Buidling a cockpit cab: help requested

[Felsir]

After building my first arcade cab I'm moving to the next level: a sitdown driving cabinet.
The design looks a little bit like a buck rogers cab. I like it because it's fairly compact.
I made a quick doodle of my plan.

Questions: Does anyone have a sitdown cab? What are the measurements for (see attached picture)
A - seat to base of the cab
B - Distance pedals - seat
C - height of the steeringwheel base
D - height to the bottom of the monitor

I plan to have 'B' variable. The whole cab comes in three parts, the base engine where the steering wheel and the pedals are attached to, the cover for the monitor and the seat assembly. The seat assembly will slide under the base unit. furniture wheels (with locks) enable it to roll under the base effectively making distance B variable. I ask the measurement to see what kind of sliding distance I generally require.

Feature's I'd like to build in the cab:
Working breaklights on the back of the cab. In some way a microswitch will be triggered (or rather untriggered) sending a signal to the lights on the back of the seat.
Another goofy idea: a fan that blows wind in the driver's face. I remember a motorcycle game in the arcade (can't remember the name) that had this feature... Too bad no game actually outputs the speed the player is driving so I probably will not include this ...

Any idea's, hints and sound advice is welcome!

[bdsjake]

its probably going to be a bit of trial and error for you, to get the measurements right.  You might also search the web for homebuilt flight simulator cockpits, which will have some of the same dimensions you are looking at.

good luck and please post your progress. I bit anyone who has built one cab has at least thought about building a driving cab! (myself included!)

[DrewKaree]

What are the measurements for (see attached picture)
A - seat to base of the cab
B - Distance pedals - seat
C - height of the steeringwheel base
D - height to the bottom of the monitor

While not giving you the measurements, I DO have an almost foolproof method to obtain these measurements.....head outside, open your car door, and voila!  Instant measurements for the taking!  

I plan to have 'B' variable. The whole cab comes in three parts, the base engine where the steering wheel and the pedals are attached to, the cover for the monitor and the seat assembly. The seat assembly will slide under the base unit. furniture wheels (with locks) enable it to roll under the base effectively making distance B variable. I ask the measurement to see what kind of sliding distance I generally require.

Using my measurement method, slide the seat as far forward as possible, measure, then slide it as far backward as possible, and measure.  

Another goofy idea: a fan that blows wind in the driver's face.

Not so goofy an idea!  I've thought about doing this for my regular cab, see the "sweating like a pig" thread somewhere around here!  Here's an idea, pick yourself up a fanbus (best solution) or an Enermax power supply with the variable fan speed option.  You can get a pair (or more) of those big 120 fans and hook 'em up!  That way, once you get good at the game, you won't need visine after playing a marathon game!  You just turn the rheostat, blam, instant removal of the "headwind"!  

Don't ever say an idea is goofy around here!  Someone may have already thought of it and thought "everyone's gonna laugh at this"!   You just gave them the impetus to try it on their own cab (and "blame'" you for it!).

Go to it man, and good luck.

[spystyle]

This fella sells cockpit plans for only $1 on Ebay, you may find it usefull

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=13717&item=6101368941&rd=1

[Tailgunner]

I have 4 sitdown cabs.  I'll take some measurements tommorow and post the results.

[ForKChop]

Another goofy idea: a fan that blows wind in the driver's face. I remember a motorcycle game in the arcade (can't remember the name) that had this feature... Too bad no game actually outputs the speed the player is driving so I probably will not include this ...

Any idea's, hints and sound advice is welcome!

You might not have the input to do a speed controlled fan, but what about one based around accelleration?  You'll have a physical pedal being pushed down, maybe you can connect that to a rheostat or something and have the fan go faster the further the pedal is pushed to the floor.  Not strictly speed based, but it's close...

[Felsir]

@bdsjake:
Thanks for the suggestion. I looked at those, the major difference is that for a sports car driving game, the seat is pretty low, the flightsim fans build their cockpits for the 747 type long distance flights with comfy chairs and the lot. It's not exatly what I'm aiming for.

@drewkaree:
Also a good suggestion! However like the flightsim seats my car is a comfy seat with distance 'A' a bit higher than I think an arcade cab should have.

@Tailgunner:
Thanks in advance!

[Felsir]

You might not have the input to do a speed controlled fan, but what about one based around accelleration?  You'll have a physical pedal being pushed down, maybe you can connect that to a rheostat or something and have the fan go faster the further the pedal is pushed to the floor.  Not strictly speed based, but it's close...

hmm, that sounds like a good idea! Going to experiment with that :-)

BTW. can anyone remember the name of the arcade game that had this feature? I remember that it was spritebased but as you lean the motor in the corners the graphics would also tilt.

[REBIRTH]

You might not have the input to do a speed controlled fan, but what about one based around accelleration?  You'll have a physical pedal being pushed down, maybe you can connect that to a rheostat or something and have the fan go faster the further the pedal is pushed to the floor.  Not strictly speed based, but it's close...

hmm, that sounds like a good idea! Going to experiment with that :-)

BTW. can anyone remember the name of the arcade game that had this feature? I remember that it was spritebased but as you lean the motor in the corners the graphics would also tilt.

There is a current game with a fan, called Arctic Thunder, that is a snowmobiling game (smae guys that make Hydro Thunder).

http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=A&game_id=6906

  I awlays thought the fan on that was pretty cool.  I too am planning a sit-down driving cab now.  I like the fan idea, have to think if there is any other options for variable speed other than the pedal one given above (which is a good idea!).

[Wade]

I have an extra seat from a Virtual Racing twin you can have for free if you pick it up or pay for shipping and packing.  It's a TWO player seat so it probably isn't what you want, but I thought I'd mention it because I'm about to just throw it away.

Wade

[Felsir]

I don't know exactly what you mean: is it two seats one one base?

I might be interested but I think the shipping costs would exceed building one from scratch since I live in the Netherlands. Shipping stuff this size and weight across the ocean would be rather expensive methinks. Thanks for the offer, I really appreciate it. Demonstrates the kind spirit in this community :-)

[Felsir]

I found the game I refferred to in my first post: it's WGP from Taito.
http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=&game_id=10384
K.L.O.V. doesn't mention the specific feature though I'm sure it was this game that had a fan for the 'real race feeling'.

[hyiu]

you should go to junk yards, and auto shops...

a lot of times... they have car seats available for cheap...
(my place told me I can have them for free...)

then all you need is wait for a 8 way adjustable seat...
and waaaa-laaa.... its all good....

ps: my place is not junk yard.... but what they do sometimes is... they will auction a car back if they need parts... (like engine or transmission or something big...) and then they use that auction car for parts... and if there are 2 seats right there.... (they said they'll throw it away if nobody wants it...)

heee hee..... btw.... I still haven't got a nice condition 8 way power seat yet.....

[Generic Eric]

Another goofy idea: a fan that blows wind in the driver's face. I remember a motorcycle game in the arcade (can't remember the name) that had this feature... Too bad no game actually outputs the speed the player is driving so I probably will not include this ...

Any idea's, hints and sound advice is welcome!

I have plans (or dreams...) to build a driving cabinet.  My original plan was to take measurements from a trans am, but my friend sold his, so I can't do that.  He did take pics, so I might try to use that.  Otherwise, it will be loosely based on my bonneville.

As far as the fan...  I was thinking of some way to mimic the air conditioning, so I don't really think your idea is goofy.

I also intend on connecting buttons on to the steering wheel for the radio to use with winamp.  

[bdsjake]

>>8 way power seat<<

you think one could hook that up to 12v from computer power supply?    

now that would be cool.

[REBIRTH]

you should go to junk yards, and auto shops...

a lot of times... they have car seats available for cheap...
(my place told me I can have them for free...)

Exactly my plan, get a real seat on the track/brackets so that you can adjust it back and forth.  If the seat isn't that "pretty" just buy a cheap seat cover at Target or something....

[Rocky]

After building my first arcade cab I'm moving to the next level: a sitdown driving cabinet.
The design looks a little bit like a buck rogers cab. I like it because it's fairly compact.
I made a quick doodle of my plan.

Questions: Does anyone have a sitdown cab? What are the measurements for (see attached picture)
A - seat to base of the cab
B - Distance pedals - seat
C - height of the steeringwheel base
D - height to the bottom of the monitor

I plan to have 'B' variable. The whole cab comes in three parts, the base engine where the steering wheel and the pedals are attached to, the cover for the monitor and the seat assembly. The seat assembly will slide under the base unit. furniture wheels (with locks) enable it to roll under the base effectively making distance B variable. I ask the measurement to see what kind of sliding distance I generally require.

I have a Buck Rogers sit down in the garage that I'm currently working on.  I'm planning on converting it to a driving machine ( I can't find the original boards anywhere)

I'll take some measurements for you and post them.  The Buck Rogers cabinet comes in 2 pieces. The monitor piece is the size of a cabaret and includes the pedal, CP and logic boards.  The back piece is the seat, arm rest / coin door, plus half of the floor. I can carry it by myself easily.

I think it is a great sit down design.  It has a very small footprint.


Rocky

[Wade]

Felsir,

   Sorry, I didn't realize you were in the Netherlands.  But the offer stands to anyone who wants the seat.  Free to anyone who wants to pick it up (Charleston, WV) or pay for the shipping (wouldn't be too bad since it is not fragile and is fairly lightweight).

   I don't think the 12V in a PC power supply probably has enough amperage to work the motors in a motorized seat.  But you could always try it.

   If anyone wants dims of a Virtua Racing Twin, which is two player but could essentially be made half as wide to accomodate a single player, then I could probably measure mine.  I have a lot of projects in the works right now so it probably wouldn't be snappy, but I should be able to get them within a week or two.

Wade

[Tailgunner]

Alright, got some numbers for ya.

I wasn't quite sure how you want the dimensions, so I've modded your picture to illustrate where I measured from. I also added a dimension for the thickness of each cab's floor section as they vary quite a bit. "E" will be the extra dimension. Lastly, the seats on all but one slant towards the back, so I'm including dimensions for seat height at the front and back edges of the seat.

First cab is a RoadBlasters sitdown. The monitor it uses is a 19" oriented horizontally.

A: 13" at the front, 11" at the back.
B: 20"
C: 19"
D: 24"
E: 4.5"

Next cab is a Spy Hunter sitdown. It uses a 19" monitor oriented vertically.

A: 12"
B: 26"
C: 24"
D: 42"
E: 8"

Third cab is a Hard Drivin' Deluxe sitdown. It uses a 25" monitor oriented horizontally.
A:   12" at the front, ~8" at the back.
B: ~36" The seat in this cab is mounted on a swing arm with a lot of front to back travel.
C:   24"
D:   28"
E:   7"

Last sitdown is a Namco Air Combat. It uses a 52" projection TV for a monitor.
A:  9" at the front, 7" at the back.
B:  23"
C:  13" (Flight sim cab, controller is a center mounted joystick.)
D:  32"
E:  11.5"

[danny_galaga]

the brake light is easy. go to your local car parts shop and ask for a cheap brake light switch. they are designed for brake pedals after all so they are perfect! they might look at you strange asking for the cheapest, if theyre really difficult about it ask for the most common aftermarket  brake light switch- should ipso facto be the cheapest...

and if you go the fan route, use an electronic speed controller. this is trickier because you could get a cheapy like this:

http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/40c589c300c2f4b6273fc0a87f9c078e/Product/View/K3070

but its only good for 1 amp on 12v, that is to say- 12W power. id be inclined to buy a cheap second hand drill or jigsaw with electronic speed control and hack that. the resistor used in the trigger will be actuated by the pedal (and dont worry, that part isnt high voltage)  

EDIT: IMPORTANT!! i was just working on a drill today and realised that i was wrong!! the speed controller IS high voltage so if you did this take care.

and use a mains voltage fan no more powerful than the drill/jigsaw. this could work well because the fan wont be a shunt wound motor like the drill and so will have some delay in acceleration, hopefully approximately corresponding to the game acceleration (",)

[Felsir]

Thanks for the measurements and the info!
Back to the drawingboard! :-)

[Rocky]

Here's the measurements for the Buck Rogers sit down:

(I used Tailgunners' drawing)

A:  9.5" in front, 8.5" at the back
B:  16.25" to the base of the pedal, 25.5" to the end of the floor area
C:  19"  (but the CP has a trigger stick)
D:  27.5"
E:  3"

[BeefyD]

Or, if you want a real race feel, you can always buy an actual racing seat for $35:

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=SUM%2DG1100&view=257&applid=%7BD70D9935%2DFD1E%2D4C17%2D9FB6%2D8181351D5EE0%7D#largerimage

There's a thousand options for a sitdown...

[Gamecab]

Or, if you want a real race feel, you can always buy an actual racing seat for $35:

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=SUM%2DG1100&view=257&applid=%7BD70D9935%2DFD1E%2D4C17%2D9FB6%2D8181351D5EE0%7D#largerimage

There's a thousand options for a sitdown...

My Seat just arrived today and it is AWESOME!!!  Thanks for the Link BeefyD, I was going crazy trying to find the correct seat that is most like the SF Rush 2049 seats.

Thanks again!!
Charlie

[RoboG2]

Hey.  About  your fan idea... you could wire the fan up to the same pot thats inside your gas  pedal...  just an idea.

[Felsir]

My Seat just arrived today and it is AWESOME!!!  Thanks for the Link BeefyD, I was going crazy trying to find the correct seat that is most like the SF Rush 2049 seats.

Thanks again!!
Charlie

Can you provide some pictures of the seat? I'm interested to know how the seat can mouinted on/in a cab.

[paigeoliver]

If you actually wanted to have a functional power seat then THIS should work.

Car battery attached to trickle charger.
Power seat attached to car battery.

That would actually give you a 12 volt system that could power some hefty stuff, provided it didn't have to power that stuff for long periods of time.