DIY SimRacing Rig - a 2021 Covid Project

PRO_TOO

PRO_TOO

Team Heffernan
25 May 2003
Rego Park, Germany
Team Heffernan
hey guys,

for a couple of weeks now i'm into planing my next sim racing rig. Covid will keep my at home for some time in the future and i want to drive with a wheel again...

as i owned a Thurstmaster T300RS before, i would like to raise the quality a bit. so my choice is the Fanatec CSL Elite for Playstation including the Elite Pedal Set with LC brake!

here is todays update on the rig planning (copied my comment from gtplanet.com):


update february 10th:
the following rigs are the base for my build, as i found them sturdy and good looking plus giving lots of possibilities in the future.
i was considering 160x40 for the base frame but i'll go with 120x40 as this will be solid enough. same for the wheel table and the rest of the base frame.
for now, i'll install the seat without any height adjustment options. just the pedal deck will get 2 small profiles to adjust the front height.

i really like these 2 models:
GT omega prime:
omegaprimeasjnn.png


P1-X:
p1-xsimracingcockpitz2k9j.jpg


dont like the X-Dream so much anymore because of the size and all those small profiles that look kinda "weirdly constructed" to me.

base frame: so the base will be similar to those rigs above, only 120x40 (instead of 160x40). for the lenght of the base frame i am considering 1400mm (in comparison the P1-X is 1350mm), for the width of the base frame i'm not sure. 500mm or 550mm (th P1-X is 500mm).
i'm not sure if i can go wrong for future updates, when i make the base "only" 500mm wide.
seat: the seat section will only feature those 2 bars (seen above). i could upgrade that later on with a width and height option.
wheel table: height will be 780mm like the P1-X. currently i'm thinking about instead of using one 120x40 (580 mm lenght) profile for the table itself (where the wheel is mounted) but 2 40x40 for more sturdiness. see the video here: that would give more flexibility when arranging the wheels "dip", right?! this guy has one bar in front of the wheel arms and one is sitting in between. does that give more stiffness?!
i will definitly attach those wheel arms sideways, not on top of the base frame!
i want to put the whole rig on feet brackets... M8, 100mm length, 50mm wide foot plate.
finally: the cost of all the profiles plus corner brackets and nuts n such... are about 340 euro. that sounds fair, imo!

rough material plan:
base lenght: 2x 120x40 1400mm
base width: 2x 120x40 500mm
base feet: 4 feet brackets
wheel arms: 2x 120x40 780mm
wheel table: 1x 120x40 580mm or 2x 40x40 580mm/500mm
seat holder: 2x 40x40 500mm
pedal holder: 2x 40x40 420mm
connections: 40x corner brackets + nuts
total: around 340 euro including shipping.

the mazda seat is waiting at home, fanatec csl elite are out of stock; looks like i am ready to order and build the rig! what do you think!?
 
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update february 12th:

so, the 4th and final CAD drawing is done. i'm ready to order!
:D


[IMG]


[IMG]


it became basically the old P1 cockpit.

i have my material list ready like this:

2x 120x40 1400mm base frame
2x 120x40 500mm base frame
2x 120x40 780mm wheel arms
2x 40x40 500mm seat holder
2x 40x40 580mm pedal tray (because the pedal bracket will be sitting outside of the frame and i need to consider the base frame)
1x 80x40 580mm pedal tray (because the pedal bracket will be sitting outside of the frame and i need to consider the base frame)

20x corner brackets including screws
18x caps to cover the ends
10x nuts for pedal tray
10x bolts for pedal tray

https://www.simxpro.shop/home/Fanatec-CSL-Front-mount-410-420-mm-p212746980
wheel mount (as linked above) i will order later or when a new Fanatec Wheel is announced (you know, the drilled holes for the buttons and such..)
pedal brackets (as linked above) i will try to buy from this guy on ebay
no link

i will get some solid feet, like the simlab ones, later. will use some furniture pads for now so the rig isnt sitting directly on the wooden floor.

this looks so much cleaner, material list and construction wise! i hope i'm good now. anything i forgot!?
 
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Update: February 14th 2021

copied from GTplanet.com:
Guys, I wanna take you on a ride, same ride I was in... the train of happiness/bliss! Because shared fun is double the fun, right!?

So today, a lovely cold and snowy (plus sunny) day in February, mid Germany, few cars on the road (like you can set it up in good racing sim software) I picked up the first piece of the puzzle. The pedal brackets! But not only that...

While I was planning my Rig the last couple of weeks, I was searching for accessories on eBay... on local eBay I found the P1 pedal brackets. I send a message to the seller, who turned out to be a sim racing nut, asking for the price of the brackets. A few messages later we had a deal plus an awesome conversation! It wasnt that typical eBay chatter, it felt like talking to a friend, ready to give me advice when needed!

saying he’d place the goods at some spot at his house so I could grab em, I drove like 30 min to arrive at his place today around 1pm. Being happy about our deal I had thoughts when I drove over there.
„It’s all good“, he said via email... „we sim racers have a codecs, we trust each other“.
I felt confident and when I arrived, walking up a snow covered lane, I picked up those braking pedal brackets and the profiles attached to them (wich all was presented in a nice way), got them off the ground and i fell in love! With the quality of the materials and the smoothness of that deal at the same time! Just awesome! Happy me!!

[IMG]


[IMG]


I left a bottle of Riesling whine I brought, send the 85 Euro via PayPal and a lovely message, before I left the area and drove home.

those brackets found a new home. Finally.
[IMG]


Nuts and bolts were included!

[IMG]


I’m very satisfied tonight with acquiring the first parts of what will be an awesome sim rig for me! That’s it for now, stay safe, stay healthy and have a good night!

Edit: just one small thing. I can’t stretch one topic to much but that kind of personal contact and interaction with “strangers” is what the world needs, imo! Maybe I’m making to much out of a simple selling situation but I feel good! Sooo good!
I’ll stay in contact with the buyer for sure.

We are one community! Peace. ✌
 
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PRO_TOO said:
,
I felt confident and when I arrived, walking up a snow covered lane, I picked up those braking pedal brackets and the profiles attached to them (wich all was presented in a nice way), got them off the ground and i fell in love! With the quality of the materials and the smoothness of that deal at the same time! Just awesome! Happy me!!
Click to expand...

Awesome! :D This made me smile, this is one of those moments in life where something to someone else wouldn't be the same, but to you it was everything. I have been in those moments myself. Good on you mate, i hope it turns out to be everything you expected. ;)


PRO_TOO said:
,
just one small thing. I can’t stretch one topic to much but that kind of personal contact and interaction with “strangers” is what the worlds needs, imo! Maybe I’m making to much out of a simple sell situation but I feel good! Sooo good!
I’ll stay in contact with the buyer for sure.

We are one community! Peace. ✌
Click to expand...

Amen brother, well said :SAL:
 
quick update, Feb. 22nd, 2021:
so while the wheel deck (edit: click here for a picture!) is already on its way from SimLabs storage to mid germany, i ordered the rest of all necessary parts this morning
(from 2 different sources).
i finally found some cheap feet (click here) to get some more height for my rig (as mentioned before). the feet set even features those 10mm plates... lets see.
even when i had a look at my material list multiple times... i'm pretty sure, i fogot something!
:D
its always like that!

this week, i will collect all the tools needed to assemble the whole thing. i will prepare the working environment like making space and laying out protection for the wooden floor.

what else is there to say?! well, i'm planning on documenting the whole building process and putting a video on youtube. i was thinking of taking pictures only but a video might be better, more detailed. not sure yet how i will do this and what kind of video i will create, but i want to share somehow! maybe some other people will notice and start creating their own project...

i'll be back as soon as all the parts are delivered and the building process is about to start!
stay safe!
 
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quick update, Feb. 24th, 2021:

so today, 2 packages got delivered! one from Motedis with some metal plates for the feet and wheel arms (plus some minor stuff like caps) and one from SimLabs!

and oh boy... that wheel deck is one solid piece of hardware!
:drool:
you can feel the quality when you have it in hands!
:bowdown:
i'm so glad i was listening to the advices here!!
i thought the wheel deck would be greyish (from the pics in the SimLab shop) but its an all black finish and screws plus nuts were included!

so there is one final delivery coming next week... and then its Bob the builder time!
 
just a quick update:
the rig build will probably be done by next week. i had to order some more materials that i forgot (its always like that with a DIY project)!
i ordered a wheel and pedals today but cant say more right now! ;)
i am happy as a 6 year old on christmas... i'll let you know next week!

greatness awaits...! :D
 
super quick update, march 17th:
stay cool guys... we are on the final stretch!
last day at work for this week, so there will be plenty of time to finalize the cockpit. had to order some minor stuff i forgot (who would have thought!?
:D
) and its arriving tommorow. the seat was prepared and tuned last night and will be professionally cleaned today.
i'll surely be back with more information and pictures by the end of the week! stay safe!
 
PRO_TOO said:
super quick update, march 17th:
stay cool guys... we are on the final stretch!
last day at work for this week, so there will be plenty of time to finalize the cockpit. had to order some minor stuff i forgot (who would have thought!?
:D
) and its arriving tommorow. the seat was prepared and tuned last night and will be professionally cleaned today.
i'll surely be back with more information and pictures by the end of the week! stay safe!
Click to expand...

What games do you plan to use the seat for?
iRacing? As not tried it myself but everyone says it is the best simulation out there - As not keen on the subscription model for it.

I would love to have a full proper setup, but I only really play the Simcade type games like F1 and GT Sport - The full simulation games need way too much practice.
Plus there is absolutely nothing more fun than F1 round Monaco.
 
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bsmaff said:
What games do you plan to use the seat for?
iRacing? As not tried it myself but everyone says it is the best simulation out there - As not keen on the subscription model for it.

I would love to have a full proper setup, but I only really play the Simcade type games like F1 and GT Sport - The full simulation games need way too much practice.
Plus there is absolutely nothing more fun than F1 round Monaco.
Click to expand...
na, no iRacing for now.
it was all planned to be a racing rig for the PS5 (ACC and GTS + PC2 i wanted to play)... but the more i dove into the topic the more i got hungry! :LOL: insane!
so, on the side i build a PC again...:ROLL: for 1080p gaming (still i'm in search for a reasonable priced (used) graphics card around the 200 euro mark).
the amount of good racing sims is just too inviting (and the mods... the mods!!)... so i'm kinda in between hardware right now! :D
regarding titles for PC; i had an eye on AMS2 and ACC for the first PC sim title i wanna grab! not sure yet what to get first... iRacing or rFactor are not that interresting to me atm (thats to hardcore and i'm not sure if i'm fitting the community)! i prefer road cars, then GT class cars and lastly the F1 cars. not y huge F1 fan anyway... but yeah, Monaco is great to drive!
My favorite track was and is the Nordschleife! My favorite car is the Nissan GT-R!
 
With the setup your building, then a PC would be very much worth the investment.
The only issue is like with everything the silicon shortage has massively put up the prices of PC hardware, even second hand stuff.

I only recently bought a T300RS, so still trying to figure out which games to play, I watched a few videos on YouTube and the general consensus was that iRacing and the original Asseto Corsa are the best simulations - Although AC needs mods to take to the next level.

I have installed what I have in my Steam Library to try them out:-
Asseto Corsa - 1st one
Dirt Rally
Project Cars

I need to download a couple more, then if I get really into it all - I will consider next year whether it is worth the investment or not to upgrade to a Fanatec.
You will have to let me know what you think of the difference - As personally going from a Logitech G29 to the T300 RS GT, the steering wheel and everything about it is better made than the G29.
The only thing I miss is the rev counter in the middle to tell me when to change gear.
 
marthchyld said:
Well, it was just asking. They sell T300RS + TH8A as a bundle in my country in general.
I think TH8A is such a decent shifter which suits decent wheel like T300RS.
Click to expand...

I used to have the shifter for my G29, but never really used it and didn't think it added anything for me personally so just sold it.
So I wouldn't think about buying a shifter again.
 
bsmaff said:
I used to have the shifter for my G29, but never really used it and didn't think it added anything for me personally so just sold it.
So I wouldn't think about buying a shifter again.
Click to expand...

So you prefer paddle shifting, if that's the case, well done.
 
Schumi 307 – one rig to drive them all!

It all started last winter, when the weather was depressing as was the worlds Covid Pandemic was/is. So let me bring some more fun into my living realm, i thought to myself. Lets get into SimRacing again but this time a bit more serious.

Being a former owner of a TM T300RS i wanted to step up the game a bit and decided to get a Fanatec CSL Elite Bundle. I needed a Wheel and Pedals that were Playstation compatible, as the PS5 is the center of my gaming expirience. While looking for inspiration regarding a new SimRacing Cockpit, i found the models of SimLabs or Motedis. As the prices for those cockpits, especially the ones i liked the most, were a bit steep, i decided to build my own cockpit based on those models.

I sat down and installed the free CAD software MayCAD on my Computer, a simple and intuitive 3D design based software. A couple of days later my 4th or 5th attempt was satisfiyng enough to start scouting the internet for material sources.



A few days later, the first parts arrived and a week later i had all the stuff at home waiting to be assembled. „All the materials needed“ i thought, but how wrong i was. It’s a DIY project so some aspects may not work out as planned; i had to learn that! :D



So it all began with the base, 1350mm in length, 500mm in width, followed by attaching the feet.
I ordered those metal feet plates (10mm), 12mm rods and anti-slipping mat for small money online.



I was was lucky to get my hands on some used P1 pedal brackets from a SimRacing enthusiast who helped me with tipps and tricks and still is in contact with me.



The side-arms, supposed to hold the wheel deck, were next. I slid them in with ease and now it looked more like a cockpit.



The next part of the base cockpit had me install the seat holder section. I meassured and fiddled and finaly installed a Mazda 6 seat i was lucky to grab. A colleague at work helped me out a lot with preparing the seat and cutting screws and such.



The wheel deck was the final part that needed to be installed, but i attached it tot he wheel base first and then hooked it up to the cockpit side arms!



While building the cockpit, i was checking the Fanatec website constantly, awaiting the CSL Elite Bundle to be in stock again. Till today it hasnt been restocked in europe. In anticipation of the wheel i ordered my first pair of racing gloves, just to wear them at home while watching motorsports on TV! ;)



When the base of the rig was roughly done (when is a DIY project ever done, right!?) and i was regulary watching countless of review videos of driving hardware, i had enough of the waiting. I ordered from Fanatec‘s website what was available! :D

More on that in the second part of the building report… stay tuned folks!
 
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mattmid said:
Looks nice. That's also a remarkably shiny table. :))
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I was lucky to get the table used on eBay for 70 euro. Always wanted a big simple and clean table looking like in the apple store. 😂 love it when there is nothing but my MacBook sitting on it plus the plant. ...or a direct drive wheel! 😂
 
And another update...
my rig has been moved to a separate room, I call it the pit box, and the new screen arrived today too.
quick update and setup for the picture. Will go more into detail with the settings tomorrow, all I wanna do now is getting out on the track again. It’s been a week!
E4B68FF4-3F72-4546-9C07-11C5299D0369.jpeg

6C938108-7F6B-498A-8B10-91BA655E3241.jpeg
 
I'd suggest you try simhub for a custom dashboard. Just mount your phone or a tablet onto the wheel base and you have yourself a perfect addon.
 
its999maggle said:
I'd suggest you try simhub for a custom dashboard. Just mount your phone or a tablet onto the wheel base and you have yourself a perfect addon.
Click to expand...
ive been reading good things about simhub.
my main focus is still on the basic stuff like fine tuning the position of the TV, wheel, pedals and seat. Some fov settings and detailed tinkering with the DD1 settings takes time too. Right now there is no need for me to have this, but I already put aside an old 10“ android tablet for that purpose.
there is so much to do in sim racing, I’m pretty busy at a lot of fronts. :)
 
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