Ledfoot's 2DOF simulator, 3 47" LCD screens....iRacing, Dallara Indy car, Brands Hatch

[BCACatToaster]

Epic!

[ElChachoCoudet]

Great to run a race after dinner.

[mikwilson]

36" screens would provide much better vertical FOV than 24" and you would hot have to sit as close.

[XmastergsanX]

big is not always better, this is bigger than real life, look how small the dude is compared to the car he is driving. imo its best to stick with 24" monitors, its better to look left and right over up and down.

[mikwilson]

@XmastergsanX @XmastergsanX It all depends on how far you are sitting from the monitors. In order to get the right FOV with 24" monitors, you need to have them very close to your face (like 15 inces) or you will not achieve a proper 180deg FOV. From the camera's perspective, things will never look correct but using the iRacing FOV calculator and sittiing at the recommended 36" away, the objects are true to life. 24" monitors do not provide enough vertical FOV for my taste but to each his own.

[XmastergsanX]

@mikwilson

I see what you mean. if you can afford it , the 36" option is the way to go then.

[holymacarony]

That is so coool...

You should wear a helmet for more realism :)

[mikwilson]

@holymacarony lol. I don't own one yet :-)

[noshy09]

how much did all that cost you?

[mikwilson]

@noshy09 The price will vary based on your design. Visit simxperience [dot] com for pricing info on DIY starter kits.

[noshy09]

average setup. with the 3 screens, a good wheel ( anything abit more advanced than a g27, i mean like a really good wheel) with the seat actuators etc, aprox cost?

[mikwilson]

@noshy09 The Thrustmaster T500 is a good mid range alternative to the G27. If you want a super high end wheel go for the ECCI 7000. Visit SimXperience (dot) com to get the price on a Stage 1 or Stage 2 kit which will include all you need to get started.

[Slobodan600]

What actuators are you using and where did you get them?

[mikwilson]

@Slobodan600 I'm using SCN5 actuators and you can get them from simxperience [dot] com.

[Slobodan600]

@mikwilson oh ok. those are about $500 each. Do you know if there is a cheaper alternative, I'm trying to keep cost as low as I can.

[mikwilson]

@Slobodan600 you can use the 100mm actuators instead of the 150mm to save some cost. Another alternative is using wiper motors instead of SCN5 actuators but you will be sacrificing performance and simplicity for cost.

[mikwilson]

@Foxracing416 They are in the works :)

[sugarmaker67]

the whistling noise would drive me crazy

[mikwilson]

@sugarmaker67 The only reason you hear the actuators so loud is because the camera microphone is very close to them. When you're in the chair you actually don't hear them much because of the sound from the speakers.

[Invisus944]

Wow, your setup and video made me really interested in driving simulation. Where can one find a seat like that?

[CTSpecOps]

@Invisus944 it might be a playseat

[mikwilson]

@CTSpecOps Sorry, it's not a playseat. It's a DIY motion platform using a real Sparco racing seat.

[mikwilson]

@Invisus944 Visit the X-Sim forums for more information on this DIY project.

[geezermeezer]

lol, technically, the screens are just a bit too big and therefore it creates a car which is bigger than normal, but nethertheless, awesome setup, im so jealous =(

[mikwilson]

@geezermeezer From the perspective of the video camera it looks too big but behind the wheel while driving, the car and objects on the road are very true to life in size. It all depends on how you setup the FOV and distance from the monitors themselves.

[geezermeezer]

@mikwilson

no way ho zay, look at the racing car in the game it spans from far left edge of your left monitor to the far right edge of your right monitor. No car is that wide. To me it looks like your driving a giant racing car, lol xD

[mikwilson]

@geezermeezer in this video the angle on the side monitors are at 45 deg which is what most run. I'm now running my side monitors at 65 deg which I much prefer. If you prefer small monitors that you have to have very close to your face to give a proper sense of perspective then that is your choice and I will not try to convince you that my way is better, lol The view looks a lot different when you are sitting in the seat vs watching from a video so don't knock it until you've tried it.

[geezermeezer]

@mikwilson

dont get me wrong, i would definitely play what you have, only problem is i cant afford a setup like that so im gona have to stick wit the 19 inch crt tv for now, haha

just wondering, where did you buy the motion sim chair from and how much was it, if its affordable i might be able to convince my cousin to buy one so i can play, lol xD

[mikwilson]

@geezermeezer The motion platform in this video is a DIY project. I built it with information gathered from x-simulator [dot] de. You can also buy fully assembled platforms and starter kits from simxperience [dot] com. It's not as expensive as you think to get started. Check out the site and let me know if you have any more questions about building one.

[geezermeezer]

@mikwilson

one other question, why do people always use formula one cars to drive, cant you use like BMW, mercedes, toyota cars etc in this iRacing game?

[mikwilson]

@geezermeezer The iRacing service has a number of cars available but no european cars other than the VW Jetta at the moment. I'm certain that this will eventually come as they are expanding their contentent rapidly. Rest assured, when they do produce a car, it's done very well. The latest vehicle to be laser scanned is the Williams F1 car and it is a blast to drive. iRacing focuses on real simulation and not arcade driving so it take much longer to prepare content.

[Str8representing]

What video card are you using? I'm building a 42" 3 TV screens eyefinity rig myself and want to run max settings with full grid in iRacing and still have good fps. Can you suggest anything? Am thinking of ati 5870 vs 5970.

[mikwilson]

@Str8representing Sorry for the late response. iRacing does not take advantage of Crossfire so a 5970 will be a waste for iRacing. You will get great performance with a 5870. Note that iRacing is more CPU dependent than GPU so you will want the fastest CPU you can get. I run an i7 950 overclocked to 4.1ghz and I still can't run with shadows on in a full grid while maintaining FPS above 80. Most run with shadows off to get decent FPS in all conditions.

[cjellwood]

Sounds like your budgies get excited when you play

[ColbyChurch]

Hey, how much would all of this stuff cost me all together? I'm very interested. I'm an upcoming racer, and this would really come in handy and get me used to other types of cars as well as stock cars.

[mikwilson]

@ColbyChurch It all depends on how far you want to go. I would suggest visiting simxperience [dot] com and also the x-sim forums as a start. I'll be happy to answer any additional questions you have.

[MrHhh95]

@ColbyChurch it would be a rip off buy a xbox instead it is better because irac is a horrible simulator.

[Woopass90]

I am using the HP passive adapter which supports up to 1920x1200. It works a treat. The only issue is the framerate with the 5870. I am going to upgrade to the 5890.

[mikwilson]

@Woopass90. I plan on adding a second 5870 sometime in the future but I think I may upgrade from an i5 750 CPU to an i7 930 CPU first. I use iRacing mostly and it requires a very powerful CPU to run high framerates with all options enabled.

[ji3200]

@mikwilson is this simulator compatible with richard burns rally??? please reply me thanks

[mikwilson]

@ji3200 This simulator uses x-sim which has a plugin available for Richard Burns Rally. Visit simxperience [dot] com for details on the hardware and x-simulator [dot] de for details on x-sim.

[scarenl]

Thanks for inspiring us with your setup. I'm thinking about replacing my projector with the tripple setup. What brand/type of LCD's are you using? Are they all running 1080P?

[mikwilson]

Thanks

They are Vizio 1080p screens

[Woopass90]

Just ordered 3x 27" Samsung monitors and an ATI 5870 today. Can wait. Mik did you have any issues with the display port adaptors?

[mikwilson]

I'm using the Dell active DP adapter and at first I had issues with the screen going blank every once in a while for a few seconds at a time. I have not had the issue since upgrading the bios of the 5870.

[stefanels]

Incredible, awesome...

[mikwilson]

Thanks

[Thundertje]

One of the best setups ive seen very very cool nice !!!

[mikwilson]

Thanks.  I've made a number of changes since this video.

[subeefan]

@mikwilson so make a new one

[TonhoPereira]

Hello =] How many degrees your g25 turns?

[ThirdLife86]

900

[mikwilson]

Yes, the G25 will do 900. I use about 450 for the Indy car in iRacing.

[HotSIzZle12]

Btw, how much are each tracks (or cars) on iRacing? Or is it included with the subscription? I'm planning to purcahse a 2 year plan...

[mikwilson]

You get a few cars and about 7 tracks with the basic subscription. Each additional car and track vary between $11 and $15 but you only have to buy them once. The physics of iRacing are far superior to any other sim that I have tried and I have tried most of the popular ones.

Make sure to look me up (Michael Wilson) when you join. 

Thanks

[HotSIzZle12]

a little overkill with those screens dont you think?

[mikwilson]

Not in my opinion. The larger screeens with the side screens now set at 65 degrees gives an incredible sense of immersion.

[HotSIzZle12]

I just think when you're that close, everything seems oversized with 47" ...I have a have a 24" monitor setup and i think its just about the right size. I guess to each to his own. Cool setup either way... is this out of your own pocket or is it company owned? That whole righ should be atleast 10k...

[mikwilson]

I was using an HD projector bfore so going to 3 47" screens gave me better FOV. The thing that I was looking for was the wrap around effect that cannot be experienced with small screens and makes a big difference. The objects on the track are also more realistic in size as well with bigger screens. There are also plenty of pros that use similar setups with equal size screens so there must be something to it. As you said, to each his own :-)

I paid for this out of my own pocket over 10k.

[mikwilson]

Actually, I'm Canadian.......lol

[blixtenkarting]

the screens is to big you can fit a cow in that indy :D

[meggerman]

feel sorry for the budgies though :(

[SuperMcKie]

Excellent set up. Not one hiccup in the graphics. smooth as butter. is the Iracing more cpu dependent . I didn't see that stutter one bit.

[mikwilson]

iRacing is both CPU and memory intensive and the performance you get will depend on the hardware you have just like any other game. I'm using an ATI 5870 video card to drive the 3 monitors and a PC with an Intel i5 750 processor.

[bmlocal175]

Whats all the details on that chair setup?

[mikwilson]

The chair is powered by 2 actuators run by x-sim motion software. I built the motion platform from scratch with information from the x-sim forum

[gmrevo]

Great setup

[mikwilson]

Thanks

[njracer34]

again sweet setup dude. can you do a video of a tin top? i'd like to get an idea of what it looks like in the corvette if you have it, something where i can get an idea of how the dash looks and how far to the right of the car you could see. if it wouldn't be to much trouble, i mean i doubt you mind showing off that beast ;)

great setup 5 stars for sure.

[mikwilson]

No problem dude. I'll do one for you this evening.

Thanks for the comments.

[retsamkcub]

Whats that chirping noise?

[mikwilson]

The chirping noise comes from the actuators but you don't really hear it when the sound is at a higher level. I had the sound down because it was after midnight and the family was in bed :-).

[Luky1Jay]

You have family huh, what does your wife think about this setup? :D

[mikwilson]

My wife is great. She supports all of my bad habits :-)

[retsamkcub]

VERY COOL SETUP! Awful looking game...

[mikwilson]

The game is iRacing which is a true racing simulator used by both amateurs and professionals. This video does not really do the sim justice as the texture quality and level of detail is quite stunning. Couple that with laser scanned tracks and great physics engine and you have yourself a great driving experience every time.

[je1117]

Incredible! 5 stars!

[Splendiddddd]

Nice Rig ! see ya on the forums

[mikwilson]

Thanks.