Minimalist G25 Simulator Build

[Suntzu]

EDIT: FINISHED BUILD ! 5 evenings start to finish. Would have done it in half the time with a proper metal bench type saw instead of angle grinder. An actual plan would have saved a few hours. Great result though. Works brilliantly and full adjustable.



and


Now just metal base without G25



behind the wheel action:


More pics later in thread. Thanks for your support and suggestions. Not bad at all for a rough prototype. Cost me about $100 all up.Not including labour of course. I have to credit my bro in law Salvador who did the hard welding and a lot of the design including the gearshift mount. He's a great help and the job would have been impossible without him.

It really adds to the realism having a good comfortable car seating position.

BACK TO ORIGINAL THREAD:

Im building a lightweight G25 racing simulator seat for the usual racing action but primarily for:

GT5P
Kartsim when it is released later this year.http://www.kartsim.com/ This is because I race in Rotax 125 class and I need to try to get up to speed better on the tracks I am yet to race on, awesome screens and preview here http://www.karting1.co.uk/news/?p=186

And later:
Rfactor and whatever else comes out on PC and PS3.

I have the following:
A new G25.
A proper 2.3m screen and a Panasonic ax100e 720p projector and some pretty awesome audio setup in a dedicated room.
$54 bucks worth of 20mm, 25mm and 30mm RHS steel.
An old school arc welder
A Ryobi angle grinder
A new $100 ebay racing seat from sold smart ( its not bad actually and damn fine for the money and decent to sit in. see here for pics

I do not have:
Any experience or ability with a welder whatsoever. None. Nada. Never had a go at welding.
Any clue about what Im doing.
No actual plan or schematic.

I have a rough idea from pics of commercial systems like Bob Earl and Playseat. Im not copying them any more then the fact I am making a racing simulator.

I Aim
To make it lightweight as possible so it can be moved.
Comfortable and natural seating position for extended sessions.
Totally solid so it wont move when i get busy racing.
Fully Adjustable for most people.
Modular so it can be pulled apart and stored.
Not too nerdy and over the top.
Cheap.
Decent looking so it sort a fits in my movie room.
Most of all i want it to be Fun and to learn about making stuff with steel. A new thing for me.

Results:
Heres 3 hours of hacking and welding for the first time.


So its got off to a good start. I was able to teach myself to weld within reason. It aint pretty let me tell you. But it is straight, proper 90 degree corners and its kinda accurately made.

Im designing the mount for the fully adjustable racing seat them im working on the Pedal mount and then the steering mount. The G25 will be bolted down properly. I with then do the gearbox mount, clean the unit up and spray paint with $8 black paint from bunnings.

Im hoping it wont be too dodgy. Im actually getting my hopes up now that it might actually be decent when finished.

Big afternoon on this tomorrow. So if there's any suggestions fire away.

cheers
russ

[Suntzu]

About 70% there heres some pics from 4 ours work:



and



Gearshift mount, tidying up, adjustable screws and paint next....

[BlackTigerTech]

Very good start!

Waiting for updates!

[aussie2]

Your welding will get better dont worry try doing a series of tacks small tube is hard to weld more so if your using a stick welder (migs the go)

[nelson92]

haha i got the soldsmart chair for $60inc postage and sold it recently for $100 because i had no time to complete the simulator.

[Suntzu]

Originally Posted by nelson92

haha i got the soldsmart chair for $60inc postage and sold it recently for $100 because i had no time to complete the simulator.

Ok that's helpful. Well done. Thanks for contributing.

Im doing a heap of work tonight. I've got another 2m length of 20mm box RHS, I've also got all the nuts and bolts for the adjustment points.

Ill be welding up the seat mount, and grinding it back to make it pretty.

A lot more pictures coming tonight in better quality.

[Vormund]

Base frame looks good, I like the adjustable bit. I think before you weld anymore it would probably be a good idea to put up a pic of your plans though.

[Suntzu]

Yeah it will look a lot better in a few hours.

plan? What plan?
let me see if i can find my crayons...

[mshagg]

I like the concept bud, minimalist - yet perfectly functional. Also looks like you're doing a good job having no welding experience.

I think it will be well decent once completed. Take your time and of course, keep us all updated

*throws a dirty look at my G25 mounted to table* "How could any man love you?"

[ChinoPD]

I strongly suggest a plan or even just a draft drawn on paper with your favourite childhood crayons as to what you want it to look like to cover what you are aiming for.

There's an old thread here which has a very basic and functional set up. The only thing I'd improve on that is X/Y stability but apart from that it looks good.

Slightly OT:

Youtube'd that sim and it looks pretty good, see here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldVK4yhCRdg

Haven't read the review of the game yet but if it has multiplayer I'll most likely give it a go.

[BananaMan]

I built something similar to what you seem to be doing not long ago, but at a total expenditure of $15

No plans either, i sat on the ground with my legs out, and came up with a length. measured width of seat and added a bit. Made seat mounts, sat on seat then held steering wheel in the air while my mate measured. Same for gearstick and pedals.

All done with no clamps, no set squares. Just a tape measure, an old school stick welder and a mate to hold roughly in place then look away





I'd never welded before either. Turned out fine, my welds at the start sucked a little, but by the end had it down pat. Nothing a cleanup with the angle grinder and some paint can't fix

[Suntzu]

Thats what im talking about banaman. On the cheap and a bit of old schoolness. Welding is fun.

Heres some updated pics after 4 more hours at it:


As you can see i stripped the chairs cover ( its designed to be removed and washed.) To save it from the welder and my grubby mitts!

And another frame shot:



Tomorrow night I'm sizing up the steering wheel mount which is obviously critical for enjoyment and comfort.

Hope to get that one right. It will be adjustable within reason.

Then I will size up and fit the pedal arrangement and gear mount. After that its clean up and black paint...then fun!

Im going for a more car like comfort approach than a karting type setup as its to uncomfortable in the karting position after long sessions.

[xinzhitan14]

wow, how strong is that metal fram underneath?

[Suntzu]

I dunno. Got not clue. Im 90kgs and can jump up and down on the metal box frame for the seat and it doesn't move. AT all.

its not very heavy though. The frame at the moment is lighter than the seat by a fair margin.

[jezza323]

id whack a couple of cross braces on the uprights, for longevity, wont weigh much more either