Driving cab questions

[Generic Eric]

Ideally, I would like to build a driving cab where I could play the most games on.

This would include PC games, MAME games, and console(including dreamcast) games.  So right there I am looking at multiple steering wheels, at least 3 before I consider MAME(dreamcast plus the universal console wheel and wheel for pc) right?  Then there is the 360 wheel and the 270 degree wheels.

So...

Has anyone considered a swappable steering column?  By the looks of things, most of the wheels(I have 2 by same manufacturer) looks like bulk and fanciness there just for style.  Admittedly, I have yet to open any console wheel to see the innards.  Does anyone have suggestions or input as to whether the steering wheels controls can be "shrunken" down to make the small enough for the swappable steering wheel column idea?  I would like to be able to remove the steering wheel, pop out a "control unit," disconnect its wires, grab another control unit and plug in the wire, pop it in and put the steering wheel back on.  Ideally, I would like that to take about 2 minutes at the most.

I don't expect anyone to hand me the blueprints and expect to be able to build overnight.  Lately, I have seen people mention ideas or things that they have done that I had been think about on my own.  I am hoping this is any idea that others have considered as well.  

Any/all feedback is welcome.   Thanks

[unclet]

I am making a driving cab (which should be done in approximately one month) which includes the following:

- Star Wars Yoke
- Spy Hunter 270 steering wheel
- Pole Position 360 steering wheel
- Sega HangOn motorcycle steering assembly
- 2 Virtual On joysticks
- Mad Catz Universal steering wheel (for my XBox)
- Mad Catz gas/brake pedals
- 2 sets of Virtual Racing gas/brake pedals

I decided a swappable panel would be too much work for me, so I went with a rotating design.

Maybe I will win a Mamey for my design.....

[SNAAAKE]

  NIIICE  ! ! !
VERY VERY NICE ! ! (amazing design)
where did you get that sit though ?  

[BombProofPlane]

that is slick how did you come up with that design looks great

i would add a sequential shifter on the right

(2 way joystick with a chrome knob)


another note

GET A MOMO FORCE

BEST PS2 Wheel there is and it works with pc

[unclet]

Thanks for the comments.  The design was something which has been evolving ever since I started.   No one (who I could find) ever built anything like this so I was on my own.  The picture I include is quite old.  The project is almost complete ..... I just finished wood putty'ing and sanding yesterday.   The shifter panel has already been completed....it includes the following:

- 4speed shifter
- 3speed shifter with turbo
- 2speed (forward/reverse) shifter with turbo (return to center)
- 2speed shifter (low/high) with turbo (not return to center)
- 5 player buttons
- 5 configuration buttons (Pause, Esc, Enter, Tab, Reset)
- 2 player start buttons
- 2 player coinUp buttons

Yeah, I know, I went overboard on the shifters, but they look great and will allow the player to choose the appropriate shifter to use for the game.  Everything will be wired via USB Microsoft Dual Strike gamepads.  The Pole Position 360 wheel will be a USB mouse hack.

The driving arcade seat came from an Indy500 cabinet.   I was looking for an authentic arcade seat which allowed the player to adjust the seat position.    I found a couple of people who would give me a seat for free but shipping would be crazy (you could imagine).   Then one day I found a vendor who was a few hours away and who happen to be located next to the city where I was going to vacation soon.  It was dumb luck.   He had 3 seats and wanted to keep two of them for some conversion he was going to do.   He let me pick which one I wanted out of the 3 he had.   I basically just picked it up on vacation and brought it home.  Works great...  

I already bought the Mad Catz Universal  steering wheel so this is the one which will be used.   It came highly recommended the couple of times I asked around for ideas.  It seems to work fine for me (and my young boys).  

[night]

im thinking of building a driving cab next, but it will most likely be PC only. IE F12002 and Nascar. in which case it would also very likely be dual screen (ie, twin 9200's). costly, but would be awesome.

[Bill_S]

unclet -
got any more recent pics?

[unclet]

Need to borrow a camera again for that, so I can not take any now.   I will post some pics when I am done....it should be soon.  

[Frostillicus]

I think I saw that pic on a previous older thread (like you say the pic is older) - I said wow then and I say wow now.  That is simply gonna rock.  Post new pics soon - we are all anxious.  Good job on breaking new ground  (maybe some construct plans will be in the future?)

[BombProofPlane]

why only the universal, you dont like force feedback?

[SNAAAKE]

why only the universal, you dont like force feedback?

we are talking about the madcatz undersal ?
it supports force feedback.

[BombProofPlane]

not true force feedback just rumble

with the momo force you feel the car grip the road and when the wheels slip and all the bumps

[unclet]

I looked up Momo Force and it was $120 while the MadCatz Universal was $50.   Can the Momo Force be used to interface with XBox (or just a PC)?

I need an extension cable for the Madcatz steering wheel to allow it to be mounted on my cabinet (which I do not believe they make), so I might be returning it.    I asked for help with this in another BYOAC post.

[hulkster]

im thinking of building a driving cab next, but it will most likely be PC only. IE F12002 and Nascar. in which case it would also very likely be dual screen (ie, twin 9200's). costly, but would be awesome.

whoa dude, dual screen/seat sit down cab playing nascar!  that would so awesome, you would have to have a pretty fast computer to run all that though right?  and yeah that would be really expensive.

[BombProofPlane]

sorry the momo doesn't work with the xbox

 games that work with  the momo are programmed to work with it thats why the effects are so good