 gear project
Project Web H-Shifer - 6+R project

While looking at these DIY projects I also realised that I haven't really considered the Act-Labs products before. They have a H-shifter that costs $106USD which is a lot cheaper than the one from FrexGP. It comes with 4 extra shifter-plates:

Category: Hardware [cat_hw]

2.35:1 Ratio Anamorphic Lens

Being a bit odd, I was dreaming about the SimRoom last night and I thought it would be interesting to have an even wider screen as in racing sims it's quite important to see what is happening on the sides rather than what is going on above your car or under the bonnet/hood (leave that to the virtual mechanics!). As far as I know there aren't many manufacturers of projectors capable of displaying 2.35:1 ratio screens so I had a look for lenses and there seem to be quiet a few lenses on the market for this purpose. Amongst others I came across Prismasonic and their cheapest lens for this purpose is the H400-series and it will do just this for you. They also have a calculator on their site that allows you to have a look how the lens will adjust projected image dimensions for a number of projectors.

So far, both the calculators I've found for optional lens and for calculating throw distance and screens sizes have the Sanyo PLV-Z5 which is supporting my case of buying that particular projector. It would probably have been nice to increase the resolution to a 1920x1080 projector - but they cost a lot more than 1280x720 projectors and hopefully the latter resolution is sufficient for this project.

The cheapest Prismasonic lens still costs over 5000 SEK so again, this will be beyond my budget and it is probably aimed at the home cinema boys that also spend more on speaker cables alone than I have allocated for this entire project :)
Category: Hardware [cat_hw]

Curved Screen - Additional Thoughts

I am literally bending my mind around the idea of bending or curving my projector screen. If you look at how an image is projected it is actually pincushioned which means that if the screen is flat, it would be distorted slightly towards the sides of the screen. This is because the light has to travel further in order to reach the side of the screen in comparison to the middle.

I used Projector Calculator Pro to calculate throw distance and screen sizes, an excellent tool for saving time when playing with distances, zooming and different models of projectors.

The Sanyo PLV-Z5 projector is capable of displaying a 90" screen at a throw distance of 2.7 meters. It is also capable of lens-shifting the image so you can place the projector up to half of the height of the screen above the top end of the screen. By bending the screen making the distance 2.7 meters to all areas of the screen, and by placing the screen 1.5 meters in front of the driver position, my calculations (that may very well be wrong) tells me that I'll get a representation field of view of 70.3 degrees. The naked human eye has a field of view around 160 degrees, but most of the peripheral field can probably be disregarded here.

Below is an illustration of my ideas in a visual form (click to enlarge)

If I instead move the driver seat forward to 1 meter from the screen, the field of view increases to nearly 94 degrees - but I need to test how being so close to the screen will affect things such as image quality and motion sickness etc.

Live for Speed with with FOV set to 70 degrees (click to enlarge)

Live for Speed with with FOV set to 94 degrees (click to enlarge)

As you can see above, the image dimensions and proportions are the same in the two screenshots, but the second image with FOV at 94 degrees contains more visual information on the sides. I will soon post another note on the blog that discusses FOV and how it affects distortion, perception of speed and so forth. But now it is 4:43am so I'm signing off :)
Category: Other [cat_ot]

SimRoom Shopping List established.

I have spent more time reviewing the hardware and come up with the following shopping list for my SimRoom project. Prices exclude shipping and potential import charges (FrexGP products are ordered from Japan and ECCI products from USA). This may not be the final shopping list should I come across information or products that are more appropriate.

Steering Wheel
FrexGP MOMO 26 2800mm Suede on DFP Custom Base with a Wheel Adapter Kit
Cost: 3395 SEK

Shifters
FrexGP HShift+ H pattern 8speed. Cost: 2270 SEK
FrexGP Shift+ Sequential shifter. Cost: 684 SEK

Pedals
ECCI 6000 Trackstar 6000 Ultra Pedals HDUSB with Clutch (+ spare pots)
Cost: 3696 SEK

Flight Controls
Saitek X52 Pro. Cost: 1536 SEK

Large Screen Solution
Sanyo PLV-Z5 Projector. Cost: 10295 SEK
Kingpin FS200 16:9 88" Screen. Cost: 2395 SEK

Race Frame
FrexGP Cockpit with Footrest, Keyboard holder, Mouse Plate, Overhead Pedal Mount Kit, Shiftstand. Cost: 3279 SEK
Raidopower Racing Chair. Cost: 2495 SEK

Motion Simulator
FrexGP SimConMOTION Special Set (SimConMOTION+SimConBASE+DamperKit). Cost: 11297 SEK

Other
FrexGP SimConMETER. Cost: 2842 SEK

Total cost: 44184 SEK (ex. shipping and potential import charges)

The list also excludes the simulation computer (it will be a dual core Intel machine with a nVidia 8800GTS/GTX graphics card - I also have most of these parts already) as well as decorative stuff, cables, mini-fridge and sound proofing material :) I hope shipping isn't too expensive because it only leaves around 11'000 of my budget minus shipping charges. But, hey, I am sure I can convince wife that decorative design of the room shouldn't be part of that budget as it is in her best interest that it looks nice as she walks past the room!
Category: My SimRoom [cat_sr]

Samsung 52" LCD

I was in an electronics shop here in Sweden yesterday and as I reached the TV-section of the shop I saw something so beautiful that I nearly went into shock. After a few moments I wiped the little tear out of my right I and realized that I was witnessing the Samsung LE37M87BD 52" LCD TV!

This amazing creation is the best TV I have ever seen so far, and these words are coming out of the mouth (and into the blog) by someone who is a sworn plasma-lover when it comes to TVs. I currently have a 42" Samsung Plasma (1024x768) since a couple of years back and was aiming for the 50" Pioneer HD Plasma (1920x1080) - but it cost a whopping 50'000 SEK so I haven't got it yet, the cost being the one and only reason. Now, however, I am pleased I didn't buy that plasma because this 52" LCD has something new - namely ClearView! This eliminates the single most problem that I've never liked LCD-TVs before - the backlight! I am not sure if I am using the term backlight properly, but what I am refering to is the gray shiny areas of a traditional LCD screen you get around the edges when the display is show dark images. With ClearView you get a slight increase of reflectiveness of the display - but in return you get pitch black when it's supposed to be black and contrast is great. I might add that I had the opportunity in the shop to see this TV next to a Pioneer 1024x768 plasma, a samsung 1024x768 plasma and a Sharp 46" LCD (without ClearView) - and in my opinion the overall image quality was best in the ClearView LCDs, then the plasmas and finally the Sharp LCD coming in last.

This TV has changed my view in the Plasma vs. LCD battle, and not only does it look huge and amazingly great - it has 3 HDMI inputs (finally!) and it supports 1080p - true HD-resolution.

I won't be getting this TV for my SimRoom - but this fabulous creation had to be mentioned here if anyone is in the hunt for a great display for a simulator room with a higher budget than mine. It costs around 30'000 SEK by the way - a very fair price I might add. You can get it in the sizes 37", 40", 46" and 52". Run out and buy one now :)
Category: Hardware [cat_hw]

Soundproofing the SimRoom

I suspect that the sound level in the SimRoom will be quite high while racing (both from the sounds in the simulator and potentially a motion frame) - I am thinking about ways to reduce the amount of sounds coming OUT of the room (e.g, someone might be watching TV downstairs and don't quite find the loud engines as amusing as I will).

There are plenty of ways to reduce sounds but I won't go overboard here and sound insulate the walls with a layer of concrete, another layer of plaster board, yet another layer of 5" insulation and so forth. The room is quite small (3.7 x 2.2 meters) and it currently has wooden floor and normal wallpapered walls. I'll cover the floor with a new thick (as thick as I can find) carpet (my British wife will be happy about this :) to dampen any sound but also to protect the floor from any motion simulator movements. I suspect I will regret this later when dust settles in the carpet, but never mind, I can rip it out if it gets on my nerves!

For the walls and door, I am looking for some type of absorbing wall paper and paint. I found "Acousti-Coat". The manufacturer claims that mid range sounds can be reduced about 30%, so and how much of a bluff that is I don't know, but I am quite sure it won't crease the sound emitted from the room so it's worth a try.

There is a good article about sound isolation and noise reduction that explains how sound travels and how it's effectively reduced. It is more aimed at the home cinema / recording studio audience, but I'll be digging for useful tips and tricks in there. Only two things stops travelling sound and that is mass and space.

If you have any ideas or experience in how to effectively reduce sound being emitted from a room I'd be happy to see it in the comments =)
Category: SimRoom [cat_sr]

Wife Upgrade Hits Finances

Here I am... trying to finance and build my SimRoom when wife decides to upgrade her assets at a cost of 55'000 SEK (that's 27'500 SEK per asset upgraded :) - by chance - this also set my budget for this SimRoom project at 55'000 SEK - but my build process and spending will be spread across coming months. I hope to have the room finished this autumn!
Category: My SimRoom [cat_sr]

Motion Simulation

No simulator would be complete without trying to introduce some forces on your body. Replicating authentic movements and motions in racing and flight sims is impossible, but you at least you can get somewhat of a feel for it. I have been looking at plenty of solutions both within and beyond my budget and here is a summary of what I've been looking at so far.

FrexGP SimConMOTION
This motion system differs from traditional ones by not affecting the entire body (legs are stationary). According to Frex this is a better way to simulate forcers applied to the body when racing, you can find an explanation about this on their website. If you disregard DIY-projects, Frex is probably the cheapest (yet pricey) way to get some movement into your sims.

In order to use SimConMOTION you'll need SimConMotion, SimConBase, Frex Cockpit and a racing seat and harness of your choice. There is an excellent review of this product that goes into the detail of how the experience is to drive this thing and also what it is like to assemble.

Below is a clip of the SimConMOTION in action in the simulator GPL - it also shows the FrexGP HShift+ and a projector =) I think this setup may be very close to what I'll eventually end up with.



The cost of this motion simulator (SimConMotion, SimConBase, Frex Cockpit) excluding shipping and chair is around 13'500 SEK.

DIY Motion Sim using X-sim software
Another popular way to go about simulation motion is to build your own one. There is a piece of software called X-Simulator that is a "Universal and free software to control pneumatic and hydraulic self-made simulators with up to 4 axis and soft-pneumatic."

The main idea of this software is to "Buy a game, install it, 'hack' the directx effects with Yoda (force feedback scanning software) and play it at the same day in your simulator. Without having to wait for any software/driver updates."

Below is an example video of a DIY frame using the X-sim software. I believe the frame was built using hardware from an ordinary hardware store and the two axis are powered by windscreen wiper motors. The creator of this frame has also posted this forum post about it with more media. There is also a progress of work post (17 pages long) he created about building this (however it is in greek, haha - apparently the images are self descriptive though :)



The frame used in the video above is bases on the Joyrider project. The plans to this frame can be purchased from the site at a cost of $15. The frame construction cost is claimed to be less than $500 and build time is a as little as a few days. You can also buy a similar manufactured version of this frame called "DreamFlyer" at this site.

I think that frames such as these may be great for flight sims, but I am more sceptic about their place in racing simulations. As the makers of the FrexGP motion simulator mention, I have a feeling that it will feel awkward to tilt your entire body to such an extent that it may just feel too unnatural (and maybe not responsive enough?). Another issue will be the screen. In extensive motions the screen would have to rotate with you, a 19" TFT tilting around with you will only give motions, but not the big picture experience that I'm after. I suppose you could mount maybe a 26" or even 32" LCD on the frame, or maybe a number of smaller TFT-screens, but I don't think the screens are meant to move around so much and how long they last in one piece might be an issue :) Also, if going for a stationary screen and if you tilt your body 30 degrees, looking at a static projected screen in front of you might be an odd experience.

Force Dynamics 301
Force Dynamics have an awesome product called "the 301". This beggar packs a 50" screen with a DLP-projector that rotates with the frame. With this large piece of machinery there is also a large price tag retailing at $24'000 which is equivalent to about 160'000 SEK. This is yet again beyond my budget - but it's still well worth a spot in this blog and a sample video of this monster in action:



(You may prefer something prettier behind the wheel in this machine)

Links to other commercial and DIY motion solutions:
InMotion Simulator - They claim selling a low-cost solutions from 3-6 DOF, but at a cost of 150'000 - 500'000 SEK it is way out of my budget anyway =)
DIY Motion Platform - 6 DOF work in progress site
DIY Project Forum Post - 2 DOF work in progress
DIY Classic Motion Base - Home Made Hydraulic Simulator
DIY $0 Budget project - Motion on the cheap

Signing off on this post - you may find less interest but more amusement in this video of "John Deere's Tractor Motion Simulator" :)
Category: Hardware [cat_hw]