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Fully adjustable DIY playseat


sirrah

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Few weeks ago I got the idea to replace my old VR gaming seat, as there were a few things I didn't like about it.

 

picture.php?albumid=1744&pictureid=11065

Old setup, based on an old IKEA rocking chair I stole from my mother in law

 

Initially I was pleased about this seat as it was very comfy, but comfort of course comes with its downsides:

  • Too much wobbliness on the chair, flight stick and racing wheel (latter one obviously not seat related, but still an annoyance)
  • Not adjustable (seat angle worked pretty well for the F/A-18C, but awful in a formula type racing car)
  • Lots of loose parts (TQS I had mounted on an old pc case, racing wheel connected to a nearby old book shelve)
  • No option for a side stick (Viperrrr incomming! :pilotfly:)

 

So, during one of my fatherhood breaks (while my 2yo daughter was asleep :P), I came up with an idea for a new playseat based on aluminium scaffolding pipes. With as goals:

  • Staying under ±$200 budget
  • Adjustable in all directions and angles
  • All controllers mounted on it as one complete set (except for rudder pedals and racing pedals)
  • Easy switching between setups (F-18, F-16, racing)

 

This is a rough sketch up I made:

picture.php?albumid=1744&pictureid=11069

 

picture.php?albumid=1744&pictureid=11057

 

picture.php?albumid=1744&pictureid=11058

 

picture.php?albumid=1744&pictureid=11059

 

And here's some pictures of the implementation:

 

picture.php?albumid=1744&pictureid=11070

Due to lack of time and lazyness I had all pipes sawed at correct lenghts for me (could have saved a few bucks there, but what the hell)

 

picture.php?albumid=1744&pictureid=11071

Mounting was extremely easy and done in approximately 15mins

 

picture.php?albumid=1744&pictureid=11072

Used some proper quality left over wooden plates, bolts and nuts

 

picture.php?albumid=1744&pictureid=11060

Asked my mom for some left over garden set cushions

 

picture.php?albumid=1744&pictureid=11067

Asked my girlfriend for some old fleece blanket I could use. Due to my poor sewing skills I had to use strips of wood and nails (Jeremy Clarckson style) to fasten the blanket

 

picture.php?albumid=1744&pictureid=11063

Havn't fastened the head cushion yet, as I first want to see what works best for all setups and finding a sweet spot between comfort and freedom of movement

 

picture.php?albumid=1744&pictureid=11068

By loosening up one 1/4" hex bolt I'm able to flip my setup from flying to racing (note that I have my racing pedals placed on a little platform, which I had already done for my previous setup). Currently placed the seat at a 30 degrees angle (for the Viper), but switching over to a more upright position (e.g. for the Huey), can be done in like a minute

 

picture.php?albumid=1744&pictureid=11064

Let the enjoyment begin!

 

 

(small side note, upon receiving MilesD Pointctrl I hope to be able to lose the mouse pad)

 

 

 

Getting into the seat (as similar to a real jet), needs to be done a specific way, but is no problem. Loosening/removing the Warthog grip makes it more easy though.

 

 

 

 

(Edit: not sure why some of the pictures got rotated and how to correct this)


Edited by sirrah

System specs:

 

i7-8700K @stock speed - GTX 1080TI @ stock speed - AsRock Extreme4 Z370 - 32GB DDR4 @3GHz- 500GB SSD - 2TB nvme - 650W PSU

HP Reverb G1 v2 - Saitek Pro pedals - TM Warthog HOTAS - TM F/A-18 Grip - TM Cougar HOTAS (NN-Dan mod) & (throttle standalone mod) - VIRPIL VPC Rotor TCS Plus with ALPHA-L grip - Pointctrl & aux banks <-- must have for VR users!! - Andre's SimShaker Jetpad - Fully adjustable DIY playseat - VA+VAICOM

 

~ That nuke might not have been the best of ideas, Sir... the enemy is furious ~ GUMMBAH

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This seat was made by ... not you, your mom and girlfriend. :D

Nice product by the way.

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Sirrah,

 

 

 

Very ingenious. Where did you buy the aluminum scaffolding pipes? You'll love pointCTRL! It adds a whole new level of immersion to VR.

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TWC_Alamo

Denver, CO

 

Military Flight Sim

I7-7700K, 4.9 GHz, Z270-Gaming MB, 16GB, 512GB EVO-960 NVMe M.2, 512GB WD Black NVMe M.2, 1 TB SSD Raid, EVGA RTX 2080ti, Samsung Odyssey Plus, TM HOTAS/MFDs, MFG Crosswinds, Gametrix 908 JetSeat

 

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Sirrah,

 

 

 

Very ingenious. Where did you buy the aluminum scaffolding pipes?

 

I bought all parts on a local Dutch online store, mainly used for furniture building. Most of the bigger DIY hardware stores have these items (at least here in The Netherlands), but those are usually more expensive with less options.

 

I chose Ø33.7x3mm (1") aluminium pipes, which are slightly more expensive than the standard steel galvanized pipes, but are a lot lighter in weight. Also Aluminium is a lot easier to process if needed. The standard scaffolding couplings combined are heavier than all pipes together :P

 

Apart from mounting your controllers, you'll only need one 1/4" Allen wrench to build everything, and the entire structure is rock solid and sturdy without any free play (it's scaffolding, so you can walk on it ;))

 

I found using these scaffolding materials was cheaper than the widely used BSB profiles, easier to adjust (only one hex nut per coupling) and easier to create adjustable seat angles.

 

 

All pipe couplings are hollow, as well as the pipes themselves obviously, so my next step will be to route all controller cables through the frame (no visible cables except for the parts where they enter and exit the frame).


Edited by sirrah

System specs:

 

i7-8700K @stock speed - GTX 1080TI @ stock speed - AsRock Extreme4 Z370 - 32GB DDR4 @3GHz- 500GB SSD - 2TB nvme - 650W PSU

HP Reverb G1 v2 - Saitek Pro pedals - TM Warthog HOTAS - TM F/A-18 Grip - TM Cougar HOTAS (NN-Dan mod) & (throttle standalone mod) - VIRPIL VPC Rotor TCS Plus with ALPHA-L grip - Pointctrl & aux banks <-- must have for VR users!! - Andre's SimShaker Jetpad - Fully adjustable DIY playseat - VA+VAICOM

 

~ That nuke might not have been the best of ideas, Sir... the enemy is furious ~ GUMMBAH

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