Motion Simulator and Race Cockpit

Here’s the second part of the diary of my DIY motion simulator.

After having finished my first motion simulator (see “diary part 1″), I already planned to go to stage 2. I wanted a bit more realism – a cage, a roof and even a door and a bigger screen… and so much more !
I’ve got the motopc hydraulic brake system, installed it on my VPP pedals and modified them with a clutch. Then I built a button box and a few parts more…

Because many users and simracers asked me during the last months and years, how I’ve built my simulators, how I solved this and that problem during the building process and things like that, I decided now to put a few pictures from my archive and from old postings here together into a short film, the so-called “Diary of my Sim” !

Dear friends, visitors, fellows and partners,

due to really many mails, messages, youtube comments and personal requests by phone calls, how much the EVO3 would cost, where to get it and how to buy it, I was really thinking a long time whether to sell it or not. Well, it’s my “baby” ! I built it from the scratch, there have been the EVO1 and the EVO2 before, and now it’s the EVO3 – therefore it’s in fact an evolution and a long time, I’ve spent with constructing and finally “using” these simulators.

Basically I would not think about selling this unique Motion Simulator, because it’s a complete DIY project, it’s made for me and it’s growing, changing and being updated every now and then. It works great for me and it has everything, an affordable (well okay, this phrase is worth to be discussed in my wife’s eyes *fg*) motion sim can have ! But if anyone out there wants to have exactly THIS model, THIS unique motion sim, THIS EVO3, I would sell it anyway…

A few days ago I installed new parts from our fellow partner SYMPROJECTS.COM: Revburner, GI Max Gear Indicator and SPI-D Digital Speedometer. SimScreen follows asap when I start building the new dashboard.

The first step was the installation and a short test of the parts – it’s only an interim installation. Everything is working great, the SimDash software is simple and easy to use. The only problem at the moment is the simultaneously use of both SimDash and X-Sim, for example in Dirt3 and other Codie’s Games. In GTR Evo it works perfectly. Cristiano from Symprojects gives great support and I’m sure, that these problems will be solved with the next release of SimDash.

Here’s another video, this time of my friend Mark taking his first ride in the Evo3 a few weeks ago. He never gave PC race simulations a try before and was a little bit doubtful about it, but after a few minutes he was absolutely thrilled !

Track (as usual): Nurburgring Nordschleife
Car / Series: WTCC BMW E90 first, then Caterham
Screen-Setup: Eyefinity @ 5760×1080

In this last part of the construction report you can see the EVO3 in its final position (lucky me, that it doesn’t take too much space in this room *fg*), a few pictures of my F1 wheel with the same quick release mechanism like the Rally wheel (OMP 33mm) and you will see the modified dampening concept. I mounted the actuator arms from the outer position into the simulators chassis. Now the whole sim is a bit shorter and the dampening bar isn’t visible any longer.

In part 3 of the “construction report” you will mostly see the additional cage on the front where one of the computers is placed, the cover and front panel of the dashboard with all buttons, switches and the SLI Pro as well as the roof and the final back resp. housing of the subwoofer.

Let’s go on with part 2/4.

You will mostly see the construction of the dashboard and the side-arms of the Eyefinity-Screens (at first I began with 28″ TFTs, but then I switched to 37″ LCD screens).

Here we go – many users, visitors and racers asked me during the building process of my new Motion Simulator EVO3 for pictures, photographs, sketches, measurements and things like that and I asked all of you to be patient.

I took many pictures while building and constructing the new sim – only with my iPhone, so please don’t expect high-quality magazine-style pictures ! I won’t comment each photo, because I think they’re all self-explaining. I will publish 4 posts with the pictures.

After a long time off, I updated some things on my computers and took a few quick test races in Dirt3 with my EVO3.